SAT Bellwork #7

In 1903, environmentalist John Muir guided President Theodore Roosevelt on a scenic, sprawling trip through California’s Yosemite Valley. Upon returning from the three-day excursion, Roosevelt _____ to conserve the nation’s wilderness areas, a vow he upheld for his remaining six years in office. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• is vowing

• vowed

• will vow

• vows

To survive when water is scarce, embryos inside African turquoise killifish eggs _____ a dormant state known as diapause. In this state, embryonic development is paused for as long as two years—longer than the life span of an adult killifish. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• A. enter

• B. to enter

• C. having entered

• D. entering

In 1637, the price of tulips skyrocketed in Amsterdam, with single bulbs of rare varieties selling for up to the equivalent of $200,000 in today’s US dollars. Some historians _____ that this “tulip mania” was the first historical instance of an asset bubble, which occurs when investors drive prices to highs not supported by actual demand. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• claiming

• claim

• having claimed

• to claim

Professional American football player Fred Cox invented one of the world’s most popular toys. In the 1970s, he came up with the idea for the Nerf football, which ___ of the harder and heavier regulation football. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• were a smaller, foam version

• are smaller, foam versions

• were smaller, foam versions

• is a smaller, foam version

According to the traditional RYB (red-yellow-blue) color model, yellow is a complementary color to purple. However, yellow ___ considered complementary to blue in modern color theory. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• is
• having been

• to be

• being