In the sentence "For young Donald, peace in Vietnam was almost terrible as war", which part (a, b, c, or d) contains the grammatical error that needs correction?

Introduction / Context:
This is a classic English error spotting question. The sentence has been divided into labelled parts: (a) For young Donald, (b) peace in Vietnam, (c) was almost terrible as war, and (d) No error. Your task is to identify which segment contains a grammatical or idiomatic mistake. Such questions are common in competitive exams because they test not only grammar rules but also natural usage of fixed expressions in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The full sentence reads: "For young Donald, peace in Vietnam was almost terrible as war."
• Part (a) is "For young Donald".
• Part (b) is "peace in Vietnam".
• Part (c) is "was almost terrible as war".
• Part (d) indicates "No error".
• We assume the intended meaning is that peace in Vietnam was almost as terrible as war for this young person.

Concept / Approach:
The key language concept here is the standard English construction "as adjective as". When we compare two things for equality or near equality, we use "as" before and after the adjective, as in "as tall as", "almost as good as", or "as terrible as". In the given sentence, the phrase "almost terrible as" is incorrect because it omits the first "as". The correct comparative structure should be "almost as terrible as war". Therefore the error lies in the segment that contains this faulty phrase, which is part (c).

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Check part (a) "For young Donald". This introductory phrase is grammatically correct and clearly sets the point of view.Step 2: Check part (b) "peace in Vietnam". This noun phrase is also correct and identifies what is being discussed.Step 3: Examine part (c) "was almost terrible as war". Here, focus on the comparative expression.Step 4: Recall the correct structure "almost as terrible as war". The missing "as" before "terrible" indicates the error.Step 5: Conclude that part (c) contains the error, so the correct answer is option c.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, rewrite the sentence using the correct comparative pattern: "For young Donald, peace in Vietnam was almost as terrible as war." This revised sentence sounds natural and conforms to standard English grammar. If you search for similar structures in textbooks or articles, you will consistently see "as" placed before and after the adjective in equal or near equal comparisons. You will not find "almost terrible as" used in standard references. Parts (a) and (b) are simple noun phrases and prepositional phrases and show no errors, while part (d) "No error" is only selected when you find no mistake in any part, which is not the case here.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a (part a) is correct because "For young Donald" is a valid introductory phrase. Option b (part b) is correct because "peace in Vietnam" is a clear and grammatically sound noun phrase. Option d (part d), which signals no error in the sentence, is wrong because there is indeed an error in part (c) that must be corrected. Since the problem lies only in the comparative pattern in part (c), no other option can be right.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners read quickly and focus on big content words like "peace" and "war", overlooking small but important function words such as "as". They may also think "almost terrible as war" sounds close enough to correct and so mark "No error". Another common issue is confusion about when to use "than" and when to use "as". Remember that "as adjective as" is used for equality or near equality, while "more or less adjective than" is used for unequal comparisons. Training yourself to notice these small connecting words can greatly improve accuracy in error spotting questions.

Final Answer:
The error is in part c, where "was almost terrible as war" should be "was almost as terrible as war".