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Question

Difficulty: EasySubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence below.

Each of the candidates _____ given a copy of the examination syllabus before the test began.

Which option correctly completes the sentence?

  1. wasAnswer
  2. B
    were
  3. C
    are
  4. D
    have been

Answer

The correct option is 'was'.
The verb must agree with the singular head pronoun 'Each'. The intervening plural noun 'candidates' within the prepositional phrase does not change the grammatical number of the subject. Therefore, the singular past verb 'was' is grammatically correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical subject of the sentence.
The head word of the subject phrase is the indefinite pronoun 'Each', which is grammatically singular.
Prepositional modifiers like 'of the candidates' do not alter the number of the head pronoun.
2
Select the singular verb form matching the past tense context.
The singular past tense verb 'was' agrees with the subject 'Each'.
Singular subjects require singular verbs according to standard rules of subject-verb concord.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement (Indefinite Pronouns & Proximity Concord)
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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