Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete a newspaper clipping : The verdict is yet to come since the members of the jury (is/are) divided in their opinion.
Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete a newspaper clipping : The verdict is yet to come since the members of the jury (is/are) divided in their opinion.
Official answer
are
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark: correct answer 'are' with the complete sentence 'the members of the jury are divided in their opinion'.
- 2.0 marks for 'is', which incorrectly agrees the verb with 'jury' inside the prepositional phrase instead of the true subject 'members'.
Hint
Look past the prepositional phrase 'of the jury' — the real subject is the plural noun 'members', so the verb must be plural: 'are'.
Quick oral answer
The correct word is 'are' because the true subject is the plural noun 'members', not the collective noun 'jury' which merely sits inside a prepositional phrase.
Common mistakes
- 1.Selecting 'is' by wrongly agreeing the verb with 'jury' (the noun nearest the verb) rather than with 'members' (the actual subject).
- 2.Assuming all collective nouns like 'jury' always take a singular verb regardless of sentence structure.
- 3.Overlooking the semantic clue 'divided in their opinion', which signals a plural, individualised reading.
Analysis and explanation
Tests subject-verb agreement when a prepositional phrase intervenes between the head noun and the verb.
Concept
- The verb must agree with the head noun of the subject phrase ("the members"), not with a noun inside an intervening prepositional phrase ("of the jury").
Key points
- "Members" is plural → verb must be plural → "are".
- "Divided in their opinion" semantically reinforces plurality (multiple differing views).
Common mistakes
- Proximity/attraction error: agreeing the verb with the nearer singular noun "jury" instead of the true subject "members".
Interesting facts
Collective nouns like 'jury', 'team', and 'family' can take either singular or plural verbs in British/Indian English depending on whether the group is seen as a unit or as individuals — but here the subject is 'members', not the collective noun itself.
Attraction/proximity errors (agreeing the verb with the nearest noun instead of the true subject) are among the top-tested subject-verb agreement traps in CBSE grammar papers.
Legal and courtroom-themed sentences are a recurring context for CBSE grammar items, testing vocabulary alongside grammar.
Question details
Q15 of 72 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 10
- Subject
- English (Language & Literature)
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section B
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- Fill in the Blank
- Chapter
- Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement (CBSE Class 10 English Language & Literature)
- Topic
- Subject-Verb Agreement — Collective Noun Phrase
- Bloom's level
- apply
- Syllabus topic
- Unit: Grammar and Creative Writing Skills — Subject-Verb Concord (Collective Nouns)
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
Isn't 'jury' always singular?
'Jury' as a collective noun can take a singular verb when treated as one unit (e.g., 'The jury has reached a verdict'), but here the grammatical subject is 'the members', which is plural, so the verb must be 'are'.
How do I find the real subject when a sentence has phrases like 'of the...'?
Strip out prepositional phrases starting with 'of', 'with', 'along with', etc., and check what noun remains as the head of the subject — that noun decides singular or plural agreement.