SAT Grammar 3.2

Atoms in a synchrotron, a type of circular particle accelerator, travel faster and faster until they ______ a desired energy level, at which point they are diverted to collide with a target, smashing the atoms.

• will reach

• reach

• had reached

• are reaching

Even though bats prefer very sweet nectar, the plants that attract them have evolved to produce nectar that is only moderately sweet. A recent study ______ why: making sugar is energy-intensive, and it is more advantageous for plants to make a large amount of low-sugar nectar than a small amount of high-sugar nectar.

• explains

• explaining

• having explained

• to explain

• explained

Former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt and Indian activist and educator Hansa Mehta were instrumental in drafting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that ______ the basic freedoms to which all people are entitled.

• outline

• outlines

• have outlined

• was outlining

• were outlining

The life spans of rockfish vary greatly by species. For instance, the colorful calico rockfish (Sebastes dallii) can survive for a little over a ______ the rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) boasts a maximum life span of about two centuries. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• decade: while

• decade. While

• decade; while

• decade, while

The Lion Light system, developed by Kenyan inventor Richard Turere, consists of LED lights installed around the perimeter of livestock pastures. Powered with ______ the blinking LEDs keep lions away at night, thus protecting the livestock without risking harm to the endangered lions. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• energy collected, by solar panels, during the day

• energy collected by solar panels during the day

• energy collected by solar panels during the day,

• energy, collected by solar panels during the day,

Materials scientist Marie-Agathe Charpagne and her colleagues believed they could improve on the multicomponent alloy NiCoCr, an equal-proportions mixture of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr), by replacing chromium with ruthenium ______ the alloy that resulted, NiCoRu, turned out to be an unsuitable replacement for NiCoCr. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• (Ru)

• (Ru) but

• (Ru),

• (Ru), but

The Progressive Era in the United States witnessed the rise of numerous Black women’s clubs, local organizations that advocated for racial and gender equality. Among the clubs’ leaders ______ Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, founder of the Women’s Era Club of Boston. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• was

• were

• are

• have been

Based on genetic evidence, archaeologists have generally agreed that reindeer domestication began in the eleventh century CE. However, since uncovering fragments of a 2,000-year-old reindeer training harness in northern Siberia, ______ may have begun much earlier. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• researcher Robert Losey has argued that domestication

• researcher Robert Losey’s argument is that domestication

• domestication, researcher Robert Losey has argued,

• the argument researcher Robert Losey has made is that domestication

Hegra is an archaeological site in present-day Saudi Arabia and was the second largest city of the Nabataean Kingdom (fourth century BCE to first century CE). Archaeologist Laila Nehmé recently traveled to Hegra to study its ancient ______ into the rocky outcrops of a vast desert, these burial chambers seem to blend seamlessly with nature. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• tombs. Built

• tombs, built

• tombs and built

• tombs built

When external forces are applied to common glass made from silicates, energy builds up around minuscule defects in the material, resulting in fractures. Recently, engineer Erkka Frankberg of Tampere University in Finland used the chemical ______ to make a glassy solid that can withstand higher strain than silicate glass can before fracturing. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• compound, aluminum oxide

• compound aluminum oxide,

• compound, aluminum oxide,

• compound aluminum oxide