Question

directions: identify the choice that completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard english.
** the construction of prefabricated houses is based on the assembly - line model of car manufacturing. in the 1920s, ford’s production method for the model t transformed the automobile from a luxury item into a purchase that was affordable for the average customer. 1 today, assembly - line production and bulk buying ______ both the customer and construction time for prefabricated homes.
1
(a) has driven down
(b) have driven down
(c) is driving down
(d) drives down
2 ** studies have suggested that memories are stored as unique firing patterns of the ______ when a memory is retrieved, those patterns are replayed.
2
(a) brains neuron’s.
(b) brain’s neurons.
(c) brains’ neurons.
(d) brain’s neuron’s.
** when people dream, their eyes move in accordance with action. 3 if someone is dreaming about watching a game of tennis, for example, ______ eyes will move from left to right with each volley.
3
(a) his or her
(b) one’s
(c) our
(d) your
4 when light travels for billions of years, it stretches out into its full ______ light ranges from ultraviolet and visible to infrared radiation.
4
(a) spectrum, as the universe expands.
(b) spectrum. as the universe expands,
(c) spectrum as the universe expands.
(d) spectrum, as the universe expands
contemporary theatrical performers in the united states draw influences from across the globe. for example, the choreographer and dancer savion glover aims to restore the african roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures. 5 throughout his works, ______ as the primary source of movement instead.
5
(a) focuses on the feet
(b) focusing on the feet
(c) he focuses on the feet
(d) he focusing on the feet

Explanation:

1. Question 1: The subject is the compound "assembly-line production and bulk buying", which is plural, so the verb must be plural. The context describes a current ongoing effect, so present perfect plural "have driven down" is correct.
2. Question 2: We need the singular possessive "brain's" to show the neurons belong to the brain, and the plural "neurons" (since memories use multiple neurons). No apostrophe is needed on "neurons" as it is not possessive here.
3. Question 3: The antecedent is the singular indefinite pronoun "someone", so the matching singular gender-neutral possessive "his or her" is the correct choice.
4. Question 4: The first clause is an independent sentence, so it needs a period to end. The second clause starts with a dependent conjunction "As", so it should be lowercase after the period, forming a grammatically correct complex sentence structure.
5. Question 5: The sentence already has a subject ("Savion Glover") and main verb ("aims"). We need a participial phrase to modify the subject, so the gerund phrase "focusing on the feet" correctly functions as a descriptive modifier without creating a comma splice or sentence fragment.

Answer:

1. (B) have driven down
2. (B) brain's neurons.
3. (A) his or her
4. (B) spectrum. As the universe expands,
5. (B) focusing on the feet