Zydeco music originated in the French Creole community of southwest Louisiana. One instrument that gives zydeco its unique sound is...

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

Sentence 1:

• Zydeco music
  • originated in the French Creole community
    • of southwest Louisiana.

Sentence 2:

• One instrument
  • that gives zydeco its unique sound
• is the vest frottoir.

Sentence 3:

• The vest frottoir
  • [?] a wearable washboard
    • that is played by rubbing spoons or bottle openers against it.

Understanding the Meaning

The passage starts by giving us some background:

• First, we learn that Zydeco music came from the French Creole community in southwest Louisiana.
• Then we're told about one particular instrument that gives zydeco its special sound: the vest frottoir.

Now the third sentence tells us more about this instrument:

• "The vest frottoir ______ a wearable washboard..."

Now here's where we need to fill in the blank. Let's look at our choices:

• We're deciding between different verb forms: "have been," "is," "were," and "are."

What do we notice about the structure here?

• The subject is "The vest frottoir"
  • This is one instrument - it's singular
  • We're talking about a single thing
• The sentence is telling us what this instrument IS
  • It's defining it: the vest frottoir = a wearable washboard
  • This is a linking verb connecting the subject to its description
• Since we have a singular subject ("The vest frottoir"), we need a singular verb

Looking at our choices:

• "have been" - this is plural
• "is" - this is singular
• "were" - this is plural
• "are" - this is plural

So we need "is" to match our singular subject.

Now let's read the rest to see the complete picture:

• "that is played by rubbing spoons or bottle openers against it"
  • This describes HOW you play this wearable washboard
  • You rub spoons or bottle openers against it

The complete meaning: The vest frottoir is a wearable washboard that you play by rubbing spoons or bottle openers against it - and this is what gives zydeco music its unique sound.

The correct answer is B. is

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Matching Verbs to Their Subjects (Subject-Verb Agreement)

The verb in a sentence must match the number of its subject - if the subject is singular (one thing), the verb must be singular; if the subject is plural (more than one thing), the verb must be plural. This is called subject-verb agreement in grammar terms.

Singular subjects take singular verbs:

• The instrument is unique (not "are")
• One vest frottoir gives the music its sound (not "give")
• The vest frottoir is a washboard (not "are")

Plural subjects take plural verbs:

• The instruments are unique (not "is")
• Many vest frottoirs give the music its sound (not "gives")
• The vest frottoirs are washboards (not "is")

In our question:

• Subject: "The vest frottoir" = singular (one instrument)
• Verb needed: singular form
• Correct choice: "is" (singular present tense)