Standard English Conventions

1. Online shopping was first introduced in the mid-1990s, and as consumers are
becoming more familiar with the benefits of _______ sales have greatly
increased; in fact, economists predict that about 24 percent of retail sales will be
conducted online in 2026.
A) it
B) itself
C) them
D) those
2. Still reeling from the recent loss of two beloved cats, the reader wondered if she
______ the stomach to read Sloane Crosley's piece about the death of her own
cat in the latest issue of the New Yorker.
A) has
B) had
C) will have
D) has had
3. Published as a novel in 1979, Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy was an immediate bestseller, and _______ reach with readers only grew
with time.
A) it's
B) Its
C) their
D) one's
4. At 8,849 meters above sea level, Mount Everest—also _______ Chomolungma or
Sagarmäthã—is the world's highest peak. Most of its stature is due to the
tectonic uplift that formed the Himalayas.
A) called
B) call
C) calls
D) calling
5. Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli historian who regularly discusses global issues
with world leaders. Considered one of the foremost thinkers of our time, Harari
delves into difficult questions such as asking whether people _______ happier
from the Stone Age to the present.
A) become
B) are becoming
C) have become
D) will have become
6. In its new piece "Behind the South: Dances for Manuel," the dance troupe
Sankofa Danzafro _______ inspiration from the anthropologist Manuel Zapata
Olivella and his epic novel Changó, el gran putas. Like the book, the work
touches on the arrival of African people to the Americas and the spiritual beliefs
that they brought with them.
A) take
B) takes
C) are taking
D) have taken
7. Given the significance of effective communication, students must learn to write
clearly and concisely. Being able to articulate thoughts in a manner that is easy
to understand not only benefits the writer but also ___ reader comprehension
and engagement.
A) enhance
B) enhances
C) enhanced
D) to enhance
8. The famous British author Agatha Christie (1890–1976), who created the
fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, has had her mysteries
translated into 103 languages and over 2 billion _____ have been sold, making
her the best-selling novelist of all time.
A) copies' of her books'
B) copies' of her books
C) copies of her books'
D) copies of her books
9. The iris, the colored part of the eye, ______ delicate patterns that are unique to
each person, offering a powerful means of identification.
A) contains
B) contain
C) are containing
D) have been containing
10. Officially established in 2015, the Jordan Trail winds from the forests of Um
Qais in the northern part of the country to Aqaba in the south. Hikers who
complete the 675-kilometer route pass through 75 villages and _____ the pink
rocks of Petra in the desert.
A) enjoy
B) are enjoying
C) will enjoy
D) will have enjoyed
11. Popular aquarium fish, ______ they line up to navigate narrow passages without
creating traffic jams in a way that, if better understood, might be harnessed for
use in crowd management and autonomous car navigation systems.
A) laboratory experiments have revealed a fascinating neon tetra behavior to
scientists:
B) fascinating behavior has been demonstrated by neon tetras to scientists in
laboratory experiments:
C) neon tetras in laboratory experiments have recently demonstrated a fascinating
behavior to scientists:
D) scientists have recently observed a fascinating behavior in laboratory experiments
on neon tetras:
12. The largest orca in captivity at 22.5 feet long and weighing about 12,500 pounds,
_____ and thus his dorsal fin had a permanent bend towards the left, though he
was still able to sire 21 calves before his death in 2016 at the age of 35.
A) Tilikum was accidentally trapped in a purse-seine net in Iceland when he was 2
years old
B) the accidental trapping of Tilikum occurred in Iceland when he was 2 years old
C) at 2 years old in Iceland, a purse-seine net accidentally trapped Tilikum
D) a purse-seine net accidentally trapped Tilikum in Iceland when he was 2 years old
13. The Museo de Arte de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has broken traditional
_______ displays: some works are mounted on clear panels so patrons can
explore all angles of the art. The extensive collection contains over 11,000 pieces
ranging from before the Renaissance to modern art.
A) boundaries’ in its
B) boundaries in it’s
C) boundary’s in it’s
D) boundaries in its
14. The Essential Program on Immunization was developed in 1974 with a goal of
vaccinating children in every country against six diseases, including polio and a
form of tuberculosis. In the 50 years since, _______ grown to include
immunization against seven additional infections, including hepatitis B and
human papillomavirus.
A) they have
B) it has
C) she has
D) one has
15. In Alberta, Canada, a group of Cree Indigenous women, including Matricia
Bauer, founded a business producing medicine from ______ varies depending on
factors such as temperature, plant life stage, and soil, and thus their traditional
knowledge of herbs is essential for maintaining a reliable level of quality.
A) plants, and potency
B) plants. Since potency
C) plants; potency
D) plants, potency
16. In the field of astronomy, telescopes serve as indispensable tools for observing
celestial objects. Reflecting telescopes, such as the famous Hubble Space
Telescope, are particularly ______ they can gather more light than refracting
telescopes and provide more detailed images of distant galaxies and nebulae.
A) advantageous and
B) advantageous,
C) advantageous
D) advantageous:
17. During the height of the Renaissance, artisans and scholars looked to the ruins of
Rome for inspiration, believing that the classical past held the keys to a new era
of intellectual and artistic achievement. This period saw a revival in the arts and
sciences that would forever change the course of human___ shaping modern
European culture and influencing developments around the globe, it had a far
lasting impact that is still being felt in different walks of life.
A) history;
B) history,
C) history
D) history and
18. Scholars Tammy Kernodle and Paul Austerlitz have lent their expertise on Black
history and music to an important new project: the Timeline of African
American Music, a digital_______ through a rich combination of text, images,
and music clips, traces the development of specific musical genres (such as funk
and swing).
A) resource, that
B) resource, that,
 C) resource that,
D) resource that
19. In Los Angeles County, California, bicycle paths such as the Expo Bikeway—
which is about 15 miles long—have become an increasingly popular means of
travel. Moreover, lawyer and cycling __________ has identified several features
of the Los Angeles landscape, like its temperate climate and mostly flat roads,
that make the city naturally bike-friendly.
A) advocate, Ernesto Hernandez-Lopez
B) advocate, Ernesto Hernandez-Lopez,
C) advocate Ernesto Hernandez-Lopez,
D) advocate Ernesto Hernandez-Lopez
20. While other even-toed ungulate species, such as the water buffalo (Bubalus
bubalis), are among the most populous animal species on earth, the Przewalski's
gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) has a total population between 700 and 800
_________ one of the criteria required for a species to be considered endangered.
A) individuals; fulfilling
B) individuals: fulfilling
C) individuals. Fulfilling
D) individuals, fulfilling
21. Woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted using a carpet weaving technique
passed down by the artist's Turkish grandmother, __________ so lush and
tactilely inviting that you are tempted to reach out and touch them.
A) the topological tapestries of Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou are
B) the Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou creates topological tapestries
that are
C) when she creates her topological tapestries, Argentine textile artist Alexandra
Kehayoglou makes them
D) Alexandra Kehayoglou is an Argentine textile artist whose topological tapestries
are
22. The editors of Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape turned to the
________ to craft the entry about "muskeg," a term referring to terrain
containing peat bogs and stunted trees.
A) essayist, Carolyn Servid
B) essayist, Carolyn Servid,
C) essayist Carolyn Servid,
D) essayist Carolyn Servid
23. Featured in The New Woman Behind the Camera (2021) is a photograph taken in
1932 by Alma _______ "Self-Portrait," Lavenson's image contributes to the
exhibition's goal of showcasing the diverse, innovative, often aesthetically daring
work of female photographers from the 1920s through the 1950s.
A) Lavenson. Titled
B) Lavenson titled
C) Lavenson, titled
D) Lavenson and titled
24. In her 1983 book The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human
Feeling, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild first explored at length her
conception of a "sociology of emotions"—the idea that the various cultural and
ideological frameworks a person has internalized (class, gender, political
affiliation, etc.) _______ each emotional reaction that person has within a
situation.
 A) underlies
B) is underlying
C) underlie
D) has been underlying
25. Photographer Mária Svarbová has reached audiences well beyond her home
country of Slovakia. In 2021, her work was featured at Galerie LeRoyer in
_______ the exhibited photographs, with their vivid pastel colors, overexposed
tones, and mirrorlike symmetry captivated audiences.
A) Canada, for example,
B) Canada, for example
C) Canada; for example,
D) Canada, for example;