Correct Answer:
A. The committee has decided its course.
In American English, collective nouns like "committee" are generally treated as singular when acting as a unified body. Therefore, the correct sentence uses a singular verb and pronoun.
- A: The committee has decided its course. This is correct. "Has" is a singular verb, and "its" is a singular possessive pronoun, appropriately reflecting the committee acting as a single unit making one decision.
- B: The committee have decided their course. This is incorrect in American English for a unified committee. "Have" and "their" are plural, which is more common in British English when members are considered individually.
- C: The committee are deciding their courses. This is incorrect. Similar to B, the plural verb "are" and pronoun "their" are not standard for a unified collective noun in American English.
- D: The committee were arguing. While grammatically possible if the individual members were acting separately, the question asks for the generally correct usage, and option A represents the standard for a unified decision, making this less suitable.