Question 22·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
During the summer months, the local beekeeper inspects the hives weekly to ensure that each colony _____ enough honey to survive the coming winter.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject-verb agreement questions, first isolate the clause with the blank and identify its true subject; ignore any other nouns that might distract you. Decide if that subject is singular or plural, then quickly eliminate any choices that do not match in number. Next, look at the main verb(s) in the sentence to determine the time frame and whether the action is a habit, a one-time event, or completed; choose the tense and aspect (simple present, past, perfect, etc.) that best fits that context, favoring simple forms for general truths and habitual actions.
Hints
Find the true subject of the verb
Ignore the beekeeper for a moment and focus on the clause with the blank: "to ensure that each colony _____ enough honey." What noun phrase in that clause is the subject of the verb in the blank?
Check singular vs. plural
Once you know the subject, decide whether it is grammatically singular or plural. Then ask: which choices are singular forms, and which are plural forms?
Match the tense to the rest of the sentence
Look at the main verb "inspects." Is it talking about a single completed event or a regular, repeated action? Which verb form in the options best fits that kind of habitual situation?
Compare simple present and present perfect
Two choices use a helping verb (has/have) and a past participle, and two do not. Think about which tense is normally used for general routines and conditions that are checked regularly.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the subject of the blank
Focus on the clause with the blank: "to ensure that each colony _____ enough honey to survive the coming winter."
The subject of this clause is "each colony." Even though "colony" refers to many bees, the grammatical subject is the singular noun phrase "each colony," so we need a singular verb form.
Eliminate verbs that do not match the singular subject
For present-tense verbs in English:
- With he/she/it (third-person singular), we usually add -s (for example, "it runs," "she writes").
- The base form without -s (for example, "they run," "we write") is used for plural subjects and for "I" and "you."
Check the choices:
- "produce" is a base form used with plural subjects (they produce) or with "I/you." It does not match the singular subject "each colony."
- "have produced" is also used with plural subjects (they have produced).
- "has produced" and the simple present form ending in -s are both grammatically singular.
At this point, you should be deciding between the two singular options: "has produced" and the simple present form with -s.
Match the verb tense to the sentence’s time frame and meaning
Now look at the whole sentence:
"During the summer months, the local beekeeper inspects the hives weekly to ensure that each colony _____ enough honey to survive the coming winter."
"Inspects" is in the simple present tense, describing a habitual, repeated action (something that happens regularly every summer). In that kind of general statement, English normally also uses the simple present in the clause that states what must be true: that each colony currently produces enough honey as part of this ongoing routine.
The present perfect form "has produced" suggests a completed action by a certain point in time (as if the colonies are already finished producing honey). That does not fit as smoothly with a description of what the beekeeper checks week after week during the summer.
Therefore, the best verb form is the simple present singular verb that agrees with "each colony" and matches the habitual action described.
The correct answer is: produces.