SAT Writing Grammar Questions...please help!!

Test Preparation
1

<ol>
<li>Attaining (A) speeds of up to (B) 60 miles per hour, cheetahs are perhaps (C) the fastest (D) of land animals. (E) no error.</li>
</ol>

<p>For this one, the answer is E but I thought C was wrong because don't you have to say either "the fastest kind/type of land animals" or say "the fastest among land animals"?</p>

<ol>
<li>The often conflicting reports of different polling organizations make it difficult to predict which of the two candidates is more likely to win the election next year.
A. often conflicting
B. make it difficult to
C. is
D. more likely
E. No error</li>
</ol>

<p>The answer is E but I think C is wrong because it says "next year" in the sentence which implies future tense. Shouldn't it be "will be" instead of is?</p>

<p>Thanks guys! Any help would be appreciated!
:) </p>

2

<ol>
<li><p>Comparatives and superlatives like “faster” and “fastest” can function as nouns as well as adjectives, so there is no problem there. “Fastest among” is not idiomatic. “Fastest of” is the normal idiom.</p></li>
<li><p>If something is likely to happen in the future, the state of likelihood exists now. Likelihood comes into existence as soon as it is observed.</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>That makes so much sense now!! Thank you!!</p>

4

<p>One more question:</p>

<p>In The Big Sea, Langston Hughes recounts(A) his childhood and early adulthood in language that is(B) as simple and direct as another© Missouri-born writer, one much(D) admired by Hughes, Mark Twain. No error. (E)</p>

<p>I know for this question C is the answer but shouldn’t B be “are” instead of “is” because “childhood and early adulthood” should be plural?</p>