Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question addresses the fundamental rule of Subject-Verb Agreement involving distributive pronouns.
In English, the word "Neither" is used to discuss two people or things and indicates "not the one and not the other."
Grammatically, "Neither" acts as a singular pronoun when it is the subject of a sentence.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The primary challenge in this sentence is the presence of the plural noun "boys" immediately before the verb. This often leads to the "Error of Proximity."
1. Identifying the Real Subject:
The sentence structure is: $[Neither] + [of the boys]$.
- "Neither" is the head of the noun phrase and the actual subject.
- "of the boys" is a prepositional phrase that acts as an adjective modifying "Neither."
The verb must agree with the head "Neither," not with the object of the preposition "boys."
2. Singular vs. Plural Rule:
- "Neither" is always singular in formal, standard English.
- Therefore, the verb must be singular (e.g., is, was, has, plays).
3. Evaluating the Options:
- Option (A) ...were ready: "Were" is the plural past tense of "to be." It is incorrect because it tries to agree with "boys" instead of "Neither."
- Option (B) ...was ready: "Was" is the singular past tense of "to be." This correctly agrees with the singular subject "Neither." This is the grammatically accurate version.
- Option (C) ...are ready: "Are" is the plural present tense. Incorrect for the same reason as Option (A).
- Option (D) ...have been ready: "Have been" is plural present perfect. Even if the tense were appropriate, "have" is plural and thus grammatically wrong for the subject "Neither."
Conclusion on Usage:
In casual conversation, you might hear people say "Neither of them are coming," but in any formal examination like CUET, you must adhere to the singular rule: "Neither of them is coming."
Step 3: Final Answer:
Since the subject "Neither" is singular, it requires the singular verb "was." Option (B) is the correct choice.