GATE2015 EC-2: GA- 1

Question

Choose the appropriate word/phrase, out of the four options given below, to complete the following sentence:

Dhoni, as well as the other team members of Indian team, ____________present on the occasion.

• A. were
• B. was
• C. has
• D. have

Comments

Shallni has provided the correct explanation.

To find out the correct answer, you simply drop the additional information and see what goes well with the main subject. Because we have "as well as" and not "and", the main subject is just Dhoni. So, our sentence boils down to "Dhoni ... ____ present on the location", and "was" is what fits here.

This pattern is seen in several other situations too. One, for example will be the case of deciding whether to use "I" or "me".

Should it be "John and I went to the party"? Or should it be "John and me went to the party". The former is the correct usage (as evident by dropping John)

Answer 1

Words joined to a singular subject by WITH, AS WELL AS, takes a singular verb. So it will be WAS.

Correct Option: B

Comments

"He, along with his friends, was running."

OR

"He, along with his friends, were running."

first seems correct, second doesn't.

"His friends, along with him, were running."

is correct.

Answer 2

subject is " Dhoni"  so "were" is not suitable here according to subject so we take was (performer is dhoni) so was is correct answer

Answer 3

Official Answer as GATE 2015 Key => B) was

Answer 4

Dhoni, as well as the other team members of the Indian team, it is treated like the singular subject in english grammer. so option B  is correct.