The number of people in the party fifty, but a number of them absent for different reasons.
A. were; was
B. was; was
C. was; were
D. were; were
网友回答
A. were; was
B. was; was
(答案→)C. was; were
D. were; were
解析：本题考查主谓一致。The number of……数目，谓语动词用单数，a number of许多，谓语动词用复数。故选C。