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Question

Difficulty: EasySubject-Verb Agreement

Many species of carnivorous plants grow in environments with nutrient-poor soil. The primary source of nutrients for these unique plants are the insects they capture. Over time, these plants have evolved specialized traps to survive.

Which of the following options is the correct replacement for the bolded verb to ensure proper subject-verb agreement?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. isAnswer
  3. C
    was
  4. D
    were

Answer

The correct choice is 'is' because it is singular and agrees with the singular subject 'source' in the present tense.
The choice 'is' correctly matches the singular subject 'source' and maintains the present-tense consistency established in the rest of the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the subject of the sentence containing the verb in question.
The subject is 'The primary source', which is a singular noun phrase.
The prepositional phrase 'of nutrients for these unique plants' separates the subject from the verb but does not change the subject's grammatical number.
2
Determine the correct verb form that agrees with the subject and fits the tense of the passage.
The verb must be singular and in the present tense to match 'source' and coordinate with the other present-tense verbs in the passage like 'grow' and 'capture'. The correct form is 'is'.
Subject-verb agreement requires singular subjects to pair with singular verbs, and tense consistency requires keeping the sentence in the present tense.

Key Concept

Subject-verb agreement with intervening prepositional phrases
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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