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3.2 Form, Structure, and Sense - Modifier placement and clarity
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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 blank of the harder and heavier regulation football.

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

A.

were a smaller, foam version

B.

are smaller, foam versions

C.

were smaller, foam versions

D.

is a smaller, foam version

Professional American football player Fred Cox invented one of the world’s most popular toys. In the

Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Form, Structure, and Sense — Modifier placement and clarity. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement and agreement between nouns. The singular verb “is” and the singular noun “version” both agree in number with the relative pronoun “which.” In this context, “which” functions as a singular subject because it refers to the singular noun “the Nerf football.”

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular noun phrase “the Nerf football” that it’s modifying. Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are” and the plural noun “versions” don’t agree in number with the singular noun phrase “the Nerf football” that they’re modifying. Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “were” and the plural noun “versions” don’t agree in number with the singular noun phrase “the Nerf football” that they’re modifying.