Explanation:
was
It's the only word I can think of that can go in the blank.
I had intended to leave the interesting comment made by a student and my response in the comments, but I decided to copy them and put them here.
Just out of curiosity, why would it not be were? I was thinking that the wise leader and politician could be grouped into “they were” rather than “they was”.
jcherry99 avatar
Interesting comment. I hope the asker reads what you've said and how I replied. You took it as two different people. I took it as one: somebody like JFK or MLK. There is no way to make it clearer, and retain the simplicity of the sentence.
jcherry99 avatar
I'm working on my cell, which I find impossible to do well.
Oh! Thank you for helping me understand
