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Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts, labelled as (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to determine whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response on the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

During recession (a)/ many companies were compelled (b)/ to decrease their workforce. (c)/ No error (d)

This question was previously asked in
CDS 2 2024 Maths Question Paper (01-Sep-2024)
The correct answer is

a

Identifying Grammatical Errors: The Role of Articles

This question requires identifying a grammatical error within a given sentence. We need to examine each underlined part to find the mistake.

Analysis of Part (a): "During recession"

  • The phrase in part (a) is "During recession".
  • "Recession" is a countable noun, referring to a period of economic difficulty.
  • When referring to a specific instance or a general type of a countable noun, an article (like 'a' or 'the') is typically required.
  • Using "During recession" omits the necessary article. The standard and grammatically preferred phrasing is "During a recession".
  • This is because the sentence is referring to the general condition or a typical instance of economic downturn, not recession as an abstract concept treated like an uncountable noun.
  • Therefore, the omission of the article 'a' constitutes the grammatical error in this part.

Analysis of Parts (b) and (c)

  • Part (b) reads "many companies were compelled". This part is grammatically correct. "Companies" is plural, and "were compelled" is the appropriate past passive form.
  • Part (c) reads "to decrease their workforce". This part is also grammatically correct. "To decrease" is the correct infinitive form, and "their workforce" correctly refers back to the companies.

Conclusion on Sentence Error

Based on the analysis, the error lies in the omission of the article 'a' before the countable noun "recession" in part (a). The corrected sentence would read: "During a recession, many companies were compelled to decrease their workforce."

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