请教主谓一致

givemeahome

23.    A recent national study of the public schools shows that there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were four years ago.
(A) there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
(B) there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
(C) there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were
(D) every thirty-two pupils now have one microcomputer, four times as many than there were
(E) every thirty-two pupils now has one microcomputer, four times as many as

正确项C但是它的were因为省略的关系我不是理解很好，可以解释一下谓式么不用was呢

braveMBA

在there be省略句型中，如果不知道主语单复数，用are的情况居多，这是一种习惯。

givemeahome

我又想了想，有没有可能是与as many as 有关；如果改成：
four times as much as 是不是改用there was?