Sentence Improvement Questions and Answers

Q: Select the grammatically correct sentence: 1. My sister is the poet and the philosopher. 2. My sister is a poet and the philosopher. 3. My sister is a poet and a philosopher. 4. My sister is a poet and philosopher.

It is sentence 4.When one person holds two roles, the article is used once and the second noun goes bare - my sister is a poet and philosopher. Repeating the article would make her two different people.

Q: Identify the incorrect sentence or sentences: a. The news about coffee is surprisingly good. b. Moderate intake of coffee does not pose a healthy threat. c. The only serious charge against caffeine is that it may addict. d. Its absence can result in headaches,fatigue,etc.

b and c are incorrect.Sentence b needs a health threat, not a healthy one - healthy describes what is in good health, not what concerns health. The fault in c is of the same order.

Q: He has said so out of affection; do not take it to heart.

No improvement is required.Take it to heart is the idiom for being hurt by something. The preposition is to and the noun takes no article.

Q: Identify the incorrect sentence or sentences: a. Snowflake is one of nature's most exquisite creation. b. A snowflake may be a single crystal or group of crystals. c The crystals form high in the atmosphere. d. Where it is cold, a crystal's delicate shape is preserved.

a and b are incorrect.Sentence a needs the plural creations, since one of always selects from a group. Sentence b needs an article - a group of crystals.

Q: Select the grammatically correct sentence: 1. He is one of the best policeman who has ever lived. 2. He is one of the best policeman who have ever lived. 3. He is one of the best policeman that have ever lived. 4. He is one of the best policeman that has ever lived.

It is sentence 3.One of the best takes a plural noun, so policemen. The relative clause then describes the plural policemen and takes a plural verb: that have ever lived.

Q: A cold drink is preferable than tea in summer.

It should read preferable to.Preferable already contains the comparison, so it takes to rather than than, and it cannot be strengthened by more - more preferable is a doubled comparative. Superior, inferior, senior and junior behave the same way.

Q: Select the grammatically correct sentence: 1. She insisted on me to stay there. 2. She insisted on me staying there. 3. She insisted on my staying there. 4. She insisted in my staying there.

It is sentence 3.Insist on takes a gerund, and the person doing the action is marked by a possessive - insisted on my staying. The object form me is common in speech but the possessive is the careful form.

Q: In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that improves it. If the sentence needs no change, choose ‘No improvement’.The quality of the raw materials have deteriorated in recent months.

Correct answer: has deterioratedThe subject is the quality, singular, so the verb is has deteriorated. Of the raw materials is a prepositional phrase and cannot supply the subject. This is the classic agreement trap: a singular head noun followed by of and a plural noun, with the plural standing next to the verb and pulling the ear the wrong way. The same pattern appears in the list of items is long, a bunch of keys was found and the cost of vegetables has risen. The remedy is mechanical - strike out everything between the head noun and the verb and read what remains. There is one genuine exception, with expressions of quantity such as a number of, a lot of, plenty of and the majority of, where the verb follows the noun after of: a number of items were damaged. Note that the number of reverts to the singular.

Q: In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that improves it. If the sentence needs no change, choose ‘No improvement’.The committee have decided to defer the matter to the next session.

Correct answer: has decidedA collective noun takes a singular verb when the group is acting as one body, and reaching a single decision is exactly that. So the committee has decided. The plural becomes correct only when the members are acting individually, and the sentence normally signals it: the committee were divided in their opinions, where the pronoun their confirms the reading. The test is whether one act or several are described. British usage tolerates the plural more readily than American, but Indian competitive examinations follow the unit rule, so the singular is expected unless the sentence points clearly the other way. The same treatment governs jury, team, government, family, audience, crowd, staff and population. The continuous forms offered here fail for a further reason: a decision already taken is a completed act, not one in progress.

Q: Will you kindly open the knot?

It should read untie.Knots are untied or undone. One opens a door or a letter; the verb does not go with knot.

Direction for [ Question No: 141 To 147 ] :

Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold type to make the grammatically correct?

141.

Select the grammatically correct sentence:
1. My sister is the poet and the philosopher.
2. My sister is a poet and the philosopher.
3. My sister is a poet and a philosopher.
4. My sister is a poet and philosopher.

Answer: D

It is sentence 4.

When one person holds two roles, the article is used once and the second noun goes bare - my sister is a poet and philosopher. Repeating the article would make her two different people.

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142.

Identify the incorrect sentence or sentences:
a. The news about coffee is surprisingly good.
b. Moderate intake of coffee does not pose a healthy threat.
c. The only serious charge against caffeine is that it may addict.
d. Its absence can result in headaches,fatigue,etc.

A.only a
B.only c
C.b and c
D.a and d

Answer: C

b and c are incorrect.

Sentence b needs a health threat, not a healthy one - healthy describes what is in good health, not what concerns health. The fault in c is of the same order.

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143.

He has said so out of affection; do not take it to heart.

A.it in the heart
B.in heart
C.by the heart
D.No improvement required.

Answer: D

No improvement is required.

Take it to heart is the idiom for being hurt by something. The preposition is to and the noun takes no article.

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144.

Identify the incorrect sentence or sentences:

a. Snowflake is one of nature's most exquisite creation.

b. A snowflake may be a single crystal or group of crystals.

c The crystals form high in the atmosphere.

d. Where it is cold, a crystal's delicate shape is preserved.

A.only a
B.only c
C.c and d
D.a and b

Answer: D

a and b are incorrect.

Sentence a needs the plural creations, since one of always selects from a group. Sentence b needs an article - a group of crystals.

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145.

Select the grammatically correct sentence:
1. He is one of the best policeman who has ever lived.
2. He is one of the best policeman who have ever lived.
3. He is one of the best policeman that have ever lived.
4. He is one of the best policeman that has ever lived.

Answer: C

It is sentence 3.

One of the best takes a plural noun, so policemen. The relative clause then describes the plural policemen and takes a plural verb: that have ever lived.

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146.

A cold drink is preferable than tea in summer.

A.much more preferable than
B.preferable to
C.more preferable to
D.No improvement required.

Answer: B

It should read preferable to.

Preferable already contains the comparison, so it takes to rather than than, and it cannot be strengthened by more - more preferable is a doubled comparative. Superior, inferior, senior and junior behave the same way.

Discuss in Forum

147.

Select the grammatically correct sentence:
1. She insisted on me to stay there.
2. She insisted on me staying there.
3. She insisted on my staying there.
4. She insisted in my staying there.

Answer: C

It is sentence 3.

Insist on takes a gerund, and the person doing the action is marked by a possessive - insisted on my staying. The object form me is common in speech but the possessive is the careful form.

Discuss in Forum

Direction for [ Question No: 148 To 150 ] :

In questions given below, a part of the sentence is italicised and underlined. Below are given alternatives to the italicised part which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no improvement is needed, option ‘D’ is the answer

148.

In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that improves it. If the sentence needs no change, choose ‘No improvement’.

The quality of the raw materials have deteriorated in recent months.

A.has deteriorated
B.have been deteriorating
C.were deteriorating
D.No improvement

Answer: C

Correct answer: has deteriorated

The subject is the quality, singular, so the verb is has deteriorated. Of the raw materials is a prepositional phrase and cannot supply the subject. This is the classic agreement trap: a singular head noun followed by of and a plural noun, with the plural standing next to the verb and pulling the ear the wrong way. The same pattern appears in the list of items is long, a bunch of keys was found and the cost of vegetables has risen. The remedy is mechanical - strike out everything between the head noun and the verb and read what remains. There is one genuine exception, with expressions of quantity such as a number of, a lot of, plenty of and the majority of, where the verb follows the noun after of: a number of items were damaged. Note that the number of reverts to the singular.

Discuss in Forum

149.

In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that improves it. If the sentence needs no change, choose ‘No improvement’.

The committee have decided to defer the matter to the next session.

A.has decided
B.have been deciding
C.are deciding
D.No improvement

Answer: D

Correct answer: has decided

A collective noun takes a singular verb when the group is acting as one body, and reaching a single decision is exactly that. So the committee has decided. The plural becomes correct only when the members are acting individually, and the sentence normally signals it: the committee were divided in their opinions, where the pronoun their confirms the reading. The test is whether one act or several are described. British usage tolerates the plural more readily than American, but Indian competitive examinations follow the unit rule, so the singular is expected unless the sentence points clearly the other way. The same treatment governs jury, team, government, family, audience, crowd, staff and population. The continuous forms offered here fail for a further reason: a decision already taken is a completed act, not one in progress.

Discuss in Forum

150.

Will you kindly open the knot?

A.untie
B.loose
C.break
D.No improvement

Answer: A

It should read untie.

Knots are untied or undone. One opens a door or a letter; the verb does not go with knot.

Discuss in Forum

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Sentence Improvement Questions and Answers

Direction for [ Question No: 141 To 147 ] :

Direction for [ Question No: 148 To 150 ] :

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