Question 88·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense

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To study how bacteria locate nutrients, microbiologist Lena Ortiz added a tiny drop of sugar to one side of a petri dish. A microscope image taken several hours later shows a dense cluster of cells around the drop. The cluster ______ that the bacteria moved toward a food source.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

For subject-verb agreement questions, locate the sentence's true subject before examining the answer choices. Temporarily remove modifying phrases such as “of cells,” determine whether the subject is singular or plural, and then select the verb form that agrees with it.

Hints

Hint 1
Find the main noun
Identify the noun that performs the action in the final sentence. Ignore the nearby phrase beginning with “of.”
Hint 2
Check subject-verb agreement
Decide whether the sentence's subject is singular or plural, and choose a verb form that agrees with it.

Step-by-step

Step 1
Identify the subject
The subject of the sentence is the singular noun “cluster.” The phrase “of cells” describes the cluster but does not change its number.
Step 2
Select the matching verb
A singular subject requires a singular present-tense verb. Therefore, “indicates” correctly completes the sentence.

Question 88·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense

Strategy

Hints

Step-by-step

Lessons that teach this

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Strategy

Hints

Step-by-step

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