Whether modern statistical techniques can be usefully applied to the p

• HIGHLIGHTS

This question tests something called a noun clause, a subordinate clause that in this case is the subject of the sentence and that is singular.

A noun clause can also be called a nominal clause or a substantive clause.
Forget about the jargon.
Understand what they are.

Noun clauses are often long clauses (they have a subject and verb) that are subordinate (they can't stand by themselves as a sentence) -- and the whole string of words is itself a noun.

In this case, that "long" noun is the subject of the larger sentence.

(Noun clauses can be other things, such as the object of a verb, this way: I hope that you understand how noun clauses work. The italicized words are a noun clause. The whole thing is the object of the verb "understand.")

Once again, noun clauses that are the subject of a sentence are singular whether the last word or main subject of the noun clause is plural or singular.

Even when the noun clause contains two main items connected by and, the noun clause is a whole single entity and is itself singular. (See my example #4 just below.)

One last time: a noun clause is usually a whole string of words with a subject and a verb that is not a full standalone sentence but IS the
singular subject of another sentence.

Examples of noun clauses (the noun clause is italicized and verb of the larger sentence is underlined)

1. Whoever chooses chocolate ice cream pays a little more.
2. Why you want to believe bombastic foolishness is beyond me.
3. Which direction the wind blows determines the way sails are raised.
4. How Nelson Mandela withstood 27 years of solitary confinement and did not become bitter defies imagination (is hard to imagine).
5. That Nelson Mandela withstood 27 years of solitary confinement is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

See "Notes" for a recap.

I suggest that you look at this article, here, which contains a good discussion of noun clauses. This video, here, is related to that article. Both are excellent.

• Meaning?
Sometimes switching the clauses around helps to understand the sentence.
Historians and economists are debating the issue of whether modern statistical techniques can be usefully applied to the past, and to a society quite different from our own.

THE PROMPT


THE OPTIONS


• everything looks okay
• SUBJECT = Whether modern statistical techniques can be usefully applied to the past, and to a society quite different from our own
• VERB = is (correctly singular)
KEEP

• The word if cannot create noun clauses.
• If is used for:
(1) hypotheticals: If I could be a historical figure, I would be John Brown, Harriet Tubman, or Sojourner Truth.
(2) conditionals: If I practice diligently, I will become a good pianist again.
• if cannot create a noun clause. Suppose that if could do so ->
• The plural are is incorrect. On the GMAT, noun clauses that are subjects of a sentence are singular.

• Alternatively, compare to option A.
-- An if clause requires a result or main clause. If X, (then) Y. No logical result flows from the "if" in option B.
-- The word whether, on the other hand, expresses uncertainty about alternatives.
On the one hand, maybe the scholarly techniques are useful when applied to different time periods and in different contexts.
On the other hand, maybe the techniques are not useful when applied in such circumstances.
-- The debate is about whether (or not) the techniques can be useful in a certain situation.
-- We do not say that "the debate is about IF the techniques can be useful."
ELIMINATE B


• Noun clauses can begin with that (although that word doesn’t work too well here), but the verb should be singular.
-- The plural verb are in this case is fatal.
ELIMINATE C

• the word “being” is not always wrong, but in this instance, it is confusing. The sentence is muddled and hella awkward, but don't decide to eliminate on the basis of "awkwardness" until you find a better alternative. A better alternative indeed exists.
• compare to option A. No contest. Option A is clearer and more logical.
ELIMINATE D

• meaning problem: an application is not an issue.
-- whether the application works is an issue.
-- how the application is applied is an issue.
-- but the application itself is not an issue.
ELIMINATE E

The correct answer is A.

Notes - recap

A noun clause
(1) contains a subject and a verb;
(2) is subordinate (cannot stand as a complete thought on its own);
(3) IS the subject of the sentence; and
(4) is singular (except in rare cases, and I have not seen a single official question test that case)

Noun clauses often begin with these words: what, how, why, that, whether, where, who, when, which, whom, whose, whoever, whomever, whatever, whichever, and whenever.

COMMENTS

sidchandan , welcome to SC Butler.

I hope that this post answered your question.

FauleKatze , thank you for stepping up to help your peers. +1

I can see that people mostly understood what the sentence was testing, and that fact is encouraging.

Noun clauses as subjects are fairly high-level constructions.
You are unlikely to see such a question unless you are doing very well on SC, and I doubt that you'll see more than one such question.

The explanations range from accurate to good.
Noun clauses are hard to explain.
Actually, they can seem kinda weird.
Just remember that the whole idea expressed by the noun clause is the subject of the sentence.
To all who posted explanations: you were brave.
Well done.