Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence:
Neither the ministry officials nor the school headmaster _____ aware of the curriculum amendment.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. was
- Step 1: Apply the rule of proximity for correlative conjunctions: when compound subjects are joined by "neither... nor" (or "either... or"), the verb agrees in number and person with the nearer subject.
- Step 2: Identify the nearer subject: in "Neither the ministry officials nor the school headmaster", the subject adjacent to the verb is "the school headmaster", which is singular. In the past tense, the singular form of "to be" is "was".
Answer
was.
Why not the others: "were" incorrectly agrees with the plural first subject "officials", ignoring the proximity rule; "are" uses a plural present tense verb; "have been" introduces an unnecessary plural present perfect form.
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