One of the earliest known maps is a Babylonian clay tablet thought to be almost 4,500 years old. The map...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• One of the earliest known maps
  • is a Babylonian clay tablet
    • thought to be almost 4,500 years old.

• The map [describes/describe/have described/are describing] the area of a plot of land,
  • shows a river valley,
  • and includes the cardinal directions.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start from the beginning:

'One of the earliest known maps is a Babylonian clay tablet thought to be almost 4,500 years old.'

• This tells us about a very ancient map –
  • a Babylonian clay tablet that's almost 4,500 years old.

Now the next sentence tells us what this map shows:

'The map ______ the area of a plot of land,'

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

• A. describes (singular verb)
• B. describe (plural verb)
• C. have described (plural verb, different tense)
• D. are describing (plural verb, different tense)

To see what works here, let's read the rest of the sentence:

'The map ______ the area of a plot of land, shows a river valley, and includes the cardinal directions.'

What do we notice about the structure here?

• This sentence is listing three things the map does:
  • First: ______ the area of a plot of land
  • Second: shows a river valley
  • Third: includes the cardinal directions

• These three verbs are connected in a series with commas and "and"
  • They're describing parallel actions – all things the map does

• The subject doing all these actions is "The map" – which is singular

• Look at the other two verbs: "shows" and "includes"
  • Both are singular verbs (we say "the map shows," not "the map show")
  • Both are in simple present tense

So we need a verb that:

• Agrees with the singular subject "The map"
• Matches the form of "shows" and "includes" (simple present tense)

The correct answer is A. describes – it's singular and matches the pattern of the other verbs in the list.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Matching Verbs with Their Subject and Maintaining Parallel Structure

When you have a subject performing multiple actions listed in a series, two rules work together:

Rule 1 - Subject-Verb Agreement: Each verb must match its subject in number (singular or plural).

• Singular subject: "The map describes..." ✓
• Plural subject: "The maps describe..." ✓
• Mismatch: "The map describe..." ✗

Rule 2 - Parallel Structure: When you list multiple verbs connected by commas and "and," they should use the same tense and form.

• Parallel: "The map describes..., shows..., and includes..." ✓
• Not parallel: "The map describes..., shows..., and will include..." ✗

In this question:

• Subject: "The map" (singular)
• Three verbs in series: describes, shows, includes
• All three must be: (1) singular to match "The map," and (2) simple present tense to match each other

This creates a smooth, parallel list of what the map does.