Why is there so much inconsistency with questions of this type? "Son" was marked incorrect an an answer though it translates to 'The product in this store are plastic" yet a very similar question today of "De qué _______ esa escultura?" has "es" as an allowed alternate even though escultura is a feminine noun. Regarding this first question, is there a significant difference between (being plastic) and (being made of plastic) that we're supposed to know?
Los productos de esta tienda ________ plástico. The products in this shop are made of plastic.
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Los productos de esta tienda ________ plástico. The products in this shop are made of plastic.
Hola Diane
The reason why "son" is not considered correct here:
Los productos de esta tienda ___ plástico.
(The products in this shop are made of plastic.)
is because we are not translating this as "are plastic" but "are made of plastic"; although it may have a very similar meaning, the accurate answer is: "son de plástico" or "están hechos de plástico"
The other sentence:
¿De qué ___ esa escultura? - De barro.
(What is that sculpture made of? - Clay.)
is admitting answer "es" because we already have "de" in the question: ¿De qué ___ esa escultura? so you only need the verb ser here.
There is a link to the lesson when you get an incorrect answer that says "explain this". That would take you to the lesson about "using either ser de + [material] or estar hecho de + [material].
I hope this clarified it for you.
Saludos
Inma
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