Question

The neem tree is native to India and __ found all over the country.

a) was
b) is
c) are
d) were

Answer 1

Hint: The subject and the verb in the sentence must both be either singular or plural. This will lead you to the correct answer.

Complete answer:

In the given sentence we need to fill the blank with the most suitable option. For this, we need to understand the concept of subject-verb agreement.
Subject-verb agreement refers to the rule that a subject and verb must agree with each other in number. That is, if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular and vice-versa. Here, the subject is the neem tree and it is singular. Hence, the blank must be filled with a singular verb as well.
Now, let us take a look at the given options given, one by one, and check which option is the most suitable.
Option ‘A,’ ‘was’, is in the past tense, but the sentence is not. Hence, it is incorrect.
Option ‘C,' ‘are’, is plural but this is incorrect as the subject of the sentence is singular.
Option ‘B,’ ‘is’, is singular and in the present tense. Hence, it can be the correct answer.
Option ‘D,’ ‘was’, is incorrect as it is both in the past tense as well as plural. Both these features make it incorrect for the given sentence.
Therefore, the correct answer is option ‘B', is. This is because it is singular as well as, in the present tense.

Note: In the given sentence, though the Neem tree in the entire country is being referred to, it is still singular. This is because the reference is about the species as a whole and not the number of Neem trees in India.