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04 Jun 2021, 08:00
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E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
35%
(medium)
Question Stats:
57% (00:51) correct
43%
(00:53)
wrong
based on 191
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
In the American legal system, the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty.
(A) the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty
(B) the jurors has to make a decision about the defendant's guilt
(C) the jury has to decide on whether or not the defendant is guilty
(D) jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty
(E) a jury has to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not
(A) the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty
(B) the jurors has to make a decision about the defendant's guilt
(C) the jury has to decide on whether or not the defendant is guilty
(D) jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty
(E) a jury has to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not
06 Jun 2021, 04:45
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
In the American legal system, the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty.
(A) the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty
Incorrect.
This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The singular subject jury does not agree with the plural verb have.
What helps us identify this question as a Subject Verb Agreement question as well as identify this mistake is the following Stop Sign: A pseudo-plural singular subject
Jury is a confusing subject. It refers to more than one person, which makes us think of it as a plural subject, but it is, in fact, singular.
Remember too: Or not after whether is redundant.
Example:
Incorrect: Jane is not sure whether John is making dinner tonight or not.
Incorrect: Jane is not sure whether or not John is making dinner tonight.
Correct: Jane is not sure whether John is making dinner tonight.
(B) the jurors has to make a decision about the defendant's guilt
Incorrect.
This answer choice repeats the original the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake. The plural subject jurors does not agree with the singular verb has.
(C) the jury has to decide on whether or not the defendant is guilty
Incorrect.
While this answer choice corrects the original mistake, by changing the plural verb have to the singular verb has, it is stylistically flawed. Adding the word on after decide creates redundancy.
It is true that stylistic mistakes are not always corrected on the GMAT. However, since there is an answer choice which is both grammatically correct and stylistically superior to this one, it is preferable to this one.
(D) jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty
Incorrect.
While this answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement error, by changing the singular subject jury to the plural subject jurors, it creates a new mistake, by changing whether to if.
On the GMAT, the word if is used in Conditionals only; if one thing, ...then something else. Since in this question there is no condition, if should be replaced by whether.
Whether is used as a choice between two possibilities dealing with the same subject or as a yes/no question.
Example: I do not know whether this will work. (yes or no)
He was not sure whether he wanted banana or chocolate cake. (a choice between 2 possibilities)
(E) a jury has to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not
This answer choice corrects the original grammatical mistake by correctly pairing the singular subject a jury with the singular verb has.
This answer choice still includes a redundancy error (whether...or not). But since B, the only answer choice which corrects this redundancy error, also includes the original grammatical error (the jury have), we must live with the redundancy.
General Discussion
05 Jun 2021, 14:09
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A) the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty
Jury is "singular" while "have" is plural. Incorrect.
(B) the jurors has to make a decision about the defendant's guilt
"Jurors" is plural while "has" is singular.
(C) the jury has to decide on whether or not the defendant is guilty
Wordy, and the "on" is unnecessary
(D) jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty
"whether" should be used instead of "if"
(E) a jury has to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not
Correct. Pairs the singular "jury" with the singular "has".
Answer E
Jury is "singular" while "have" is plural. Incorrect.
(B) the jurors has to make a decision about the defendant's guilt
"Jurors" is plural while "has" is singular.
(C) the jury has to decide on whether or not the defendant is guilty
Wordy, and the "on" is unnecessary
(D) jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty
"whether" should be used instead of "if"
(E) a jury has to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not
Correct. Pairs the singular "jury" with the singular "has".
Answer E
