【题目】The number of people invited ________ fifty, but a number of them ______ absent for different reasons.
A. were; was B. was; were
C. was; was D. were; were
在线课程【答案】B
【解析】
试题the number of指“……的数目”，它所修饰的主语的谓语动词用单数；a number of= many,它所修饰的主语的谓语动词用复数。故选B。