Question 43·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
Electric scooters have become a common sight in many cities. Each scooter is equipped with a small GPS unit that ______ its location to the rental company's servers every few seconds.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For Standard English verb questions, first isolate the clause with the underlined verb and identify the true subject (including pronouns like "that" or "who" and what they refer to). Decide whether the subject is singular or plural, then use time clues (like "every day," "last year," or "currently") to choose the correct tense. Eliminate any choices that break subject–verb agreement, use an incorrect or unnecessary helping verb, or result in an incomplete verb phrase, and finally reread the sentence with your chosen option to confirm that it sounds both grammatical and logical in context.
Hints
Find what the blank is doing in the sentence
Look closely at the words just before the blank: "a small GPS unit that ______ its location." What kind of word is missing after "that"?
Figure out the subject that the blank must agree with
The word "that" refers back to a noun earlier in the sentence. Which single noun does it stand for, and is that noun singular or plural?
Use the time phrase to pick the tense
The phrase "every few seconds" describes how often something happens. Does that suggest a one-time completed action, or a repeated, regular action?
Check verb form and helping verbs
Some choices are plain verbs and some are part-forms that usually need helper verbs (like "is" or "have"). Which option works as a complete verb with a singular subject by itself?
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the clause and the missing verb
Focus on the part of the sentence with the blank: "a small GPS unit that ______ its location to the rental company's servers every few seconds." The blank needs a verb that completes the clause "that ______ its location."
Identify the subject of the verb
The word "that" is a relative pronoun referring back to "a small GPS unit." So the true subject of the verb is "unit," which is singular (one unit per scooter). The verb in the blank must therefore be singular to agree with "unit."
Use the time clue to choose the correct tense
The phrase "every few seconds" shows that this is a repeated, regular action, not something finished in the past. For repeated actions, English normally uses the simple present tense (for example, "sends," "checks," "updates"). So we need the singular form of a simple present verb that fits the meaning.
Compare each option to the grammar rules
Now test each choice:
- A) transmit – base form used with plural subjects (they transmit) or with "to" (to transmit); not correct with a singular subject alone.
- B) transmits – third-person singular simple present (it transmits), which matches the singular subject "unit" and the repeated action.
- C) transmitting – an -ing form; it would need a helper verb (is transmitting) to work here.
- D) have transmitted – present perfect and also uses the plural helper verb "have"; does not match singular "unit" or the repeated-action idea.
The only option that is a singular simple present verb matching "unit" and "every few seconds" is B) transmits.