English: Error Spotting for Upcoming Exams – Set 210

1. Directions(1-5): Four statements are given below at A, B, C and D. There may be some errors in the given statements. Mark the incorrect statement as the answer. If all the statements are correct, mark option E, i.e., “All are correct” as the answer.
   Not everyone can be one of those viral travel bloggers who rack up thousands of likes on their incredible pictures.
   It is not possible for everyone to be one of those viral travel bloggers who rack up thousands of likes on their incredible pictures.
   It is not everyone’s cup of tea to develop oneself into one of those viral travel bloggers who rack up thousands of likes on their incredible pictures.
   It is quite unaffordable for no one to be a one of those viral travel bloggers who rack up thousands of likes on their incredible pictures.
   All are correct.
   Option D
   Option D is the correct answer as the statement is grammatically incorrect. Here double negatives (quite unaffordable for no one) has been used which renders the sentence redundant.

    

2. No matter how many times Democrats say that Trump lacks the legitimacy to name a Supreme Court justice, no Republican will be swayed by this argument.
   It is impossible for any Republican to be swayed by the Democrats’ arguments that Trump lacks the legitimacy to name a Supreme Court justice
   The Democrats’ arguments that Trump lacks the legitimacy to name a Supreme Court justice can never sway any Republican.
   Though the Democrats have many times said that Trump lacks the legitimacy to name a Supreme Court justice, there is hardly any Republican who will be swayed by this argument.
   All are correct
   Option E
   

    

3. A group of scientists has used genetically-modified bacteria to create microscopic pieces of art, including Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa.
   The scientific community has witnessed the utilisation of genetic-modified bacteria to create microscopic pieces of art, including Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa.
   Genetically-modified bacteria have been used by a group of scientists to create microscopic pieces of art, including Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa
   All are correct
   The scientific community has gone a step ahead to use genetically-modified bacteria to create microscopic pieces of art, including Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa.
   Option B
   All the options except B carry correctly structured sentences. Option B is grammatically incorrect as “genetic” is an adjective, but we need an
   adverb to modify the verb “modified”. So, ‘genetically’ should be used instead of ‘genetic’.
   In standard English, “bacteria” is a plural term, while “bacterium” is singular. Hence, the plural verb “have” in part D is correct.

    

4. In the wake of her husband’s health crisis, she experienced the dif􀁽culty of accessing her husband’s health record, as an authorized family member.
   A difficulty in relation to accessing her husband’s health record as an authorized family member, was faced by the woman in wake of her husband’s health crisis.
   She experienced the difficulty of accessing her husband’s health record, as an authorized family member,
   On account of her husband’s health crisis, she experienced the dif􀁽culty of accessing her husband’s health record, as an authorized family member.
   All are correct
   Option E
   

    

5. Eclipses have caused fear, inspiring curiosity, and have been associated with myths, legends and superstitions throughout history or across cultures.
   Eclipses has caused fear, inspired curiosity, and have been associated to myths, legends and superstitions throughout history and across cultures.
   Eclipses have caused fear, inspired curiosity, and have been associated with myths, legends and superstitions across history and throughout cultures.
   Eclipses have caused fear, inspired curiosity, and have been associated with myths, legends and superstitions history and cultures.
   All are incorrect.
   Option E
   ‘Have’ needs to be followed by the participle form of verb (inspired), not by the continuous form (inspiring) to maintain parallelism. Thus, option A is wrong.
   The subject (Eclipses) is plural so the verb (has) should be plural too, i.e., “have”. We ‘associate with’ something. So, option B is also wrong.
   When we talk about something that spanned time (history), we use “throughout”. We use ‘across’ to emphasise that something is happening at the same time in many places. Thus, C is wrong.
   It is not specified how ‘history and cultures’ relate to the rest of the sentence. It is missing an adjective that will describe exactly how or when ‘history and cultures’ got influenced by eclipses. So, option D is wrong.
   Hence, the answer is option E.

    

Directions(6-10): Out of the five statements given below, only one is grammatically correct. Choose the correct statement as your answer.

6. She found herself submerged in nostalgia and many a memories kept haunting her.
   The history of puppetry has been both plagued or enriched by deeply contrasting attitudes.
   More then tragedy or serious drama, comic entertainment is controlled by social conventions that define the boundaries of acceptable humor and topics that are taboo or off-limits for humor.
   It is not the building that makes theater but rather the use of space for actors to imitate human experience before audience.
   Some historians believe that golf originates in The Netherlands but the Romans had a game played with a bent stick and a ball made of feathers that may have been the original source of the game.
   Option D
   ‘Many a-’ is followed by singular form of noun. Hence ‘many a memory’ is the correct usage. In statement B, the presence of the word ‘both’ requires the use of ‘and’, not ‘or’. The statement is logically incorrect. In statement C, ‘than’ is the correct usage. Not ‘then’ as it is a case of comparison. Statement D does not have any error. Statement E talks of an event in the past. Golf ‘originated’ in the Netherlands, not ‘originates’.

    

7. Mary like all her classmates have been trying to get admitted into the best college in the country.
   The beaver, Canada’s national animal, has some unusual characteristics. One unusual fact about beavers are their large sizes.
   Although I have known her for a long time now, I will never forget meeting her on that afternoon.
   The governor demonstrated leadership skills and an eye for development, similar all the governors before him.
   Inflation ended in January by 2.5 percent — faster than expected, and above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent.
   Option E
   The subject in statement A is Mary and hence the verb should be singular. Hence, ‘Mary like all her classmates has been trying to get admitted into the best college in the country’ is the correct fit. Statement B talks about ‘one unusual fact’, and it should be followed by ‘is’ and not ‘are’. Using size is more appropriate than using ‘sizes’. Statement C is incorrect as the verb ‘meet’ here should be directly followed by an object without preposition. In Statement D, ‘like’ should have been used in place of ‘similar’. Statement E is free of error.

    

8. The unadjusted index of consumer prices is distorted month to month by swings in volatile energy and food prices.
   The short-term interest rate stands at 0.5 to 0.75 percent — low by historical standards — and the Fed’s balance sheet, swollen by large-scale bond-buying operations, continue to supply strong monetary stimulus.
   During the meeting, the committee will also undertake performance review of import and export trade facilitation through Customs Port and Special Economic Zones where representatives of Revenue Department are also present.
   The longer we continue to pollute our ecosystem, higher the price our future generations will have to pay for our greed.(The structure is a “the + comparative…the + comparative…)
   Ergonomics have by now become an extremely popular specialization with the university receiving thousands of applications every year for its undergraduate program in Ergonomics.
   Option A
   Statement B has incorrect subject-verb usage. Here only ‘Fed’s balance sheet’ is the subject. Hence ‘continues’ should be used in place of continue.
   Statement C has incorrect verb tense usage. The statement talks of something that will happen in the future. Hence, ‘representatives of Revenue Department will also be present’ is the correct fit. For statement D, the correct structure is a “the + comparative…the + comparative…”. Hence, ‘the longer we continue to pollute our ecosystem, the higher the price our future generations will have to pay for our greed’. Ergonomics is not a plural hence ‘Ergonomics have…’ is incorrect.
   Only A is free of all errors and hence the correct choice.

    

9. John was an accomplished swimmer with many accolades to his name, but swimming across the English Channel were to cost him his life.
   For years, he was completely indifferent against arts, but now he never misses an art exhibition.
   Nearly a third of Indian cities have breached annual pollution limits mandated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) between 2011 and 2015, according to
   The numbers come at the back of international research reports attributing about a million deaths in India to air pollution.
   One or more of the planets in this new system could be at the right temperature to be awashed in oceans of water, astronomers said, based on the distance of the planets from the dwarf star.
   Option C
   Statement A should take ‘was’ and not ‘were’ after ‘swimming across the English Channel’. Statement B and D are both eliminated due to incorrect use of prepositions. One is indifferent to something, not against something. In statement D, the numbers come ‘on’ the back of international research not ‘at’. Awashed is an incorrect word, the right word to be used here is ‘awash’.

    

10. In keeping the growing importance and business of tourism in mind, the United Nations has declared 2017 to be the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
    For the first time in a decade, January and February have brought so much rain that the lake in the Napa Valley area north of San Francisco maxed out its water capacity
    To securing and controlling the global commodity chain, the West has used its vast military footprint and it has used its military and political power to pressure countries to honor intellectual property rights.
    Methane is about 28 times more effective of trapping the sun’s radiation in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide, the dominant greenhouse gas.
    The phenomenon of climate change, which is set to impact agriculture, is also expected to increase the menace of pests, leading to increased use of pesticide as well as more pesticide residues in the crops for consumers.
    Option E
    The phrase ‘in keeping’ is always followed by ‘with’ and means ‘conforming to’. It is not required in statement A. Hence, ‘Keeping the growing importance and business of tourism in mind…’ is the correct fit. Statement B should follow the present perfect tense throughout hence ‘has maxed out’ needs to be used in place of ‘maxed out’. ‘To securing and controlling’ is grammatically incorrect. The correct usage is ‘To secure and control’. Statement D has error in the use of prepositions. Methane is about 28 times more effective in trapping the sun’s radiation, not of trapping. Only statement E is grammatically correct.

     

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