#2 · Match the subject to the description
The question. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Gorillas are the largest living primates. Weighing up to 500 pounds, ______
- zookeepers feed the gorilla leaves, stems and fruit throughout the day.
- the gorilla eats leaves, stems and fruit throughout the day.
- the gorilla's diet consists of leaves, stems and fruit eaten throughout the day.
- plants such as leaves, stems and fruit make up the gorilla's diet.
The shortcut. The second sentence opens with a description: "Weighing up to 500 pounds." Whatever that phrase describes has to be the subject that comes right after the comma. So you don't need to read every word of every choice. Look at how each choice begins and ask: what weighs up to 500 pounds? Zookeepers don't, and plants don't, so A and D are out.
The fix: read as far as the subject
Read each choice as far as its subject, the noun the verb belongs to, and check that noun against the opening description. Here that leaves B: "Weighing up to 500 pounds, the gorilla eats leaves, stems and fruit throughout the day."
The takeaway: when a sentence opens with a description, match the subject to the description.