Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb form.

A desert is a region that ……………………….. (receive / receives / receiving) less than 10 inches of rain a year. Deserts …………………………. (cover / covered / covering) about one seventh of the earth’s surface. Not all deserts …………………….. (are / were /have) made up of sand. The landscape may also ……………………………. (consist / consisting / consisted) of rocks and mountains. The one thing that every desert ……………………… (has / is / was) in common is that they are extremely dry. Many deserts also ……………………………. (have / had / are) extreme temperatures. It can get very hot in the day and very cold at night.

Deserts are …………………………… (form / formed / forming) because of lack of water. There are 3 main ways in which a desert can be made. Regions can …………………………. (become / became / becoming) arid or dry by not being near a large body of water. Inland areas can become deserts because they …………………………… (lack / lacked / lacking) moisture. Mountains may also prevent rain from reaching certain areas making them dry and after a while deserts.
Solution
A desert is a region that receives less than 10 inches of rain a year. Deserts cover about one seventh of the earth’s surface. Not all deserts are made up of sand. The landscape may also consist of rocks and mountains. The one thing that every desert has in common is that they are extremely dry. Many deserts also have extreme temperatures. It can get very hot in the day and very cold at night.

Deserts are formed because of lack of water. There are 3 main ways in which a desert can be made. Regions can become arid or dry by not being near a large body of water. Inland areas can become deserts because they lack moisture. Mountains may also prevent rain from reaching certain areas making them dry and after a while deserts.