reason的句式为The reason (why/for which+句子/for+短语) is that.....
如: The reason why he was absent /for his absence is that he missed the earlier bus.
而你的问题中,用that引导定语从句,在从句中做主语。what 不能用在定语从句中,而用来引导名词性从句。
再如:The reason that he gave is reasonable.
另外还要注意一点:
The reason...is that...句式中的that不可以改为because.
snowsnowy0202的解释是正确的。因为定语从句缺少主语,就要选可以作主语的关系代词,排除1和3;又因为what只能引导名词性从句,不能引导定语从句,排除4。
这里that引导一个定语从句,修饰前面的reason
what是不能引导定语的,which才行
that在一个英语句子里,后面跟的是一个从句