** The subject of the sentence is "The number," which is singular. Therefore, the verb must also be singular. "Is increasing" correctly describes an ongoing trend.

Here are the answers to the grammar questions:

• 62. The subject of the sentence is "The number," which is singular. Therefore, the verb must also be singular. "Is increasing" correctly describes an ongoing trend.

  • The correct option is E. is

• 63. The verb "sounds" is a linking verb here, requiring an adjective to describe the subject ("the newly installed video game"). A video game is interesting, not interested.

  • The correct option is D. interesting

• 64. If one cannot predict someone's actions, that person is unpredictable or inconsistent. "Capricious" means given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.

  • The correct option is D. capricious

• 65. An amateur scientist pursues research for passion, not for material gain like fame and money. "Indifferent to" means having no particular interest or concern for something.

  • The correct option is D. indifferent to

• 66. This sentence uses the correlative conjunction structure "not only... but also," which connects two parallel elements.

  • The correct option is B. but

• 67. The idiomatic expression "hardly ever" means almost never or rarely.

  • The correct option is B. ever

• 68. The word "hour" starts with a vowel sound, so it takes the indefinite article "an." The word "history" starts with a consonant sound, so it takes "a."

  • The correct option is C. An / a

• 69. Prepositions show the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words in a sentence (e.g., towards, from, under, by). "So" is typically used as a conjunction or an adverb, not a preposition.

  • The correct option is E. so

• 70. Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal grammatical rank (e.g., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so – often remembered by the acronym FANBOYS). "From" is a preposition.

  • The correct option is B. from

• 71. The phrase "Loved and hated by thousands" indicates that Dr. Bertram is widely known and evokes strong opinions, both positive and negative. "Popular" in this context implies being widely recognized and discussed, even if not universally liked.

  • The correct option is A. popular