mundasingh123 wrote:GMATGuruNY wrote:pradeepkaushal9518 wrote:The exact year when the Mogao caves in Dunhuang, China began to be sculpted and chiseled by the Northern Wei Dynasty has been difficult to verify, but what is much easier to determine are the purpose of their existence, the religious significance that the drawings on the walls of the caves held, and the order in which the caves were constructed.
A has been difficult to verify, but what is much easier to determine are
B has been difficult to verify, but what is much easier to determine is
C have been difficult to verify, but what is much easier to determine is
D have been difficult to verify, but what is much easier to determine are
E are difficult to verify, but that which is much easier to determine is
Quickest approach:
In C, D and E,
have been and
are should be singular to match the singular subject
year. Eliminate C, D and E.
In A, the pronoun
what is the subject both of
is (singular) and of
are (plural). While
what can be singular or plural, it cannot be both at the same time. Eliminate A.
The correct answer is B.
Hi Mitch,
Isnt B an example of an inverted sentence where the subject follows the verb "is"
so we can write
"the purpose of their existence, the religious significance that the drawings on the walls of the caves held, and the order in which the caves were constructed are what is much easier to determine"
"the purpose of their existence, the religious significance that the drawings on the walls of the caves held, and the order in which the caves were constructed is what is much easier to determine"
"the purpose of their existence, the religious significance that the drawings on the walls of the caves held, and the order in which the caves were constructed are what are much easier to determine"
The basic structure of the sentences above is
X is Y. The subject of each of these sentences is
X. The order matters:
What is easier to determine is the purpose...the significance...and the order. (subject = what, verb = is)
The purpose, the significance...and the order in which the caves were constructed...are (subject = purpose, significance and order, verb = are)
In an inverted sentence, no subject appears before the verb:
Inside the room were a bed and a table.
In the sentence above, no subject precedes the verb
were, so it's clear that the
bed and the
table form the subject.
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