A part of the sentence is underlined and may need improvement. The sentence is: Elephants live in groups in the jungle. Choose the option that best improves the underlined collective noun so that the sentence becomes more accurate and natural.

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question tests knowledge of collective nouns in English, especially those used for groups of animals. The sentence talks about how elephants live in groups in the jungle. While the word groups is understandable, English has a more specific and standard collective noun for elephants. Using the appropriate collective noun makes the sentence more natural and precise in formal and descriptive writing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: Elephants live in groups in the jungle.
• Options: crowds, herds, hoards, No improvement.
• The underlined word in the original question is groups.
• The task is to choose the collective noun that correctly refers to groups of elephants living together.

Concept / Approach:
In English, different animals often have specific collective nouns. For large plant eating mammals like elephants, cows, and deer, the common collective noun is herd. Thus, a herd of elephants is the usual expression. Crowds is used more often for groups of people, while hoards refers to hidden stores of valuable objects or treasure, and is unrelated to animal groups. The approach is to identify which option correctly names a group of elephants in natural language.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the meaning of the original phrase: elephants live in groups in the jungle. Step 2: Recall that a group of elephants is typically called a herd of elephants. Step 3: Examine Option B, herds, and substitute it into the sentence: Elephants live in herds in the jungle. This sounds natural and correct. Step 4: Consider crowds. Crowds in the jungle suggests human gatherings, not animals in their natural social structure. Step 5: Consider hoards. A hoard is usually a hidden store of money or valuables, and hoards in the jungle makes no sense for elephants. Step 6: No improvement would keep groups, which is acceptable but less precise than herds. The exam expects the specific collective noun. Step 7: Conclude that herds is the best improvement of the underlined word.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, look at common usage in books, documentaries, and educational material. Phrases such as herds of elephants moving across the savannah and elephant herds gather near the waterhole are standard in English. When we talk about group behaviour of elephants, herd is the normal term. In contrast, crowds is associated with people in cities or events, and hoard is used in phrases like a hoard of coins or a hoard of treasure. These comparisons confirm that herds is the correct collective noun to use here.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
crowds: This word is generally used for large numbers of people, especially in public places, and does not accurately refer to animal groups in the wild.
hoards: A hoard is a secret or guarded store of valuables, not a word for groups of animals living together.
No improvement: While groups is understandable, it does not use the appropriate and more precise collective noun that English provides for elephants.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes overlook collective nouns and rely on general words like groups or lots. Another pitfall is confusing words that sound similar, such as herd and hoard, without paying attention to their meanings. To improve, it is helpful to learn common animal related collective nouns such as herd of cattle, flock of birds, pride of lions, and school of fish, and to practise using them in sentences.

Final Answer:
The underlined word should be improved to herds, giving the sentence: Elephants live in herds in the jungle.