Subject-Verb Agreement: Collective Nouns Quiz Quiz | Intermediate Level | 20 Questions & Answers with Explanations

"A number of" means "many," so it takes a plural verb.

Correct sentence: "A number of passengers were stranded at the airport due to the sudden storm."

Memory hook: reinforcing the "many" substitution test — "many passengers were stranded" confirms the plural verb.

"Army" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The army is preparing for the annual Republic Day parade."

Memory hook: add "army" to your collective-noun list — it acts as one unified force, just like "team" and "government."

This sentence is correct — "panel" is a collective noun acting as one unit, correctly taking the singular verb "was," with "of judges" functioning as a prepositional phrase distractor.

Correct sentence stands as written.

Memory hook: "panel," like "committee" and "board," is a collective noun that acts as a single decision-making body — always singular when treated this way.

"The number of" refers to a specific count, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The number of complaints filed against the company has risen sharply since the new policy was introduced."

Memory hook: reinforcing the pattern once more with a present-perfect verb ("has risen") — "the number" remains singular regardless of the tense used.

"Crowd" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The crowd at the concert was cheering loudly as the band took the stage."

Memory hook: "crowd," like "team" and "jury," is a group acting together as one — singular.

This is a subtle exception: "staff," when the sentence clearly emphasises the individual members acting separately (reinforced here by "their" later in the sentence), can take a plural verb — this contrasts with the default singular treatment for collective nouns acting as one unit.

Correct sentence: "The staff at this hospital are known for their dedication and compassion."

Memory hook: "staff" is one of the few collective nouns that commonly takes a plural verb when individual members' actions/qualities are being emphasised — watch for possessive pronouns like "their" as a clue.

"The number of" refers to a specific count, so it takes a singular verb, regardless of the plural noun "passengers" and the participial phrase that follows.

Correct sentence: "The number of passengers stranded at the airport was steadily increasing throughout the night."

Memory hook: this pairs directly with Q3 — same scenario, but "a number of" (many, plural) versus "the number of" (a count, singular) produce opposite verbs.

"A number of" means "many," so it takes a plural verb, regardless of the phrase "the committee's recommendations" that follows.

Correct sentence: "A number of the committee's recommendations were implemented by the board within the year."

Memory hook: even when "a number of" is followed by a possessive noun phrase ("the committee's recommendations"), the underlying "many" meaning still governs — plural verb.

"Government" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The government has announced several new welfare schemes for farmers this year."

Memory hook: add "government" to your collective-noun list — like "committee" and "team," it acts as a single governing body.

"Board" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The board of directors has approved the new budget for the upcoming fiscal year."

Memory hook: "board of directors" acts as one decision-making body, just like "committee" and "panel" — singular.

"A number of" means "many," so it takes a plural verb — "was manufactured" is incorrect; it should be "were manufactured."

Correct sentence: "A number of the products displayed at the trade fair were manufactured locally by small-scale industries."

Memory hook: this reinforces the "a number of = many = plural" rule in error-spotting format — always run the substitution test to confirm.

"Crew" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The crew of the ship is working around the clock to repair the damaged engine."

Memory hook: add "crew" to your collective-noun list — a ship's crew acts together as one unit, just like a team or army.

"The number of" refers to a specific count, so it takes a singular verb, regardless of the plural noun "tourists" and the descriptive phrase that follows.

Correct sentence: "The number of tourists visiting this hill station every summer has far exceeded the local infrastructure's capacity."

Memory hook: "tourists," sitting closer to the verb than "the number," is a classic distance-trap distractor — trace back to "the number" as the true, singular subject.

This sentence is correct — "staff" here is being used with a plural verb, which is acceptable when emphasising the individual members of the group (all being required to attend individually), following the same exception pattern tested earlier in this quiz.

Correct sentence stands as written.

Memory hook: "staff" is flexible — it can take a singular verb (acting as one unit) or a plural verb (individual members acting/being treated separately), unlike stricter collective nouns like "committee," which almost always stay singular in Indian exam convention.

"Jury" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb, regardless of the descriptive detail that follows.

Correct sentence: "The jury in this particular case is still deliberating after nearly ten hours."

Memory hook: reinforcing "jury" as a singular collective noun once more — Indian exam convention treats it as singular even during an active, ongoing process like deliberation.

"The number of" refers to a specific count, so it takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "The number of vacancies in the government sector has decreased significantly over the past decade."

Memory hook: this reinforces the pattern one more time — "vacancies" (plural) is the distractor, but "the number" itself is what governs the singular verb.

"A number of" means "many," so it takes a plural verb — "has since retracted" is incorrect; it should be "have since retracted."

Correct sentence: "A number of the eyewitnesses who testified in court have since retracted their original statements."

Memory hook: even with a relative clause ("who testified in court") sitting between "a number of the eyewitnesses" and the verb, the underlying plural meaning of "a number of" still governs.

"Audience" is a collective noun acting as one unit, so it takes a singular verb, following the standard Indian competitive exam convention.

Correct sentence: "The audience at the theatre was visibly moved by the performance's final scene."

Memory hook: add "audience" to your list of collective nouns treated as singular — like "crowd" and "team," it acts as one unified group in its emotional/collective response.

"The number of" refers to a specific count, so it takes a singular verb, regardless of the plural noun "applicants" and the participial phrase that follows.

Correct sentence: "The number of applicants shortlisted for the final interview round has remained fairly consistent over the past three years."

Memory hook: as a final reinforcement across this level — no matter how much descriptive material sits between "the number of" and the verb, the singular rule never changes; "the number" is always one count, one figure.

"A number of" means "many," so it takes a plural verb.

Correct sentence: "A number of the older buildings in this neighbourhood are scheduled for demolition next year."

Memory hook: reinforcing the "many" substitution test one more time — "many older buildings are scheduled" confirms the plural.