- How should the sentence be revised to correct the error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: There are, in my opinion, several valid arguments against the new proposal.
Subject-verb agreement questions test your ability to match verbs with their true subjects, especially when phrases come between them. The key is identifying what the verb actually refers to, not just the nearest noun.
In this sentence, the subject is "several valid arguments," which is plural. However, the verb "is" is singular, creating a disagreement. The phrase "in my opinion" is just an interrupting expression that doesn't affect the grammar. The real issue is that "there is" should introduce singular subjects, while "there are" introduces plural subjects.
Choice B correctly changes "is" to "are" to match the plural subject "several valid arguments." This fixes the subject-verb disagreement while keeping the sentence's meaning intact.
Choice A creates a new error by changing "arguments" to the singular "argument" while keeping the singular verb "is." Even though this would technically create agreement, it changes the meaning from multiple arguments to just one, which isn't the intended fix.
Choice C substitutes "has been" for "is," but this doesn't solve the problem. "Has been" is still singular and doesn't agree with the plural "arguments." Additionally, it unnecessarily shifts the sentence to present perfect tense.
Choice D is incorrect because the original sentence clearly has a subject-verb agreement error that needs correction.
When you encounter "there is/are" constructions, always look at what comes after the verb to determine whether you need the singular "is" or plural "are" form. Don't let interrupting phrases distract you from finding the true subject.
- What is the best way to revise the sentence to correct the error?
Answer: Some of the advice in that book seems helpful for young entrepreneurs.
This question tests subject-verb agreement, which requires matching singular subjects with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs. The key challenge here is identifying the true subject of the sentence.
In the original sentence, "Some of the advice in that book seem helpful," the subject is "advice," not "some." While "some" might seem plural, it's part of the prepositional phrase "some of the advice." The word "advice" is an uncountable noun (like "water" or "information") that's always treated as singular, even when it refers to multiple pieces of guidance. Since "advice" is singular, it needs the singular verb "seems," not the plural "seems."
Choice B correctly pairs the singular subject "advice" with the singular verb "seems," making it the right answer.
Choice A creates a new error by changing "advice" to "advices." Since advice is uncountable, it cannot be made plural by adding "-s." You wouldn't say "informations" or "waters" in the same way.
Choice C changes "that book" to "those books," which creates a different meaning entirely and doesn't fix the original subject-verb disagreement. The verb "seem" still incorrectly treats "advice" as plural.
Choice D is wrong because the original sentence contains a clear subject-verb agreement error.
Remember this pattern: when you see "some of," "most of," or "all of" followed by a noun, the noun after "of" determines whether the verb should be singular or plural. Pay special attention to uncountable nouns like advice, information, and equipment—they're always singular.
- Which sentence contains an error that should be corrected?
Answer: Sentence 1
This question tests your ability to identify subject-verb agreement errors, a fundamental grammar concept that appears frequently on standardized tests. When you encounter error identification questions, scan each sentence systematically for common grammar mistakes.
Let's examine sentence 1: "Many of the original paintings was lost in the museum fire." The subject here is "many," which is plural, but the verb "was" is singular. This creates a subject-verb disagreement. The correct form should be "Many of the original paintings were lost in the museum fire." This makes answer choice C correct.
Now let's check why the other options are wrong. Answer choice A (Sentence 3) is grammatically correct—"The community has rallied to support the rebuilding effort" has proper subject-verb agreement and clear meaning. Answer choice B (Sentence 2) is also error-free—"However, several important sculptures were saved" correctly uses the plural verb "were" with the plural subject "sculptures." Answer choice D (Sentence 4) contains no errors—"Everyone hopes the museum will reopen soon" properly uses the singular verb "hopes" with the singular pronoun "everyone."
The key trap here is that the prepositional phrase "of the original paintings" sits between the subject "many" and the verb "was," which can confuse you into thinking "paintings" is the subject. Remember that the object of a preposition never serves as the sentence's subject. Always identify the true subject first, then ensure your verb agrees with it in number.
- How should the sentence be revised to correct the error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: What the team needs to win the championship is a new strategy and better teamwork.
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify the true subject of a sentence and match it with the correct verb form. This gets tricky when the subject and verb are separated by other words or when the sentence structure is complex.
The key to this sentence is recognizing that "What the team needs to win the championship" is a noun clause acting as the subject. Even though this clause contains the plural word "championship," the entire clause functions as a singular unit. When a noun clause serves as the subject, it always takes a singular verb.
Choice C is correct because it uses "is" to agree with the singular noun clause subject. The sentence structure is: [What the team needs to win the championship] + is + [a new strategy and better teamwork]. The singular verb "is" properly matches the singular subject.
Choice A incorrectly changes "team" to "teams" but keeps the plural verb "are." While this creates agreement within the noun clause, the main subject-verb relationship is still wrong since noun clauses require singular verbs.
Choice B removes the "s" from "needs," creating internal disagreement within the noun clause ("team need"), while still using the incorrect plural verb "are" for the main clause.
Choice D suggests no change is needed, but the original uses "are" with a singular noun clause subject, which is incorrect.
Remember this pattern: whenever a noun clause beginning with "what," "how," "why," or "where" acts as the subject, use a singular verb, regardless of any plural words within the clause.
- What is the most likely reason this sentence may need revision for subject-verb agreement?
Answer: The pronoun 'their' suggests the members are acting individually, so the plural verb 'have announced' might be more appropriate.
This question tests your understanding of collective nouns and pronoun agreement, which can create tricky subject-verb agreement situations. When you encounter collective nouns like "jury," "team," or "committee," you need to determine whether the group is acting as one unit or as individuals.
The key insight here is in the pronoun "their." This plural pronoun suggests that the jury members are being viewed as separate individuals rather than as a single, unified body. When a collective noun is treated as individuals (indicated by plural pronouns or context), the verb should also be plural to maintain consistency. Therefore, "have announced" would be more appropriate than "has announced."
Looking at the wrong answers: Choice B is incorrect because "jury" is not always plural—it can be treated as either singular or plural depending on context. Choice C misses the point entirely, as this isn't about verb tense but about number agreement. Choice D would be correct if the sentence used a singular pronoun like "its" instead of "their," but the plural pronoun changes the situation.
The sentence creates an inconsistency: "jury...has" treats it as singular, while "their" treats it as plural. For agreement, you'd either use "The jury has announced its verdict" (all singular) or "The jury have announced their verdict" (all plural).
Remember: When collective nouns are paired with plural pronouns, they signal individual action and typically require plural verbs. Always check that pronouns and verbs agree in treating the collective noun the same way.
- Which of the following revisions corrects the error in the sentence?
Answer: Here are the new tablet and the charging cable that you ordered online.
This question tests subject-verb agreement, specifically how to handle compound subjects joined by "and." When you see multiple items connected by "and," you need to determine whether the verb should be singular or plural.
The correct answer is C because "tablet and charging cable" creates a compound subject (two separate items), which requires the plural verb "are." Even though each individual item is singular, when you combine them with "and," they become a plural subject that needs a plural verb.
Let's examine why the other options are incorrect. Option A changes "cable" to "cables," but this doesn't fix the main problem—the verb "is" remains singular while the subject is still compound (plural). The original sentence already has the correct noun forms. Option B changes the verb to "was," but this creates two problems: "was" is still singular (doesn't match the compound subject), and it incorrectly shifts the sentence to past tense when present tense is appropriate for describing items that are currently being presented. Option D is incorrect because the original sentence does contain an error—the singular verb "is" doesn't agree with the compound subject.
The key pattern to remember: when subjects are joined by "and," treat them as plural and use plural verbs, regardless of whether the individual subjects are singular. Watch for this subject-verb agreement trap on the SHSAT—compound subjects are frequently tested, and the singular/plural verb choice is a common source of errors.
- Which revision corrects the error in the sentence?
Answer: The number of people who use public transportation has risen sharply in the last decade.
This question tests subject-verb agreement, specifically when the subject includes phrases that can confuse you about whether to use a singular or plural verb.
The key is identifying the true subject of the sentence. Here, "the number" is the subject, not "people." When "the number" is your subject, it's always singular and requires a singular verb. The phrase "of people who use public transportation" is a prepositional phrase that describes which number we're talking about, but it doesn't change the fact that "number" is singular.
Choice D correctly uses "has risen" because "the number" (singular subject) needs the singular verb "has."
Choice A makes two errors: it incorrectly uses "peoples" (which isn't standard English—"people" is already plural) and still has the wrong verb form with an implied "have." Choice B changes the meaning entirely by using "a number" instead of "the number." While "a number of people" would correctly take "have" (because "a number of" means "several" and is plural), this changes what the sentence is trying to say. Choice C is wrong because there definitely is an error in the original sentence.
Remember this pattern: "The number of [plural noun]" always takes a singular verb, while "A number of [plural noun]" takes a plural verb. Don't let the plural noun in the prepositional phrase fool you—focus on whether you're talking about "the number" (singular) or "a number" (plural).
- Which sentence should be revised to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Sentence 1
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify when subjects and verbs don't match in number (singular vs. plural). When you see this type of question, look for subjects that might be tricky to identify or cases where the subject and verb are separated by other words.
Let's examine each sentence carefully. In sentence 1, the subject is "More than half of the senator's speech." While this phrase contains the plural word "senator's," the true subject is "half," which is singular. However, the verb "were" is plural, creating a subject-verb disagreement. The sentence should read "More than half of the senator's speech was focused on economic policy."
Looking at the wrong answers: Choice A (Sentence 4) uses "seemed," which correctly agrees with the singular subject "audience." Choice B (Sentence 2) has "He outlined," where the singular pronoun "He" properly matches the singular verb "outlined." Choice C (Sentence 3) contains "analysts praised," where the plural subject "analysts" correctly pairs with the plural verb "praised."
The key strategy here is to identify the true subject by stripping away prepositional phrases and other modifiers. In "More than half of the senator's speech," the prepositional phrase "of the senator's speech" can distract you from recognizing that "half" is the actual subject. Collective nouns and fractions like "half," "most," or "some" are often singular, but their meaning can depend on what follows "of." Remember to focus on the core subject when checking agreement, not the words that come between the subject and verb.
- What is the best way to correct the error in the sentence?
Answer: Every car and truck on the road was stopped for the presidential motorcade.
This question tests subject-verb agreement, specifically how compound subjects connected by "and" work with quantifiers like "every."
The key issue is the verb "were." When you use "every" with a compound subject joined by "and," the verb must be singular because "every" emphasizes each individual item separately, not the group as a whole. Think of it as "every single car and every single truck" - each one individually was stopped. This requires the singular verb "was."
Choice B correctly uses "was" instead of "were," making the subject and verb agree properly. The sentence now reads smoothly and grammatically: "Every car and truck on the road was stopped for the presidential motorcade."
Choice A changes "Every" to "All" but keeps "were," which creates a different problem - "All cars and truck" mixes plural "cars" with singular "truck," creating inconsistent number within the compound subject itself.
Choice C keeps the incorrect plural verb "were" and unnecessarily changes "road" to "roads," but this doesn't fix the main subject-verb agreement error.
Choice D is wrong because the original sentence definitely contains a subject-verb agreement error with "Every...were."
Remember this pattern: "Every" + compound subject + singular verb. Even when multiple items follow "every," the verb stays singular because "every" treats each item individually rather than as a group. Watch for this common trap on grammar questions.
- Which revision corrects the error in the sentence?
Answer: He is the only one of the contestants who has correctly answered every question.
This question tests subject-verb agreement in sentences with complex noun phrases. When you encounter sentences with "one of the..." followed by a relative clause, you need to identify what the verb in the relative clause should agree with.
The key is recognizing that "He is the only one" creates a singular subject for the relative clause "who have correctly answered every question." Even though "contestants" is plural, the relative pronoun "who" refers back to "the only one," which is singular. Therefore, the verb should be "has" (singular) rather than "have" (plural).
Choice A correctly changes "have" to "has," making the verb agree with the singular antecedent "the only one." This fixes the subject-verb disagreement in the original sentence.
Choice B changes the meaning entirely by saying "one of the only contestants" rather than "the only one of the contestants." While it uses correct grammar, it doesn't preserve the original meaning that emphasizes his unique status among all contestants.
Choice C creates an obvious error by changing "He is" to "He are," which is clearly incorrect subject-verb agreement with the pronoun "He."
Choice D is wrong because the original sentence does contain an error that needs correction.
Watch for "one of the..." constructions on the SHSAT. The trick is identifying whether the relative pronoun refers to "one" (singular) or to the plural noun that follows. In phrases like "the only one of the [plural noun]," the relative pronoun typically refers back to "one."
- Which revision corrects the error in subject-verb agreement in the sentence?
Answer: The news about the recent scientific discoveries was featured on the front page.
When you encounter subject-verb agreement questions, you need to identify the true subject of the sentence and match it with the correct verb form, ignoring any prepositional phrases that might confuse you.
In this sentence, the subject is "news," not "discoveries." The phrase "about the recent scientific discoveries" is a prepositional phrase that modifies "news" but doesn't affect the verb agreement. Since "news" is singular (even though it ends in 's'), it requires the singular verb "was," not the plural "were."
Choice A correctly uses "was" to agree with the singular subject "news." This fixes the original error while keeping the intended meaning intact.
Choice B keeps the incorrect plural verb "were" and changes "discoveries" to the singular "discovery," but this doesn't solve the problem since the verb still doesn't agree with "news."
Choice C changes the subject from "news" to "reports," making "reports" plural, which would correctly take "were." However, this changes the meaning of the sentence entirely—we're no longer talking about news coverage but about scientific reports themselves.
Choice D is incorrect because the original sentence contains a clear subject-verb disagreement between singular "news" and plural "were."
Remember this strategy: When checking subject-verb agreement, mentally cross out prepositional phrases to isolate the true subject. Don't let plural objects of prepositions trick you into using plural verbs when your subject is singular.
- What is the best way to revise the sentence to correct the error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: A pair of hiking boots is essential for this mountainous terrain.
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify the true subject of a sentence and match it with the correct verb form. The key is distinguishing between the grammatical subject and words that might distract you.
In this sentence, "a pair" is the subject, not "hiking boots." When you have phrases like "a pair of," "a group of," or "a set of," the singular noun before "of" controls the verb agreement. Since "pair" is singular, it requires the singular verb "is."
Choice B correctly uses "is essential" because it matches the singular subject "a pair." This fixes the original error where "are" (plural) was incorrectly paired with the singular "pair."
Choice A makes the same mistake as the original sentence by using "were" (plural) with the singular subject "a pair." The word "boots" in the prepositional phrase "of hiking boots" doesn't determine verb agreement.
Choice C creates a new error by changing "a pair" to "the hiking boots" (which would need a plural verb) but keeping the singular "is." Now you have a plural subject with a singular verb, which is backwards from the original problem.
Choice D is incorrect because the original sentence clearly has a subject-verb disagreement between singular "pair" and plural "are."
Remember this pattern: when you see "a [singular noun] of [plural noun]," the verb agrees with the first singular noun, not the plural one after "of." Circle the true subject to avoid getting distracted by nearby plural words.
- Which revision corrects the error in the sentence?
Answer: Where are the new notebooks and the pens that I bought this morning?
This question tests subject-verb agreement, which requires matching singular subjects with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs. When you encounter compound subjects (multiple nouns joined by "and"), pay special attention to whether they create a singular or plural subject.
The original sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error. The subject is "notebooks and pens" - a compound subject joined by "and" that creates a plural subject. However, the sentence uses "is," which is a singular verb. This mismatch creates the grammatical error.
Answer choice D correctly fixes this error by changing "is" to "are," the plural form of the verb "to be." Now the plural subject "notebooks and pens" properly agrees with the plural verb "are."
Answer choice A is incorrect because the original sentence definitely contains a subject-verb agreement error that needs correction. Answer choice B attempts to fix the problem by making both the subject and verb singular ("notebook and pen" with "is"), but this changes the original meaning - the sentence originally referred to multiple notebooks and pens, not single items. Answer choice C keeps the plural subject but introduces a new error by using "does," which is singular, and also awkwardly changes the sentence structure with "go," making it grammatically incorrect and unclear.
Remember this key rule: compound subjects joined by "and" are almost always plural and require plural verbs. When you see multiple nouns connected by "and," automatically look for a plural verb to match.
- Which revision corrects the error in the sentence?
Answer: Either the two assistant coaches or the head coach is going to speak at the press conference.
This question tests subject-verb agreement with correlative conjunctions, specifically the "either...or" construction. When you encounter sentences with these paired conjunctions, pay close attention to which noun is closest to the verb.
The key rule here is that with "either...or" (and "neither...nor"), the verb must agree with the subject that comes immediately after "or." In the original sentence, "the head coach" (singular) follows "or," so the verb should be "is," not "are."
Answer A correctly fixes this error by changing "are" to "is." Since "head coach" is singular and appears right after "or," the singular verb "is" creates proper agreement. The fact that "two assistant coaches" (plural) appears earlier in the sentence doesn't matter for verb agreement purposes.
Answer B creates a new error by making "assistant coach" singular ("two assistant coach" is grammatically incorrect), while keeping the wrong verb "are." Answer C completely changes the meaning by replacing "either...or" with "both...and," which would require a plural verb, but incorrectly uses the singular "is." Answer D is wrong because the original sentence clearly contains a subject-verb agreement error.
Remember this pattern: with "either...or" and "neither...nor," always match the verb to the noun immediately following "or" or "nor." Don't let plural subjects earlier in the sentence trick you into using a plural verb when the final subject is singular.
- Which sentence contains an error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Sentence 1
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify when a subject and verb don't match in number (singular vs. plural). The key is finding the true subject of each sentence and checking if the verb agrees with it.
Let's examine sentence 1: "The display of antique maps, along with the rare book collection, are the centerpiece of the new library wing." The subject here is "display" (singular), not "maps" or "collection." The phrase "along with the rare book collection" is a prepositional phrase that doesn't change the subject. Since "display" is singular, the verb should be "is," not "are." This creates a subject-verb disagreement.
Looking at the other options: Choice A (Sentence 4) is incorrect because "library" (singular subject) correctly pairs with "plans" (singular verb). Choice B (Sentence 2) is wrong because "visitors" (plural subject) properly matches with "marvel" (plural verb). Choice C (Sentence 3) is also incorrect since "librarian" (singular subject) correctly agrees with "explains" (singular verb).
The error occurs because intervening phrases between the subject and verb can be distracting. Words like "along with," "as well as," "in addition to," and "together with" don't make singular subjects plural—they're just descriptive additions.
Strategy tip: When checking subject-verb agreement, mentally cross out prepositional phrases and other descriptive elements to isolate the core subject. Then match that subject with its verb, ignoring any distracting words in between.
- Which sentence contains an error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Sentence 1
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify when subjects and verbs don't match in number (singular vs. plural). The key is finding the true subject of each sentence and checking if the verb agrees with it.
Let's examine sentence 1: "Our school's robotics team, after months of hard work, are competing in the national championship." The subject here is "team," which is a collective noun that's singular. However, the verb "are" is plural. This creates a subject-verb disagreement. The sentence should read "Our school's robotics team...is competing" to be correct.
Looking at the wrong answers: Choice A (sentence 3) uses "were impressed," where "judges" (plural subject) correctly matches with "were" (plural verb). Choice B (sentence 2) has "creation performs," where the singular subject "creation" properly agrees with the singular verb "performs." Choice D (sentence 4) shows "team hopes," where the singular collective noun "team" correctly pairs with the singular verb "hopes."
The tricky part of sentence 1 is the prepositional phrase "after months of hard work" that separates the subject from the verb. This is a common trap—students might focus on words within the prepositional phrase rather than identifying the main subject.
When tackling subject-verb agreement questions, mentally cross out prepositional phrases and other interrupting elements to clearly see the subject-verb relationship. Also remember that collective nouns like "team," "group," or "class" are typically treated as singular in American English.
- Which sentence should be revised to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Sentence 2
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify when a subject and verb don't match in number (singular vs. plural). When you see this type of question, look for compound subjects, tricky phrases between the subject and verb, or subjects that might seem plural but are actually singular.
Let's examine each sentence carefully. In sentence 2, the subject is "the sweetness of the jelly and the saltiness of the peanut butter." This might look like a compound subject joined by "and," which would typically be plural. However, the sentence is actually describing how these two qualities together create one unified effect - a single "balance." The verb should be "create" (plural) to match the compound subject "sweetness...and saltiness."
Looking at the incorrect options: Choice A (sentence 1) correctly uses the singular verb "is" with the singular subject "peanut butter and jelly" (referring to one type of sandwich). Choice B (sentence 4) properly matches the singular subject "it" with the singular verb "can be made." Choice C (sentence 3) correctly pairs the plural subject "people" with the plural verb "enjoy."
The error in sentence 2 occurs because "creates" is singular when it should be plural "create" to agree with the compound subject "sweetness...and saltiness."
Study tip: When you see compound subjects joined by "and," they're usually plural and need plural verbs. Watch out for long phrases between the subject and verb that might confuse you - always identify the true subject first, then check if the verb matches.
- What is the best way to revise the sentence for correct subject-verb agreement?
Answer: The pliers you borrowed from the toolbox are missing from their usual spot.
This question tests subject-verb agreement, specifically with words that can be tricky because they look plural but might function differently. When you encounter agreement questions, always identify the true subject and determine whether it's singular or plural.
The word "pliers" is always plural in English, just like "scissors," "pants," or "glasses." Even though it refers to one tool, grammatically it takes plural verbs and pronouns. In the original sentence, "pliers" (plural subject) is incorrectly paired with "is" (singular verb), creating a subject-verb disagreement.
Choice D correctly fixes this by changing "is" to "are" (plural verb) and "its" to "their" (plural pronoun). Both changes are necessary because "pliers" requires plural agreement throughout the sentence.
Choice A is wrong because the original sentence contains the subject-verb disagreement described above. Choice B creates a nonexistent word—"plier" isn't the singular form of "pliers." You can't have just one plier, just like you can't have one scissor or one pant. Choice C partially addresses the problem by changing the pronoun but keeps "was" (singular verb) instead of the required "were" (plural verb), so the disagreement persists.
Remember that certain tools and clothing items are grammatically plural even when referring to one object. When you see words like pliers, scissors, pants, or glasses, automatically think "plural agreement required" and check that all verbs and pronouns match accordingly.
- What is the best way to revise the sentence to correct the error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Across the wide valley flow two small rivers that eventually merge into one.
Subject-verb agreement requires that the subject and verb in a sentence match in number—singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. This question tests your ability to identify the true subject when the sentence structure might be confusing.
The key to this sentence is recognizing that "two small rivers" is the subject, not "valley." Even though the sentence begins with the prepositional phrase "Across the wide valley," this phrase describes where the action takes place—it doesn't contain the subject. The subject "two small rivers" is plural, so it needs the plural verb "flow," not the singular "flows."
Choice C correctly pairs the plural subject "two small rivers" with the plural verb "flow," making the sentence grammatically correct.
Choice A changes the verb to "has flowed" but keeps it singular, which still doesn't agree with the plural subject "two small rivers." Choice B attempts to make everything singular by changing "rivers" to "river," but it creates a new error—"river" should be "rivers" since "two" indicates plurality. Additionally, "merges" incorrectly suggests that one river merges with itself. Choice D changes "valley" to "valleys" but doesn't fix the main problem—"flows" remains singular while "two small rivers" is still plural.
Remember this strategy: when a sentence begins with a prepositional phrase, look past it to find the true subject. Don't let the prepositional phrase trick you into choosing the wrong verb form—the noun in the prepositional phrase is never the sentence's subject.
- Which sentence should be revised to correct an error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Sentence 1
Subject-verb agreement questions test whether you can identify when a subject and verb don't match in number (singular vs. plural). The key is finding the true subject of each sentence and checking if the verb agrees with it.
Looking at sentence 1: "Each of the candidates present a unique vision for the city's future." The subject here is "Each," not "candidates." The phrase "of the candidates" is a prepositional phrase that modifies "each" but doesn't change the fact that "each" is singular. Since "each" is singular, it requires the singular verb "presents," not the plural "present." This sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error.
Let's check the other options. Choice A (sentence 2) is correct: "They have participated" uses the plural subject "they" with the plural verb "have participated." Choice C (sentence 3) is also correct: "The election is expected" uses the singular subject "election" with the singular verb "is." Choice D (sentence 4) works properly too: "The local newspaper has endorsed" pairs the singular subject "newspaper" with the singular verb "has endorsed."
The error in sentence 1 represents a common trap: when a prepositional phrase containing a plural noun ("of the candidates") comes between a singular subject and its verb, it's easy to mistakenly make the verb agree with the plural noun in the phrase rather than the actual subject.
Remember: always identify the true subject by crossing out prepositional phrases, then check if your verb matches that subject's number.
