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Question

The following question has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

Debate about biotechnology and genetic engineering (a) is underway around the world, (b) and India is fully engrossed with the discussion.(c) No error. (d)

This question was previously asked in
CDS I 2017 General Knowledge Previous Year Paper (05-Feb-2017)
The correct answer is

C

Analyzing Sentence Errors in Grammar Questions

This question asks us to identify any grammatical error in the given sentence, which is divided into three parts labelled (a), (b), and (c). If no error is found in any part, the answer should be (d) for 'No error'. Let's examine each part of the sentence carefully.

The sentence is: "Debate about biotechnology and genetic engineering (a) is underway around the world, (b) and India is fully engrossed with the discussion.(c) No error. (d)"

Part (a): "is underway around the world,"

  • The subject of this part is "Debate". "Debate" is a singular noun.
  • The verb used is "is underway". The singular verb "is" agrees with the singular subject "Debate".
  • "about biotechnology and genetic engineering" is a prepositional phrase modifying "Debate", providing context.
  • "around the world" is another prepositional phrase indicating location.
  • The phrase "is underway" means something is happening or progressing. This is a correct usage.
  • A comma is used at the end of this clause before the conjunction "and", which is standard practice when joining two independent clauses.
  • Based on this analysis, Part (a) appears to be grammatically correct.

Part (b): "and India is fully engrossed with the discussion."

  • This part is the second independent clause, joined to the first by the conjunction "and".
  • The subject here is "India", which is a singular noun.
  • The verb phrase is "is fully engrossed". The singular verb "is" agrees with the singular subject "India".
  • "fully engrossed" means completely absorbed or occupied.
  • The preposition "with" is used with "engrossed". While "engrossed in" is very common, "engrossed with" is also used, often in the sense of being preoccupied by or busy with something. In this context, "engrossed with the discussion" is an acceptable phrasing.
  • Part (b) also appears to be grammatically correct.

Overall Sentence and Error Analysis

Since both part (a) and part (b) appear to be grammatically sound, let's consider the sentence as a whole. The two independent clauses are correctly joined by the coordinating conjunction "and" with a preceding comma. The subjects and verbs agree in number in both clauses. The phrases used are appropriate in context.

Therefore, there does not seem to be any grammatical error in the sentence.

Conclusion on Sentence Error

Given that parts (a) and (b) are correct, the assessment that there is "No error" in the sentence is correct. This corresponds to option (c) in the question's labelling system, which in turn corresponds to Option C in the provided multiple-choice options.

Hence, the correct assessment is that there is no error in the sentence.

Part Text Analysis Error Found?
(a) is underway around the world, Subject 'Debate' (implied from previous clause) is singular; 'is underway' is singular verb. Correct agreement and phrasing. No
(b) and India is fully engrossed with the discussion. Subject 'India' is singular; 'is engrossed' is singular verb. Correct agreement and acceptable phrasing 'engrossed with'. No
Sentence Overall Debate ... is underway ..., and India is ... engrossed ... Two independent clauses joined correctly by 'and' with a comma. No
(c) No error. Assessment based on analysis above. N/A (This is the assessment option)

Revision Table: Common Sentence Errors

Type of Error Explanation Example (Incorrect) Correction (Correct)
Subject-Verb Agreement Subject and verb must agree in number (singular/plural). The students is studying. The students are studying.
Pronoun Agreement Pronouns must agree with the nouns they replace in number and gender. Each student must bring their book. Each student must bring his or her book. (Or: Students must bring their books.)
Tense Consistency Maintain consistent verb tense within a sentence or paragraph unless indicating a change in time. She walked to the store and buys groceries. She walked to the store and bought groceries.
Run-on Sentence / Comma Splice Joining two independent clauses incorrectly without proper punctuation or conjunction. It was late, I went to bed. It was late; I went to bed. OR It was late, so I went to bed.
Sentence Fragments Incomplete sentences, often missing a subject or verb. Walking home in the rain. I was walking home in the rain.

Additional Information: Identifying Grammatical Issues

When trying to find grammatical errors in a sentence for an exam, it's helpful to follow a systematic approach:

  • Read the sentence carefully: Read it aloud if possible to catch awkward phrasing.
  • Identify the subject(s) and verb(s): Check for subject-verb agreement in each clause.
  • Look for pronouns: Check if pronouns agree with their antecedents.
  • Examine verb tenses: Ensure tenses are consistent unless there's a reason for them to change.
  • Check conjunctions and punctuation: Ensure clauses are joined correctly and commas, semicolons, etc., are used properly. Look for comma splices or run-on sentences.
  • Review modifiers: Ensure adjectives and adverbs are used correctly and modify the intended words.
  • Check for parallel structure: When listing items or ideas, they should be in the same grammatical form.
  • Consider common usage: Sometimes errors involve incorrect prepositions or idiomatic expressions.

Practicing with different types of sentences helps build skill in spotting these common grammatical issues. In the given sentence about biotechnology debate, checking subject-verb agreement and the correct joining of clauses was key.

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