Question 53·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
An illustrated guide, along with a set of instructional videos, _____ included in the museum's new digital archive, which is scheduled to launch this fall.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first strip away extra phrases set off by commas or introduced by words like "along with," "as well as," or "together with" to find the core subject. Decide if that subject is singular or plural, then eliminate any choices that don’t match in number. Finally, use time clues in the sentence (words like "scheduled," "last year," "currently") to pick the verb tense that best fits the timeline. Working in this order—subject, number, then tense—helps you answer quickly and avoid being distracted by nearby nouns.
Hints
Locate the main subject
Cover up the phrase between the commas ("along with a set of instructional videos") and read what's left. What is the main thing the sentence is about?
Check singular or plural
Once you have the main subject, decide: is it one thing (singular) or more than one thing (plural)? Your verb must match this choice.
Use the time clue
Look at the part "which is scheduled to launch this fall." Does that suggest something happening now/planned, or something that already finished? Pick a verb tense that matches.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the true subject
Ignore the extra phrase between commas: "along with a set of instructional videos." This is a modifying phrase and does not change the subject. The core subject is "An illustrated guide", which is singular.
Decide on singular vs. plural verb
Because the subject "An illustrated guide" is singular, the verb that completes the blank must also be singular. Do not be tricked by the nearby plural phrase "a set of instructional videos"—it comes after "along with" and does not control the verb.
Match the verb tense to the time clue
The sentence talks about the museum's new digital archive, "which is scheduled to launch this fall." That time clue suggests the situation is current/ongoing and planned, not something completed in the past. So the verb before "included" should be present tense, not past or perfect (completed) tense.
Choose the verb form that fits number and tense
We need a singular verb in the present tense to go with "included": the singular present form of "to be". Among the choices, only "is" fits both the singular subject and the present-time context, so the correct answer is A) is.