Discussion
In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that best replaces it. If no improvement is needed, choose ‘No correction required’.
Ten kilometres are a long distance to walk in this heat.
Answer: E
Correct answer: is
When a plural expression of distance, time, money or weight is treated as a single quantity, it takes a singular verb. Ten kilometres here is one distance, so is is correct. The same applies to twenty years is a long time, five thousand rupees is too much, fifty kilos is heavy and three hours is enough. In each the plural noun names one measured amount rather than several separate items. The verb becomes plural only when the individual units are genuinely in view: ten kilometres of road were resurfaced, or the five thousand rupees were counted one by one. The underlying principle is that agreement follows meaning rather than form wherever the two diverge. That is the same principle behind collective nouns taking a singular or plural verb according to whether the group acts as one body or as individuals.
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