Improve the underlined part of the sentence by choosing the most appropriate option: "Taj Mahal is (a worth seeing monument) in Agra."

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: a monument worth seeing

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the sentence improvement category. You are given a sentence with a grammatically awkward phrase in brackets: "Taj Mahal is (a worth seeing monument) in Agra." The task is to choose the option that best improves this part so that the sentence becomes natural and grammatically correct standard English.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Original sentence: "Taj Mahal is a worth seeing monument in Agra."
  • Underlined phrase to improve: "a worth seeing monument".
  • Options: "a monument to see its worth", "a monument worth seeing", "one of worth seeing monuments", "No improvement".
  • We need to express that the Taj Mahal is a monument that is worth seeing.


Concept / Approach:
The phrase "worth seeing" functions as an adjective phrase that typically comes after the noun it modifies, not before it. In English, we say "a book worth reading", "a place worth visiting", and "a monument worth seeing". Placing "worth" before "seeing" and after the noun is the standard pattern. Therefore, we must choose an option that follows this pattern and sounds natural to a native speaker, without adding unnecessary words or altering the meaning.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the problem in the original phrase. "A worth seeing monument" places the modifier "worth seeing" before the noun in an unusual way and does not follow common English word order. Step 2: Examine option B: "a monument worth seeing". This places the noun "monument" first, followed by the modifying phrase "worth seeing", which matches patterns like "a film worth watching". Step 3: Check option A: "a monument to see its worth". This changes the meaning, suggesting that one must see the monument in order to know its value, which is awkward and wordy. Step 4: Check option C: "one of worth seeing monuments". This phrase is ungrammatical; it should be "one of the monuments worth seeing" if rewritten properly. Step 5: Option D, "No improvement", would retain the clumsy original structure, which is not acceptable. Step 6: Conclude that "a monument worth seeing" is the most accurate and natural improvement.


Verification / Alternative check:
Insert option B into the full sentence: "Taj Mahal is a monument worth seeing in Agra." This reads smoothly as standard English and communicates exactly what is intended. Compare with "Taj Mahal is a worth seeing monument in Agra" which feels awkward. The version with "a monument to see its worth" is both longer and conceptually slightly different. The "one of worth seeing monuments" version is clearly incorrect. These comparisons confirm that option B is superior.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses an odd phrase "to see its worth", which is not a common collocation when recommending a tourist attraction.

Option C is grammatically flawed because the placement of "worth seeing" without "the" and proper noun order is incorrect.

Option D fails to fix the unnatural structure in the original sentence and therefore cannot be correct.


Common Pitfalls:
Students often accept non native patterns if they sound slightly formal or complex. However, exam setters test familiarity with natural collocations like "worth seeing", "worth visiting", and "worth reading" in their correct positions. A good tip is to remember examples: "This is a movie worth watching", "That is a book worth reading", and then transfer the pattern to new nouns. Doing so quickly shows that "a monument worth seeing" is the correct choice here.


Final Answer:
The improved sentence should read: "Taj Mahal is a monument worth seeing in Agra."

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