SAT Reading & Writing · Form, Structure, and Sense
Rarely ______ a proposal received such unanimous support from the committee.
Rarely ______ a proposal received such unanimous support from the committee.
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: C: has
When a sentence opens with a negative-leaning adverb like "rarely," the subject and verb invert, and the sentence needs a verb agreeing with the singular subject "a proposal," making *has* correct in this inverted structure ("Rarely has a proposal received..."). *Have* is plural and doesn't agree with the singular "a proposal." *Had* would place the action further back in the past without any signal in the sentence calling for that shift. *Having* is not a finite verb and cannot serve as the sentence's main verb in this inverted construction.
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