Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
Today, the United Arab Emirates ______ home to lakhs of families from Kerala.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → is
Subject-verb agreement with a country name that looks plural:
- The name of one country takes a singular verb, even when it ends in -s.
- “The United Arab Emirates” is the name of one country. “Today” shows the present. So the verb is is.
- Complete sentence: Today, the United Arab Emirates is home to lakhs of families from Kerala.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: are — Incorrect. “Are” is plural, but the name of one country is singular. Example: My cousins in Dubai are coming home for Onam.
Option 2: were — Incorrect. “Were” is plural, but the subject is singular. Example: The roads in Kochi were flooded last week.
Option 4: was — Incorrect. “Was” is singular, but it shows the past. The sentence is about now (“today”). Example: Dubai was very hot when we visited in May.