MCQ
Spotting errors MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 15 Spotting errors questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Choose the option that contains a grammatical error in the sentence: "The committee, along with its legal advisers, have submitted a revised compliance report to the registrar."
The error lies in subject-verb agreement. The grammatical subject is "The committee", a collective noun treated here as a single body. The phrase "along with its legal advisers" is only an intervening additive phrase; it does not make the subject plural. Therefore, the verb should agree with "committee" and read "has submitted". Candidates often let the nearer plural noun "advisers" control the verb, but proximity does not decide agreement when the head subject is clear.
Q2Match the erroneous expression in List I with its correct form in List II. List I: 1. different than his predecessor 2. superior than all rival proposals 3. accused for embezzlement 4. discussed about the amendment List II: P. accused of embezzlement Q. discussed the amendment R. different from his predecessor S. superior to all rival proposals
This item tests fixed prepositional patterns and one transitive verb. In standard British/Indian English, 'different from' is preferred in formal usage, and comparative adjectives of superiority take 'to', not 'than': 'superior to'. The verb 'accuse' is followed by 'of' when naming the offence: 'accused of embezzlement'. Finally, 'discuss' is transitive and does not normally take 'about' before its object; we say 'discussed the amendment'. Therefore the complete matching is 1-R, 2-S, 3-P, 4-Q.
Q3Read the assertion and reason, then choose the correct option. Assertion (A): The sentence 'Having reviewed the objections, the revised list was published by the board' contains a grammatical error. Reason (R): A participial phrase placed at the beginning of a sentence must logically modify the subject that immediately follows it.
The assertion is true: 'Having reviewed the objections' is an introductory participial phrase, and it must describe the subject that follows. In the given sentence, the following subject is 'the revised list', but a list cannot review objections. The implied reviewer is the board, so a correct version would be 'Having reviewed the objections, the board published the revised list.' The reason states the exact rule behind the error, so both A and R are true, and R explains A.
Q4Choose the sentence that is free from grammatical error.
In a neither...nor construction, the verb is normally governed by the subject nearer to it. In option C, the nearer subject is 'the chairperson', which is singular, so the singular verb 'was' is correct. Options A and B deliberately reverse this agreement: A has a singular verb after the nearer plural subject 'members', and B has a plural verb after the nearer singular subject 'chairperson'. Option D breaks the required correlative pair by using 'or' after 'neither'.
Q5Match the erroneous expression in List I with the correction in List II. List I: 1. The criteria is unnecessarily restrictive. 2. She is averse of public flattery. 3. The matter should remain between you and I. List II: a. The criteria are unnecessarily restrictive. b. She is averse to public flattery. c. The matter should remain between you and me.
The correct matching is 1-a, 2-b, 3-c. 'Criteria' is a plural noun in formal standard usage, so it takes 'are', not 'is'. The adjective 'averse' is followed by 'to', not 'of'. After the preposition 'between', the pronoun must be in the objective case: 'between you and me'. Each error tests a different point: subject-verb agreement with a Latin plural, fixed preposition after an adjective, and pronoun case after a preposition.
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More questions
6Read the two statements and choose the correct option. Statement 1: The sentence "Neither the principal nor the members of the finance committee was available for comment" is grammatically correct. Statement 2: In a neither...nor construction, the verb normally agrees with the nearer subject when the subjects differ in number.
7Consider the following sentences and choose the option that identifies all the grammatically correct sentences. Statement 1: Hardly had the minister begun his speech when the power failed. Statement 2: No sooner the meeting started than the members raised procedural objections. Statement 3: Unless you do not submit the original certificate, your claim will not be processed. Statement 4: Scarcely had the witnesses left the room when the inquiry officer noticed a contradiction.
8Match the error type with the sentence segment that contains it. List I: 1. Wrong preposition after an adjective 2. Redundant expression 3. Error in pronoun case List II: P. The chairperson is confident of that the inquiry will finish soon. Q. The officer repeated the instructions again for clarity. R. Between you and I, the proposal needs stricter scrutiny. Choose the correct matching.
9Identify the part of the sentence that contains the grammatical error: 'The principal, as well as the senior lecturers, have approved the revised evaluation schedule.'
10Select the grammatically correct version of the sentence.
11Assertion (A): The sentence "Had the department acted earlier, the contractor would have avoided the penalty" contains no error. Reason (R): In formal conditional sentences, "had" may replace "if" in the past perfect conditional, and the subject follows the auxiliary.
12Choose the option that gives the grammatically correct replacement for the underlined part. The revised ordinance is comparatively more precise than the earlier draft, but its enforcement clauses remain ambiguous. Underlined part: comparatively more precise
13Read the assertion and reason carefully. Assertion (A): The sentence 'Having reviewed the audit report, several discrepancies were noticed by the director' contains an error. Reason (R): An introductory participial phrase must logically refer to the subject of the main clause.
14Identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error. Not only the committee rejected the proposal, but it also asked the consultant to revise the financial assumptions.
15Read the statements and choose the correct answer. Statement 1: Of the two policy drafts, the second is the most coherent and legally sound. Statement 2: The counsel insisted that the documents be submitted before noon.