Directions (Qs. 1 - 15): In each of the following questions, a part of the sentence is underlined. Choose the grammatically correct option that can replace the underlined part. If no correction is required, the choose option 'd' as the answer.
1. Everybody among the guests were enjoying their drink when the theft took place.
a) was enjoying his or her drink when the theft took place.
b) was enjoying their drink when the theft took place.
c) were enjoying his or her drink when the theft took place. d) No correction required
2. Americans are accustomed drinking coffee with their meals.
a) accustomed at drinking coffee with their meals.
b) accustomed in drinking coffee with their meals.
c) accustomed to drinking coffee with their meals.
d) No correction required
3. The fact that he was uninterested in politics was clear from the way he shunned political news.
a) The fact that he being disinterested in politics
b) The fact that he was disinterested in politics
c) The fact that he was disinterested about politics
d) No correction required
4. After every student had turned in their paper, the teacher dismissed the class.
a) After every student had turned in his or her paper,
b) After every student had turned in one’s paper,
c) After every student had turned in your paper,
d) No correction required
5. The baby fell and hurt his leg.
a) and hurt it’s leg. b) and hurt its leg.
c) and hurt herself. d) No correction required
6. Thieves broke in his house yesterday.
a) inside his house yesterday. b) into his house yesterday.
c) house yesterday. d) No correction required
7. The tiger sprang into the goat.
a) with the goat. b) in the goat.
c) upon the goat. d) No correction required
8. There are four assistants beside the head of the department.
a) are four assistants besides
b) was four assistants beside
c) is four assistants beside
d) No correction required
9. An average person has approximately 1,00,000 hairs.
a) have approximately 1,00,000 hairs.
b) have approximately 1,00,000 hair.
c) has approximately 1,00,000 hair.
d) No correction required
10. What else can you expected if you go on a late-night outing?
a) can you expect if you goes
b) could you expected if you go
c) can you expect if you go
d) No correction required
11. The major reasons students give for failing to participate in the political process is that they have demanding assignments and work at part-time jobs.
a) are demanding assignments and they work at
b) are that they have demanding assignments and that they have
c) is having demanding assignments and having
d) No correction required
12. Many people are alarmed by the recent TADA Court ruling that gives judges discretionary powers to determine about closing trials to the public.
a) whether he or she ought to close trials
b) if he or she should close trials
c) whether or not trials should be closed
d) No correction required
13. Separated by the sea from any major population centre, the people of Antarctica have developed a unique culture.
a) have developed into a very unique culture.
b) have a unique development, their culture.
c) had developed their culture uniquely.
d) No correction required
14. Neither she nor her plight were any longer amusing.
a) Neither her nor her plight were any longer amusing.
b) Neither she or her plight was any longer amusing.
c) Neither she nor her plight was any longer amusing.
d) No correction required
15. Opening a bag, it was seen by Ram that a cat jumped out instead of a hare.
a) Ram saw that on opening a bag a cat jumped out instead of a hare.
b) A bag being opened by Ram, a cat jumped out instead of a hare.
c) On opening a bag, Ram saw a cat jump out of it instead of a hare.
d) No correction required
Key With Explanations
1-a; According to subject-verb agreement, a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. ‘Everybody’ is a singular subject and should be followed by a verb in the singular form. Hence, the correct usage is: “Everybody …… was enjoying his or her …… place.” Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
2-c; The preposition ‘to’ should follow ‘accustomed’. So, the correct usage is: “Americans ……. accustomed to ….. meals”. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
3-b; Option (a) is grammatically incorrect. The correct way of writing the sentence is ‘... he was disinterested...’ Option (d) is incorrect because the correct usage is ‘disinterested in’ and not ‘disinterested about’. Hence, option (b) is correct.
4-a; ‘Every student’ is a singular subject, so, the correct pronoun to be used in the given case will also be singular (his or her) and not ‘their’. Hence, option (a) is correct.
5-b; In case the gender is not specific, we use the possessive pronoun ‘its’. Therefore, the correct answer is given in option (b). Option (a) uses ‘it's’ which means ‘it is’. And options (c) and (d) are incorrect because gender is not specified in the given sentence. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
6-b; ‘Break in’ is an intransitive verb and it has no direct object and ‘break into’ is transitive verb and we should specifically what was broken into. The correct sentence should be: thieves broke into his house yesterday. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
7-c; The right preposition to be used here is ‘upon’. ‘Sprang’ means a leap or sudden movement; to jump. Options (a), (b) and (d) are logically incorrect. 'Into' as a preposition means to or towards the inside of something. Hence, option (c) is correct.
8-a; ‘Besides’ means in addition to and ‘beside’ means ‘at the side of’. Hence, the correct usage is: “There are ……. besides …... department”. Also, the plural form ‘are’ should be used because ‘assistants’ is plural. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
9-d; ‘An average person’ is singular and will take the singular verb ‘has’. So, options (a) and (b) are negated. ‘Hair’ is used when we refer to it as a whole. ‘Hairs’ is used when we can count them. In the given case, ‘hair’ is used as a count noun. So, the sentence is correct in its given form.
10-c; Option (a) is incorrect because ‘you’ is never used with the verb ‘goes’. The correct way of writing the sentence is ‘... if you go ...’ Option (b) is grammatically incorrect. The correct way of writing the sentence is “what else can you expect if...” Hence, option (c) is the correct choice.
11-b; We are talking about more than one reason, so, the plural form of the verb should be used. Also, you do not work ‘at’ a part-time job. You ‘have’ a part-time job. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
12-c; Option (d), 'about closing trials' is grammatically incorrect. 'Whether' as a conjunction is the correct usage to indicate choices or possibilities. However, option (a) is incorrect because 'judges' is plural and can not take the singular pronouns 'he or she'. Similarly, option (b) is incorrect. Thus, option (c) is the correct answer.
13-d; The given sentence is absolutely correct and need not be changed. Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
14-c; As per the rule, when using ‘neither ... nor’ in a sentence, if both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. For example: neither Sita nor Gita is going to write the letter. In the given context, the correct sentence should be: neither she nor her plight was any longer amusing. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
15-c; ‘On opening a bag’ is a modifier which is referring to the subject ‘Ram’. So, it has to be placed immediately after it. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
