Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
For a small child, forty-five minutes ______ a long time to sit still in a crowded school bus every morning.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → is
Subject-verb agreement with an amount of time:
- An amount of time taken as one whole period takes a singular verb.
- “Forty-five minutes” here is one stretch of time, not 45 separate minutes. “Every morning” shows a habit now. So the verb is is.
- Complete sentence: For a small child, forty-five minutes is a long time to sit still in a crowded school bus every morning.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: are — Incorrect. “Are” is plural. Here “forty-five minutes” is one period of time, so it is singular. Example: The mangoes in this box are ripe.
Option 3: was — Incorrect. “Was” is singular, but it shows the past. The sentence is about now (“every morning”). Example: The school bus was late yesterday.
Option 4: were — Incorrect. “Were” is plural, but the subject here is singular. Example: The roads were wet after the rain.