SSC CGL Questions on Subject-Verb Agreement: Download Free PDF

If you are preparing for the SSC CGL exam, you already know that the English Comprehension section can easily boost your overall score and secure your dream post. With the release of the latest SSC CGL Notification, competition has become tougher, making strong command over English grammar even more important. Inside the English section, whether it is “Spotting the Error” or “Fill in the Blanks,” one topic rules them all: Subject-Verb Agreement.

Many students, especially from a Hindi medium background, get confused when they see long English sentences. They try to find the hidden meaning of the sentence and end up marking the wrong option. But here is the good news: you do not need to understand the full meaning of the sentence! The SSC board just wants to check if you can match the main “Hero” of the sentence with the right “Action”.

In this blog, we have explained this topic in the simplest words possible. We have also gathered the top exam-level questions that the Staff Selection Commission repeats every single year.

What is Subject-Verb Agreement? (Explained in Simple Words)

You do not need to read thick, boring grammar books to understand this. Let us understand it with a very simple daily-life logic.

• Subject: This is the main “Hero” of your sentence. It is the person or thing doing the work.
• Verb: This is the “Action” or the helping word (like is, are, has, have, was, were).

The Only Golden Rule: If the Hero is Single (Singular Subject), the Action must also be Single (Singular Verb). If there are many Heroes (Plural Subject), the Action must be Plural (Plural Verb).

• Single Hero Example: Ram is playing. (Ram is one boy, so we use ‘is’).
• Many Heroes Example: The boys are playing. (Boys are many, so we use ‘are’).

The SSC Exam Trap: The examiner will not give you simple sentences like the ones above. They will put extra words between the Hero and the Action to confuse you.

• Trap Example: The box of chocolates is missing. Here, students see “chocolates” and use “are”. But the real hero is the one “box”. So, “is” is correct!

Important Subject-Verb Agreement Questions for SSC CGL

Now that you know the golden rules, it is time to test your preparation. Grab a pen and solve these highly repeated Subject-Verb Agreement questions that perfectly match the SSC CGL exam level.

Q1. Find the error in the sentence: The captain, along with his team members, are going to play the final match.

(A) The captain, along with
(B) his team members, are
(C) going to play
(D) the final match.

Answer: (B) his team members, are

Explanation: This is a famous SSC trick! When two subjects are joined by words like along with, as well as, or together with, the verb always follows the FIRST subject. The first subject is “The captain” (Singular). So, “are” should be replaced with “is”.

Q2. Fill in the blank: Neither the teacher nor the students __ present in the class today.

(A) is
(B) are
(C) was
(D) has

Answer: (B) are

Explanation: When two subjects are joined by Neither… nor or Either… or, the verb always matches the subject closest to it. The closest subject here is “students” (Plural). So, we use “are”.

Q3. Find the error in the sentence: Every one of the boys love to ride a bike.

(A) Every one
(B) of the boys
(C) love to ride
(D) a bike.

Answer: (C) love to ride

Explanation: Words like Each, Every, Everyone, Someone, Anyone are always singular. Even if it says “boys” next to it, the real subject is “Every one”. Since it is singular, the verb must have an ‘s’. It should be “loves” instead of “love”.

Q4. Fill in the blank: Bread and butter __ my favorite breakfast.

(A) is
(B) are
(C) has
(D) were

Answer: (A) is

Explanation: When two things are joined by “and” but they point to one single idea or one single dish, we use a singular verb. Bread and butter is one single meal. So, “is” is correct.

Q5. Find the error in the sentence: A number of students has applied for the SSC CGL examination.

(A) A number of
(B) students has
(C) applied for the
(D) SSC CGL examination.

Answer: (B) students has

Explanation: Memorize this trick: “A number of” always takes a Plural verb. “The number of” always takes a Singular verb. Here, it is “A number of”, so “has” must be changed to “have”.

Q6. Fill in the blank: Fifty miles __ a very long distance to walk on foot.

(A) are
(B) is
(C) were
(D) have been

Answer: (B) is

Explanation: When we talk about a fixed distance, fixed time, or fixed amount of money as one single unit, we use a singular verb. Fifty miles is one single journey. So, we use “is”.

Q7. Find the error in the sentence: Many a man have tried to climb Mount Everest without oxygen.

(A) Many a man
(B) have tried
(C) to climb
(D) Mount Everest without oxygen.

Answer: (B) have tried

Explanation: The phrase “Many a” is highly asked in SSC exams. “Many a” is always followed by a singular noun and a singular verb. So, “have” must be changed to “has”.

Q8. Fill in the blank: The police __ caught the famous thief last night.

(A) has
(B) have
(C) is
(D) was

Answer: (B) have

Explanation: In English grammar, the word “police” is always treated as a plural noun (just like the words cattle or people). Because it is plural, we must use “have”.

Q9. Find the error in the sentence: One of my best friend is going to America for higher studies.

(A) One of my
(B) best friend is
(C) going to America
(D) for higher studies.

Answer: (B) best friend is

Explanation: The phrase “One of the” means you are choosing one person out of a big group. So, the group must be plural. It should be “One of my best friends”. (The verb “is” is correct here, the error is in the noun).

Q10. Fill in the blank: The furniture in this room __ very old.

(A) are
(B) is
(C) were
(D) have

Answer: (B) is

Explanation: Words like furniture, luggage, information, scenery, and advice are uncountable nouns. You cannot count them as 1, 2, 3. Uncountable nouns always take a singular verb. So, “is” is the right answer.

5 Simple Tips to Prepare Subject-Verb Agreement

You do not need a master’s degree in English to score full marks in this topic. Just keep a cool head and follow these easy tricks:

• Find the Real Hero: Do not look at the word just before the blank. Read the start of the sentence to find the real subject. (Example: “The quality of the apples is good”. The subject is ‘quality’, not ‘apples’).
• Memorize Fixed Rules: SSC loves asking fixed rule questions. Just memorize that “As well as” follows the first subject, and “Neither/Nor” follows the second subject. This will solve 50% of your problems.
• The “S” Trick: In English, if you add ‘s’ to a noun, it becomes plural (Boy -> Boys). But if you add ‘s’ to a verb, it becomes singular! (Play -> Plays, Go -> Goes). Keep this in mind while solving.
• Read the Full Sentence: Sometimes the sentence sounds perfectly fine when reading fast. Slow down and check if the helping verb matches the starting noun.
• Practice Previous Year Papers (PYQs): The SSC CGL board rarely invents new grammar rules. They just pick the exact same rules from old papers and change the names. Practicing old questions is the fastest way to learn.

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FAQs: Subject-Verb Agreement for SSC CGL

1. Is Subject-Verb Agreement a difficult topic for SSC CGL?

No, not at all! It is one of the easiest and most scoring chapters in the English grammar section. You just need to learn around 10 to 12 fixed rules to get full marks.

2. How many questions come from this topic in the exam?

In the Tier-1 exam, you can comfortably expect 2 to 3 direct questions from this topic in the form of “Spotting the Error” or “Sentence Improvement”.

3. Do I need to translate sentences to Hindi to solve them?

Absolutely not. Translating wastes time and confuses your brain. Just find the main subject and match it with the correct helping verb. You do not even need to know the Hindi meaning of the full sentence!

4. Are these questions useful for Railway or SSC CHSL exams too?

Yes, 100%! The syllabus and question difficulty for English grammar in SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS, and Stenographer are almost exactly the same. Practicing these will help in all exams.

5. Is there a negative marking for wrong English answers?

Yes. In the SSC CGL Tier-1 exam, there is a strict negative marking of 0.50 marks for every wrong answer. If you are totally confused about a grammar rule, do not guess blindly.

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