SAT Bellwork #8

Formed in 1967 to foster political and economic stability within the Asia-Pacific region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was originally made up of five members: Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. By the end of the 1990s, the organization _____ its initial membership. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• has doubled

• had doubled

• doubles

• will double

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. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• will reach

• reach
• had reached

• are reaching

Led by Syrian American astronomer Shadia Habbal, the Solar Wind Sherpas are an intrepid team of scientists who travel the globe to study solar winds, the streams of particles emanating from the Sun that are only visible from certain locations during a total solar eclipse. When such an eclipse is imminent, the Sherpas pack up their telescopes and _____ ready. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• get

• had gotten

• got

• were getting

According to linguist Martin Joos, speakers of the English language ___ five main registers—frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate—which they rotate between depending on the situation. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• use
• speak

• communicate

• express

By analyzing ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, a research team at Sweden’s Lund University discovered evidence of a solar storm that occurred 9,200 years ago. Scientists had previously thought the Sun to be in a relatively “quiet” phase at that time, _____ the Lund team’s finding suggests otherwise. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• A. time but

• B. time, but

• C. time,

• D. time