Bluebook Practice Test 9: Standard English Conventions Walkthrough

Nineteen of the 81 Reading and Writing questions on Bluebook Practice Test 9 are Standard English Conventions questions — the grammar and punctuation ones. This page walks through every one of them: five in Module 1, seven in Module 2a and seven in Module 2b. Each item gets the full text on screen, all four choices, the correct letter, and a plain explanation of why the other three fail. If you came here searching for Bluebook test 9 grammar questions explained, the answers and the reasoning are both below, and the answer-key table is near the bottom.

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Eight of the nineteen are pure punctuation: on those eight, the four choices are the same words with different marks after them, so the mark is the entire question. Every one of those items on this page gets a table showing exactly which mark each choice uses, printed large enough to actually see. The other eleven are verb, pronoun and modifier items. Every question here carries its module, its number and its skill in the heading, so you can jump straight to the one you got wrong.

What this page covers	Detail
Test form	Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing (the digital SAT full-length practice test)
Questions worked	19 — every Standard English Conventions item on the form. One caveat: the Module 2b question 20 screen is missing from the source PDF, so 18 are worked from their own screen and that one is flagged where it falls
Modules	Module 1 (Q16–Q20) · Module 2a (Q15–Q21) · Module 2b (Q15–Q21)
Domain	Standard English Conventions — the grammar and punctuation domain
Skills inside it	Boundaries × 8 · Form, Structure, and Sense × 11
Time limit on the real thing	32 minutes per module, 27 questions per module — about 71 seconds a question. Conventions items should take you far less than that.
What you’ll be able to do by the end	Split any sentence at the blank, label each half complete or incomplete, and pick the mark that matches — plus find the subject of any sentence, however long the interrupter.

How to use this page

Work the modules in order and do not open a reasoning toggle until you have committed to a letter. The first item in each module is fully modelled, the second stops and asks you one question before the answer appears, and the rest are yours to attempt cold.

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Module 1 — five conventions questions (Q16–Q20)

Module 1 is the same for everybody who sits this test. Its conventions block runs from Question 16 to Question 20, and it is deliberately mixed: two verb items and three punctuation items.

Two test words you need before we start. A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. An independent clause is a clause that could stand alone as a sentence. Almost every punctuation question on this test is really asking how many independent clauses you are looking at.

Question 18, Module 1 — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — where one sentence ends and the next begins (Easy)

I do — watch me work this one

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 1, screen 18 of 27 (PDF page 18).

The same text, marked up

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) configurations. TMAO
2. B) configurationsno mark TMAO
3. C) configurations, TMAO
4. D) configurations and TMAO

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	.	Period. Two complete sentences, cleanly separated.
B)	no mark	Nothing at all. The two sentences run straight into each other.
C)	,	Comma only. Two sentences glued with a comma.
D)	and	Coordinating word, no comma. "configurations and TMAO" reads as one compound subject.

Question 16, Module 1 — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — verb form and tense (Easy)

We do — you make one decision, then we finish it together

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 1, screen 16 of 27 (PDF page 16).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) to use
2. B) have used
3. C) having used
4. D) using

The same text, marked up

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Question 19, Module 1 — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement across an interrupter (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 1, screen 19 of 27 (PDF page 19).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) are
2. B) have been
3. C) are being
4. D) is

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

Mathematician Grigori Perelman, sometimes in conjunction with mathematicians Richard S. Hamilton and Shing-Tung Yau,   credited with proving the Poincaré conjecture. Having built on Hamilton’s previous work to solve the proof, Perelman has insisted that Hamilton receive credit. Yau later found and closed gaps in Perelman’s proof, persuading some mathematicians that he deserves credit as well.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The red stretch sits between the subject and the verb and contains two extra names. That is bait.

Correct: D) is
Delete everything between the two commas. What is left is Mathematician Grigori Perelman ______ credited with proving the Poincaré conjecture. The subject is one person. A singular subject takes a singular verb, so the answer is D, is. The phrase sometimes in conjunction with does not add anybody to the subject — only the word and can do that, and there is no and joining Perelman to anyone.

A) are — plural pull. Plural verb for a singular subject. It is chosen because two more names sit right before the blank, but those names are inside an interrupter.

B) have been — plural pull plus tense shift. Also plural, and it moves the sentence into the present perfect for no reason. The rest of the paragraph is about a settled fact.

C) are being — plural pull plus wrong aspect. Plural again, and are being credited describes something happening right now, which contradicts a credit he has held for years.

The move — Cross Out the Interrupter: When commas fence off a phrase between the subject and the blank, delete the fenced phrase and re-read. Phrases like in conjunction with, along with, as well as, and together with never change whether the subject is singular or plural.

⚡ Also in play on Question 19, Module 1:

• Find the Subject, Then Count It

Question 17, Module 1 — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — end punctuation on a direct question (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 1, screen 17 of 27 (PDF page 17).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) could the blueberries thrive.
2. B) the blueberries could thrive.
3. C) the blueberries could thrive?
4. D) could the blueberries thrive?

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

Lucía Michel of the University of Chile observed that alkaline soils contain an insoluble form of iron that blueberry plants cannot absorb, thus inhibiting blueberry growth. If these plants were grown in alkaline soil alongside grasses that aid in iron solubilization,   Michel was determined to find out.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The red stretch is a second complete sentence, so whatever fills the blank has to finish the first one.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	question word order + .	Asks a question but ends it with a period. Mismatch.
B)	statement word order + .	Ends the sentence correctly but the wording is a statement, so the opening If clause has nothing to attach to.
C)	statement word order + ?	Ends with a question mark but the words are not phrased as a question. Mismatch.
D)	question word order + ?	Asks a question and marks it as one. Then a new sentence starts.

Correct: D) could the blueberries thrive?
The text is telling you what Michel wanted to know, and it puts the question itself on the page. A actual question needs two things at once: the verb in front of the subject (could the blueberries, not the blueberries could) and a question mark at the end. D is the only choice with both. It also closes the sentence so that Michel was determined to find out can start cleanly on its own.

A) could the blueberries thrive. — half-right punctuation. The word order is right for a question, but a period says "statement". The two signals contradict each other.

B) the blueberries could thrive. — half-right punctuation. The period ends the sentence, but the words are a statement, so nothing in the sentence is being asked and the opening If clause has nothing to attach to.

C) the blueberries could thrive? — inverted mismatch. Statement order with a question mark. In print this is not standard English, even though people speak this way.

The move — A Actual Question Gets Question Order and a Question Mark: If a choice set differs by both word order and end mark, the two have to agree. Question order takes a question mark. Statement order takes a period. Never mix them.

⚡ Also in play on Question 17, Module 1:

• Plug It In, Read the Whole Sentence

Question 20, Module 1 — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — semicolon between two independent clauses (Hard)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 1, screen 20 of 27 (PDF page 20).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) effect, though;
2. B) effect, though
3. C) effect; though
4. D) effect, though,

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

Jetties—long, narrow structures that extend from a landmass into the water—are often constructed to protect coastlines from erosion. Jetties can sometimes have the opposite   obstructing the natural flow of sand along the shore can lead to increased erosion in some areas.  

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → Both green stretches are complete sentences once the blank is filled. The word though belongs to the first one.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	, before though, ; after	though is parked inside sentence one as an aside; the semicolon then splits the two sentences.
B)	, only	One comma. Two complete sentences glued with a comma.
C)	; only	Semicolon lands before though, which turns though into a subordinating word attached to sentence two.
D)	, before and , after	Two commas. though is set off correctly, but the two sentences are still only joined by a comma.

Correct: A) effect, though;
Jetties can sometimes have the opposite effect is a complete sentence. Obstructing the natural flow of sand along the shore can lead to increased erosion in some areas is also a complete sentence — its subject is the whole phrase obstructing the natural flow of sand along the shore. So the join must be a semicolon or a period. The word though here means "however", and it is an aside inside the first sentence, so it takes a comma in front of it. A does both jobs: comma before though, semicolon after it.

B) effect, though — comma splice. Sets off nothing and joins two complete sentences with a single comma.

C) effect; though — wrong side of the semicolon. Putting though after the semicolon makes it read as "even though", which turns the second half into a dependent clause. A semicolon cannot join a sentence to a dependent clause.

D) effect, though, — comma splice. though is fenced correctly, but the second comma is still all that stands between two complete sentences.

The move — The Semicolon-Equals-Period Test: Test the semicolon by swapping in a period. If a period works there, the semicolon is legal. Then check the leftovers: B and D both leave a comma holding two sentences together, so they do the same illegal job — and two choices that do the same job cannot both be right, so neither is.

⚡ Also in play on Question 20, Module 1:

• If Two Choices Do the Same Job, Neither Is Right
• Same Words, Different Marks — It’s a Boundaries Question

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Module 2a — seven conventions questions (Q15–Q21)

Module 2 is adaptive. Do well on Module 1 and you get the harder Module 2; do less well and you get the easier one. This is Module 2a, and its conventions block runs Q15–Q21. Five of the seven are verb and pronoun items, and only two are punctuation — but those two are the hardest punctuation items on the form so far.

Question 19, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement inside a relative clause (Easy)

I do — watch me work this one

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 19 of 27 (PDF page 46).

The same text, marked up

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) have outlined
2. B) were outlining
3. C) outlines
4. D) outline

Question 15, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — pronoun-antecedent agreement (Easy)

We do — you make one decision, then we finish it together

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 15 of 27 (PDF page 42).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) they
2. B) one
3. C) you
4. D) it

The same text, marked up

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Question 17, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — finite verb required (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 17 of 27 (PDF page 44).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) enter
2. B) to enter
3. C) having entered
4. D) entering

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

To survive when water is scarce, embryos inside African turquoise killifish eggs   a dormant state known as diapause. In this state, embryonic development is paused for as long as two years—longer than the life span of an adult killifish.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The red opener already uses an infinitive, which makes a second one look normal. It is not.

Correct: A) enter
Everything before the full stop has to be one working sentence. The subject is embryos inside African turquoise killifish eggs. There is no other verb in that sentence, so the blank must be the main verb. Enter is the only choice that is a real, working verb. Plural subject, so no -s. A.

B) to enter — infinitive trap. The sentence already opens with To survive. A second infinitive leaves the sentence with no main verb at all.

C) having entered — participle trap. Starts a modifier. Embryos inside African turquoise killifish eggs having entered a dormant state is a fragment waiting for a verb that never arrives.

D) entering — the -ing trap. An -ing word cannot run a sentence by itself. It would need are in front of it, and that is not on offer.

The move — The Sentence Needs a Real Verb: Cross out every opening phrase that ends in a comma. Then ask whether what remains has a subject and a working verb. If the verb is missing, only a plain conjugated verb can fill the blank.

⚡ Also in play on Question 17, Module 2a:

• One Main Verb Per Sentence

Question 16, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement plus tense (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 16 of 27 (PDF page 43).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) were
2. B) have been
3. C) has been
4. D) are

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

When writing The Other Black Girl (2021), novelist Zakiya Dalila Harris drew on her own experiences working at a publishing office. The award-winning book is Harris’s first novel, but her writing   honored before. At the age of twelve, she entered a contest to have a story published in American Girl magazine—and won.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The red clause has its own subject and verb. Do not let it decide the blank.

Correct: C) has been
The subject of the second half is her writing — one thing, singular, even though writing covers many pieces. That kills were, have been and are in one move. What is left is has been. It also fits the word before: something that happened at some earlier point and still counts now is exactly what the present perfect is for, and the next sentence proves it by telling you about the contest she won at twelve. C.

A) were — number mismatch. Plural past. Writing is singular, and the past simple would also clash with before.

B) have been — number mismatch. Right tense, wrong number. The plural have does not match the singular writing.

D) are — number and tense mismatch. Plural and present. Neither the subject nor the word before allows it.

The move — Find the Subject, Then Count It: Nouns that name an activity — writing, research, training — are singular, however much of the activity there is. Count the noun, not the amount.

⚡ Also in play on Question 16, Module 2a:

• Match the Tense Already on the Page

Question 20, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — verb tense consistency (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 20 of 27 (PDF page 47).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) will reach
2. B) reach
3. C) had reached
4. D) are reaching

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

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Atoms in a synchrotron, a type of circular particle accelerator, travel faster and faster until they   a desired energy level, at which point they are diverted to collide with a target, smashing the atoms.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → Both green verbs are simple present. The blank sits between them.

Correct: B) reach
Look at the verbs that are already printed: travel and are diverted. Both are simple present, because the sentence is describing what always happens inside a synchrotron. The blank sits between them, so it takes the same tense: reach. B.

A) will reach — tense drift. Future tense. The sentence is not predicting one event; it is describing a repeating process.

C) had reached — tense drift. Past perfect. It would place the reaching before some earlier past moment, and there is no past moment anywhere in the sentence.

D) are reaching — aspect drift. Present continuous. It describes something in progress right now, which clashes with the general, always-true description around it.

The move — Match the Tense Already on the Page: On a bare tense question with no date and no time word, copy the tense of the nearest printed verb. A sentence that describes how something generally works stays in simple present the whole way through.

Question 18, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — comma plus a coordinating conjunction (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 18 of 27 (PDF page 45).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) value, but
2. B) valueno mark
3. C) value,
4. D) value but

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

Typically, underlines, scribbles, and notes left in the margins by a former owner lower a book’s   when the former owner is a famous poet like Walt Whitman, such markings, known as marginalia, can be a gold mine to literary scholars.  

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → Green stretch one is a complete sentence. Green stretch two is a complete sentence with its own opening when clause.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	, + but	Comma plus a coordinating conjunction. This is a legal join for two complete sentences, and but supplies the contrast the passage needs.
B)	no mark	Nothing. The two sentences fuse.
C)	,	Comma alone. Comma splice.
D)	but	Conjunction with no comma. The join word is right but the mark is missing.

Correct: A) value, but
Split at the blank. Typically, underlines, scribbles, and notes left in the margins by a former owner lower a book’s value is a complete sentence. When the former owner is a famous poet like Walt Whitman, such markings, known as marginalia, can be a gold mine to literary scholars is also a complete sentence. Two sentences can be joined by a comma plus one of the FANBOYS words — for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Only A supplies both, and but is the right one because the second half reverses the first.

B) value — fused sentence. Two complete sentences with nothing between them.

C) value, — comma splice. A comma with no conjunction cannot hold two sentences apart.

D) value but — half-right join. The right conjunction, but a comma is required in front of it when it joins two complete sentences.

The move — Comma Plus FANBOYS Joins Two Sentences: A comma is legal between two complete sentences only when a FANBOYS word rides with it. Comma alone, or FANBOYS alone, both fail — and when two choices fail the same way, you can cross them off together.

⚡ Also in play on Question 18, Module 2a:

• Split at the Blank, Test Each Half
• If Two Choices Do the Same Job, Neither Is Right

Question 21, Module 2a — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — paired dashes around an interrupter (Hard)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2a, screen 21 of 27 (PDF page 48).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) Springsno mark to
2. B) Springs: to
3. C) Springs— to
4. D) Springs, to

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

The forty-seven geothermal springs of Arkansas’ Hot Springs National Park are sourced via a process known as natural groundwater recharge, in which rainwater percolates downward through the earth—in this case, the porous rocks of the hills around Hot Springs  collect in a subterranean basin.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The yellow dash opens an aside. The red stretch is the aside. The blank has to close it.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	no mark	The aside opened with a dash and never closes. The reader cannot tell where the interruption ends.
B)	:	A colon announces a list or explanation. Nothing here is being announced, and the aside still never closes.
C)	—	A second dash, matching the first. The aside is fenced on both sides and the main sentence continues with to collect.
D)	,	A comma cannot close an aside that a dash opened. Marks have to match.

Correct: C) Springs— to
Find the dash that is already printed, right after through the earth. That dash opens an aside. An aside opened by a dash must be closed by a dash. Take the aside out and the sentence reads rainwater percolates downward through the earth to collect in a subterranean basin — which works perfectly. C.

A) Springs to — unclosed interrupter. One dash opens the aside and nothing shuts it, so the porous rocks of the hills around Hot Springs to collect reads as if the rocks are doing the collecting.

B) Springs: to — wrong mark. A colon has to follow a complete sentence and introduce something. Neither is true here, and it still leaves the dash unmatched.

D) Springs, to — mismatched pair. Dash in, comma out. Paired marks must be the same type on both ends.

The move — Punctuation Marks Travel in Pairs: If a dash, a comma or a bracket already sits earlier in the sentence with no partner, the blank is almost certainly the closing half of that pair. Look left before you look at the choices.

⚡ Also in play on Question 21, Module 2a:

• Read Past the Blank Before You Choose

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Module 2b — seven conventions questions (Q15–Q21)

This is the other Module 2 branch, also Q15–Q21. The mix flips: three punctuation items, four verb and modifier items, and the punctuation ones are harder than anything in Module 2a. If you want to know which branch you got on test day, the tell in this domain is the colon item — Module 2b has one, Module 2a does not.

Question 18, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement across a long interrupter (Medium)

I do — watch me work this one

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 18 of 27 (PDF page 72).

The same text, marked up

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) attests
2. B) has attested
3. C) is attesting
4. D) attest

Question 20, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — verb tense consistency (Medium)

We do — you make one decision, then we finish it together

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 20 of 27 (PDF page 74) — duplicate of page 47; see the note below.

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) will reach
2. B) reach
3. C) had reached
4. D) are reaching

The same text, marked up

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Question 15, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — no punctuation before a needed title (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 15 of 27 (PDF page 69).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) Gingerbread—
2. B) Gingerbread,
3. C) Gingerbreadno mark
4. D) Gingerbread:

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

In crafting her fantasy fiction, Nigerian-born British author Helen Oyeyemi has drawn inspiration from the classic nineteenth-century fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Her 2014 novel Boy, Snow, Bird, for instance, is a complex retelling of the story of Snow White, while her 2019 novel   offers a delicious twist on the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The red sentence uses commas around for instance. Those commas are not a licence to punctuate the title.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	—	A single dash between the subject and its verb. It also has no partner dash.
B)	,	A comma between the subject and its verb.
C)	no mark	Nothing. Subject runs straight into the verb, which is what English requires.
D)	:	A colon between the subject and its verb, announcing nothing.

Correct: C) Gingerbreadno mark
The subject of this clause is her 2019 novel Gingerbread and the verb is offers. Nothing is allowed to sit between a subject and its verb. The title is also needed information — Oyeyemi has written several novels, so Gingerbread tells you which one. Needed information takes no commas. C.

A) Gingerbread— — unmatched dash. A lone dash cuts the subject off from its verb, and an aside opened by a dash needs a second dash to close it.

B) Gingerbread, — subject-verb comma. One comma between subject and verb. It would also wrongly signal that the title is extra information you could delete.

D) Gingerbread: — colon misuse. A colon must follow a complete sentence. while her 2019 novel Gingerbread is not one.

The move — No Mark Between a Subject and Its Verb: When all four choices are the same word with different marks after it, name the subject and the verb. If the blank sits between them, the answer is almost always the one with no mark at all.

⚡ Also in play on Question 15, Module 2b:

• Needed Information Gets No Commas
• Same Words, Different Marks — It’s a Boundaries Question

Question 16, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — no commas around a needed appositive (Medium)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 16 of 27 (PDF page 70).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) compound, aluminum oxide
2. B) compound aluminum oxide,
3. C) compound, aluminum oxide,
4. D) compound aluminum oxideno mark

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

When external forces are applied to common glass made from silicates, energy builds up around minuscule defects in the material, resulting in fractures. Recently, engineer Erkka Frankberg of Tampere University in Finland used the chemical compound aluminum oxide  to make a glassy solid that can withstand higher strain than silicate glass can before fracturing.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

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Note → The green stretch is one unbroken noun phrase: verb, then the thing that was used.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	, after compound	One comma inside the noun phrase, and none to close it. An unmatched fence.
B)	, after oxide	One comma cutting the object off from the rest of the sentence.
C)	, + ,	A matched pair — but it says the name of the chemical is extra information you could delete.
D)	no mark	Nothing at all. the chemical compound aluminum oxide stays one solid noun phrase.

Correct: D) compound aluminum oxideno mark
Aluminum oxide names which chemical compound. Delete it and the sentence says Frankberg used "the chemical compound" — which one? The information is needed, so it gets no commas. D. Nothing separates used from what was used, either.

A) compound, aluminum oxide — unmatched comma. Opens a fence and never closes it. Commas that set information off must come in twos unless the phrase ends the sentence.

B) compound aluminum oxide, — stray comma. Splits the object from the infinitive that explains what it was used for.

C) compound, aluminum oxide, — wrong restriction. The pair is matched, so the punctuation is legal — but it marks the name as deletable. Delete it and the sentence loses its point.

The move — Needed Information Gets No Commas: Test an appositive by deleting it. If the sentence still tells you which one, the phrase is extra and takes two commas. If the sentence goes vague, the phrase is needed and takes none.

⚡ Also in play on Question 16, Module 2b:

• Punctuation Marks Travel in Pairs

Question 17, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Boundaries — colon introducing an explanation (Hard)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 17 of 27 (PDF page 71).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) equations, though:
2. B) equations, though,
3. C) equations. Though,
4. D) equationsno mark though

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

In 1943, in the midst of World War II, mathematics professor Grace Hopper was recruited by the US military to help the war effort by solving complex equations. Hopper’s subsequent career would involve more than just equations  as a pioneering computer programmer, Hopper would help usher in the digital age.  

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → Green stretch one is a complete sentence that raises a question. Green stretch two answers it.

What actually changes between the four choices

Choice	The mark it uses	What that does to the sentence
A)	, before though, : after	though is an aside inside sentence one; the colon then introduces the explanation.
B)	, + ,	though is fenced correctly, but a comma is still all that joins two complete sentences.
C)	. + ,	Full stop, then Though, opening the next sentence — a placement standard English does not use.
D)	no mark	No mark anywhere. The two sentences fuse.

Correct: A) equations, though:
Hopper’s subsequent career would involve more than just equations, though is a complete sentence, and it leaves you asking "more than just equations — like what?". The words after the blank answer that. A colon is exactly the mark for "here comes the explanation", and it is legal because a complete sentence sits in front of it. Though means "however" here, so it takes a comma in front. A.

B) equations, though, — comma splice. Two complete sentences joined by a comma. Apply the semicolon test: if a period would work there, a comma cannot.

C) equations. Though, — misplaced contrast word. The full stop is legal, but Though, at the front of a sentence is not standard, and it also snaps the link back to more than just equations.

D) equations though — fused sentence. Nothing separates the two sentences.

The move — A Colon Needs a Full Sentence in Front of It: Before you accept a colon, cover everything after it and check that what remains is a complete sentence. Then check that what follows actually explains or lists something. Both true here, which is why the colon beats the comma.

⚡ Also in play on Question 17, Module 2b:

• The Semicolon-Equals-Period Test
• Read Past the Blank Before You Choose

Question 19, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — the sentence already has its main verb (Hard)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 19 of 27 (PDF page 73).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) suggesting
2. B) suggested
3. C) suggests
4. D) has suggested

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

Recent pollen analyses of the Aran Islands have led some researchers to propose that the now treeless islands were once wooded. This hypothesis   that certain trees, such as P. sylvestris, survived without interruption or human intervention throughout the Holocene cannot stand, researchers Michael O’Connell and Karen Molloy counter, unless other explanations can first be ruled out.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The green words are the real subject and the real main verb. The red run between them is a modifier.

Correct: A) suggesting
Read to the end before you choose. The main verb of this sentence is cannot stand, and its subject is This hypothesis. So the sentence already has everything it needs. The blank must start a modifier that describes the hypothesis, not a second main verb. Suggesting does that: This hypothesis suggesting that certain trees, such as P. sylvestris, survived without interruption or human intervention throughout the Holocene cannot stand. A.

B) suggested — double verb. A finite past verb. The sentence would then have two main verbs, suggested and cannot stand, with nothing joining them.

C) suggests — double verb. Same problem in the present. This hypothesis suggests that certain trees survived and this hypothesis cannot stand are two separate sentences crushed into one.

D) has suggested — double verb. Present perfect, same fault. Changing tense does not fix the fact that cannot stand is already the verb.

The move — One Main Verb Per Sentence: Scan to the full stop before you fill a verb blank. If a working main verb already exists, the blank takes an -ing or -ed modifier instead.

⚡ Also in play on Question 19, Module 2b:

• Read Past the Blank Before You Choose

Question 21, Module 2b — Standard English Conventions: Form, Structure, and Sense — modifier placement and the logical subject (Hard)

Your turn — try it before you open the reasoning

Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, Module 2b, screen 21 of 27 (PDF page 75).

The question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. A) silica glass is at a significant disadvantage due to its more dispersed atomic arrangement:
2. B) silica glass has a more dispersed atomic arrangement, resulting in a significant disadvantage:
3. C) a significant disadvantage of silica glass is that its atomic arrangement is more dispersed:
4. D) silica glass’s atomic arrangement is more dispersed, resulting in a significant disadvantage:

Try it first — then open the reasoning

The same text, marked up

Compared to that of alumina glass,   silica glass atoms are so far apart that they are unable to re-form bonds after being separated.

yellow, dotted underline = the blank and the word that governs it · green, solid underline = the evidence that decides the answer · red, dashed underline = what pulls you toward a wrong choice. Each colour also carries its own underline shape, so the three still separate in black and white.

Note → The yellow word that stands for a noun you have to name before you can choose.

Correct: D) silica glass’s atomic arrangement is more dispersed, resulting in a significant disadvantage:
That in an opening comparison stands for a noun that has to show up straight after the comma. Here that of alumina glass means the atomic arrangement of alumina glass, because the choices all talk about atomic arrangement. So the words right after the comma must name silica glass’s atomic arrangement. Only D does. Read it whole: Compared to that of alumina glass, silica glass’s atomic arrangement is more dispersed, resulting in a significant disadvantage: silica glass atoms are so far apart that they are unable to re-form bonds after being separated.

A) silica glass is at a significant disadvantage due to its more dispersed atomic arrangement: — dangling comparison. The noun after the comma is silica glass, so the sentence compares a whole material to an arrangement. Those are not the same kind of thing.

B) silica glass has a more dispersed atomic arrangement, resulting in a significant disadvantage: — dangling comparison. Again the subject is silica glass, not its arrangement. The comparison in the opening phrase still has nothing to land on.

C) a significant disadvantage of silica glass is that its atomic arrangement is more dispersed: — dangling comparison. The subject is now a significant disadvantage. You cannot compare a disadvantage to the atomic arrangement of alumina glass.

The move — The Word After the Comma Owns the Opening Phrase: When a sentence opens with Compared to, Unlike, Like, or an -ing phrase and a comma, the first noun after that comma must be the thing the phrase describes. Name that thing before you read a single choice.

⚡ Also in play on Question 21, Module 2b:

• Read Past the Blank Before You Choose

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Rules and shortcuts from this test

Every rule below was earned by an item on this page, and each one names the question that taught it. None of them require you to know grammar terminology on test day.

The cheat sheet — every conventions rule on this form

Screenshot this one. The left column is the rule name exactly as it appears in the question sections above, so you can always jump back to the item that taught it.

Rule	When it fires	What you do	Taught by
Full Stop Between Two Complete Sentences	Both sides of the blank read as complete sentences.	Pick the period. A comma alone can never hold two sentences apart.	M1 Q18
Split at the Blank, Test Each Half	Every choice is the same word with different marks.	Cover the blank, read left, read right, and label each half complete or incomplete before you choose.	M1 Q18 · M2a Q18
Read Past the Blank Before You Choose	The blank sits early in a long sentence.	Read to the full stop first. The words after the blank usually decide the answer.	M1 Q18 · M2a Q21 · M2b Q17 · M2b Q19 · M2b Q21
Same Words, Different Marks — It’s a Boundaries Question	All four choices repeat the same words and change only the punctuation.	Stop reading for meaning and start counting sentences. This is a boundaries item, not a style item.	M1 Q18 · M1 Q20 · M2b Q15
The Sentence Needs a Real Verb	You cannot find a main verb anywhere in the sentence.	The blank is the main verb. Cross off every to + verb, -ing, and having + verb choice.	M1 Q16 · M2a Q17
One Main Verb Per Sentence	A verb blank sits in a sentence that already has a working verb.	Count the finite verbs. If one already runs the sentence, the blank takes an -ing or -ed modifier instead.	M1 Q16 · M2a Q17 · M2b Q19
Cross Out the Interrupter	Commas fence off a phrase between the subject and the blank.	Delete the fenced phrase, then re-read. Along with, as well as and in conjunction with never change the subject.	M1 Q19 · M2b Q18
Find the Subject, Then Count It	You have to choose between a singular and a plural verb.	Name the subject out loud, ignore every of phrase, then count it and match.	M1 Q19 · M2a Q16 · M2b Q18
A Actual Question Gets Question Order and a Question Mark	Choices differ in both word order and end mark.	Make the two agree. Verb-before-subject takes a question mark; subject-before-verb takes a period.	M1 Q17
Plug It In, Read the Whole Sentence	You have narrowed it to two choices and both look fine.	Read the full sentence aloud with your pick in place, all the way to the full stop.	M1 Q17 · M2a Q19
The Semicolon-Equals-Period Test	A semicolon appears in at least one choice.	Swap the semicolon for a period. If the two halves still stand alone, the semicolon is legal; if not, it is not.	M1 Q20 · M2b Q17
If Two Choices Do the Same Job, Neither Is Right	Two choices produce grammatically identical results.	Cross both off at once. A question has one answer, so two identical outcomes must both be wrong.	M1 Q20 · M2a Q18
“That” Takes the Nearest Noun	The blank sits right after that, which or who.	Run left to the first noun. That noun sets singular or plural, not the subject at the front of the sentence.	M2a Q19
Point the Pronoun at a Real Noun	The blank is a pronoun.	Name the exact noun already printed that the pronoun replaces, then match number and person.	M2a Q15
Match the Tense Already on the Page	A tense question with no date and no time word.	Copy the tense of the nearest printed verb. General descriptions stay in simple present throughout.	M2a Q16 · M2a Q20 · M2b Q20
Comma Plus FANBOYS Joins Two Sentences	A choice offers a comma with and, but, or, so, for, nor or yet.	Check both halves are complete sentences. If they are, comma + FANBOYS is legal; comma alone and FANBOYS alone are not.	M2a Q18
Punctuation Marks Travel in Pairs	A dash, comma or bracket already sits earlier in the sentence with no partner.	The blank is the closing half. Match the mark type exactly — dash closes dash, comma closes comma.	M2a Q21 · M2b Q16
No Mark Between a Subject and Its Verb	The blank sits between the subject and its verb.	Choose the option with no punctuation at all. Nothing is allowed to break that join.	M2b Q15
Needed Information Gets No Commas	A name or title sits next to a general noun it identifies.	Delete it. If the sentence goes vague, the phrase is needed and takes no commas at all.	M2b Q15 · M2b Q16
A Colon Needs a Full Sentence in Front of It	A colon appears in at least one choice.	Cover everything after the colon. What remains must be a complete sentence, and what follows must explain or list.	M2b Q17
The Word After the Comma Owns the Opening Phrase	The sentence opens with Compared to, Unlike, Like, or an -ing phrase plus a comma.	Name the thing the opening phrase describes, then pick the choice that puts that exact noun first.	M2b Q21

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Answer key — every Standard English Conventions answer on Bluebook Practice Test 9

All 19 letters, in the order they appear on the test. These come from the verified answer key for this form, not from our own reasoning.

Module	Conventions answers, in question order
Module 1	Q16 → B · Q17 → D · Q18 → A · Q19 → D · Q20 → A
Module 2a	Q15 → A · Q16 → C · Q17 → A · Q18 → A · Q19 → C · Q20 → B · Q21 → C
Module 2b	Q15 → C · Q16 → D · Q17 → A · Q18 → D · Q19 → A · Q20 → B · Q21 → D

Question	Module	Skill	Answer
Question 16	Module 1	Form, Structure, and Sense — verb form and tense	B
Question 17	Module 1	Boundaries — end punctuation on a direct question	D
Question 18	Module 1	Boundaries — where one sentence ends and the next begins	A
Question 19	Module 1	Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement across an interrupter	D
Question 20	Module 1	Boundaries — semicolon between two independent clauses	A
Question 15	Module 2a	Form, Structure, and Sense — pronoun-antecedent agreement	A
Question 16	Module 2a	Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement plus tense	C
Question 17	Module 2a	Form, Structure, and Sense — finite verb required	A
Question 18	Module 2a	Boundaries — comma plus a coordinating conjunction	A
Question 19	Module 2a	Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement inside a relative clause	C
Question 20	Module 2a	Form, Structure, and Sense — verb tense consistency	B
Question 21	Module 2a	Boundaries — paired dashes around an interrupter	C
Question 15	Module 2b	Boundaries — no punctuation before a needed title	C
Question 16	Module 2b	Boundaries — no commas around a needed appositive	D
Question 17	Module 2b	Boundaries — colon introducing an explanation	A
Question 18	Module 2b	Form, Structure, and Sense — subject-verb agreement across a long interrupter	D
Question 19	Module 2b	Form, Structure, and Sense — the sentence already has its main verb	A
Question 20	Module 2b	Form, Structure, and Sense — verb tense consistency	B
Question 21	Module 2b	Form, Structure, and Sense — modifier placement and the logical subject	D

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What students said about this test

One complaint on that subreddit is worth answering directly, because it affects how you read your score on this form. Students report that Tests 8 and 9 feel easier than the real thing, so a jump on Test 9 is not automatically a jump on test day. Use this form for the grammar rules it drills, not as a score prediction — that is what it is genuinely good for.

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Where this sits

Questions, passages and answer choices on this page are quoted from Bluebook Practice Test 9, Reading & Writing, an official College Board digital SAT practice test. All explanations, rule names, tables and commentary are The Test Advantage’s own work and are not produced or endorsed by the College Board.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grammar rules are tested on Bluebook test 9?

Nineteen items across three modules, split two ways. Eight are Boundaries items: where a sentence ends, comma splices, comma plus a coordinating conjunction, paired dashes, colons, question marks, and when to use no mark at all. Eleven are Form, Structure, and Sense items: subject-verb agreement across an interrupter, agreement inside a that clause, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb tense consistency, whether the sentence already has a main verb, and modifier placement after an opening comparison.

What are the answers to test 9 punctuation questions?

The eight punctuation items and their letters: Module 1 Question 17 is D, Question 18 is A, Question 20 is A. Module 2a Question 18 is A, Question 21 is C. Module 2b Question 15 is C, Question 16 is D, Question 17 is A. Each one is worked in full above, with a table showing exactly which mark each choice uses.

How do I decide between a comma and a semicolon?

Cover the blank. Read the words to the left, then the words to the right. If both halves could stand alone as sentences, a comma alone is always wrong; you need a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus one of the FANBOYS words. If one half cannot stand alone, a semicolon is always wrong. That single test decides Question 18 and Question 20 in Module 1, Question 18 in Module 2a, and Question 17 in Module 2b.

What is a boundaries question?

A Boundaries question is one where the four choices are the same words with different punctuation after them. The College Board is not asking what the sentence means; it is asking how many complete sentences you are looking at and which mark separates them. Eight of the nineteen conventions items on Test 9 are Boundaries items.

Which grammar question on test 9 do most students miss?

Question 17 in Module 2b, the Grace Hopper colon item. Three of the four choices are punctuation students use in ordinary writing, and two of them look harmless. It is the only item on this form where a colon is the answer. Question 21 in Module 2b, the alumina glass comparison, is the second hardest.

How many conventions questions are on the Digital SAT?

On this form, 19 out of 81 Reading and Writing questions, which is just under a quarter. They always sit in the same place: the block right after the Information and Ideas questions and right before the Expression of Ideas questions. On Test 9 that is Questions 16 to 20 in Module 1 and Questions 15 to 21 in both Module 2 branches.

How do I check subject-verb agreement fast?

Delete every phrase fenced by commas and every phrase that starts with of. What is left is the real subject. Count it, then match the verb. On Question 18 in Module 2b this cuts a 30-word sentence down to The trailblazing accomplishments attest to the value of scholars, and the plural answer becomes obvious.

What punctuation rules repeat most often?

Across Test 9, three repeat. First, two complete sentences cannot be joined by a comma, a trap that appears in five of the eight punctuation items. Second, marks that fence off a phrase come in pairs, which decides Question 21 in Module 2a and Question 16 in Module 2b. Third, information the sentence needs in order to say which one takes no commas at all, which decides Question 15 and Question 16 in Module 2b.

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