MCQ
Subject-verb agreement MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 22 Subject-verb agreement questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Match List I with List II and choose the correct option. List I: 1. Under the old banyan tree _____ a marble plaque and two iron benches. 2. On the last page of the report _____ the names of all contributors. 3. Beside the reception desk _____ a vase of fresh lilies. 4. Beyond the locked gates _____ the abandoned workshops. List II: a. stands b. are c. appear d. lie
In inverted sentences beginning with place adverbials, the subject often comes after the verb, so agreement must be checked after the verb, not before it. In sentence 1, a marble plaque and two iron benches is compound and plural, so are is correct. In sentence 2, names is plural, so appear fits. In sentence 3, a vase is singular, so stands is correct. In sentence 4, workshops is plural, and lie is both grammatical and idiomatic after beyond.
Q2Select the sentence that is grammatically incorrect.
In a 'neither...nor' construction, when the two subjects differ in number, the verb is normally made to agree with the nearer subject. In option A, the nearer subject is 'the senior lecturers', a plural noun phrase. The verb should therefore be plural: 'were available'. The singular verb 'was' wrongly agrees with the earlier singular subject 'vice-principal' instead of the nearer plural subject, so option A is the incorrect sentence.
Q3Assertion (A): The sentence 'The quality of the submissions, despite several late revisions, was commendable' is grammatically correct. Reason (R): A verb must agree with the head noun of the subject, not with nouns placed in intervening prepositional or parenthetical phrases.
The subject of the quoted sentence is The quality of the submissions. The head noun is quality, which is singular. The phrases of the submissions and despite several late revisions contain plural nouns, but they are only modifiers and do not determine the verb. Therefore the singular verb was agrees correctly with quality. The reason states exactly this rule, so both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason explains the assertion.
Q4Consider the following statements on subject-verb agreement. Statement 1: A collective noun may take a singular verb when the group is thought of as one body. Statement 2: A collective noun must always take a plural verb because it refers to many persons. Statement 3: When the members of a collective noun are being emphasised separately, a plural verb may be used. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Collective nouns such as 'committee', 'jury', 'team' and 'cabinet' can be singular or plural in British and Indian standard English, depending on meaning. If the group acts as a single body, a singular verb is suitable: 'The committee has approved the report.' If attention falls on the members acting separately, a plural verb may be natural: 'The committee are divided.' Therefore Statements 1 and 3 are correct, while Statement 2 is an overgeneralisation.
Q5Consider the following sentences: 1. Either of the two answers is acceptable. 2. Many a student have applied for the scholarship. 3. The captain, along with his players, is practising today. Which sentences are grammatically correct?
Sentence 1 is correct because 'Either of the two' is singular and takes 'is'. Sentence 2 is incorrect: the expression 'Many a' is followed by a singular noun and a singular verb, so it should be 'Many a student has applied'. Sentence 3 is correct because phrases such as 'along with his players' do not change the number of the subject. The real subject is 'The captain', so the singular verb 'is practising' is right. Thus, only sentences 1 and 3 are correct.
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More questions
6Which sentence contains an error in subject-verb agreement?
7Select the grammatically correct sentence.
8Choose the sentence in which the subject and the verb agree correctly.
9Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence: The list of selected candidates ___ on the notice board.
10Match List I with List II. List I: 1. 'The Arabian Nights' ___ still widely read. 2. Ten kilometres ___ a long walk in this heat. 3. The wages of negligence ___ often severe. 4. Every curator and archivist ___ responsible for the catalogue. List II: P. is Q. are R. has been S. have been Select the correct code.
11Read the statements and choose the option in which both statements are correct. I. The quality of these mangoes is excellent. II. The committee have submitted its final report. III. The committee has submitted its final report. IV. The quality of these mangoes are excellent.
12Which sentence is incorrect because of faulty subject-verb agreement?
13Match List I with List II and choose the option that gives grammatically suitable verb agreement. List I: 1. A number of research assistants 2. The number of pending appeals 3. All of the documentary evidence 4. All of the witnesses List II: P. is admissible Q. are available R. has fallen S. have been examined
14Choose the option that correctly explains the subject-verb agreement in this sentence: Mathematics is my favourite subject.
15Identify the incorrect sentence.