Choose the correct option to complete the sentence:
Even now, ten tonnes ______ the heaviest load allowed on the old bridge over the river.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → is
Subject-verb agreement with an amount:
- An amount of weight, money, time or distance seen as one whole takes a singular verb.
- Here “ten tonnes” is one total weight, the limit for the bridge. “Even now” shows the present. So the verb is is.
- Complete sentence: Even now, ten tonnes is the heaviest load allowed on the old bridge over the river.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: are — Incorrect. “Are” is plural, but “ten tonnes” is one weight here. Example: Ten boxes are lying on the platform.
Option 3: were — Incorrect. “Were” is plural, but the subject is one amount. Example: The bridges were closed during the floods.
Option 4: was — Incorrect. “Was” is singular, but it shows the past. The sentence is about now (“even now”). Example: Ten tonnes was the limit until last year.