In the following error spotting sentence, identify which part contains a grammatical error: Many of us have striving to produce (1) a blend of all cultures that seem (2) today to be in clash with one another. (3) No error (4).

Introduction / Context:
This item checks your understanding of correct verb forms in perfect tenses and of agreement between verbs and helping verbs. Sentences like this appear frequently in competitive examinations, where a single wrong auxiliary or missing past participle changes the entire grammatical structure. You are asked to decide which numbered part of the sentence has an error or whether the sentence is correct as written.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is divided into four parts.
• Part (1): Many of us have striving to produce.
• Part (2): a blend of all cultures that seem.
• Part (3): today to be in clash with one another.
• Part (4): No error, meaning the sentence is completely correct.
• We assume standard present perfect usage in English.

Concept / Approach:
The auxiliary "have" in English is followed by a past participle to form the present perfect tense, such as "have worked" or "have been striving". The phrase "have striving" is incomplete because "striving" is a present participle and needs "been" to form the present perfect continuous ("have been striving") or needs to be replaced by the past participle "striven" to form "have striven". The rest of the sentence uses normal relative clause and prepositional structures and is grammatically acceptable.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine part (1): "Many of us have striving to produce". The sequence "have striving" looks unusual. Step 2: Recall that after "have" we usually use a past participle for present perfect, such as "have tried", or we use "been" plus an ing form for present perfect continuous, as in "have been striving". Step 3: Recognise that "have striving" is missing "been". A correct version would be "have been striving to produce" or "have striven to produce". Step 4: Check part (2): "a blend of all cultures that seem". This is a valid noun phrase with a relative clause; "that seem" correctly agrees with "all cultures". Step 5: Check part (3): "today to be in clash with one another". The phrase "in clash" is slightly unusual but acceptable as "in clash with"; the basic structure is acceptable for exam purposes. Step 6: Since the only clear grammatical problem is in part (1), the error must be located there.

Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the corrected sentence: "Many of us have been striving to produce a blend of all cultures that seem today to be in clash with one another." Now the present perfect continuous tense "have been striving" correctly shows an ongoing effort. The other parts of the sentence fit well with this form. Another valid alternative would be "have striven to produce", but the original stem clearly aims at a continuous action. No other part needs correction, confirming that only part (1) contains the error.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part (2) correctly uses "that seem" with the plural noun "cultures". Changing it to "seems" would create disagreement. Part (3) has a slightly formal but acceptable expression "to be in clash with one another", which can be understood as "in conflict with one another". Part (4), "No error", is wrong because the sentence clearly needs a correction in the verb phrase of part (1). Therefore, parts (2), (3), and (4) cannot be chosen as the error locations.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes overlook errors in helping verb chains, especially when they see a familiar ing form. They may also try to change "seem" in part (2), thinking it should be singular, or they may get distracted by the expression "in clash" in part (3). To avoid such mistakes, always check that each auxiliary is correctly followed by the right form of the main verb. Remember that "have" plus ing form almost always requires "been" in between for continuous aspect.

Final Answer:
The incorrect portion is Part (1), because "have striving" should be corrected to "have been striving" or "have striven".