SAT Reading & Writing · Form, Structure, and Sense
Every one of the manuscript's marginal annotations ______ carefully cross-referenced against the original text before the new edition went…
Every one of the manuscript's marginal annotations ______ carefully cross-referenced against the original text before the new edition went to print.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer and explanation
Answer: B: was
The grammatical subject of the verb is "every one," a singular phrase, even though it's followed by the plural phrase "of the manuscript's marginal annotations." Subject-verb agreement follows the grammatical subject, calling for the singular was. Were and are are both plural, incorrectly agreeing with "annotations" instead of the true subject "every one." Have been is also plural and additionally shifts to present perfect without any signal in the sentence for that change in time frame.
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