Question 229·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
Although the exhibition’s photographs appear spontaneous, the placement of each subject and the manipulation of light and shadow ______ carefully orchestrated.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first ignore prepositional phrases (like “of each subject”) and focus on the core noun or nouns that make up the subject. Check whether those nouns are joined by “and” (usually plural) or “or”/“nor” (may be singular or plural), then decide if the subject takes “it” or “they.” Next, match the verb’s number (singular/plural) and tense (present/past) to both the subject and nearby verbs, and eliminate any choices that don’t align on both counts.
Hints
Spot the subject
Look just before the blank. What is the full noun phrase that the verb must agree with? Be sure to include everything before the blank that is acting as the subject.
Decide if the subject is singular or plural
In that subject, notice the word “and.” Does that make the subject something you would replace with “it” or with “they”?
Check the tense of the sentence
The earlier verb in the sentence is “appear.” Is that present or past tense? The verb you choose in the blank should match that tense.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the verb position and its job
Look at the part of the sentence with the blank: “the placement of each subject and the manipulation of light and shadow ______ carefully orchestrated.”
The word in the blank must be a form of the verb “to be” (is/are/was/were) linking the subject to the description “carefully orchestrated.”
Find the true subject of the sentence
The full subject before the blank is “the placement of each subject and the manipulation of light and shadow.”
Ignore the prepositional phrases “of each subject” and “of light and shadow.” The core nouns joined by “and” are:
- “placement”
- “manipulation”
Two nouns joined by “and” form a plural subject. You could replace the whole subject with “they,” not “it.”
Match the verb to the subject and tense
Because the subject is plural (“placement and manipulation” → “they”), the verb must also be plural.
Also, earlier in the sentence we see the present-tense verb “appear” (“photographs appear spontaneous”), so the verb in the blank should also be in the present tense to keep the sentence consistent.
Choose the option that is present-tense and plural
Among the choices — “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were” — only “are” is both plural and present tense. Therefore, the correct answer is B) are.