Question 80·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Standard English Conventions
Dendrochronologists studying shipwreck timbers can sometimes reconstruct old trade routes by matching growth-ring patterns to regions where the trees grew; among the geographically distinctive patterns that researcher Leena Saar and her colleagues have documented _____ for example, a cluster of unusually narrow rings characteristic of trees from the eastern Baltic, evidence that some vessels were built with imported lumber.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
When a clause begins with a phrase such as “among the patterns,” check whether the subject appears after the verb. Temporarily remove introductory prepositional phrases, relative clauses, and parenthetical expressions; then identify the head noun of the true subject and choose a finite verb that agrees with it.
Hints
Focus on the second clause
Examine only the text after the semicolon and determine what it needs to become an independent clause.
Look beyond the opening phrase
The noun that controls the verb does not always appear before it. Find what is being identified as one of the documented patterns.
Check both form and agreement
Choose a finite verb that agrees with the head noun of the clause’s subject.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the clause after the semicolon
The semicolon must be followed by an independent clause. The clause begins with the prepositional phrase “among the geographically distinctive patterns.”
Find the subject
Because the clause uses inverted word order, its subject appears after the blank: “a cluster of unusually narrow rings.” The head noun of this subject is the singular noun “cluster.”
Choose the appropriate verb
The clause needs a finite singular verb that agrees with “cluster.” Therefore, “is,” correctly completes the clause and supplies the first comma setting off “for example.”