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.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Explanation
Context: The subject is "her writing" — singular. The sentence uses present perfect ("has been") to describe a state that began in the past and continues to the present ("but her writing __ honored before").
Answer: C) has been
Why? Singular subject "her writing" → singular present perfect passive "has been honored." The context ("before," referring to earlier in life) confirms present perfect.
Traps:
- A) were → plural past, wrong number
- B) have been → plural perfect, wrong for singular "her writing"
- D) are → plural present, wrong number and tense