Which verb phrase means 'to form part of a total'?

• A. To account for
• B. To constitute
• C. To describe
• D. To sum

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how to express that a part makes up a portion of the whole. The phrase to account for is used exactly in that sense: it means something forms part of the total or contributes to it. In data or trend language, you’d say a category accounts for a certain share of the total, for example when a figure accounts for 25% of overall expenditure. This use clearly links the part to the whole.

The other verbs don’t convey that sharing relationship as directly. To describe focuses on giving details about what something is, not how much of the total it represents. To sum refers to adding numbers to obtain a total, not to representing a portion within the total. To constitute can mean to make up the whole, which is close but is more about the parts that form the entire entity rather than emphasizing a particular part’s contribution to the total.