Choose the correct verb form for the complex subject:
The lead researcher, as well as her postgraduate laboratory assistants, ________ recognized for groundbreaking work in quantum encryption.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. was
Answer: was. Why not the others: 'were', 'have been', and 'are' are plural verbs that mistakenly treat 'as well as' as equivalent to the coordinating conjunction 'and'.
- Step 1: Determine the grammatical head of the subject: the head is 'The lead researcher' (singular). The phrase introduced by 'as well as' is a quasi-coordinator or prepositional phrase, not a coordinating conjunction like 'and'.
- Step 2: An intervening 'as well as' phrase does not compound the subject into a plural. The verb must agree with the singular head noun: 'was'.
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