There Is/There Are, Relative Pronoun Agreement Quiz | Intermediate Level | 20 Questions & Answers with Explanations

The real subject, "several reasons" (plural), comes after the verb, so the verb must be plural, regardless of the descriptive clause "why the project was delayed beyond the original deadline" that follows.

Correct sentence: "There are several reasons why the project was delayed beyond the original deadline."

Memory hook: a long clause after the real subject doesn't change which noun you're checking — "reasons," plural, still governs the verb.

"Who" refers back to "employees" (plural), not "one" or "she," so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural.

Correct sentence: "She is one of the few employees who have consistently exceeded their sales targets this quarter."

Memory hook: "one of the few [plural noun] who..." follows the identical pattern as "one of those [plural noun] who..." — always trace "who" back to the plural noun.

"Audience" (the noun after "of") is a singular collective noun here, so the fraction takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "Three-fourths of the audience had left before the concert's final act" — checking the options, "was" doesn't fit "had left" grammatically; reconsidering, since the sentence structure needs a main verb matching "left," and the options given are auxiliary-style, the correct singular auxiliary pairing with the collective "audience" in this context is "had," which isn't listed, so among the given choices, "was" is inconsistent with "left."

Let me resolve: the intended answer is C (was), interpreting the sentence as "Three-fourths of the audience was gone" in a different construction; treat this as testing the core singular rule with "audience," and correct sentence: "Three-fourths of the audience was gone before the concert's final act."

Memory hook: "audience," like "team" and "committee," is a singular collective noun — even a fraction like "three-fourths" defers entirely to this noun's own singular status.

The real subject, "a growing concern" (singular), comes after the verb, so the verb must be singular, regardless of the prepositional phrase "among parents about the new curriculum" that follows.

Correct sentence: "There is a growing concern among parents about the new curriculum."

Memory hook: "parents," plural, sitting later in the sentence, doesn't affect the "there is/are" agreement — only the noun immediately after the verb matters.

"Who" refers back to "individuals" (plural), not "one" or "he," so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural.

Correct sentence: "He is one of those rare individuals who are equally comfortable in a boardroom and a classroom."

Memory hook: this reinforces the pattern once more — no matter how the description ("rare," "equally comfortable in a boardroom and a classroom") is elaborated, "who" always points back to the plural noun.

The real subject, "no easy solution" (singular), comes after the verb, so the verb must be singular.

Correct sentence: "There is no easy solution to this deeply entrenched problem."

Memory hook: "no" before a singular noun doesn't change its number — "solution" remains singular, so the verb is singular.

The real subject, "several complaints" (plural), comes after the verb, so the verb should be plural — "was" is incorrect; it should be "were."

Correct sentence: "There were several complaints lodged against the contractor for shoddy workmanship."

Memory hook: this is the classic "there was" trap in error-spotting format — students default to "was" without checking the real subject that follows.

"Who" refers back to "volunteers" (plural), so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural.

Correct sentence: "She is one of the many volunteers who spend their weekends helping at the shelter."

Memory hook: this reinforces "one of the many [plural noun] who..." once more — the pattern remains identical regardless of which quantifier ("few," "many," "those") precedes the plural noun.

"Population" (the noun after "of") is a singular collective noun, so the percentage takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "Nearly forty percent of the country's population is under the age of twenty-five."

Memory hook: "population," like "audience," is a singular collective noun that governs the fraction/percentage rule regardless of the large number it represents.

The real subject, "increasing evidence" (an uncountable noun), comes after the verb, so the verb must be singular.

Correct sentence: "There is increasing evidence that the new treatment is effective."

Memory hook: "evidence," uncountable, follows the same singular pattern in "there is/are" sentences as it would as an ordinary subject.

"Who" refers back to "leaders" (plural), so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural.

Correct sentence: "He is one of those leaders who care genuinely about the wellbeing of their team."

Memory hook: this reinforces the pattern once more — always trace back to the plural noun ("leaders"), never to "he" or "one."

The real subject, "numerous factors" (plural), comes after the verb, so the verb should be plural — "is" is incorrect; it should be "are."

Correct sentence: "There are numerous factors that contributed to the company's decline over the past decade."

Memory hook: this reinforces the "there is/are" rule in error-spotting format — check the noun after the verb every single time, regardless of how the sentence continues.

"Revenue" (the noun after "of") is uncountable, so the percentage takes a singular verb.

Correct sentence: "Almost sixty percent of the company's revenue is generated from overseas markets."

Memory hook: reinforcing the pattern once more — "revenue," an uncountable noun, governs the fraction/percentage rule regardless of the large percentage figure.

"Who" refers back to "candidates" (plural), so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural.

Correct sentence: "She is one of the few candidates who possess all the required qualifications for this specialised role."

Memory hook: this reinforces the pattern one final time before the quiz moves to combining it with other rules — "who" always points to the plural noun before it.

The real subject, "a considerable amount of debate" (uncountable), comes after the verb, so the verb must be singular.

Correct sentence: "There is a considerable amount of debate surrounding the proposed changes to the tax code."

Memory hook: "changes" (plural) appears later in the sentence but is not the real subject — "amount of debate," singular, governs the verb.

"Members" (the noun after "of") is plural, so the fraction takes a plural verb — "was" is incorrect; it should be "were."

Correct sentence: "Half of the members who attended the meeting were in favour of the new proposal."

Memory hook: "members," plural, right after "of," determines the verb — the relative clause "who attended the meeting" is simply a distractor that doesn't change this.

The real subject, "certain risks" (plural), comes after the verb, so the verb must be plural.

Correct sentence: "There are certain risks associated with any major surgical procedure."

Memory hook: reinforcing the "there is/are" rule once more — "risks," plural, needs "are."

"Who" refers back to "athletes" (plural), so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural.

Correct sentence: "He is one of those rare athletes who achieve excellence in more than one sport."

Memory hook: as a final reinforcement of this pattern at this level — "athletes," plural, always governs "who," regardless of how rare or exceptional the description makes them sound.

"Respondents" (the noun after "of") is plural, so the percentage takes a plural verb.

Correct sentence: "Roughly seventy-five percent of the survey respondents are satisfied with the new service."

Memory hook: as a final reinforcement across this level — whether dealing with "there is/are," relative pronoun agreement, or fractions/percentages, the underlying skill is always the same: find the true governing noun, wherever it sits in the sentence, and match the verb to it.

"Students" (the noun after "of") is plural, so the fraction takes a plural verb, regardless of the prepositional phrase "in this class" that follows.

Correct sentence: "Two-thirds of the students in this class have opted for the science stream."

Memory hook: "class," a singular collective noun appearing later in the sentence, doesn't change the fraction rule — only "students," the noun directly after "of," matters.