In the sentence "Due to heavy monsoon showers, the water in the dam rose another foot", which option is the best improvement of the bracketed part "rose another foot", if any improvement is needed?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: no improvement

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the common English grammar pattern where you are asked to improve a bracketed part of a sentence. The focus is on correct verb choice and natural usage in standard English. The sentence describes what happened to the water level in a dam after heavy monsoon showers, so the main issue is whether the verb phrase "rose another foot" is grammatically correct and idiomatic, or whether one of the alternative options is better.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The full sentence is: Due to heavy monsoon showers, the water in the dam rose another foot.
  • The bracketed part in the original version is "rose another foot".
  • The alternatives given are "raised another foot", "raised by a feet", "had risen a foot", and "no improvement".
  • We assume standard modern written English and a neutral description of an event in the recent past.


Concept / Approach:
Two key grammar ideas are tested here. First, there is the difference between the intransitive verb "rise" and the transitive verb "raise". "Rise" means to go up by itself, while "raise" means to lift something. Second, the sentence needs a natural and correct expression of increase in height. When we say that the water level in a dam went up, we normally use "rose" with no direct object. The phrase "rose another foot" is idiomatic: it means that the level increased by one foot. Therefore the base expression in the original sentence is already correct and does not require any improvement.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the subject and verb in the original clause. The subject is "the water in the dam" and the verb is "rose".Step 2: Recall that "water" as the subject is not performing an action on something else; rather, it is itself going up, so an intransitive verb is needed.Step 3: Note that "rise" is intransitive (the water rises), while "raise" is transitive (someone raises something).Step 4: Check the phrase "rose another foot". This is a common way to describe an increase in level or height and is grammatically acceptable.Step 5: Compare the alternatives and see that none of them improves the sentence; therefore "no improvement" is the best choice.


Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by reading similar sentences in grammar books or news reports. Expressions like "the river rose three inches overnight" or "the share price rose five percent" are standard. You can also test the alternatives in context: "Due to heavy monsoon showers, the water in the dam raised another foot" sounds wrong because "raise" usually requires an object. Similarly, "raised by a feet" has both verb and noun form problems. "Had risen a foot" is grammatically possible but introduces past perfect tense, which is not required here because there is no second reference point in the past. The simple past "rose" is the most natural tense in combination with "due to heavy monsoon showers".


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Raised another foot" incorrectly uses the transitive verb "raise" without an object. "Raised by a feet" is ungrammatical because "feet" is plural and should be "foot", and the tense still carries the same transitive problem. "Had risen a foot" uses past perfect, which normally needs another past event for comparison; without such a reference, it sounds unnecessary and overcomplicated. None of these alternatives offers a clear improvement over the original phrase.


Common Pitfalls:
Learners often confuse "rise" and "raise", automatically thinking that "raise" sounds more formal or correct, even when it is not appropriate. Another common mistake is to believe that past perfect tense "had risen" is always better than simple past, even when there is no logical reason. Test takers may also ignore number agreement and choose "feet" where "foot" is required. To avoid these errors, always check whether the verb takes an object, and whether the tense matches the time relationship in the sentence. Ask whether the event simply happened in the past, or whether it happened before another stated past event.


Final Answer:
The original phrase is correct, so the best choice is no improvement.

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