Which version uses correct subject-verb agreement with the plural noun data?

• A. The data was collected by the team last week.
• B. The data are collected by the team last week.
• C. The data were collected by the team last week.
• D. The data has collected by the team last week.

Answer: (C)

Subject-verb agreement with plural nouns like data. Data is traditionally treated as plural, so it takes a plural verb in past-tense, passive constructions. The sentence that correctly matches the plural subject and the past time indicator uses were collected, giving the proper past tense and plural agreement: The data were collected by the team last week. Using was would treat data as singular, which clashes with the plural meaning. Are collected mixes present tense with a past time reference, which is inconsistent. Has collected is not standard for a plural subject in this structure.