Sentence Correction: Practice Questions

DIRECTIONS for the question 1 to 9: In the sentence provided a part of the sentence is underlined. Beneath the sentence, four/five different ways of paraphrasing the underlined part are indicated. Choose the best alternative amongst the four/five.
  1. The information presented in the most recent reports indicate that turbulent times lie ahead for those who have invested only in Blue Chip stocks.
    1. indicate that turbulent times lie ahead for those who have invested only in Blue Chip stocks.
    2. indicate that turbulent times should lie ahead for those who have invested only in Blue Chip stocks.
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    4. indicate that turbulent times are laying ahead for those who have invested only in Blue Chip stocks.
    5. indicates that turbulent times lie ahead for those who have invested only in Blue Chip stocks.
    6. indicates that turbulent times are laying ahead for those who have invested only in Blue Chip stocks.
  2. Critics charge that Indian Cricket Association lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
    1. lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
    2. lobbied for stadiums with less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
    3. lobbied for stadiums that had been built with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
    4. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
    5. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats as a means of reducing supply so they could increase ticket prices.
  3. The teacher gave example of the great personalities to show that everyone must be held responsible for their actions.
    1. to show that everyone must be held responsible for their actions.
    2. to demonstrate their belief that everyone must be held responsible for their actions.
    3. to demonstrate its belief that everyone must be held responsible for their actions.
    4. to signal how no one should be able to get away with committing acts of terrible negligence.
    5. to show that everyone must be held responsible for his actions.
  4. Each of the songs were great and the choice for the best one among all three was very difficult indeed.
    1. were great and choosing the best one among the three was very difficult indeed.
    2. was great and choosing the best one among the three was very difficult indeed.
    3. were great and choosing the best one between the three was very difficult indeed.
    4. was great and choosing the best one between the three was very difficult indeed.
    5. was great and choosing the best one between the three was very difficult indeed.
  1. Unfortunately last night temperature dropped suddenly , which will mean that the shoots emerging from the soil will be killed by the frost
    1. which will mean that the shoots emerging from the soil will be killed by the frost
    2. which will mean that the frost will kill the shoots emerging from the soil.
    3. and this will mean that the shoots emerging from the soil will be killed by the frost.
    4. and the resulting frost will kill the shoots that are emerging from the soil.
    5. and as a result, the shoots will be killed by the frost, emerging from the soil.
  2. A large number of holiday seekers are choosing to fly to remote islands in search of the perfect beach; seeking sand, sun and palm trees, rather than centers of entertainment.
    1. ; seeking sand, sun and palm trees, rather than centers of entertainment.
    2. ; seeking sad, sun, palm trees and not entertainment.
    3. , with sand, sun, palm trees and no entertainment.
    4. , they seek sand, sun and palm trees, rather than entertainment centers.
    5. ; they seek sand, sun and palm trees, rather than centers of entertainment.
  3. The board of directors requires that these reports should be submitted before the end of the current quarter.
    1. that these reports should be submitted
    2. that these reports be submitted
    3. for these reports to be submitted
    4. these reports submission
    5. these reports should be submitted
  4. The best way to promote creative thinking is not to promise monetary rewards for ideas, but to ensure that the person making the suggestion receives recognition for his contribution.
    1. but to ensure that the person making the suggestion receives recognition for his contribution.
    2. but to ensure that the person who makes the suggestion will be receiving recognition for his contribution.
    3. but rather by ensuring that the person making the suggestion receives recognition for his contribution.
    4. but rather ensure that suggestion-maker receives recognition for his contribution.
    5. but instead make sure that the suggestion-maker will receive recognition.
  5. It ought to be him with whom you share your secrets, not me.
    1. him with whom you share your secrets, not me
    2. him with whom you share your secrets, not I.
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    4. he with whom you share your secrets, not me.
    5. he with whom you share your secrets, not I.
    6. him with who you share your secrets, not me.
Sentence Correction: Answers
1. D The underscored portion of the sentence lacks conciseness. This should be rather obvious. What may not be as obvious, however, is the subject-verb disagreement between "information" and "indicate."
Choices A, B, and C can be eliminated because they each begin incorrectly with the verb "indicate." Choice E is wrong because it uses the incorrect verb "lay" rather than "lie."
2. A 'Fewer' answers the question, "How many?" (fans, balls, hot dogs, seats) and 'less' answers the question, "How much?" (soda, dirt, salt). This eliminates answer choices B, D, and E. Answer choice C is unnecessarily wordy and implies that the stadiums had already been built before the lobbying began.
3. E The pronoun 'everyone' is singular and it cannot take their with it. Thats why answer choices A, B, and C can be eliminated. Answer choice D changes the meaning of this sentence too much by adding a strong emotional judgment and incorrectly uses "how" to introduce the idea "no one should be able to get away with committing acts of terrible negligence."
4. B "Each" is singular, and so the underlined portion should begin with 'was' rather than 'were.' Answer choices A, C, and E can therefore be eliminated. Answer choice D differs from B in that D uses 'between' and answer choice B uses 'among.' 'Between' is used only when one is talking about two items. In the case of the 3 movies, the word "among" should be used.
5. D The word which does not have an antecedent noun, and so the construction is incorrect in A and B. Similarly, in C this does not have a noun to which it refers. D is the best choice. In E the phrase emerging from the soil is dangling.
6. E Options A and B are wrong because the partciple seeking cannot start with a semicolon. Option 3 changes the meaning by putting no 'entertainment'. In options 4 and 5, a semicolon was required as a new sentence starts from 'they'. That's why option 5 is right.
7. B Subjunctive constructions (wishes and demands) do not need should. Thats why options A and E are wrong. Options 3 and 4 are awkward in construction.
8. A Options C, D and E violate parallelism. It should be "not to promise monetary rewards......but to .......". Out of options A and B, A is more concise
9. C After the different forms of the verb to be, we use subject forms of pronouns, except after the infinitive where we use the object form.
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