Spotting errors (wrong words & usage across grammar areas) MCQ — 15 Practice Questions with Answers

Explanation

Fewer is used with countable plural nouns, and less with uncountable nouns. Sentence 1 has files, so it matches rule a. Sentence 2 refers to money, so it matches rule b. Therefore the correct match is 1-a, 2-b, i.e., option D.

Explanation

The indefinite article is chosen by sound, not merely by the first written letter. The cue is 'honest', where the initial 'h' is silent and the word begins with a vowel sound. Therefore, 'an honest answer' is the only correct replacement.

Explanation

This item tests commonly confused words. In Statement 1, the cue is `of equality`, which requires `principle`, meaning a rule or belief; `principal` means chief, head, or a sum of money. Statement 2 correctly uses the verb `advised`, and Statement 3 correctly uses `affected`, meaning influenced. Therefore, only Statement 1 contains an error.

Explanation

The idiom is 'take care of' when the meaning is to look after, protect, or handle something responsibly. The cue is the object 'the files', which requires 'of' after 'take care'. Therefore, 'take care about the files' is the only erroneous part; it should be 'take care of the files'.

Explanation

This item tests the formal construction of `avail`. The cue is `avail the concession`, where `avail` is used as a simple transitive verb. In the sense of making use of a benefit, standard formal usage is reflexive and followed by `of`: `avail oneself of the concession`. Therefore, the assertion is true, the reason is true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion.