The number of people invited 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：名词前有the number of 修饰，谓语用单数，名词前有a number of 修饰，谓语用复数。