DIRECTIONS (Qs. 1-10): In the following questions, a sentence has been divided into four parts and marked a, b, c and d. One of these parts contains a mistake in grammar Idiom or syntax. Identify that part and mark it as the answer.
Q1. (a) They appointed him
(b) as a manager
(c) as he
(d) is efficient
Answer: (d) Explanation: There is a verb tense error here. |
Q2. (a) Owing to illness
(b) he was unable
(c) to go
(d) for his holiday
Answer: (a) Explanation: There is an incorrect use of ‘owing to’. |
Q3. (a) Pickpocketers are
(b) sometimes spotted
(c) by policemen
(d) at bus stops
Answer: (a) Explanation: ‘Pickpocketers’ is not the correct word. The correct one is ‘Pickpockets’ and hence option (a) is right. |
Q4. (a) His both hands
(b) have been injured
(c) so he
(d) cannot work
Answer: (a) Explanation: because ‘his’ is a possessive pronoun and it should come next to the noun it is referring to, i.e. his would come just before hands. |
Q5. (a) Several guests noticed Mr. Peter
(b) fall back
(c) in his chair
(d) and gasping for breath
Answer: (b) Explanation: As the given sentence is describing a continuous action in the past, ‘fall’ should be replaced with ‘falling’ back. Hence, option (b) is correct. |
Q6. (a) The short story
(b) should not exceed
(c) more than
(d) two hundred words
Answer: (c) Explanation: because it is redundant and there is no use of it. The word ‘exceed’ is enough to convey that the short story should not have more than 200 words. |
Q7. (a) If one reads the newspaper regularly
(b) you will be surprised at the improvement
(c) in your overall reading skills
(d) day by day
Answer: (a) Explanation: If you read ….. The indefinite pronoun ‘one’ or the personal pronoun ‘you’ should he used throughout the sentence. |
Q8. (a) Preetam asked her sister
(b) why had she not gone to the school
(c) the previous day
(d) or applied for leave
Answer: (b) Explanation: why she had not gone… As per the rules of syntax the subject comes before the verb and not after. |
Q9. (a) In tropical climate, it is necessary
(b) that a person drink
(c) several cups of water daily
(d) if he wishes to remain healthy
Answer: (a) Explanation: In a tropical climate…. The article ‘a’ is used as “tropical climate” here is being used generically. One should either say “a tropical climate” or “tropical climates”. |
Q10. (a) Pollution effects more people
(b) today than it ever did in the past
(c) because more people live near industrial units
(d) and inhale noxious gases from the atmosphere
Answer: (a) Explanation: Pollution affects The verb affects is to be used here which means “to produce an effect on’ |