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HESI A2 Grammar - Subject-Verb Agreement practice questions

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These are original practice items written to the HESI A2 blueprint (4 options, no penalty for wrong answers), not actual exam questions. Try each one before you open the answer.

What this topic covers

Grammar - Subject-Verb Agreement sits inside the Grammar section of the HESI A2. Our bank holds 38 verified items tagged to it, and the 4 below are a fixed sample so the page stays the same every time you open it. Each one shows the reasoning, not just the letter.

The topic tag comes from our own items rather than from a published syllabus, so treat it as a map of what we cover. For the official section breakdown see the HESI A2 page.

Grammar - Subject-Verb Agreement sample questions

Question 1

The group of students (is/are) planning to attend the lecture. Which verb correctly completes the sentence?

  1. A were
  2. B have been
  3. C are
  4. D is
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: D

The subject is 'group', which is a singular collective noun. In American English, collective nouns typically take singular verbs. Therefore, the correct verb is 'is'. The phrase 'of students' is a prepositional phrase and does not affect the number of the subject.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'were' is past tense and plural; it does not agree with the singular subject in the present tense context.
B: 'have been' is plural and also present perfect, which does not match the simple present tense needed.
C: 'are' is a plural verb and does not agree with the singular subject 'group'.

Question 2

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

  1. A The group of students were studying.
  2. B The group of students is studying.
  3. C The group of students are studying.
  4. D The group of students have been studying.
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B

In American English, collective nouns such as 'group' are usually treated as singular when the group acts as a single unit. The singular verb 'is' agrees with the singular subject 'group'. The prepositional phrase 'of students' does not change the number of the subject.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'Were' is plural past tense; the singular would be 'was'.
C: 'Are' is a plural verb, but 'group' is singular in this context.
D: 'Have been' is a plural present perfect form; the singular would be 'has been'.

Question 3

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

  1. A The group of nurses were meeting to discuss the new policy.
  2. B The groups of nurses is meeting to discuss the new policy.
  3. C The group of nurses is meeting to discuss the new policy.
  4. D The group of nurses are meeting to discuss the new policy.
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

The subject is 'group,' which is singular, so it requires the singular verb 'is.' Option A uses 'are' (plural verb) for a singular subject. Option C uses 'were' (plural past tense) with a singular subject. Option D has a plural subject 'groups' but uses the singular verb 'is,' creating disagreement.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: The singular subject 'group' should take a singular past verb 'was,' not 'were.'
B: The plural subject 'groups' should take a plural verb 'are,' not 'is.'
D: The singular subject 'group' should take a singular verb 'is,' not 'are.'

Question 4

Neither the nurse nor the doctors ______ available for the emergency.

  1. A is
  2. B are
  3. C were
  4. D was
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

With correlative conjunctions like 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here, 'doctors' is plural, so the plural verb 'were' is correct.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'is' is singular present tense; the sentence is in past tense ('available' is implied past), and subject-verb agreement still requires plural.
B: 'are' is plural present tense, but the context requires past tense 'were'.
D: 'was' is singular and would agree if the closest subject were singular (e.g., 'neither the doctors nor the nurse'), but here it is 'doctors'.

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