Select the most appropriate option to replace the underlined part of the sentence. If no improvement is needed, choose ‘No improvement’.
Rohan’s mother, as well as two other parents, are helping the teachers with the Children’s Day stalls this week.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → is helping
Verb with “as well as”:
- When two subjects are joined by “as well as”, the verb agrees with the first subject.
- The first subject here is “Rohan’s mother”, which is singular. The given sentence says “are helping”. This is wrong: “are” is plural, so it must be “is helping”.
- Complete sentence: Rohan’s mother, as well as two other parents, is helping the teachers with the Children’s Day stalls this week.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: have been helping — Incorrect. “Have” is plural, but the verb must agree with “Rohan’s mother”, which is singular. Example: My cousins have been helping us pack since morning.
Option 2: were helping — Incorrect. “Were” is plural, but the subject “Rohan’s mother” needs a singular verb. Example: The boys were helping the coach with the nets.