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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



In ancient Celtic Europe, the Beating of the Bounds were a series of ritualistic thrashes with a hazel or birch branch on the limits of a village or township meant to protect the area from evil spirits although the reasoning behind those thrashes are still vague.


A. Bounds were a series of ritualistic thrashes with a hazel or birch branch on the limits of a village or township meant to protect the area from evil spirits although the reasoning

Incorrect.

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect and contains two Subject Verb agreement mistakes.

Firstly, Beating of the Bounds is an X of Y subject. In such cases, the verb should agree with X - beating. Beating is singular since a subject in the form of Verb+ing is considered a singular subject. However, the verb were is plural.

What helps us identify this question as a Subject Verb Agreement question as well as identify this mistake is the following Stop Sign:

    The subject is in the form of X of Y

Secondly and similarly, the singular subject reasoning does not agree with the plural verb are.

What helps us identify this mistake is the following Stop Sign:

    A long complex subject / long distance between the subject and the verb


B. Bounds, meant to protect an area from evil spirits, was performed by a series of ritualistic thrashes with a hazel or birch branch on the limits of a village or township although the reasons

This answer choice corrects the two Subject-Verb Agreement errors present in the original sentence. First, the X of Y subject Beating of the Bounds is singular, so it must be paired with was, not were.

Second, this answer choice correctly replaces the singular subject reasoning with the plural subject reasons to agree with the plural verb are.



C. Bounds was a series of ritualistic thrashes with a hazel or birch branch on the limits of a village or township meant to protect the area from evil spirits although the reasoning is

Incorrect.

This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by changing the plural verb were to the singular verb was to match the singular subject Beating. However, this answer choice is nonsensical and ungrammatical. The verb is which was added at the end of the underlined part clashes with the verb are at the end of the sentence. It does not make sense to say that the reasoning is behind those thrashes. Even if the first verb makes sense, now the verbs is and are are not connected by anything.



D. Bounds, a series of ritualistic thrashes with a hazel or birch branch on the limits of a village or township, were meant to protect the area from evil spirits although the rationale

Incorrect.

This answer choice repeats both original Subject Verb Agreement mistakes.

Firstly, Beating of the Bounds is an X of Y subject. In such cases, the verb should agree with X - beating. Beating is singular since a subject in the form of Verb+ing is considered a singular subject. However, the verb were is plural.



E. Bounds was a series of ritualistic thrashes with a hazel or birch branch on the limits of a village or township means to protect the area from evil spirits although the reasons

Incorrect.

Although it corrects both original Subject Verb Agreement mistakes, this answer choice is illogical. Changing the word meant into means in the middle of the sentence creates an illogical, meaningless sentence.
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