54.The number of people invited to the party _____ two hundred,but a number of them _____ absent for various reasons.A) were … wasB) was … wereC) was … wasD) were … were

Question

54.The number of people invited to the party _____ two hundred,but a number of them _____ absent for various reasons.
A) were … was
B) was … were
C) was … was
D) were … were

Answer 1

B.这题比较简单和直白的,The number of ……是一个集合性名词词组,所以谓语动词用单数was.而a number of ……则表示一个结合中的许多,属于一个复数名词词组,故谓语动词用were