Question

as its written, what does the sentence mean? picking fresh strawberries, everett ross knew his shortcake would be a big hit at the bake sale. everett ross was picking strawberries. the shortcake was picking strawberries.

Explanation:

The phrase "Picking fresh strawberries" is a present - participle phrase acting as an adverbial modifier. It modifies the subject of the main clause, which is "Everett Ross". So, Everett Ross was the one picking strawberries.

Answer:

Everett Ross was picking strawberries.