In this error spotting question, read the sentence and identify the part that contains a grammatical or usage error. The sentence is: "The shortest boy of the school did not hesitate to join the basketball team which was full of tall boys."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your awareness of correct preposition use in common English expressions. The sentence describes a boy who joins a basketball team despite being much shorter than the other players. You must find which part of the sentence is grammatically incorrect and would need to be rewritten in standard English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Full sentence: "The shortest boy of the school did not hesitate to join the basketball team which was full of tall boys."
• Segments:
  • A: The shortest boy of the school
  • B: did not hesitate to join
  • C: the basketball team which
  • D: was full of tall boys
• Option E: No error.
• We are looking primarily for a preposition or phrase that is not idiomatic.

Concept / Approach:
In English, when we refer to someone position in a group like a class, team, or school, the usual preposition is "in", not "of". For example, we say "the tallest boy in the class", "the best player in the team", and "the shortest boy in the school". The phrase "boy of the school" sounds unnatural here. The rest of the sentence, "did not hesitate to join the basketball team which was full of tall boys", is correct in both grammar and meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine segment A: "The shortest boy of the school". The comparison is between this boy and all other boys at the school. Step 2: Recall the natural expression: "the shortest boy in the school". The preposition "in" is standard when referring to membership in a group or institution. Step 3: Check segment B: "did not hesitate to join" is correct because it uses simple past and an infinitive after "hesitate". Step 4: Segment C: "the basketball team which" correctly introduces a relative clause about the team. Step 5: Segment D: "was full of tall boys" is grammatical and matches the noun "team". Step 6: Therefore, the only incorrect part is A, which should read "The shortest boy in the school".

Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the sentence with the corrected preposition: "The shortest boy in the school did not hesitate to join the basketball team which was full of tall boys." This version is fully natural. If you try to change any other part, for example "did not hesitate" to "did hesitate" or "was full of tall boys" to another form, you would introduce new errors. All other segments besides A are standard English, so A must be the problematic one.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Segment B correctly uses "did not hesitate to join" to describe his action.

Segment C correctly begins the relative clause referring back to "team".

Segment D correctly uses "was full of tall boys" to describe the composition of the team.

Choosing "No error" would ignore the clearly unidiomatic use of "of" in segment A.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent difficulty in error spotting questions comes from the influence of local usage, where phrases like "boy of the school" may be heard. However, competitive exams expect standard international English, in which "in the school" is preferred. To avoid confusion, remember examples such as "top student in the class" and "best worker in the company" and apply the same pattern here.

Final Answer:
The error is in segment A, which should be "The shortest boy in the school", so option A is correct.