Question 224·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
During the 2024 eclipse, the path of totality stretched across several states; within that narrow shadow, each observer ______ treated to nearly four minutes of mid-day darkness.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first strip away extra phrases (like prepositional phrases) to find the true subject, then decide if it is singular or plural. Check the tense of the main verb earlier in the sentence so you can match it, and finally choose the verb form that agrees in both number (singular/plural) and tense. Pay special attention to words like "each," "every," and "one of," which often make the subject singular even when they refer to many people or things.
Hints
Find the true subject near the blank
Ignore the prepositional phrases like "within that narrow shadow" and focus on which noun is actually doing or receiving the action in the clause with the blank.
Singular or plural?
Think carefully about the phrase "each observer." Does it talk about them one by one or all together? Your verb has to match that number.
Match the tense to the earlier verb
Look at the verb "stretched" earlier in the sentence. Choose a form of "to be" that fits the same time frame as "stretched."
Consider the structure with "treated"
The word after the blank is "treated," which suggests a passive construction (like "___ treated"). Which option best fits that structure for a single person in the past?
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the subject of the blank
Focus on the part of the sentence containing the blank: "within that narrow shadow, each observer ______ treated..." The subject of this clause is "each observer", not "states" or "shadow."
Decide if the subject is singular or plural
Although "observer" refers to many people overall, the phrase "each observer" treats them one at a time, so grammatically it is singular. A singular subject needs a singular verb form.
Match the verb tense to the rest of the sentence
Earlier in the sentence, the verb "stretched" is in the simple past tense. To keep the sentence consistent, the verb in the blank should also be in a past tense form, not present or future.
Check which answer is a singular past-tense verb that fits
We need a singular, simple past form of the verb "to be" to go with "treated" in a passive construction: "each observer ___ treated." Among the choices, only "was" is singular and in the simple past, so the correct answer is A) was.