In the following question, some part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If the sentence is free from error, select "No Error". Sentence: I took the shortest (1)/ way through the (2)/ little park close the palace. (3)/ No Error (4)

Introduction / Context:
This error spotting question evaluates your understanding of correct prepositional usage in English. The sentence describes taking a route through a small park near a palace. One part of the sentence contains a grammatical error, and you must identify which numbered segment is wrong. Such questions are common in competitive exams to test fine points of grammar and usage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Full sentence: I took the shortest (1)/ way through the (2)/ little park close the palace. (3)/ No Error (4).
• Segment (1): I took the shortest.
• Segment (2): way through the.
• Segment (3): little park close the palace.
• Segment (4): No Error.

Concept / Approach:
The phrase little park close the palace is incorrect because in English we need a preposition before the noun palace to express nearness. The correct phrase is close to the palace. The rest of the sentence I took the shortest way through the little park is grammatically fine. Therefore, the error is located in part (3), where the preposition to is missing between close and the.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine part (1), I took the shortest. This is acceptable as the beginning of a comparative phrase. Step 2: Examine part (2), way through the. This connects naturally with part (1) to form I took the shortest way through the ..., which is correct. Step 3: Examine part (3), little park close the palace. Here, close is used as an adjective meaning near, but it normally takes the preposition to when followed by a specific noun: close to the palace. Step 4: Recognise that the correct construction should be little park close to the palace. Step 5: Conclude that part (3) contains the error because of the missing preposition to.

Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the corrected sentence: I took the shortest way through the little park close to the palace. This version sounds natural and is grammatically correct. Parts (1) and (2) now fit neatly with the corrected part (3). Since all other segments are sound, the error must indeed be in segment (3). Therefore, option c, representing part (3), is the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part (1) is fine because the comparative expression the shortest way is standard. Part (2) is fine because through the correctly introduces the location of the path. Part (4) does not refer to any sentence segment but is the no-error option, which cannot be chosen because we have identified a clear grammatical mistake. Hence, options a, b, and d are incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to misread close as a verb and become confused about verb tense, but here it clearly functions as an adjective meaning near. Another pitfall is to focus only on verb forms and ignore prepositions, even though prepositional errors are widely tested. To improve accuracy, always pay attention to common adjective + preposition combinations like close to, good at, interested in, and responsible for.

Final Answer:
The error is in part (3); the phrase should be little park close to the palace.