Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:
That the report failed to address the root causes (1)/ of the community unrest were surprising (2)/ given the exhaustive data (3)/ compiled over several months. (4)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. (2).
Error concept: Subject–verb agreement error
What is wrong: The verb “were” is incorrect because the subject “That the report failed to address the root causes” is a singular clause, not plural.
Grammatical concept:When a noun clause (beginning with that) acts as the subject of a sentence, it is always singular, no matter what comes inside the clause. Therefore, the verb must also be singular to maintain agreement.
Incorrectness of the concept in context:The singular subject “That the report failed to address the root causes” requires the singular verb “was”, not “were.”
How to correct:Replace “were” with “was.”
Correct phrase / correction: was surprising
Final sentence:That the report failed to address the root causes was surprising, given the exhaustive data compiled over several months.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.