Form, Structure, and Sense: Agreement and Usage

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 3/5

The number of applications received by the admissions office ______ significantly higher than last year's total.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Explanation

"The number" is singular and takes a singular verb. (Compare with "a number of," which is plural.) "Is" agrees with "number."

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