Read the following sentence and identify the part that contains an error, or select "No error" if the sentence is correct: "Tell me the name of a country where every citizen is law-abiding and no trouble is there."

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: and no trouble is there

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This error spotting question tests your sense of natural word order in English. The sentence describes an ideal country "where every citizen is law-abiding and no trouble is there." The last clause is not expressed in idiomatic English; the correct phrasing would be "and there is no trouble." Your task is to identify the part containing this error.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Full sentence: "Tell me the name of a country where every citizen is law-abiding and no trouble is there."
  • Parts: (a) Tell me the name of, (b) a country where every citizen is law-abiding, (c) and no trouble is there, (d) No error.
  • The intended meaning: an ideal country where all citizens obey the law and there is no trouble.


Concept / Approach:
In English, we usually say "there is no trouble" rather than "no trouble is there" when we want to state that trouble does not exist in a place or situation. While both structures may be understandable, only "there is no trouble" sounds natural and correct. Consequently, the phrase "and no trouble is there" in part (c) is faulty and should be reversed to "and there is no trouble".


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine part (a): "Tell me the name of". This is a correct imperative clause introducing a request.Step 2: Examine part (b): "a country where every citizen is law-abiding". This is a grammatically correct relative clause describing the country.Step 3: Examine part (c): "and no trouble is there". The word order is not natural; the clause should be expressed as "and there is no trouble".Step 4: Recognise that this incorrect ordering is the error the question expects you to spot.Step 5: Therefore, part (c) contains the error.


Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the sentence correctly: "Tell me the name of a country where every citizen is law-abiding and there is no trouble." This revised version flows smoothly and matches everyday usage. Saying "and no trouble is there" feels awkward and is rarely, if ever, used by native or proficient speakers. Comparing the two forms makes it clear that the problem lies in the clause structure of part (c).


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part (a) is a standard way to ask for specific information and has no grammatical error. Part (b) correctly uses "where" to introduce the relative clause and uses "law-abiding" as a compound adjective. Option (d) "No error" is incorrect because we have clearly identified an unnatural and grammatically weak clause in part (c).


Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates suspect the hyphen in "law-abiding" or the structure "where every citizen is law-abiding" instead of noticing the unnatural word order later. Others accept "no trouble is there" as acceptable because it is technically understandable. In formal exam English, however, idiomatic word order is important. Remember that when you want to say something does not exist in a place or situation, "there is no..." is the usual pattern, not "no ... is there".


Final Answer:
The error is in part "and no trouble is there"; it should be "and there is no trouble".

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