Sometimes I get confused by the usage of "what" as a pronoun. Specifically, I am not sure if "what" stands for "the thing that" or for "the things that" or for both.
For example, which of the following are acceptable:
"What makes her laugh is dirty jokes."
"What makes her laugh are dirty jokes."
"What make her laugh is dirty jokes."
"What make her laugh are dirty jokes."
And some corresponding examples which might or might not make a difference to the answer:
"What makes her laugh is dirty jokes and wet puppies."
"What makes her laugh are dirty jokes and wet puppies."
"What make her laugh is dirty jokes and wet puppies."
"What make her laugh are dirty jokes and wet puppies."
Answer
I think it becomes more clear whether it's are or is when you phrase it as a question.
What makes her laugh? Dirty jokes.
This is the same question as
What (is the thing that) makes her laugh? Dirty jokes are the thing (singular) that makes her laugh.
You would use 'are' if there are multiple things that make her laugh. Here's another example.
What (are the things that) make her smile? Puppies, kittens and babies are the things (plural) that make her smile.
In other words, it's not whether the thing that makes her laugh is singular or plural, it's how many different things are there that make her laugh.
What makes her laugh is cartoons.
What makes her laugh are dirty jokes, slapstick comedy and bad puns.
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