doubt 24

[aditya8062]

Praise for Johnny Starstruck and his entourage are common, although statistics
show Americans still associate his name with the ritualistic murders.
(A) are common, although statistics show Americans still associate his name
with
(B) are common, although statistics shows Americans still associate his name
with
(C) are common, although statistics shows Americans still associate his name to
(D) is common, although statistics show Americans still associate his name with
(E) is common, although statistics shows Americans still associate his name to

my doubt: is "statistics" singular OR plural OR is it both? is "associate to" correct?

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Hi aditya8062,

To help with this issue, try thinking about the words in context of an actual sentence:

Can you use the phrase "A statistic" in a sentence?
How about the word "statisticS" in a sentence?

There is an idiom for the word "associate...." --> "associate.....with....."

With this SC, I didn't use the statistic/statistics split at all:

1) Verbs: The word "Praise" is a singular noun, which takes the verb "is." Eliminate A, B, and C.

2) Idioms: The correct idiom is "associate....with...." eliminate E.

Final Answer: D

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[james]

i got from an online resource that "statistics" could be both singular & plural.
Here it goes:

"The word statistics is used both as singular and as plural.
"¢The singular statistics is the science of collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation of numerical data

"¢The plural statistics refers to numerical facts or observations collected with a definite purpose. Statistics in this sense have the following characteristics:
1.Statistics are a sum total of observations...."

With this on mind coupled with the idiom "associate X with Y", D wins.

Hope this is helpful.