- Neither the committee members nor the chairperson _______ been informed about the change in schedule.
Answer: has
When a sentence uses "neither...nor" to connect two subjects, subject-verb agreement follows a special rule: the verb must agree with the subject that is closest to it. This is called the proximity rule, and it's one of the trickier grammar patterns tested on this exam.
In this sentence, the two subjects are "the committee members" (plural) and "the chairperson" (singular). Because "the chairperson" comes immediately before the verb, the verb must agree with it — a singular subject. That means you need the singular helping verb "has," making choice B the correct answer: "has been informed."
Choice A, "have," would be correct if the subject were plural, like "the committee members." But since "the chairperson" is the subject closest to the verb, "have" is grammatically wrong here. Choice C, "having," is a participle, not a functioning verb — using it creates a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Choice D, "had been," introduces the past perfect tense, which is not only unnecessary given the sentence's context, but also doubles up the helping verb awkwardly, since "been" is already present in the sentence.
A quick strategy: whenever you see "either...or" or "neither...nor" in a sentence, immediately identify both subjects and find which one is closest to the verb — that subject controls agreement. Write this out mentally: "The chairperson [singular] has [singular verb] been informed." Training yourself to spot the nearest subject will help you avoid the trap of defaulting to the plural subject just because it appears first.
- The findings of Dr. Amara Osei's groundbreaking study on urban air quality _______ challenged several long-held assumptions in environmental science.
Answer: have
When you see a blank requiring a verb, your first job is to identify the true subject of the sentence — not just the nearest noun. This question tests subject-verb agreement, and it contains a classic distractor designed to trick you.
The sentence's true subject is "findings" — a plural noun. Notice how several other nouns appear between the subject and the blank: "Dr. Amara Osei's," "groundbreaking study," and "urban air quality." These are part of a long prepositional/possessive phrase that modifies the subject. The verb must agree with findings, not with any of those intervening nouns.
Since "findings" is plural, it requires a plural verb. Choice B, "have," is the correct answer — "have challenged" correctly pairs a plural subject with a plural verb.
Choice A, "has," is singular and would agree with a singular subject like "study" or "research." This is the most tempting wrong answer because "study" appears nearby and feels like it could be the subject. Don't let proximity fool you. Choice C, "is," is also singular and present tense, but it doesn't work grammatically here at all — the sentence already has a main verb phrase ("challenged"), so inserting "is" creates a structural mismatch. Choice D, "was," is singular and past tense; same problem as "is," just in a different tense.
A helpful strategy: when a sentence has a long descriptive phrase between the subject and verb, mentally cross it out. "The findings _______ challenged" immediately reveals you need a plural verb — and "have" is your answer.
- A number of volunteers from the neighborhood association _______ organized weekly clean-up events in the local park.
Answer: have
When a sentence contains a phrase like "a number of," subject-verb agreement can be tricky because the noun closest to the verb isn't always the true subject. Here, the grammatical subject is "a number of volunteers," and understanding how this phrase works is the key to the whole question.
The phrase "a number of" is an idiomatic expression meaning "several" or "many." When used this way, it functions as a plural subject — it refers to multiple volunteers, not a single unit. That means it requires a plural verb. B) have is correct because it matches this plural meaning: "A number of volunteers have organized weekly clean-up events."
The other choices each reflect a common subject-verb agreement trap. A) has is a singular verb, which would only be appropriate if the subject were truly singular — for example, "The number of volunteers has increased." Notice the difference: "a number of" = plural, "the number of" = singular. C) is is also singular and present-tense, which doesn't fit a plural subject like "volunteers." D) was is singular and past-tense, making it doubly wrong — both in number and in tone with the rest of the sentence's structure.
A useful strategy: watch for the distinction between "a number of" (plural — think "several") and "the number of" (singular — refers to a count as one concept). This is a classic ACCUPLACER trap. When you spot "a number of" before a noun, automatically think plural verb.
- The coach, along with the team's athletic trainers and medical staff, _______ responsible for monitoring each player's physical condition throughout the season.
Answer: is
When you see a sentence where the subject is separated from the verb by a long phrase, your first job is to identify the true grammatical subject — not the nouns closest to the blank.
In this sentence, the subject is "the coach" — singular. The phrase "along with the team's athletic trainers and medical staff" is a prepositional phrase, not part of the compound subject. Phrases beginning with "along with," "as well as," "in addition to," or "together with" do not join subjects the way "and" does. They are interrupters that add information but don't change the subject's number. Strip that phrase away and the sentence reads: "The coach _______ responsible." A singular subject takes a singular verb, so A) is is correct.
Choice B) "were" is past tense and plural — it fails on both counts. The sentence describes an ongoing responsibility during the season, so past tense doesn't fit, and the subject is singular anyway. Choice C) "are" is present tense but plural, which matches the interrupter nouns ("trainers and medical staff") rather than the true subject — a classic trap this question is designed to set. Choice D) "have been" is plural and implies a completed past action, making it incorrect in both number and tense for this context.
The key strategy: whenever you see a phrase like "along with," "as well as," or "together with" between the subject and verb, mentally cross it out. Ask yourself what the sentence's original subject is, determine if it's singular or plural, then choose accordingly. This pattern appears frequently on subject-verb agreement questions.
- Statistics, when applied to public health research, _______ a powerful tool for identifying patterns across large populations.
Answer: is
When a noun phrase is modified by a restrictive clause (like "when applied to public health research"), you need to look past that clause to identify the true subject and determine the correct verb form. Here, the subject is "Statistics" — but don't let that plural-looking word fool you.
Certain nouns end in -s yet function as singular concepts: mathematics, economics, physics, and statistics are classic examples. When "statistics" refers to the field or discipline as a whole, it takes a singular verb. That's exactly what's happening in this sentence — the word refers to statistics as a unified body of knowledge being applied to research, not to a collection of individual data points. So the correct answer is D) is, which pairs properly with a singular subject.
A) are treats "statistics" as a straightforward plural noun, which would be correct if the sentence were discussing multiple statistical figures (e.g., "The statistics in this report are alarming"). Here, though, the discipline — not individual numbers — is the subject, so a plural verb is wrong. B) were makes the same plural error and adds an unnecessary past tense; nothing in the sentence signals a past event. C) was gets the singular idea right but uses past tense without justification — the sentence makes a general, timeless claim about what statistics does as a field.
A useful strategy: when you see words like economics, physics, mathematics, or statistics, ask yourself whether the sentence refers to the discipline (singular verb) or to individual data points (plural verb). That one question will guide you to the right answer almost every time.
- Not only the lead researcher but also her two graduate assistants _______ credited in the published study.
Answer: are
When you see a sentence with a "not only...but also" structure, you're being tested on subject-verb agreement with a compound subject joined by a correlative conjunction. The rule here is that the verb must agree with the subject closest to it — this is called the proximity rule (or "nearest subject rule").
In this sentence, the two subjects are "the lead researcher" (singular) and "her two graduate assistants" (plural). Because "not only...but also" uses the proximity rule, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it — "her two graduate assistants," which is plural. That means you need a plural verb, making A) are the correct choice: "her two graduate assistants are credited" is grammatically sound.
B) was is singular past tense and agrees with neither a plural subject nor the present-tense context of the sentence — doubly incorrect. C) is is singular present tense and would only be appropriate if the nearest subject were singular (e.g., if the sentence read "but also *the lead researcher*"). D) has been is singular present perfect, which again matches a singular subject and ignores the plural nearest subject; it also introduces an unnecessary tense shift.
A useful tip: whenever you spot correlative conjunctions like either...or, neither...nor, or not only...but also, immediately identify the subject closest to the blank and match the verb to that subject. Don't be distracted by the first subject mentioned — it's the nearer one that controls agreement.
- The number of students who enroll in online courses _______ increased dramatically over the past decade.
Answer: has
When a sentence has a long subject phrase, the key is identifying the true grammatical subject — the noun that actually controls the verb. Here, the full subject is "The number of students who enroll in online courses." The phrase "who enroll in online courses" is a relative clause modifying "students," so you might be tempted to make the verb agree with "students." But the actual head of the subject is "the number" — a singular noun phrase — and that's what the verb must agree with.
Because "the number" is singular, it requires a singular verb. This confirms that C) has is correct. "Has increased" is the present perfect tense, which is also appropriate here because "over the past decade" signals an action that started in the past and connects to the present.
A) have is wrong because "have" is a plural verb, agreeing with "students" rather than "the true subject," "the number." This is the classic agreement trap in this sentence. B) are having is wrong for two reasons: it's plural, and "are having" is present progressive, which expresses an ongoing action happening right now — not something that occurred over a span of time. D) were is wrong because it's also plural and uses simple past tense, which doesn't match the time expression "over the past decade" that calls for present perfect.
A useful tip: whenever you see "the number of [plural noun]," remember it's always singular. Contrast this with "a number of students," which actually means "many students" and takes a plural verb.
- Each of the proposed solutions to the city's transportation problems _______ its own set of financial and logistical challenges.
Answer: presents
When a sentence begins with "each of the," you need to pause and identify the true grammatical subject before choosing a verb. Even though "solutions" appears right before the verb and sounds like the subject, it's actually part of a prepositional phrase ("of the proposed solutions"). The real subject is "each" — and "each" is always singular, no matter what noun follows it.
Because "each" is singular, the verb must be singular too. That makes D) "presents" the correct answer. It agrees with the singular subject "each" and completes the sentence naturally: Each of the proposed solutions presents its own set of financial and logistical challenges.
Notice the sentence also uses the pronoun "its," which further signals that the subject is singular — a helpful internal clue the test is giving you.
Here's why the other choices fail: A) "present" is a plural verb form, which would only work if the subject were plural (like "the solutions present"). B) "are presenting" is both plural and uses a progressive tense that doesn't fit the factual, general statement being made. C) "have" is also a plural verb and would be incorrect for the same reason as A — it doesn't agree with the singular "each."
A good strategy for subject-verb agreement questions: always cross out prepositional phrases like "of the proposed solutions" mentally before selecting your verb. Words like "each," "every," "either," and "neither" are almost always singular subjects, even when followed by a plural noun in a prepositional phrase.
- Everyone who attended the international conference on climate policy _______ required to submit a detailed report afterward.
Answer: was
When you see a question like this, focus on identifying the true grammatical subject of the sentence before choosing a verb form. This question tests subject-verb agreement, and the key is not getting distracted by surrounding words.
The subject here is "Everyone," not "who attended the international conference on climate policy." That middle chunk is a relative clause — extra information describing the subject, but not the subject itself. Strip it away and you get: Everyone _______ required to submit a report. "Everyone" is an indefinite pronoun, and in English, indefinite pronouns like everyone, someone, anyone, nobody, and no one are always treated as grammatically singular, even though they feel like they refer to many people. Because the action is complete and set in the past ("afterward" signals this), you need the simple past form of the singular verb "to be" — which is was. That makes C the correct answer.
Choice A, "were," is plural past tense. It would be correct if your subject were "they" or "the attendees," but "everyone" demands singular agreement. Choice B, "are," is present tense and plural, failing on both tense and number. Choice D, "have been," is present perfect tense, which doesn't fit the past-completed context of the sentence.
A useful strategy: whenever you see everyone, someone, anyone, or no one as a subject, mentally substitute "he or she" — that single swap will remind you to use a singular verb every time.
