English grammar error-spotting (connector choice and adverb placement): Read the sentence in parts (A–D) and pick the erroneous segment; if there is no error, choose ‘‘No error’’: ‘‘His father died of cholera / but his mother also, / though very weak, is out of danger. / No error.’’

Given data

• A: ‘‘His father died of cholera’’
• B: ‘‘but his mother also,’’
• C: ‘‘though very weak, is out of danger.’’
• D: ‘‘No error.’’

Concept / ApproachThe contrastive coordinator ‘‘but’’ clashes with the additive adverb ‘‘also’’. The intended meaning is concessive/additive: the mother, too, is safe despite weakness. Use ‘‘but’’ without ‘‘also’’, or keep ‘‘also’’ and replace ‘‘but’’ with a neutral connector.

Step-by-step evaluationCorrect: ‘‘His father died of cholera, but his mother, though very weak, is also out of danger.’’ (Move ‘‘also’’ next to the verb.)Therefore, Part B is erroneous: ‘‘but his mother also,’’.

Common pitfalls

• Combining incompatible logical connectors.
• Placing ‘‘also’’ away from the verb it modifies.

Final Answerbut his mother also,