(basic but confusing) Noodles - is or are? [closed]

It is obvious that "are" is used in cases like "These noodles are tasty", but what about the following?

I. variant 1. These are pasta noodles. variant 2. This is pasta noodles.

II. variant 1. What are ramen noodles? variant 2. What is ramen noodles?

Solution 1:

_{This is a duplicate, but its counterpart is not easy to find. At least searching for "ramen noodles" will make this answer easy to find for the future.}

If you're treating pasta noodles as a single thing (say a particular packet), then it's singular.

This packet contains rice, and this one is pasta noodles.

However if you're looking at each noodle individually, then it's plural.

What I have in this hand are grains of rice; but in this one are pasta noodles.

The same applies to case II, although I can't think of even a potentially-idiomatic example for "What is ramen noodles?" It's the sort of sentence that someone learning English might use when they encounter a phrase they've not heard before.

— I like ramen noodles.

— What is "ramen noodles"?

(Note the quotes around the phrase.) That question would always be "What are ramen noodles?" in idiomatic English.