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WBCS Preliminary Examination 2019 — General Studies · Question 5 of 200

Q5
EnglishVerbs, Tenses & Agreement
Fill in with the appropriate word: The jury ______ divided in their opinion.
  1. a.were
  2. b.was
  3. c.have been
  4. d.have

Answer: (A) were

"Jury" is a collective noun. When the members of the group are acting or thinking as separate individuals — as implied by "divided in their opinion" — British-style usage treats it as plural and takes the plural verb "were", rather than the singular "was" used when the jury acts as one unit.