Find the part of the sentence that contains an error, if any: Her mother is (1) angry and (2) indifferent to me. (3) No Error (4).

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: 4

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:

This question asks you to check whether a given sentence is grammatically correct and to identify the segment containing an error if there is one. The sentence uses a simple present tense verb and a pair of adjectives joined by and. Such structures are very common in English, and examiners use them to test basic agreement and correct linking of descriptive words.


Given Data / Assumptions:

- Sentence: Her mother is (1) angry and (2) indifferent to me. (3) No Error (4). - Part 1: Her mother is. - Part 2: angry and. - Part 3: indifferent to me. - Part 4: No Error.


Concept / Approach:

We need to verify subject verb agreement, the correctness of adjectives, prepositions, and overall sentence structure. The subject is her mother, which is third person singular, and the verb is is, which correctly matches that subject. Adjectives angry and indifferent are properly linked by and, and the phrase indifferent to me is correctly formed. If all parts are grammatically sound and idiomatic, then the correct answer is No Error.


Step-by-Step Solution:

1. Examine part 1: Her mother is. The subject her mother is singular, and the verb is uses the correct form of to be for third person singular present. 2. Examine part 2: angry and. The adjective angry appropriately describes emotional state, and the conjunction and clearly signals that another adjective will follow. 3. Examine part 3: indifferent to me. The adjective indifferent is normally followed by the preposition to when indicating lack of concern about or interest in someone, so indifferent to me is correct. 4. Combine the parts to read the full sentence: Her mother is angry and indifferent to me. This reads naturally and correctly expresses that her mother both feels angry and shows indifference. 5. Since there is no grammatical, structural, or idiomatic error in any part, the correct option is No Error, which is part 4.


Verification / Alternative check:

Compare similar constructions for confirmation: He is tired and hungry, She is worried and upset with me, They are friendly and helpful. All of these follow the pattern subject plus be verb plus two adjectives joined by and, sometimes followed by a prepositional phrase. Her mother is angry and indifferent to me fits exactly into this pattern. There is no mismatch of tenses, no wrong preposition, and no incorrect word order.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Part 1: Her mother is correctly uses the singular be form for the singular subject; no error here. Part 2: angry and is correct; angry is a proper adjective and the conjunction and is used properly. Part 3: indifferent to me correctly uses the adjective indifferent with the preposition to; there is nothing wrong with this phrase.


Common Pitfalls:

Some candidates may overthink and suspect an error where none exists, especially in error spotting questions. This can lead to choosing a part at random. The correct strategy is to check each part systematically for tense, agreement, prepositions, and idiomatic usage. If all parts are clearly correct, it is safe and sometimes necessary to choose No Error as the answer.


Final Answer:

The sentence is grammatically correct, so the right choice is 4 (No Error).

More Questions from English

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion