An agreement question tests whether a verb matches the number of its subject. Read around the blank and find the subject by asking who or what the sentence is about. One thing takes a singular verb; more than one takes a plural verb. If an opening phrase changes the order, put the subject before the verb to check. Then check time clues: past forms describe the past, present forms describe the present, and present-perfect forms connect the past to the present.
Hints
- Hint 1
In the second sentence, ask who is being placed among the hired artists. Look on both sides of the blank for the subject.
- Hint 2
Try rewriting the sentence with the subject first, then check whether it names one person or more than one.
Step-by-step
Flip the sentence to find its subject
Step 1Sort the forms by number
Start by sorting the verb forms by number, since the blank after Among the artists hired needs a verb that matches its subject. Were, are, and have been all go with they, but none agrees with a singular third-person subject such as a person’s name. Check number before tense, because being in the past won’t fix a mismatch with the subject. Who is the sentence placing among the hired artists?
- Step 2
Find the subject after the blank
Who comes after the blank? It’s sculptor Augusta Savage, the person placed among the hired artists, so the subject comes after the verb. Flip the order to check: Sculptor Augusta Savage _____ among the artists hired. The plural noun in Among the artists hired belongs to the opening phrase, which describes the group Savage belonged to. The words who later founded a community art center in Harlem describe Savage and already have their own verb, so they don’t fill the blank.
- Step 3
Match the verb to one sculptor
How many people does sculptor Augusta Savage name? It names one person, so the subject needs a singular verb. Was is the singular past form, giving us the sculptor was among the artists hired, and the past tense also fits In the 1930s. Choice A.