Question 1

Sentence improvement (parallel tense and voice): choose the best correction for a habitual-action sentence  Original sentence: "The small child does whatever his father was done."  Select the option that makes the sentence grammatically correct and …

Accepted Answer

Given data Original: “The small child does whatever his father was done.” Goal: Correct tense/voice and ensure parallel structure. Concept/Approach For habitual/general actions, keep present simple in both clauses: “does … does”. Also, avoid passive “was done” where an active verb is needed. Option analysis does — correct parallelism: “The small child does whatever his father does.” ✅has done/had done — perfect aspects shift the meaning to completed past; not a general habit.did — simple past mismatches the present habitual “does”.No correction required — incorrect because “was done” is ungrammatical in this context. Common pitfalls Mixing tenses inside a general, timeless statement. Accidentally using passive voice (“was done”) after “whatever his father …”. Final Answer … whatever his father does.

Question 2

Sentence improvement (polarity and logic): evaluate if any correction is required  Original sentence: "You need not come unless you want to."  Choose the best option; if the sentence is already correct and natural, select "No correction required".

Accepted Answer

Given data Original: “You need not come unless you want to.” Concept/Approach The structure “need not … unless …” is idiomatic and logically sound: attendance is unnecessary except in the case where the person desires to come. Option analysis No correction required — correct; the original is concise and idiomatic. ✅You don’t need to come unless you want to — also acceptable paraphrase, but test directions typically prefer “No correction required” when the given sentence is already correct.You come only when you want to — changes modality (from permission/necessity to a restrictive rule).You come unless you don’t want to / You needn’t come until you don’t want to — faulty logic/awkward temporal use of “until”. Common pitfalls Confusing unless (if not) with until (up to the time that). Final Answer No correction required.

Question 3

Vocabulary precision (reference by shortened form): choose the best replacement for “short names only”  Original sentence: "There are not many men who are so famous that they are frequently referred to by their short names only."  Select the most ap…

Accepted Answer

Given data Phrase to refine: “referred to by their short names only”. Concept/Approach Initials are the shortened alphabetic representations of a person’s name (e.g., M.K. Gandhi). “Signatures” are handwritten name forms; “pictures” are images; “middle names” are a specific part of a name. Why “initials” fits Fame often leads to being referred to by initials alone (e.g., JFK, SRK). This is the precise, idiomatic substitution for “short names only.” Final Answer initials

Question 4

Relative pronoun after a preposition: choose the correct form for a defining relative clause  Original sentence: "The man to who I sold my house was a cheat."  Select the option that corrects the relative pronoun usage.

Accepted Answer

Given data Construction: preposition “to” + relative pronoun. Concept/Approach After a preposition, use the oblique case “whom” (not “who”): “to whom”. Past simple “sold” must be retained to match the past transaction. Option analysis to whom I sold — grammatically correct and retains the past tense. ✅to whom I sell/to who I sell — incorrect tense and/or pronoun form.who was sold to — changes the subject and voice, implying the man was sold, which is illogical.No correction required — original has a pronoun error. Final Answer to whom I sold

Question 5

Sentence improvement (word order and aspect): determine whether a correction is required  Original sentence: "They were all shocked at his failure in the competition."  Choose the best option; if the sentence is already correct, select "No correctio…

Accepted Answer

Assessment The original sentence is idiomatic: “were all shocked at …” correctly places “all” after the auxiliary and uses the preposition “at” with “shocked”. Why other options fail “were shocked at all” — changes meaning (“at all” = to any extent) and misplaces “all”. Perfect forms (“had … shocked”) misrepresent the state as an action and mishandle participles/prepositions. “on” is the wrong preposition after “shocked”. Final Answer No correction required.

Question 6

Sentence improvement (idiom and reflexive use): choose the option that best completes the idiom  Original sentence: "I need not offer any explanation regarding this incident — my behaviour is speaking itself."  Select the most natural and idiomatic …

Accepted Answer

Concept The fixed idiom is “something speaks for itself,” meaning it is so clear that no further explanation is needed. English does not say “speaking itself/ about itself” here. Option analysis speaks for itself — correct idiom; concise and natural. ✅will speak to itself — wrong preposition and odd meaning.has been speaking — wrong aspect, and still missing the idiomatic “for itself”.speaks about itself — wrong preposition; changes meaning. Final Answer … my behaviour speaks for itself.

Question 7

Sentence improvement (too … to + infinitive): select the correct construction after “too …”  Original sentence: "He is too important for tolerating any delay."  Choose the option that corrects the infinitival construction.

Accepted Answer

Rule The standard pattern is “too + adjective + to + base verb” (e.g., “too important to tolerate”). Option analysis to tolerate — correct infinitive after “too important”. ✅to tolerating, at tolerating, with tolerating — incorrect preposition/gerund usage for this pattern.No correction required — original is unidiomatic (“for tolerating”). Final Answer … too important to tolerate any delay.

Question 8

Comparative with collective nouns: choose the correct phrasing when comparing populations  Original sentence: "The population of Tokyo is greater than that of any other town in the world."  Select the best option; if the original is correct, choose …

Accepted Answer

Reasoning When comparing the population of one city with others, we avoid repeating “population” by using the pro-form “that (population)”. Hence: “greater than that of any other town …” is correct and precise. Why alternatives are wrong “greatest among any other” — mixes superlative with “any other,” which is ungrammatical. “greater than all other” — would need “the populations of all other towns,” and still less precise than the original. “those of any other” — plural “those” mismatches the singular “population”. “greater than any other” — compares Tokyo (a city) with “any other” city, not their populations; comparison is ill-formed. Final Answer No correction required.

Question 9

Comparatives vs. superlatives: correct the degree of comparison in a two-item comparison  Original sentence: "The performance of our players was rather worst than I had expected."  Choose the option that corrects the comparative form.

Accepted Answer

Rule Use the comparative “worse” with “than” (two-term comparison). “Worst” is the superlative and cannot be paired with “than”. Option analysis worse than I had expected — correct comparative construction. ✅bad as I had expected — uses “as … as” and changes meaning.worse than expectation — awkward noun form; less idiomatic than a full clause.worst than was expected — incorrect degree; superlative with “than”.No correction required — original is erroneous. Final Answer worse than I had expected.

Question 10

English grammar — sentence improvement (verb form after auxiliary 'did'): Choose the correction that makes the sentence grammatically correct and natural in standard written English.  Original sentence: "Why did you not threw the bag away?"  Select …

Accepted Answer

Given data Sentence uses auxiliary did in an interrogative: "Why did you not ___ the bag away?" Options vary the form and order of the main verb throw. Concept/Approach In questions with the auxiliary do/does/did, the main verb appears in its base form (bare infinitive). Past simple is carried by did, not by the main verb. Step-by-step check A. "did you not throw" → base form after did ✔B. "had you not threw" → wrong auxiliary and wrong past form ✖C. "did you not thrown" → past participle after did ✖D. "you did not thrown" → wrong order for a question and wrong form ✖E. "No correction required" → incorrect because "threw" cannot follow "did". ✖ Correct construction "Why did you not throw the bag away?" Common pitfalls Using past/participle (threw/thrown) after did; forgetting inversion in questions. Final Answer did you not throw

Question 11

English usage — collocation and word choice: Improve the sentence by choosing the best replacement for the highlighted noun phrase.  Original sentence: "Shapes of gods and goddess are worshipped by people."  Select the option that yields the most id…

Accepted Answer

Given data Noun phrase: "Shapes of gods and goddess" stands in subject position. Goal: choose a more accurate and idiomatic word. Concept/Approach Images (of deities) is the standard collocation in religious contexts. "Reflections" suggests mirrors; "clay shapes/toys" are overly specific and change meaning. Evaluation of options "Images" → correct, widely used: "Images of gods and goddesses are worshipped.""Reflections" → incorrect sense."Clay shapes"/"Clay toys" → restrict material and alter meaning."No correction required" → original is unidiomatic. Corrected sentence "Images of gods and goddesses are worshipped by people." Common pitfalls Incorrect singular "goddess" with plural "gods"; avoid vague "shapes" in this context. Final Answer Images

Question 12

English grammar — gerund after the preposition "in addition to": Choose the correction that makes the sentence grammatically sound and stylistically natural.  Original sentence: "In addition to enhanced their reputations through strategic use of phi…

Accepted Answer

Given data Fixed phrase: "in addition to" requires a noun/gerund, not a past participle. Pronoun agreement with "companies". Concept/Approach After the preposition "to" (as part of the prepositional phrase "in addition to"), use a gerund (-ing form): "in addition to enhancing...". Option analysis A. "of enhancing..." → changes the fixed preposition; ungrammatical in this slot.B. "to having enhance" → mixed forms; should be "having enhanced" if used, but still awkward.C. "to enhancing their reputation" → correct gerund after "in addition to". ✔D. "to have their reputation enhancing" → wrong structure and meaning.E. "No correction required" → original "enhanced" is incorrect after "in addition to". Corrected sentence "In addition to enhancing their reputation through the strategic use of philanthropy, companies are sponsoring social initiatives to open new markets." Common pitfalls Confusing the prepositional "to" with the infinitive marker. Final Answer to enhancing their reputation

Question 13

English grammar — article with quantifier "few": Improve the sentence by selecting the correct phrase.  Original sentence: "The intruder stood quietly for few moments"  Choose the best replacement for the highlighted portion.

Accepted Answer

Given data Target phrase: "for few moments". Concept/Approach A few (with the article) means "some"; few without article means "hardly any" and is not idiomatic here. The natural collocation is "for a few moments". Option analysis A. "few time" → uncountable noun mismatch.B. "the few moments" → implies a specific limited set; odd here.C. "for moments" → vague/unnatural.D. "for a few moments" → correct and idiomatic. ✔E. No correction → original is incorrect. Corrected sentence "The intruder stood quietly for a few moments." Final Answer for a few moments

Question 14

English grammar — sentence improvement (reported achievement): Decide whether the original sentence requires correction.  Original sentence: "The police has so far succeeded in recovering only a part of the stolen property."  Choose the option that …

Accepted Answer

Given data Structure: Present perfect progressive sense with "has so far succeeded in + -ing". Object: "only a part of the stolen property". Concept/Approach The idiom is "succeed in + gerund". "So far" is the standard time adjunct. While many style guides prefer plural agreement "police have" (treating "police" as a plural collective), exam conventions sometimes accept institutional singular. The alternatives offered are ungrammatical or non-idiomatic. Option analysis A. "thus far succeeded for recovery" → wrong preposition and noun form.B. "succeeded in recovery of" → wordy/awkward nominalization.C. "as for as" → incorrect phrase; should be "as far as".D. "succeeded to recover" → wrong verb pattern; should be "succeeded in recovering".E. "No correction required" → best among given options. Note on agreement In many dialects, "The police have..." is preferred; however, within this item's choices, grammar and idiom favor the original. Final Answer No correction required

Question 15

English grammar — reported speech consistency: Determine whether any change is needed.  Original sentence: "He confidentially asked the crowd if they thought he was right and the crowd shouted that they did."  Choose the option that produces the bes…

Accepted Answer

Given data Two reported clauses: "if they thought he was right" and "that they did". Concept/Approach Ellipsis in reported speech allows auxiliary "did" to stand for the entire earlier verb phrase ("did [think he was right]"). Tense backshifts are consistent (thought / was). Option analysis A. "that he did" → changes the subject meaning.B. "that they had" → wrong auxiliary; suggests possession or past perfect.C. "that he is" → breaks tense consistency.D. "that he didn't" → reverses meaning.E. "No correction required" → idiomatic and correct. ✔ Final Answer No correction required

Question 16

English grammar — clause order in extraposition ("it is not clear why …"): Select the best reordering of the clause.  Original sentence: "Why should the candidates be afraid of English Language is not clear."  Choose the option that best improves th…

Accepted Answer

Given data We need an embedded wh-clause subject: "Why the candidates should be …" + predicate "is not clear". Concept/Approach In embedded questions, subject–auxiliary inversion is not used. Therefore, use "why the candidates should be afraid …" rather than "why should the candidates be …". Option analysis A. "the candidates should be" → supplies the correct non-inverted order. ✔B. "do the candidates be" → ungrammatical.C. "should be the candidates" → wrong order.D. "are the candidates" → changes meaning and still inverted.E. No correction → original uses inversion incorrectly. Corrected sentence "Why the candidates should be afraid of the English language is not clear." Final Answer the candidates should be

Question 17

English grammar — participial clause for simultaneous action: Choose the correction that makes the sentence tense-consistent.  Original sentence: "He found the gold coin as he cleans the floor."  Select the best replacement for the highlighted part.

Accepted Answer

Given data Main clause in past simple: "He found…" Subordinate action is simultaneous and backgrounded. Concept/Approach Use a participial clause to show simultaneous action with past main clause: "He found … while cleaning the floor." This avoids a tense clash ("found" vs "cleans"). Option analysis A. "as he had cleaned" → past perfect implies completion before finding; wrong meaning.B. "while he cleans" → present simple clashing with past simple.C. "which he is cleaning" → present progressive clash and relative clause not needed.D. "while cleaning" → concise, tense-consistent, and idiomatic. ✔E. No correction → original is inconsistent. Corrected sentence "He found the gold coin while cleaning the floor." Final Answer while cleaning

Question 18

English grammar — parallel structure and tense: Choose the option that best improves the sentence.  Original sentence: "He admired the speed with which he completed the work and appreciating the method adopted by him"  Select the replacement for the…

Accepted Answer

Given data First verb: "admired" (past simple). Second coordinated element must match the tense and form. Concept/Approach Maintain parallelism in coordinated predicates: past simple + past simple. Also keep the natural collocation "appreciated the method adopted (by him)". Option analysis A. "appreciate … being adopted" → wrong tense and awkward passive progressive.B. "appreciated the method adopted" → correct tense and idiom. ✔C. "appreciate the method of adoption" → incorrect structure and tense.D. Redundant/incorrect phrasing.E. No correction → original mixes "admired" with "appreciating" (nonparallel). Corrected sentence "He admired the speed with which he completed the work and appreciated the method adopted by him." Final Answer appreciated the method adopted

Question 19

English usage — phrasal verb "pick a quarrel" and adverb form: Choose the best improvement.  Original sentence: "Maria unnecessarily picked up a quarrel with Rani and left the party hurried."  Select the option that corrects the highlighted phrasal …

Accepted Answer

Given data Phrasal verb used: "picked up a quarrel" (non-idiomatic). Context: starting/initiating a quarrel with someone. Concept/Approach The idiomatic expression is pick a quarrel (with someone), not "pick up a quarrel". Therefore, replace "picked up" with the simple verb "picked". (Though "hurried" would ideally be "hurriedly," the test focuses on the underlined phrase.) Option analysis A. "has picked up" → wrong phrasal verb and tense.B. "picked on" → means "to bully," not start a quarrel.C. "picked" → correct idiom: "picked a quarrel". ✔D. "picking up" → wrong phrasal verb and form.E. No correction → would retain the non-idiomatic phrase. Corrected sentence (focus on underlined part) "Maria unnecessarily picked a quarrel with Rani …" Final Answer picked

Question 20

Sentence improvement (parallel structure and verb form): make the list of actions grammatically parallel  Original sentence: "She cooks, washes dishes, does her homework and then relaxing."  Choose the best option that corrects the sentence with con…

Accepted Answer

Given data Original list of actions: cooks, washes, does, and relaxing. Task: ensure all items in the coordination have parallel, consistent verb forms. Concept/Approach In coordinated lists, English prefers parallel structure—here, the first three verbs are present simple (third-person singular). The final item must match: present simple relaxes, not the -ing participle relaxing. Step-by-step reasoning Identify pattern = present simple (3rd person singular): cooks / washes / does → therefore final item = relaxes.Placement of the temporal connector “then” is fine before the last verb: “… and then relaxes.” Option analysis then relaxes — correct parallel verb form and natural word order. ✅relaxing then, then is relaxing, relaxing is then — wrong form/aspect and/or unnatural order.No correction required — incorrect because “relaxing” breaks parallelism. Common pitfalls Mixing -ing participles with finite verbs in simple lists. Final Answer Corrected sentence: “She cooks, washes dishes, does her homework, and then relaxes.”

Sentence Correction Questions