What It Targets
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Pronoun Agreement
- Collective Nouns
- Long SAT sentences that hide the subject
The Core Idea
The SAT loves to hide the real subject of a sentence inside long descriptions, prepositional phrases, and modifiers.
Instead of untangling the entire sentence immediately, start by looking at the answer choices.
Ask yourself:
Are most of these answers singular or plural?
Very often:
- Three answers will be one type
- One answer will be the opposite type
That opposite answer is often the correct answer.
This works because the SAT frequently tests whether you can match a singular subject with a singular verb (or a plural subject with a plural verb).
The "They" Test
When you're unsure whether a verb is singular or plural, place the word they in front of it.
Examples:
Verb | Test |
run | They run ✅ |
runs | They runs ❌ |
remain | They remain ✅ |
remains | They remains ❌ |
If "they" sounds natural, the verb is plural.
If "they" sounds wrong and "he/she/it" sounds correct instead, the verb is singular.
Example:
a. run
b. runs
c. ran
d. are running
- They run ✅
- They ran ✅
- They are running ✅
- They runs ❌
Three choices behave like plural verbs.
One behaves like a singular verb.
"Runs" is the odd one out.
When Should You Use This Trick?
Use this shortcut when:
✅ The answer choices are mostly different verb forms
✅ You see words like:
- remain/remains
- exhibit/exhibits
- run/runs
- has/have
- is/are
✅ The sentence is extremely long and the subject is difficult to find quickly
Do NOT use this trick if:
❌ The answers differ mostly in punctuation
❌ The answers differ mostly in sentence structure
❌ The answers are all the same singular/plural form
Guided Practice
Question 1
Recent archaeological excavations in the high-altitude regions of the Andes mountains indicate that a specialized network of stone-paved highways, constructed during the height of the Inca Empire, __________ vital economic corridors despite the rugged terrain.
(A) has remained
(B) remains
(C) remain
(D) is remaining
Correct Answer: (C)
The Trick
Scan the verbs in the answer choices and run the "They" test on each to sort them into singular (1) or plural (2+):
- (A) They has remained ❌ → He/It has remained (Singular)
- (B) They remains ❌ → He/It remains (Singular)
- (C) They remain → (Plural)
- (D) They is remaining ❌ → He/It is remaining (Singular)
Why it works
Three options are singular, and only one is plural.
Without even reading the giant sentence to find the tricky subject ("network" vs. "highways"), the odd one out (C) must be the right answer.
Question 2
Biologists studying the subterranean behavior of Heterocephalus glaber (the naked mole-rat) have noted that while individual colony members possess limited independent visual acuity, the collective pack __________ highly coordinated defensive strategies.
(A) exhibit
(B) exhibits
(C) are exhibiting
(D) have exhibited
Correct Answer: (B)
The Trick
Categorize the choices into singular or plural using your "They" test:
- (A) They exhibit → (Plural)
- (B) They exhibits ❌ → He/It exhibits (Singular)
- (C) They are exhibiting → (Plural)
- (D) They have exhibited → (Plural)
Why it works
Options A, C, and D are all plural forms.
Choice (B) is the only singular verb in the lineup.
Because it is the "odd one out," it is automatically your correct answer.
(Mechanically, the true subject is the singular collective noun "the collective pack".)
Drill
Use the Odd-One-Out strategy first.
Do not fully solve the sentence.
Simply identify which answer choice is the singular/plural outlier.
1
Researchers examining long-term climate records from Antarctic ice cores __________ evidence of atmospheric changes occurring thousands of years ago.
(A) reveal
(B) reveals
(C) have revealed
(D) are revealing
2
The collection of rare manuscripts housed in the university archive __________ significant historical value.
(A) possess
(B) have possessed
(C) are possessing
(D) possesses
3
Scientists monitoring the migration patterns of humpback whales __________ that several populations have expanded their range.
(A) observes
(B) observe
(C) have observed
(D) are observing
4
The committee responsible for reviewing international research proposals __________ a final recommendation next week.
(A) submit
(B) have submitted
(C) are submitting
(D) submits
5
Engineers developing next-generation battery technology __________ improvements in charging efficiency each year.
(A) reports
(B) report
(C) have reported
(D) are reporting
6
The fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles __________ capable of mapping vast sections of the ocean floor.
(A) remain
(B) have remained
(C) are remaining
(D) remains
Answer Key
1. (B)
- They reveal ✅
- They have revealed ✅
- They are revealing ✅
- They reveals ❌
Odd one out = singular
2. (D)
- They possess ✅
- They have possessed ✅
- They are possessing ✅
- They possesses ❌
Odd one out = singular
3. (A)
- They observe ✅
- They have observed ✅
- They are observing ✅
- They observes ❌
Odd one out = singular
4. (D)
- They submit ✅
- They have submitted ✅
- They are submitting ✅
- They submits ❌
Odd one out = singular
5. (A)
- They report ✅
- They have reported ✅
- They are reporting ✅
- They reports ❌
Odd one out = singular
6. (D)
- They remain ✅
- They have remained ✅
- They are remaining ✅
- They remains ❌
Odd one out = singular
CAVEAT/WARNING
The odd-one-out trick works because SAT writers often group three answers into one grammatical category and make the correct answer the only choice with the correct number agreement. However, always verify the subject if the sentence is short or easy to read. Use this as a shortcut, not a replacement for grammar knowledge.