Topic: Subject Verb Agreement,

Best Answer Explained in Below-:

The sentence "Neither Sharmeen nor her friend ___ present last week." requires a verb that agrees with the singular subjects "neither Sharmeen nor her friend." In English grammar, when using "neither...nor," the verb typically agrees with the closer subject, which in this case is "her friend" (singular).

Let’s analyze the options:

A) **were** - This is a plural form of the verb "to be," which does not agree with the singular subject. Thus, it’s incorrect in this context.

B) **was** - This is the singular past tense form of the verb "to be." Since "her friend" is singular, this is the correct choice. The sentence would read "Neither Sharmeen nor her friend was present last week," which is grammatically correct and conveys that neither individual was there.

C) **have been** - This is the present perfect tense, which suggests an ongoing situation rather than a specific instance in the past (last week). Therefore, it does not fit the context.

D) **is** - This is the present tense form of the verb. The use of "last week" indicates that the action is specifically in the past, making this option incorrect.

In summary, "was" is the correct choice because it maintains subject-verb agreement with the singular subject of the sentence and correctly reflects the past time reference.