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’
