<p>Up to 15 percent of the workforce <u><strong>was laid off</strong></u> in the travel industry due to coronavirus downturn.</p>
<p>The correct answer is <strong>(C) was laid off</strong>.</p>
<p>In this sentence, the subject is "15 percent of the workforce," which is considered as a singular noun phrase. When the subject is a singular noun phrase, we use a singular verb form. In this case, the verb form "was laid off" is the correct form because it agrees with the singular subject. <span>The other options are incorrect:</span></p>
<p>(A) "laid off" is the past participle form of the verb "lay off," but it does not agree with the singular subject.</p>
<p>(B) "were laid off" is the past tense form of the verb "lay off," but it does not agree with the singular subject.</p>
<p>(D) "will lay off" is the future tense form of the verb "lay off," but it does not accurately describe the past action that has already occurred.</p>