Question 197·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Standard English Conventions
After comparing the spacing of street grids in several ancient Roman towns, urban historian Livia Caruso argues that surveyors relied on a standardized measuring rope. This explanation ______ that the ropes stretched over time and were periodically replaced aligns with references in surviving construction manuals but conflicts with the near-perfect right angles preserved at sites built centuries apart.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
When a sentence includes a clear main verb later (here, “aligns … but conflicts”), the blank often needs a modifier rather than another main verb. Quickly check each choice by reading the full sentence: if your choice makes the subject take two main verbs in the same clause without a conjunction or punctuation that separates clauses, eliminate it. Present participles (-ing) are common in these “noun + modifier + main verb” structures.
Hints
Locate the main action
Look for the verb that tells what “This explanation” does later in the sentence.
Check for two main verbs
Test each option: if the sentence ends up with two main verbs in the same clause (with no connector), it doesn’t follow Standard English conventions.
Think modifier vs. verb
Ask whether the blank should act like a description of “This explanation” or like the sentence’s main verb.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the sentence’s main verb
Find the verb that should describe what This explanation does in the sentence. The sentence already has a clear main verb later: aligns (and it is paired with but conflicts).
Decide what the blank must do
Because aligns is the main verb, the blank cannot also be a main verb. Instead, it should introduce extra information about “This explanation” in a non-main-verb form (a modifier), such as a participial phrase.
Choose the modifier that fits
A present participle (-ing form) can modify a noun: “This explanation contending that … aligns … .”
Therefore, the correct choice is contending.