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The singular verb is used because of one is nearer than a few. Can I use examples instead of example in the sentence?

Everyone automatically categorizes and generalizes all the time. Unconsciously. It is not a question of being prejudiced or enlightened. Categories are absolutely necessary for us to function. They give structure to our thoughts. Imagine if we saw every item and every scenario as truly unique―we would not even have a language to describe the world around us. But the necessary and useful instinct to generalize can distort our world view. It can make us mistakenly group together things, or people, or countries that are actually very different. It can make us assume everything or everyone in one category is similar. And, maybe, most unfortunate of all, it can make us jump to conclusions about a whole category based on a few, or even just one, unusual example.

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are ...

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  • Which singular verb are you talking about? I see "based" (participle, no change for number) and "can make" ("can" is immutable, make is infinitive) and "jump" (plural to agree with "us")
    – James K
    Commented May 13, 2022 at 18:54

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Yes, you can! In fact, I would prefer the plural:

. . . based on a few, or even just one, unusual examples.

Because "or even just one" is surrounded by paired commas, it can be treated as a parenthetical remark (i.e., removable) and thus independent of the grammar of the rest of the sentence. It therefore does not affect the number of "example(s)".

You will find other opinons in some grammar or style guides. There is certainly not 100% agreement on this issue.

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