Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: 2
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The sentence in this question focuses on the correct use of verb forms in passive and active constructions. It talks about India as a rising economic superpower, and the examiner wants to check whether the learner can recognise that the phrase is emerged is not a correct English structure. This is a common type of error tested in competitive exams.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The main grammar concept is the use of present perfect tense versus passive voice. When we say that a country has become or has emerged as something, we normally use the present perfect active form: has emerged as an economic superpower. The structure is emerged combines the verb be with a past participle emerged, which would form a passive voice. However, the verb emerge is intransitive in this sense, meaning it does not take a direct object and is rarely used in a passive construction. Therefore, is emerged is ungrammatical here. The correct form is has emerged or has now emerged as the economic superpower of the world.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read part (1): India, a country of more than 1 billion. Although the phrase more than 1 billion population is stylistically awkward, it is not the main grammar error tested here, and such expressions sometimes appear in examination English.Step 2: Read part (2): population, is emerged as the. Here, is emerged stands out as an incorrect combination.Step 3: Recall that the usual expression is has emerged as or has become.Step 4: Read part (3): economic superpower of the world. This part is correct as a noun phrase and fits naturally after has emerged as.Step 5: Therefore, identify part (2) as containing the primary grammatical error.Step 6: Rewrite mentally as India, a country with a population of more than 1 billion, has emerged as the economic superpower of the world to confirm the correction.
Verification / Alternative check:
As an alternative check, consider whether is emerged can ever be used correctly. Because emerge in this sense means to come forth or to arise, it does not take an object, and so a passive structure with be plus emerged is not standard. When we want to express a completed change of state that started in the past and has relevance now, we choose the present perfect: has emerged. Substituting has emerged makes the sentence grammatically sound and consistent with common English usage in news and academic writing about national economies.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option 1: While many teachers would prefer India, a country with a population of more than 1 billion, the phrase a country of more than 1 billion population is not strictly ungrammatical in exam usage and is usually not treated as the main error.Option 3: Part (3) is a correct noun phrase and does not contain any tense or agreement issues.Option 4: Since the sentence clearly contains an error in part (2), it cannot be classified as error free, so No Error is not the right choice.
Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes focus on style instead of grammar and may think that part (1) must be the error because the wording sounds slightly clumsy. However, error spotting questions normally target a clear grammatical mistake, and is emerged is a much stronger and more objective error. Another pitfall is confusion between passive and perfect constructions. Remember that be plus past participle typically signals passive voice, while have plus past participle indicates perfect aspect. For intransitive verbs like emerge, the perfect form has emerged is usually appropriate, not a passive voice form.
Final Answer:
The incorrect verb phrase is in the second segment, so the correct option is 2.
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