Midway through her 1968 jazz album A Monastic Trio, Alice Coltrane switches instruments, swapping the piano for the harp.
With the same ﬂuid style that Coltrane was famous for on piano, she ______ her ﬁngers across the harp strings and creates a
radiant sound.
sweep
are sweeping
were sweeping
sweeps
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "sweeps" agrees in
number with the singular subject "she," which refers to Alice Coltrane.
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "sweep" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "she." Choice B is
incorrect because the plural verb "are sweeping" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "she." Choice C is
incorrect because the plural verb "were sweeping" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "she."