In the following question, a sentence is divided into four parts, and one part may contain a grammatical or idiomatic error. Identify the part that has the error: My brother finds it difficult (1) / to pass away the time (2) / at the house of our grandparents. (3) / No Error (4).

Introduction / Context:
Error spotting questions check your understanding of idiomatic usage and common phrasal verbs in English. In this sentence, the speaker describes how his brother feels when he is spending time at the house of their grandparents. The error is not in the basic grammar but in the choice of phrasal verb, where a wrong expression has been used instead of the correct one accepted in standard English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence parts: (1) My brother finds it difficult; (2) to pass away the time; (3) at the house of our grandparents; (4) No Error.
• The phrase pass away has a well known meaning in English.
• The intended meaning is simply to spend time or occupy oneself, not to die.
• We have to choose which part contains the error, based on standard idiomatic usage.

Concept / Approach:
The important concept here is phrasal verbs. Pass away is a polite euphemism for die, especially when talking about people. The phrasal verb used to mean spend time is pass the time, or sometimes pass time, not pass away the time. Therefore, while each individual word in to pass away the time is simple, the phrase as a whole is incorrect in this context. Parts 1 and 3 are grammatically sound, so the error must be located in part 2.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the sentence for overall meaning: My brother finds it difficult to pass away the time at the house of our grandparents. The sense is that he feels bored or cannot keep himself occupied. Step 2: Check part 1, My brother finds it difficult. This is a correct and common structure: find it difficult plus infinitive. Step 3: Check part 3, at the house of our grandparents. This is a correct prepositional phrase describing location and does not show any grammatical error. Step 4: Focus on part 2, to pass away the time. In standard English, pass away is usually used as a verb of dying, for example His grandfather passed away last year. It is not the correct expression for spending time. Step 5: The correct idiomatic phrase would be to pass the time, as in He finds it difficult to pass the time at our grandparents' house. Step 6: Therefore, part 2 is the segment containing the error and should be marked as the answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Replace pass away with die and read the sentence: My brother finds it difficult to die the time at the house of our grandparents. This is clearly nonsensical. On the other hand, if you rewrite the sentence correctly as My brother finds it difficult to pass the time at the house of our grandparents, it communicates a normal idea of boredom. This contrast confirms that the expression in part 2 is wrong and must be corrected for the sentence to make sense.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part 1 uses a standard structure finds it difficult plus infinitive, so it is free of error.
Part 3, at the house of our grandparents, is grammatically correct; the possessive form of grandparents is acceptable, and the preposition at matches the context of being present at a place.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes over focus on small grammar points in the wrong place, such as thinking house of our grandparents should be changed to our grandparents house, while missing the more serious idiomatic error. In error spotting, always first check whether any phrase sounds unnatural in everyday English, especially phrasal verbs like pass away. Memorising the different meanings of pass away and pass the time is helpful because exam setters often target such pairs to test whether you know the difference between literal and idiomatic meanings.

Final Answer:
The error is in part 2, where to pass away the time should be changed to to pass the time.