English: Error Spotting for Upcoming Exams – Set 204

Directions(1-5): In the given question, a part of the sentence is given in brackets. Below the sentence, alternatives to that part are given as (A), (B), (C) and (D), which may help improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative out of the given five options. In case the given sentence is correct, your answer will be (E), i.e., "No correction required".

1. The local authorities had repaired the roads a few months ago, but heavy rains damaged them again, bringing life (back to one square).
   Back to the drawing boards
   Back to square one
   Back to the board room
   Back to the drawing room
   No correction required
   Option B
   The context of the sentence makes it clear that the rains had damaged the work done by the authorities and the life returned to where it initially was. The most appropriate phrasal verb to depict this idea is “back to square one” which means to go back to the beginning, after a dead-end or failure.
   Back to the drawing board— used to indicate that an idea, scheme, or proposal has been unsuccessful and that a new one must be devised.
   
    



2. When life throws you an unexpected but unpleasant surprise , one has to (take the day away).
   Take the day off
   Take the leap
   Take the day quietly
   Take the plunge
   No correction required
   Option A
   In case of unpleasant surprises, one takes leave from work. The most appropriate phrasal verb to depict this idea is ‘Take the day off’ which means a day in which one does not work, either at one's place of employment or on a particular task or project.
   Take the leap — to go for something- to take one's chances on something
   Take the plunge - commit oneself to a course of action about which one is nervous.
   
    



3. Army commandoes are deprived of sleep (towards night) to prepare them for difficult circumstances.
   All night
   Through night
   Through nighter
   At the dead of night
   No correction required
   Option A
   It is clear that the army commandoes are being made to stay awake the entire night. The most appropriate phrasal verb to depict this idea is ‘All night’ which means lasting, open, or operating throughout the night.
   
   Throughout night — during the whole period i.e. whole night
   All nighter - an event or activity that continues throughout the night.
   At the dead of night – the quietest, darkest part of the night
   
    



4. She was always friendly with everyone but knew that the only person she could (count in) was only herself.
   count out
   count off
   count for
   count on
   No correction required
   Option D
   It is clear that she was the only one who could help herself in her difficult times. The most appropriate phrasal verb to depict this idea is ‘Count on’ which means to depend on someone to do what you want or expect them to do for you.
   Count for — to be valid for something; to be worth something
   Count in - To include someone or something in something, especially as participants are being recruited.
   Count off – to separate into equal divisions by counting
   
    



5. (Noted by experts) that there are technical and ethical obstacles these tools are unlikely to surmount any time soon.
   As noted by experts
   Many experts note
   Experts have made note of
   Experts having noted
   No correction required
   Option B
   The phrase in B is the right answer as it carries forward the sentence meaningfully and is grammatically correct.
   
    


Directions(6-10): Given below are three statements, of which some may be incorrect. Identify the correct statement(s).


6. I. Most of coral reef animals spend the early part of their lives as tiny larvae floating in the water.
   II. Most coral reef animals spend the earliest part of their lives as tiny larvae floating in the water.
   III. Most coral reef animals spend the early part of their lives as tiny larvae floating in the water.
   Only I
   Only II
   Only III
   Both I and II
   All of these
   Option C
   Whenever we use 'most of', the article 'the' should be paced before the noun that denotes the group (coral reef animals). So, sentence I is wrong.
   Superlative degree is used when we are comparing one to many. In sentence II, there is no comparison being done among the various parts of the lives. We are pointing out one single part of their lives. So, it should be 'early' instead of 'earliest'. Part II is also wrong.
   
   
    



7. I. The primary catalyst driving nonhuman primate population decline is large-scale habitat loss.
   II. The primary catalyst driving nonhuman primate population declining is large-scale habitat loss.
   III. The primary catalyst that drives nonhuman primate population decline is large-scale habitat loss.
   Only I
   Only II
   Only III
   Both I and III
   All of these
   Option D
   The given sentence in all the three cases are stating the same fact. Simple present tense is usually used for this purpose. So, sentence III is correct. if we use continuous tense (driving), then also it would be correct because the process of declining is still continuing. So, sentence I is also correct.
   Sentence II is wrong because "decline" is the name of the process and thus, cannot be a verb in its continuous form. So, sentence II is wrong. Hence, the correct answer is D.
   
    



8. I. India is home to arguably the world’s most diverse and oldest human civilisation.
   II. India is home of arguably the world’s most diverse and oldest human civilisation.
   III. India is home for arguably the world’s most diverse and oldest human civilisation.
   Only I
   Only II
   Only III
   Both I and II
   All of these
   Option A
   'Home to' is used precisely for talking about inhabitants of a given place (be it plants, animals, people, or robots).
   'Home of' refers to the place where something was first discovered, made or developed.
   'Home for' is often used to designate some kind of charity group house.
   We are talking about the natural habitat of humans. So, 'home to' is the correct phrase.
   
    



9. I. Chota Udaipur was a small princely state in Gujarat, ruled by descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan.
   II. Chota Udaipur is a small princely state in Gujarat, which used to be ruled by descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan.
   III. Chota Udaipur is a small princely state in Gujarat, which was once ruled by descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan.
   Only I
   Only II
   Only III
   Both I and II
   All of these
   Option
   
   
    



10. I. The origins of Nataraja, and of the Hindu god Shiva himself, lies thousands of years ago.
    II. The origins of Nataraja, and of the Hindu god Shiva himself, lie thousands of years ago.
    III. The origin of Nataraja, and of the Hindu god Shiva himself, lie thousands of years ago.
    Only I
    Only II
    Only III
    Both I and II
    All of these
    Option B
    The subject of the sentence is "origin(s)' of Nataraja" and the corresponding verb is "lie(s)". Both of them should be either in singular or plural. Only sentence II has both of them in plural (origins, lie). Sentence I has the subject in plural (origins) and the verb in singular (lies). Sentence III has the subject in singular (origin) and the verb in plural (lie). This is grammatically incorrect.