Question 228·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
In geologist Marcia Bjornerud’s recent book, the idea of “timefulness”—the recognition that Earth’s history is vast and interconnected—along with vividly described examples of geological processes _____ readers to think beyond human timescales.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject-verb agreement questions with long or complex subjects, first strip the sentence down to its core subject and verb by crossing out prepositional phrases and add-on phrases like "along with," "as well as," and "together with." Decide whether that core subject is singular or plural, then eliminate any choices that don’t match in number. Finally, check that the remaining verb choice fits the time frame and meaning of the sentence (general truth → simple present, completed action → past or perfect). This quick process helps avoid being tricked by nearby nouns that are not actually the subject.
Hints
Find the real subject
Ignore the descriptive phrases and identify which single noun is actually doing the action to the readers.
Watch out for "along with"
Treat the phrase beginning with "along with" as extra information, not part of the grammatical subject. Ask yourself whether the subject is singular or plural without that phrase.
Check number and tense of the verb
Once you know if the subject is singular or plural, eliminate any verb forms that do not match that number. Then, consider whether the sentence is describing a general, ongoing effect of the book or a completed past action.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the core subject
Strip away the extra details to see the basic structure of the sentence:
"In geologist Marcia Bjornerud’s recent book, the idea of 'timefulness' ... along with vividly described examples of geological processes _____ readers to think beyond human timescales."
The main subject is "the idea of 'timefulness'". The phrase "along with vividly described examples of geological processes" is additional information, not part of the core subject.
Decide if the subject is singular or plural
Ask: Is "the idea of 'timefulness'" singular or plural?
- "idea" is a singular noun.
- The phrase "of 'timefulness'" just describes the idea and does not change its number.
- "along with vividly described examples of geological processes" is like saying "together with" or "in addition to" and does not turn the subject into a compound (it stays singular).
So the subject is singular, and it needs a singular verb form.
Match the verb number and tense to the sentence
Now look at the choices:
- "encourage" (base form) is used with plural subjects (they encourage).
- "have encouraged" uses a plural helping verb (they have encouraged).
- "encourages" is singular (it encourages).
- "were encouraging" uses a plural past progressive form (they were encouraging).
Also notice the context: the sentence is describing what the content of a recent book generally does for readers. This is a continuing fact, so simple present tense is most appropriate.
The only option that is both singular and in a suitable simple present tense is "encourages", so that is the correct answer.