Choose the Correct - Incorrect Sentence Questions and Answers

Answer: A

Correct answer: Anita, with her lap full of newspapers, was sitting with her husband on the steps of the temple when Bunty and Bitto came up.

With her lap full of newspapers describes Anita, and the pair of commas ties it to her unmistakably.

Why the others fail:

• Placing it after the steps of the temple leaves it hovering between Anita, her husband and the steps.
• The fronted version attaches the phrase to whatever noun follows it, which here is the steps.
• Placing it at the very end makes it describe Bunty and Bitto coming up.

Answer: A

Correct answer: It is far too hard an essay for me to attempt.

Far intensifies too and must stand immediately before it. The rest follows the fixed pattern too + adjective + a/an + noun + for + person + to + verb.

Why the others fail:

• too far hard - far now modifies hard, which is not English.
• Too far it is an essay hard for me… - the word order is broken throughout.
• for me to far attempt - far is stranded inside the infinitive.

Answer: C

Correct answer: If you had told me that you were in Bombay I would have certainly contacted you instead of getting bored there.

A third conditional: past perfect in the if clause, would have + past participle in the result. Instead of then names what actually happened.

Why the others fail:

• I had certainly contacted by you - a past perfect where would have is needed, and a stray passive by.
• despite getting bored there - despite reverses the relation; being bored was the alternative, not an obstacle.
• If you would have told me - would in the if clause.

Answer: C

Correct answer: The teaching staff would have taken lectures regularly had they known that the Principal would know about it.

The conditional is inverted rather than introduced by if - had they known - which is standard, and the main clause has its would have + participle.

Why the others fail:

• when are asked by the Principal - the subject of the clause is missing.
• The teaching staff had they known that… - the sentence never reaches a main clause.
• he could not be disregarded them - a passive and an object in the same clause.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Travelling from Karjat to Khandala, one finds the line most beautifully laid.

The participial phrase and the main clause share the same subject, one, so the modifier is properly attached.

Why the others fail:

• As one travels… he finds… - the pronoun changes from one to he in mid-sentence.
• would find makes a plain observation conditional for no reason.
• The last option repeats the one… he inconsistency.

Answer: A

Correct answer: He carried little Meenu and I on his shoulders.

The pronoun is the object of carried, so it must be me. Drop the other object and the error is plain: nobody would say he carried I.

The other three are sound:

• All that he said had no effect on me - correct.
• Between you and me, the plan is a sound one - between is a preposition and takes me.
• It was I that gave away the prizes - after the verb to be the subject form is correct.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The committee is divided on this issue.

A collective noun takes a singular verb when the body acts as one and a plural verb when its members act separately. Being divided is precisely the members acting separately, so it must be the committee are divided.

The other three are sound:

• Bread and butter is wholesome food - a single dish, so singular.
• It being a wet day, we kept indoors - a correct absolute construction.
• The cattle are grazing in the fields - cattle is always plural.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Laziness is detrimental for success.

Detrimental takes to, not for: laziness is detrimental to success.

The other three are sound:

• Neither you nor I am in a sound position - the verb agrees with the nearer subject, I.
• He begged the favour of my granting him leave - the possessive before a gerund is correct.
• Your action is not in conformity with the law - conformity with is the right pairing.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Starch is an antidote of iodine.

An antidote is to or for something, never of it.

The other three are sound:

• She has an abhorrence of frogs - abhorrence of is correct.
• This is the inference from his statement - an inference is drawn from something.
• I expostulated with Ravi about his decision - one expostulates with a person about a matter.

Answer: C

Correct answer: We got out of the swimming pool and dried us.

When the subject and the object are the same people, the object must be a reflexive pronoun: we… dried ourselves.

The other three are sound:

• It is time you went to bed - it is time is followed by the past subjunctive.
• There is no end to troubles - correct.
• He gloried in his victory - glory in is the right form.