SAT Grammar 4.2

In his groundbreaking book Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America, Vivek Bald uses newspaper articles, census records, ships’ logs, and memoirs to tell the ________ who made New York City their home in the early twentieth century. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• story’s of the South Asian immigrants

• story’s of the South Asian immigrants’

• stories of the South Asian immigrants

• stories’ of the South Asian immigrant’s

In her two major series “Memory Test” and “Autobiography,” painter Howardena Pindell explored themes ______ healing, self-discovery, and memory by cutting and sewing back together pieces of canvas and inserting personal artifacts, such as postcards, into some of the paintings. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• A) of

• B) of,

• C) of—

• D) of:

Both Sona Charaipotra, an Indian American, and Dhonielle Clayton, an African American, grew up frustrated by the lack of diverse characters in books for young people. In 2011, these two writers joined forces to found CAKE Literary, a book packaging ______ specializes in the creation and promotion of stories told from diverse perspectives for children and young adults. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• A) company,

• B) company that

• C) company

• D) company, that

A study led by scientist Rebecca Kirby at the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that black bears that eat human food before hibernation have increased levels of a rare carbon isotope, due to the higher ¹³C levels in corn and cane sugar. Bears with these elevated levels were also found to have much shorter hibernation periods on average. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• A) carbon-13, (¹³C)

• B) carbon-13 (¹³C)

• C) carbon-13, (¹³C),

• D) carbon-13 (¹³C),

In 2010, archaeologist Noel Hidalgo Tan was visiting the twelfth-century temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia when he noticed markings of red paint on the temple ______ the help of digital imaging techniques, he discovered the markings to be part of an elaborate mural containing over 200 paintings. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• A) walls, with

• B) walls with

• C) walls so with

• D) walls. With

Working from an earlier discovery of Charpentier’s, chemists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna—winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—re-created and then reprogrammed the so-called “genetic scissors” of a species of DNA-cleaving bacteria ______ a tool that is revolutionizing the field of gene technology. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• to forge

• forging

• forged

• and forging

In 2016, engineer Vanessa Galvez oversaw the installation of 164 bioswales, vegetated channels designed to absorb and divert stormwater, along the streets of Queens, New York. By reducing the runoff flowing into city sewers, ______ Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• the mitigation of both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways has been achieved by bioswales.

• the bioswales have mitigated both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways.

• the bioswales’ mitigation of both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways has been achieved.

• both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways have been mitigated by bioswales.

A study published by Rice University geoscientist Ming Tang in 2019 offers a new explanation for the origin of Earth’s ______ structures called arcs, towering ridges that form when a dense oceanic plate subducts under a less dense continental plate, melts in the mantle below, and then rises and bursts through the continental crust above. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• continents geological

• continents: geological

• continents; geological

• continents. Geological

During a 2021 launch, Rocket Labs’ Electron rocket experienced an unexpected failure: its second-stage booster shut down suddenly after ignition. Instead of downplaying the incident, Rocket Labs’ CEO publicly acknowledged what happened and apologized for the loss of the rocket’s payload, which had consisted of two satellites. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A) Afterward,

• B) Additionally,

• C) Indeed,

• D) Similarly,

When soil becomes contaminated by toxic metals, it can be removed from the ground and disposed of in a landfill. _______ contaminated soil can be detoxified via phytoremediation: plants that can withstand high concentrations of metals absorb the pollutants and store them in their shoots, which are then cut off and safely disposed of, preserving the health of the plants. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A) Alternatively,

• B) Specifically,

• C) For example,

• D) As a result,