Fill in the blank with the most suitable option:The Council __________...
The correct answer is (C) has. "The Council" is a collective noun treated as singular in this context, so the present perfect tense "has made" is correct.
Fill in the blank with the most suitable option:The Council __________...
Understanding the Correct Verb Form
The sentence in question is: "The Council __________ made its decision."
To fill in the blank correctly, we need to analyze the subject and its corresponding verb form.
Subject-Verb Agreement
- The subject "The Council" is a collective noun.
- Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on the context, but in American English, they are often treated as singular when referring to the group as a single entity.
Options Analysis
- a) have: This is a plural verb form and does not agree with the singular subject "The Council."
- b) have had: This is also a plural form and signifies a perfect tense, which is unnecessary in this context.
- c) has: This is the singular form of the verb "to have," which correctly agrees with the singular subject "The Council." It indicates that the Council, as a single entity, has completed the action of making a decision.
- d) having: This is a gerund form and does not function correctly in this sentence structure.
Conclusion
Therefore, the correct answer is option "c) has." It ensures proper subject-verb agreement and maintains the clarity of the sentence by indicating that the action of making a decision is attributed to the Council as a unified group.