Question 63·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
Neither the grueling weeks of preseason training nor the championship race itself ______ sufficient to deter the seasoned marathoner.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject-verb agreement questions with correlative pairs like 'neither...nor' or 'either...or', first ignore everything between the pair and focus on the noun closest to the verb. Decide if that nearby noun is singular or plural, then read a short version of the sentence using only that noun and the blank (for example, 'the race ___ sufficient'). Choose the answer that both matches the subject in number and can serve as a complete, correctly timed verb form in the sentence; eliminate non-finite forms (like be, being) and any verbs that do not agree with the subject.
Hints
Focus on the structure around the blank
Notice the phrase starts with 'Neither' and uses 'nor' later. In this pattern, pay attention to which noun is closest to the blank.
Check the number (singular/plural) of the controlling noun
Look at the noun right before the blank. Ask yourself: is this noun referring to one thing or more than one thing?
Match the verb form to the subject and sentence
Once you know if the subject is singular or plural, look at the answer choices and eliminate any verb forms that do not agree in number or that cannot serve as the main verb without another helping word.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the subject that controls the verb
The sentence uses the structure 'Neither X nor Y ...'. In this construction, the verb agrees with the part that is closer to the verb, which is the noun 'race' right before the blank.
Decide if that subject is singular or plural
The word 'race' refers to one championship race, so it is singular. Therefore, the verb in the blank must also be singular to agree with this subject.
Rule out verb forms that cannot be the main verb
The forms 'be' and 'being' are not correct as the main verb after a subject in this kind of sentence; they usually need a helper word such as 'to', 'was', or 'is' to make a complete verb phrase. The form 'are' is plural, which does not match the singular noun 'race'.
Choose the singular present-tense verb that fits
The only answer choice that is a singular present-tense verb and can stand on its own after the singular subject 'race' is 'is', so the correct answer is A) is.