Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
Every monsoon, the scenery along the Konkan railway line, with waterfalls and green hills on both sides, ______ simply breathtaking.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → is
Subject-verb agreement with nouns that cannot be counted:
- Words like “scenery”, “furniture” and “advice” cannot be counted. They always take a singular verb.
- The subject is “the scenery”, not “waterfalls and green hills”. “Every monsoon” shows something that happens every year. So the verb is in the present: is.
- Complete sentence: Every monsoon, the scenery along the Konkan railway line, with waterfalls and green hills on both sides, is simply breathtaking.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: are — Incorrect. “Are” is plural, but “scenery” cannot be counted, so it is singular. Example: The hills near Ooty are covered with tea gardens.
Option 2: were — Incorrect. “Were” is plural, but the subject is singular. Example: The roads were flooded last July.
Option 4: was — Incorrect. “Was” is singular, but it shows the past. The sentence is about something that happens every year (“every monsoon”). Example: The view from the hotel was lovely on our trip last year.