Test: Concepts Of Subject Verb - GMAT MCQ

Approach

This question tests your ability to identify all Subject-Verb pairs in a sentence and ensure that each pair agrees in number.

The subject for verb ‘has gained’ is singular ‘idea’. It is important to understand the meaning of the sentence to determine the logical subject verb pairs. It also helps to ignore the nouns in the prepositional phrases. In this case ground authorities lies in the prepositional phrase.

Answer Choices

A

has

Correct. The subject for verb ‘has gained’ is singular ‘idea’. 

B

have

Incorrect. The plural verb ‘have gained’ does not agree in number with its singular subject ‘idea’.

Approach

This question tests your ability to ensure that all subject-verb pairs exist in a sentence. The underlined portion of the sentence is a fragment since the subject – today’s generation of products – does not have any verb.

Answer Choices

A

today’s generation of products

Incorrect

B

it is that today’s generation of products

Incorrect

C

today’s generation of products being 

Incorrect

D

today’s generation of products is 

Correct

E

today’s generation of products that is 

Incorrect

Approach

This sentence tests your knowledge of expressions ‘ a number of’ and ‘the number of’ in terms of subject verb number agreement. The subject ‘a number of reports’ is plural and hence plural 'have shown' is correct. The subject ‘ the number of’ is singular and hence singular 'exhibits' is correct.

Answer Choices

A

have shown that the number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more, not including primary residence, exhibit

Incorrect

B

has shown that the number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more, not including primary residence, exhibit

Incorrect

C

have shown that the number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more, not including primary residence, exhibits

 Correct

Approach

This question tests your knowledge of subject-verb number agreement, specifically subjects that are always singular.


This sentence has 2 clauses. The subject for clause 1 is a phrase “Learning about how best to use social media, particularly with such complex issues”. We know that phrase as subject is always singular and hence its verb – are should be singular ‘is’. 
Subject for 2nd clause is marketing department which is a collective noun. Collective nouns are also always singular. And hence its verb – have committed must be singular – has committed.

Answer Choices

A

are challenging, but the marketing department have

Incorrect

B

is challenging, but the marketing department has

Correct

C

are challenging, but the marketing department has

Incorrect

D

is challenging, but the marketing department have

Incorrect

Approach

This question tests your ability to identify the words that change the number of the subject. 

In this sentence the word “every” changes the number of the subject “Jewish population and German population” to singular. Thus the use of singular verb – has formed – is correct.

Answer Choices

A

Every Jewish population and German population has

Correct

B

Every Jewish population and German population have

Incorrect

C

Jewish population and German population each has

Incorrect. When 'each' appears after the subject, it does not change the number of the subject.

Approach

This question tests your knowledge of words and expressions that change the number of the subject. Whenever the expression “neither..nor” is used, the verb agrees with the noun that is closest to it. 
In this sentence, the noun medical consortium is closest to the verb and hence the verb “know” must agree with this noun. This noun is a collective noun which is always singular. Thus the verb must be singular. This implies that this sentence is incorrect.

Answer Choices

A

patients nor the medical consortium administering the trial know

Incorrect

B

patients nor the medical consortium administering the trial knows

Correct

C

medical consortium administering the trial nor the patients knows

Incorrect. The noun closest to the verb is plural patients. Thus the verb must be plural.

Approach

This question tests your knowledge of subject-verb number agreement, specifically subjects that are always singular.

This sentence has 2 clauses. Clause 1 Subject-Verb pair is each – are. Each is always singular and hence verb are should be singular – is. Clause 2 subject-verb pair is it-faces. Here it refers to media giant which is singular and hence the verb is correctly stated as singular faces.

Answer Choices

A

it currently faces are

Incorrect. ‘are’ should be singular ‘is’ agreeing with singular subject ‘each’.

B

they currently face are

Incorrect. ‘are’ should be singular ‘is’ agreeing with singular subject ‘each’. ‘They’ refers to singular ‘media giant’ and hence must be singular ‘it’. Also, ‘face’ must be singular ‘faces’.

C

it currently faces is

Correct

D

they currently face is

Incorrect. 'They' refers to singular 'media giant' and hence must be singular 'it'. Also, 'face' must be singular 'faces'.

Approach

 This question tests your ability to identify all Subject-Verb pairs in a sentence and ensure that each pair agrees in number.

The subject for verb ‘has been using’ is plural ‘activists’. It is important to understand the meaning of the sentence to determine the logical subject verb pairs. It also helps to ignore the nouns in the prepositional phrases. In this case ‘over the past one month’ is the prepositional phrase separating the subject from the verb.

Answer Choices

A

has

Incorrect. The plural subject does not agree with singular verb.

B

have

Correct. The plural verb ‘have been using’ agrees in number with its plural subject ‘environmental activists’.

Approach

This question tests your ability to identify all Subject-Verb pairs in a sentence.

Answer Choices

A

As part of a push to keep on track its ambitious turnaround plan, Chrysler Group

Incorrect. This sentence has 2 clauses. The subject of clause 1, Chrysler Group has no verb and hence this sentence does not meet the requirement that each clause have a subject and verb.

B

As part of a push to keep on track its ambitious turnaround plan, Chrysler Group is

Correct. In this sentence, the modifier rushing to…has been converted into verb and now the subject – Chrysler Group has a verb and hence this sentence meets the requirement that each clause have a subject and verb.

C

A part of push to keep on track its ambitious turnaround plan is that Chrysler Group

Incorrect. This sentence has 3 clauses. Clause 1 subject-verb pair is part-is. The subject of clause 2, Chrysler Group has no verb and hence this sentence does not meet the requirement that each clause have a subject and verb.

Approach

This sentence tests your knowledge of SV-Make Sense concept. The subject construction appears to have 2 verbs – was completed and contains. The verb contains does not make sense with the subject construction, since construction cannot contain concrete. It is the building that contains concrete.

Answer Choices

A

and contains

Incorrect

B

and the building contains

Correct

C

and containing

Incorrect

Approach

The subject is ‘increase’. The presence of additive phrase ‘together with’ does not make the number of this singular subject to plural and hence singular verb ‘has left’ should be used.

Answer Choices

A

have

Incorrect

B

has

Correct