In this error spotting question, identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error: She does not listen to me because she is senior than me.

Introduction / Context:
Error spotting questions test a learner knowledge of common grammar rules and correct usage in English. The sentence given is She does not listen to me because she is senior than me. Learners must identify which part contains a grammatical or idiomatic error. This particular question focuses on the correct preposition used with comparative adjectives such as senior, junior, inferior, and superior in standard English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Complete sentence: She does not listen to me because she is senior than me.
• The sentence is divided into segments: She does not listen to me, because she is, senior than me, and No Error.
• We must choose the segment that breaks a rule of correct English usage.
• Spoken and written competitive exam English rules apply.

Concept / Approach:
Adjectives such as senior, junior, inferior, and superior are followed by the preposition to, not than, in standard English. For example, we say She is senior to me, not senior than me. The word than is used after comparative forms like taller than, older than, or more experienced than, but not after senior and similar adjectives. Therefore, the phrase senior than me is incorrect. The correct form should be senior to me. Our approach is to locate this incorrect preposition and mark that segment as containing the error.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the entire sentence carefully: She does not listen to me because she is senior than me. Step 2: Check the first part She does not listen to me. This is grammatically correct. Step 3: Check the second part because she is. This is also correct and introduces a reason. Step 4: Focus on the third part senior than me and recall that senior is followed by the preposition to, not than. Step 5: Recognise that the phrase should read senior to me instead of senior than me. Step 6: Conclude that the error lies in the segment labelled senior than me.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify this by substituting other similar adjectives. We say He is junior to me, not junior than me, and This post is superior to that one, not superior than that one. These patterns show that these specific adjectives follow the structure adjective plus to. Comparing with typical comparative adjectives like taller than or older than, we see that senior behaves differently. Reference grammars for competitive exams also highlight this rule. This confirms that using than after senior in the sentence is an error and that the correct phrase should be senior to me.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
She does not listen to me: This part is grammatically correct and clearly states a behaviour.
because she is: This segment correctly introduces a reason and uses the correct form of the verb to be.
No Error: Choosing this would mean the sentence is fully correct, which is not true because senior than me is wrong usage.
senior than me: This phrase is incorrect because senior should be followed by to rather than than. Hence this segment contains the error.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners treat senior as if it were a regular comparative adjective like older and therefore use than by habit. This mistake is common in everyday speech and can even be heard from educated speakers, which makes it harder to unlearn. Another pitfall is to focus only on verb tenses and ignore prepositions, even though prepositions are a frequent source of errors in exams. To avoid such mistakes, students should remember the special group of adjectives senior, junior, inferior, superior, prior, and others that always take the preposition to.

Final Answer:
The erroneous part of the sentence is senior than me, because the correct phrase should be senior to me.