Farther along the train, a worker in uniform leans out of a doorway, ______ one arm toward the front of the train.

Vocabulary and Grammar in Context · ELPAC Grades 11–12 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

Extra practice, not a separate task on the real test: a sentence with one word missing, testing the vocabulary and grammar the passages assume.

Look at the picture, then answer the questions.

Read image description

A train has stopped along an outdoor platform with its doors standing open. A woman with a rolling suitcase steps down from the nearest door onto the platform. Farther along the train, a worker in a uniform leans out of a doorway and raises one arm toward the front of the train. A board above the platform shows the time.

The question

Look at the picture. Then choose the word that best completes the sentence about it.

Farther along the train, a worker in uniform leans out of a doorway, ______ one arm toward the front of the train.

• Araised
• Bhas raised
• CraisingCorrect answer
• Dto have raised

Why “raising” is correct

This tests a participle phrase added after a complete clause to describe what the subject is doing at the same time. The clause 'a worker in uniform leans out of a doorway' is already complete, so the words after the comma must attach to it, and the present participle 'raising' does that while matching the present-tense scene. Students can check by asking whether the added phrase could start with 'while': 'while raising one arm'.

Why the other answers are wrong

• raised — 'Raised' after the comma would need 'with one arm raised' to work; as written it reads as a second past-tense verb with no subject or 'and'.
• has raised — 'Has raised' is a full verb, which would need 'and' to join it to 'leans', and its tense does not match the scene.
• to have raised — 'To have raised' would express a purpose or a completed earlier action, neither of which fits a worker signaling right now.

Practice more of this

More reading practice for Grades 11–12, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 11–12. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.