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Question

In the sentence identify the segment which contains the grammatical error.

Saraswati college has maintained its reputation as one of the best college in the country.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2019 (Tier 2) GS Finance & Economics Previous Year Paper (17-Nov-2020)
The correct answer is

one of the best college

Identifying Grammatical Errors in Sentences

The question asks us to identify the segment in the given sentence that contains a grammatical error. The sentence is: "Saraswati college has maintained its reputation as one of the best college in the country."

Analyzing the Sentence for Errors

Let's break down the sentence and examine each part for potential grammatical mistakes.

  • "Saraswati college has maintained" - The subject "Saraswati college" is singular, and the verb "has maintained" is also singular and in the correct tense (present perfect) for an action completed in the past but with relevance now (maintaining reputation). This part seems correct.
  • "its reputation as" - "its" is the correct possessive pronoun for the singular subject "Saraswati college". "reputation as" is also grammatically sound in this context. This segment appears correct.
  • "one of the best college" - This phrase uses the construction "one of the". This specific construction requires a plural noun after "one of the". For example, we say "one of the students", not "one of the student". In this sentence, "college" should be plural because it is one among many "best" colleges. Thus, it should be "one of the best colleges". This segment contains the error.
  • "in the country" - This prepositional phrase correctly indicates location. There is no apparent grammatical error here.

Identifying the Error Segment

Based on the analysis, the grammatical error lies in the segment "one of the best college" because the noun following "one of the" must be plural.

Correcting the Error

The incorrect segment "one of the best college" should be corrected to "one of the best colleges".

The Corrected Sentence

The corrected sentence would be: "Saraswati college has maintained its reputation as one of the best colleges in the country."

Comparing with the Options

Let's look at the provided options:

  1. its reputation as - As analyzed, this segment is grammatically correct.
  2. one of the best college - As analyzed, this segment contains the error ("college" should be "colleges").
  3. Saraswati college has maintained - As analyzed, this segment is grammatically correct.
  4. in the country - As analyzed, this segment is grammatically correct.

Therefore, the segment containing the grammatical error is "one of the best college".

Sentence Segment Analysis Error Present?
Saraswati college has maintained Subject-verb agreement is correct (singular subject, singular verb). No
its reputation as Possessive pronoun 'its' agrees with singular subject. 'reputation as' is correct usage. No
one of the best college Requires a plural noun after 'one of the'. 'college' is singular. Yes
in the country Correct prepositional phrase for location. No

Revision Table: Common Grammar Structures

Structure Rule Example Incorrect Example
One of the... Followed by a plural noun. One of the students One of the student
Each of the... Followed by a plural noun, but the verb is usually singular if referring back to 'each'. Each of the books is old. Each of the book are old.
None of the... Can be followed by a plural or non-count noun. Verb can be singular or plural depending on context/style. None of the students are here.
None of the water is left.
None of the student is here.
None of the waters are left.

Additional Information: Singular vs. Plural Nouns

In English grammar, nouns can be singular (referring to one person, place, thing, or idea) or plural (referring to more than one). Regular plural nouns are usually formed by adding '-s' or '-es' to the singular form (e.g., book → books, box → boxes).

Certain phrases, like "one of the", indicate selection from a group. Therefore, the noun representing the group must be in its plural form. Even if a superlative adjective (like 'best') is used before the noun, the rule regarding the plural form after "one of the" still applies.

Understanding when to use singular and plural nouns is crucial for correct sentence construction. Pay close attention to quantifiers and phrases that imply selection from a group.

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