In this error spotting question, identify the incorrect part in the sentence about school administration giving students more responsibility.

Introduction / Context:
This error spotting question tests your understanding of verb patterns after the verb consider. The sentence suggests that the school administration should think seriously about giving students more responsibility and empowering the student council. However, one part of the sentence uses the wrong form of a verb, which disrupts the correct structure that normally follows consider. Recognising verb ing forms after certain verbs is essential for accurate English usage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Part 1: Our school administration should seriously consider
• Part 2: given students more responsibility and empowering
• Part 3: the student council to play more than a symbolic role.
• Part 4: No error
• The intended phrase is consider giving students more responsibility.

Concept / Approach:
After the verb consider, when it is followed by another verb, English typically uses the gerund form ending in ing. For example, we say consider doing something, consider changing the plan, or consider giving more time. The word given in part 2 is a past participle and does not fit directly after consider in this structure. Instead, we need giving, which is the gerund form. The second verb empowering is already in the correct ing form, which confirms that the pattern should be consider giving and empowering. Therefore, part 2 contains the error.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Look at the verb consider in part 1 and identify that another verb follows it in part 2. Step 2: Recall that after consider, we use the ing form of verbs, such as consider giving or consider changing. Step 3: Notice that part 2 uses given students more responsibility, which is a past participle, not a gerund. Step 4: Replace given with giving to form consider giving students more responsibility. Step 5: Decide that part 2 is where the grammatical error occurs.

Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the sentence with the correction: Our school administration should seriously consider giving students more responsibility and empowering the student council to play more than a symbolic role. Now, both giving and empowering are in the ing form, correctly following consider in a parallel structure. The sentence reads naturally and matches standard patterns taught in grammar books. Since only part 2 required this change, we can confirm that part 2 is indeed the erroneous segment.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part 1, Our school administration should seriously consider, correctly sets up the modal verb phrase and introduces the idea to be considered.

Part 3, the student council to play more than a symbolic role, is grammatically acceptable as the continuation of empowering the student council.

Part 4, No error, is incorrect because we have identified a misused verb form in part 2.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse the past participle and gerund forms when they look similar, especially with regular verbs. Many learners know that consider is followed by a verb ing form but may still write consider to give or consider given. To avoid this, memorise the pattern consider + gerund and practise with examples such as consider studying harder, consider moving abroad, and consider giving more responsibility.

Final Answer:
The error is in part 2; it should read giving students more responsibility, not given students more responsibility.