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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Which of the options correctly completes the sentence below?

"Many a candidate ________ unable to satisfy the rigorous criteria established by the board during the recent accreditation exercise."

  1. A
    were
  2. wasAnswer
  3. C
    are
  4. D
    have been

Answer

The correct option is 'was' because the expression 'many a' is grammatically singular and requires a singular verb.
The expression 'many a' is followed by a singular noun ('candidate') and requires a singular verb. The past-tense singular verb 'was' correctly satisfies subject-verb agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head subject structure in the sentence.
The subject is 'Many a candidate'.
Determining the exact subject structure is essential for applying subject-verb agreement rules.
2
Apply the rule of grammatical concord for the fixed expression 'many a'.
Although 'many a' carries a plural concept in meaning, syntactically it takes a singular countable noun and must agree with a singular verb.
Grammatical concord in formal English prioritizes syntactic structure over semantic plurality for 'many a'.
3
Select the correct singular verb matching the past context of 'during the recent accreditation exercise'.
The singular past verb 'was' correctly completes the sentence.
The sentence references a completed past exercise, making the singular past auxiliary verb 'was' appropriate.

Key Concept

Concord with 'Many a'
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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