[Grammar] sheep has/have a layer of wool

[Oceanlike]

Sheep has/have a layer of wool to keep them warm.

The answer given was 'has'. Why is it 'has'?

I thought of 'sheep' in this grammar exercise as a plural subject and with the pronoun 'them' used, I went for 'have'.

Thank you.

 

[Oceanlike]

Thank you! May I know what is the reason for 'have' being the correct answer?

 

[GoesStation]

In the absence of a definite article, sheep appears plural. If the sentence began with "The", either have or has would be possible, depending on previous context.

 

[Tdol]

If you change the words sheep to something like dog, where you can see if it is singular or plural, it is clear:

Dog has
Dogs have

The first would require an article.