English: Error Spotting for Upcoming Exam – Set 178

Directions(1-10): In each of the following questions there are sentences. There is error in one of the parts. Mark the option which contains error parts as your answer. If no part contains error mark option E as your answer.

1. (A) When Vince Cable became the leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2017 – almost by default, as one of the few left standing – he deserved it. /(B) His had been a career defined by his party colleagues failing to harness his talents, /(C) and at last he had secured its top job. But last week he announced he would resign in May, at a point when it is likely the Lib Dems will have to step up: either for a decisive election or a people’s vote. /(D) For a mere two-year leadership span, it already feels like he has hung on far too long.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option A
   the leader = leader

    

2. (A) The people in charge have had three years to make a success of Brexit, and here we are nine days away from Brexit /(B) and we don’t even know if we’re nine days away from Brexit yet. /(C) Sure, Theresa May is asking for an extension, but only in the same way that you’re free to ask your teacher for an essay extension, /(D) when they know full well you’re going to cram that time full of yet more useless procrastination.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option E
   

    

3. (A) It is illogical for MPs to keep the government in office while rejecting its flagship policy. /(B) Before the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, it could have been impossible. /(C) The government would have had to make the vote on the deal a matter of confidence. MPs would either have had to accept it, or the government would have had to resign. /(D) But under the act the government can only be made to resign after a specific vote of no confidence not attached to other legislation.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option B
   could = would

    

4. (A) Yesterday, on the day a report from the New Economics Foundation comprehensively exposed the HS2 project as a London-boosting white elephant, /(B) I found myself writing this sitting in a station Wetherspoons because my train from Liverpool to Huddersfield has been cancelled. /(C) Last Saturday, I missed a talk for which I had tickets because my train to Manchester, again from Liverpool, was cancelled. /(D) On Monday, I was an hour late dropping my daughter at her grandma’s because our train – a Northern Pacer due for the knacker’s yard – broke down at the terminus.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option B
   has = had

    

5. (A) One thousand days since the referendum and nine to the UK’s formal departure date and the EU does not yet know how, when or even if the UK would leave the union. /(B) The mood in Brussels and national capitals remains focused, but there is growing impatience with Theresa May and her government. /(C) Even those member states that are traditionally friendly towards the UK have toughened their stance. /(D) The overwhelming view is that the ball remains firmly in London’s court and that it has to find a way through the turmoil.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option A
   would = will

    

6. (A) It’s become a kind of ritual: every Saturday evening, there are new images of thousands of gilets jaunes (yellow vests) in the streets of Paris and other French cities. /(B) Every week, protesters are injured by the police. /(C) Every week, commentators claim the movement is fading. And yet, the following weekend, the yellow wave washes over France again. /(D) The attendance numbers may fluctuate, but the anger will remains.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option D
   will remains = remain

    

7. (A) They have a nation reach that most climate campaigners would die for. They are familiar and respected experts on the science of meteorology. /(B) And they have prime-time slots at the end of almost every TV news bulletin, morning, noon and night. /(C) But the weather forecasters who guide everything from our clothing choices to our weekend plans seldom – if ever – /(D) mention the issue that is increasingly shaping our beloved British weather: climate change.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option A
   nation = national

    

8. (A) Although the idea of people being fed abhorrent rhetoric and conspiracy theories is nothing new, /(B) what we have seen in the past decade is an absolute explosion in the ready availability of this content, and easy access to the networks behind them. /(C) Gone are the days of hostile mobilisation being organised in quiet meetings in the back rooms of pubs – intolerance has changed with the times. Platforms such as Facebook and YouTube are carefully engineered to ensure you reach content and people you will find interesting. /(D) Of course, this is great if you’re into cars or Star Trek.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option E
   

    

9. (A) You might have heard that Britain is in crisis. Indeed, there’s a good chance that you will have heard little else. /(B) Turn on the TV, and a political reporter brings tidings of a fresh crisis for Theresa May. /(C) Flick on the radio, glance across the front pages, and one word will be splashed over and over again. /(D) Some mornings it seems the UK is under aerial bombardment from a noun.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   NE
   Option A
   you may have heard

    

10. (A) Even after decolonisation, several independent countries did not sever ties with the crown, /(B) and those that did remained convinced of the benefits of voluntary association through the Commonwealth. /(C) The rituals of the royal tour in the post-colonial period exploited this notion of progressive relations between the former imperial centre and the Caribbean. /(D) Before his marriage, Prince Harry was sent to playfully promote royal celebrity in the region. In a picture with Usain Bolt, Harry mimicked Bolt’s lighting bolt pose, and Bolt allowed Harry to win a race.
    A
    B
    C
    D
    NE
    Option E