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Difficulty: HardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Despite several objections raised during the parliamentary session, a comprehensive breakdown of the proposed infrastructural projects, alongside the financial assessments of the regional delegates, _______ submitted to the cabinet yesterday. Which verb form accurately completes the sentence?

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

Answer

The correct option is 'was' because the singular head noun 'breakdown' governs the verb across intervening plural modifying phrases.
The singular past tense verb 'was' correctly agrees with the singular head noun 'breakdown'. Expressions introduced by prepositional phrases such as 'alongside...' or 'of...' are parenthetical modifiers and do not make the subject plural.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the true head noun of the subject clause
The head noun is 'breakdown', which is singular.
Modifiers following prepositional phrases ('of the proposed infrastructural projects') and additive prepositional expressions ('alongside the financial assessments...') are syntactically non-essential to subject number determination.
2
Evaluate intervening phrases for potential proximity traps
The nouns 'projects', 'assessments', and 'delegates' are plural but function within modifier phrases.
The rule of concord dictates that intervening plural nouns following quasi-conjunctions like 'alongside', 'together with', or 'as well as' do not pluralize a singular subject.
3
Select the verb form matching the singular head noun in the past tense
The singular past tense verb 'was' correctly completes the clause.
The temporal adverb 'yesterday' requires simple past tense singular agreement ('was submitted').

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Modifying Phrases and Quasi-Conjunctions
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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