In the following sentence, one numbered part may have an error, or the sentence may be fully correct. Choose the number of the part that has an error, or choose option (4) for No Error. Sentence: Policy makers will think hard about creating (1) / an appropriate legal framework to (2) / prevent the capture of regulators by special interests. (3)

Introduction / Context:
This question checks noun choice in a political and legal context. It refers to a legal framework designed to prevent regulatory capture. In the stored version, the incorrect plural regulatories appeared, which is not standard English. The correct noun form is regulators, or regulatory bodies, and the learner must identify this error in the final part of the sentence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is divided into three numbered segments plus a No Error option.
• Part (1) says Policy makers will think hard about creating.
• Part (2) says an appropriate legal framework to.
• Part (3) says prevent the capture of regulators by special interests.

Concept / Approach:
The important concept is correct noun formation from adjectives such as regulatory. In political economy, the phrase regulatory capture describes a situation where private interests influence regulation to their advantage. The entities being captured are regulators, not regulatories. Regulatory is an adjective, used in phrases like regulatory authority or regulatory framework. The incorrect plural regulatories does not function as a valid noun in this context. Therefore, part (3) is the segment with the error.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read part (1): Policy makers will think hard about creating. This is a correct future statement using will think hard about.Step 2: Read part (2): an appropriate legal framework to. This phrase correctly leads into an infinitive of purpose.Step 3: Read part (3) as it was originally stored: prevent the capture of regulatories by special interests. Here, regulatories stands out as a non standard noun.Step 4: Recall that the standard plural noun is regulators, referring to authorities or agencies that regulate markets or sectors.Step 5: Recognise that regulatory is an adjective and should not be used with a plural s as a noun in this context.Step 6: Conclude that part (3) contains the wrong word form and should be corrected to prevent the capture of regulators by special interests.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, insert the corrected noun and read the full sentence: Policy makers will think hard about creating an appropriate legal framework to prevent the capture of regulators by special interests. This version uses established terminology from economics and public policy. Another check is to search your memory for common collocations: phrases like independent regulators, financial regulators, and regulators of the telecom sector all use the noun regulators, never regulatories. This confirms that the error lies in the third part.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option 1: Part (1) is grammatically correct, with no tense or agreement errors.Option 2: Part (2) is also grammatically correct and properly introduces the purpose of creating the framework.Option 4: Since part (3) contains a clear noun formation error, it is incorrect to claim that the sentence has no error.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners may not be familiar with the technical term regulatory capture and may therefore fail to notice the wrong noun form. Another pitfall is assuming that any word ending in ory can simply receive an s to become a plural noun, but this is not true. It is important to identify whether a word is functioning as an adjective or a noun before pluralising it. Understanding typical language used in news and policy discussions also helps in avoiding such mistakes.

Final Answer:
The incorrect noun form appears in the third part, so the correct option is 3.