PSAT Writing and Language Question 280: Answer and Explanation

Question: 280

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. completed
• C. is completing
• D. have completed

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Difficulty: Medium

Getting to the Answer: The verb's subject is the singular "team," and the action happened in the past, as indicated by verbs "descended" and "helped" in the surrounding sentences. Eliminate (C), which is not in the past tense, and (D), which is a plural verb form. One of the remaining choices, (A), is a verb form that indicates an action that occurred before another past action, "had completed." This action did not occur before another action in the sentence, but rather occurred "after" the other events described. Thus, the simple past tense, (B), is correct.