Question 44·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
Each of the experimental solar panels, along with the battery units, _____ tested for efficiency under varying temperature conditions.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first strip away prepositional phrases (like "of the experimental solar panels") and extra modifiers (like "along with the battery units") to find the core subject. Decide if that subject is singular or plural, then quickly eliminate any choices whose verb doesn’t match in number. Finally, check that the verb tense fits the time frame implied by the rest of the sentence. Working in this order—subject, number, then tense—helps you move quickly and accurately on these questions.
Hints
Locate the true subject
Cover up the phrase "of the experimental solar panels" and the phrase "along with the battery units." What word is left as the subject at the beginning of the sentence?
Decide on singular vs. plural
Once you see the main subject, ask: is this grammatically singular or plural? The verb must match that choice in number.
Consider verb tense and helping verbs
Think about whether the sentence is talking about something happening now or something that already happened, and check if the helping verb form (have/has, are/is, was/were) matches a singular subject.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the core subject of the sentence
Ignore extra phrases and focus on who or what is actually doing or receiving the action.
The sentence is:
"Each of the experimental solar panels, along with the battery units, _____ tested for efficiency under varying temperature conditions."
The core subject is “Each”, not “panels” or “battery units.” “Of the experimental solar panels” is a prepositional phrase, and “along with the battery units” is an extra descriptive phrase, not part of the subject.
Decide if the subject is singular or plural
The word “Each” is always treated as singular in Standard English.
So, even though it refers to many panels and mentions battery units, the grammar cares about the word “Each,” which requires a singular verb form.
Eliminate verbs that don’t match a singular subject
Now look at the answer choices and test them with the singular subject “Each.”
- "Each ... were" – uses a plural verb, which does not match a singular subject.
- "Each ... have been" – "have" is a plural helping verb; with a singular subject it would need to be "has been."
- "Each ... are being" – "are" is plural; with a singular subject it would need to be "is being."
Only one choice uses a singular verb form that can grammatically follow "Each."
Check the verb tense and choose the best option
The sentence describes testing done under certain conditions, which fits a simple past description: "was tested."
The only answer choice that both:
- agrees with the singular subject “Each,” and
- uses a natural, correct tense for a completed action
is “was”, giving the correct sentence:
"Each of the experimental solar panels, along with the battery units, was tested for efficiency under varying temperature conditions."