Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: That the report failed to address the root causes (1)/ of the community unr…

Question

Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:

That the report failed to address the root causes (1)/ of the community unrest were surprising (2)/ given the exhaustive data (3)/ compiled over several months. (4)

1. A. (1)
2. B. (2) (Correct answer)
3. C. (3)
4. D. (4)

Correct Answer

Option B — (2)

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is (2).

Key Points

• The subject is the noun clause 'That the report failed to address the root causes of the community unrest', which is singular, so the verb must be 'was surprising', not 'were surprising'.
• The error is in part (2).
• A that-clause acting as subject always takes a singular verb, however many plural nouns sit inside it ('causes', 'unrest') — those are distractors, not the subject.