When writing The Other Black Girl (2021), novelist Zakiya Dalila Harris drew on her own experiences working at a publishing
oﬃce. The award-winning book is Harris’s ﬁrst novel, but her writing ______ honored before. At the age of twelve, she entered
a contest to have a story published in American Girl magazine—and won.
were
have been
has been
are
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “has been” agrees in
number with the singular subject “writing.”
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “writing.” Choice B is
incorrect because the plural verb “have been” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “writing.” Choice D is
incorrect because the plural verb “are” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “writing.”