Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Part B: "of me failing"
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Error spotting questions test a candidate knowledge of standard grammatical patterns in English. The sentence given here is There is no question of me failing in the examination. At first glance it may look almost correct, but competitive exams often hide a small but important mistake in such structures. Understanding the correct use of gerunds and possessive forms is crucial to selecting the right answer.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The full sentence is: There is no question of me failing in the examination.
- The sentence is divided into four parts labelled A, B, C, and D.
- Only one part contains a grammatical error.
- We assume standard formal British or Indian English usage as in exams.
Concept / Approach:
The expression there is no question of is often followed by a gerund, which is the ing form of a verb used as a noun, as in there is no question of his failing. In careful formal English, a noun or possessive pronoun normally precedes such a gerund. Therefore, instead of me failing, the preferred structure is my failing. The underlying idea is that failing functions as a noun, and my acts like a determiner for this verbal noun. We need to check which part carries this error in the original sentence division.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Look at part A: There is no question. This is a correct fixed phrase meaning there is no possibility.
Step 2: Look at part B: of me failing. Here the combination of me with the gerund failing sounds informal and is not considered correct in formal written English.
Step 3: Look at part C: in the examination. This prepositional phrase is grammatically fine and follows standard usage.
Step 4: Part D represents the option that the sentence has no error.
Step 5: The acceptable formal form should be of my failing in the examination, not of me failing in the examination.
Step 6: Therefore, part B is the portion that requires correction, so it is the error containing segment.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by rewriting the sentence in a clearly correct form: There is no question of my failing in the examination. Another way is to test with pronouns like he or she. We say there is no question of his failing, not there is no question of him failing in formal written English. This pattern confirms that the possessive form is required before the gerund. Thus the problem lies precisely in the phrase of me failing, which should be of my failing.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong as the phrase there is no question is an accepted expression meaning no doubt or no possibility.
Option C is wrong because the phrase in the examination correctly describes the location or situation and does not contain any error.
Option D is wrong because the sentence is not completely error free; it needs a correction in part B.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to accept conversational patterns like me failing, him failing, or them failing as fully correct in formal written English. Exams at this level usually expect the more standard structure with possessive pronouns before gerunds, such as my failing or his coming. Students may also over focus on obvious elements like in the examination and think it should be during the examination, but the preposition in is perfectly acceptable here. Concentrating on the known rule that a gerund often takes a possessive pronoun helps avoid confusion.
Final Answer:
The correct answer is Part B: "of me failing".
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