plural verb agreement with uncountable nouns

Nouns such as civics, mathematics, measles, and news require singular verbs. This is because they are un-countable. units of measurement are not the main noun. (eg: dollars, years, and miles, are used to measure another noun which is un-countable.)

plural unit words of distance, money, and time. take a singular verb because they are uncountable
  1. 300 miles is a long ways to go on a bicycle. (distance)
  2. Three hundred dollars seems a lot to spend on a dress. (money)
  3. Fifteen years is a long time to spend in jail.