Question

Choose the best option to complete the sentence given below:
The panel was divided in _______ opinions.
A) Its
B) Her
C) Their
D) Any of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The noun is singular and the pronouns that refer to it are also singular while the group is behaving as a unit and doing the same thing at the same time. The pronouns used when a noun is plural or when a group of people is doing various things are often plural.

Complete answer:
"The panel was split in views," says this phrase. The plural form of the word "opinions" is "opinions." This indicates that there are several points of view, "divided in" in the sense that they are not on the same track and are not doing the same thing. As a result, we can't use a singular pronoun and must instead use the plural form.

Lets analyze the given options:
Option A - “its” is a singular pronoun that refers to something. But,"The panel was divided in__opinions". The word "opinions", it is in plural form.so, this is the wrong option.
Option B – “her” is a singular pronoun that refers to a female person. so this is not appropriate for the sentence where the panel is an object so we don’t use this option. This is also incorrect.
Option C - “their” is a plural form of the pronoun. "their," which refers to a group of people. The given sentence means there is more than one opinion, "divided in". So, the choice "their'' corresponds to the requirement in the blank. This option C is the best fit for the question.
Option D is an ineligible option because both options "A" and "B" are incorrect. This means there are more than one opinion, "divided in" meaning they are not on the same lane and not doing the same thing. For this reason we cannot use a singular pronoun and have to use a plural form.

Thus, The correct answer is option "C." – “their”. We frame the sentence “ The panel was divided in their opinions”.

Note: rules for Subject–Verb Agreement
- The noun must be singular if the topic is singular.
- The verb must also be plural if the topic is plural.
- Using a plural verb when the sentence's subject consists of two or more nouns or pronouns bound by and.