Question

Identify the subject in the following sentence:
About a century ago, man could attribute his poverty to bad luck.
A. About a century ago
B. Man
C. Poverty
D. Bad luck

Answer 1

Hint: A subject in a sentence is its main focal point. It is a thing or a person about which or whom the sentence is about. It is the base of the sentence without which it bears no meaning. In almost all cases, subjects are nouns.

Complete step by step answer:
Let’s look at each option to understand which option best fits the definition of a ‘subject’
Option A – About a century ago: this option talks about a period that was close to a hundred years ago. It is neither a noun nor is there any action occurring here; hence this is not the right option.
Option B – Man: this option talks about a man performing an action of blaming bad luck as a cause for his poverty. An action is being performed by the man and it is also a noun; hence this is the right option.
Option C – Poverty: this is a noun which describes the state of being poor. However, this is not the primary focus of the sentence nor is it performing any action; hence this is not the right option.
Option D – Bad luck: this is also a noun which describes the negative form of luck. However, this is not the primary focus of the sentence nor is it performing any action; hence this is not the right option.

So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Note:
A sentence is always divided into two – subject and predicate. Subject is a thing or person who performs the action and gives meaning to the sentence; whereas predicate is the part which describes the action that is being performed.