<p>This is the example.</p>
<p>A lot folks questioned Rolle's choice of FSU since he had publically stated that academics was a key factor in his choice of school.</p>
<p>Should it be "were" or "was"</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Was. </p>
<p>"Figuring out the mathematics of a noun can be tricky. Take the word mathematics. Is it singular or plura? And what about all those other words ending in ics--economics, ethis, optics, politics, and so on? Fortunately, it doesn't take a Ph.D. in mathematics to solve this puzzle. If you're using an ics word in a general way (as a branch of study, say), it's singular. If you're using an ics word in a particular way (as someone's set of beliefs, for example), it's plural."</p>
<p>"Politics stinks," said Sonny.
"Sonny's politics stink," said gopher.
Statistics isn't a very popular course.
The company's statistics are often misleading.</p>
<ul>
<li>taken from Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English.</li>
</ul>