2. What change needs to be made to sentence 11 (reproduced below) to make the sentence grammatically correct? 'Most New Yorkers have gotten used to the idea: a recent poll of New York City residents show that two-thirds of them support the bike lanes.'
Answer: B
Change 'show' to 'shows'
To make the sentence grammatically correct, the verb 'show' needs to be changed to 'shows' to agree with the singular noun 'poll,' which is the subject of the clause.
A) Change 'gotten' to 'got'
This option is incorrect because 'gotten' is acceptable in American English as the past participle of 'get.' The phrase 'have gotten' correctly indicates a past action that is still relevant, thus maintaining the intended meaning of the sentence.
B) Change 'show' to 'shows'
This option is correct because the subject 'poll' is singular, and therefore the verb must also be singular. Changing 'show' to 'shows' ensures subject-verb agreement, making the sentence grammatically correct.
C) Change 'support' to 'supported'
This option is incorrect as it changes the meaning of the sentence. The original sentence implies that the two-thirds of residents currently support the bike lanes, which is accurately conveyed by the present tense 'support.'
D) Change 'lanes' to 'lane'
This option is incorrect because altering 'lanes' to 'lane' changes the specificity of the statement. The context suggests multiple bike lanes are being discussed, and thus 'lanes' is the appropriate term.
Conclusion
The correct answer is option B, as changing 'show' to 'shows' resolves the grammatical error related to subject-verb agreement. All other options either misinterpret the sentence's meaning or do not address the grammatical issue at hand, underscoring the importance of maintaining consistency in number between subjects and verbs.