Form, Structure, and Sense Flashcards

The collection of rare paintings _______ recently acquired by the city museum through a generous private donation.

Answer: was

The subject 'collection' is singular, so it requires the singular verb 'was.'

The new transit system, which connects several suburban neighborhoods to the downtown business district, _______ expected to reduce traffic congestion significantly.

Answer: is

The subject 'system' is singular; the relative clause ('which connects…') is a modifier that does not affect subject-verb agreement.

The council voted to rebuild the old library, restore the historic fountain, and _______ new sidewalks throughout the district.

Answer: install

Parallel structure requires matching the form of the series: 'to rebuild,' 'to restore,' and 'to install' — however, in a list after 'voted to,' the bare infinitive 'install' (without 'to') is correct for parallelism.

Exhausted after the long journey, _______ finally reached the mountain summit just before sunset.

Answer: the team of climbers

The participial phrase 'Exhausted after the long journey' must modify the subject of the main clause; the team of climbers is the logical doer, not the summit or an effort.

The city council will present _______ annual budget proposal at the public meeting on Thursday.

Answer: its

'City council' is a singular collective noun; the possessive pronoun 'its' (no apostrophe) is correct.

By the time the rescue team arrives at the crash site, the survivors _______ in the shelter for over twelve hours.

Answer: will have been waiting

The future perfect continuous 'will have been waiting' correctly expresses an ongoing action that will be completed by a future point in time.

The scholarship committee will award the prize to whoever _______ the most innovative solution to the design challenge.

Answer: submits

The clause 'whoever submits' acts as the subject in a noun clause; 'whoever' takes a third-person singular verb, so 'submits' is correct.