“Hardly nothing” was offered to the victims of the earthquake. a) Hardly something b) Hardly anything c) Hardly little d) No improvement
The correct answer is Option B
The adverb of frequency, “hardly” has a negative meaning. Nothing also implies a negative meaning. Two negatives make a the sentence positive.
Therefore the adverbs of frequency having a negative meaning should be followed by anyone, any, anything etc.
He “shall had listened” to the teacher. A. shall be listened B. No improvement C. should have listened D. should be listened
The correct answer is Option C
• The phrase ‘shall had listened’ will be substituted by ‘should have listened’ to correct the given sentence.
• ‘Could have, would have, and should have’ are sometimes called “modals of lost opportunities.”
• These past tense modals are useful for expressing your present feelings about a past decision (or other action).
• To form these past modals, use ‘could’, ‘would’, or ‘should’ followed by ‘have’
followed by a ‘past participle verb’. Use have for all pronouns; never use ‘has’ or ‘had’ to form a past modal.
o Example – He should have told the truth about what he saw.
• let’s look at ‘should have’. ‘Should have’ means that something did not happen, but we wish it had happened. We use should have to talk about past mistakes.
o Example – I was so worried about you. You should have called!
• In the given sentence, the phrase ‘should have’ will be used to express that he wished he had listened to the teacher in the past.
• Thus, the appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment is ‘should have listened’.
The weather on the weekend “are supposed” to be sunny. A. No improvement B. were supposed C. is supposed D. are supposing E. None of the above
The correct answer is Option C
• The given answer (option 3) is correct because it uses the correct subject-verb agreement in the present tense to match the singular subject “weather.”
• The subject “weather” is singular, so it should be paired with the singular form of the verb “to be,” which is “is.”
Raghu has “less marbles” than Ram. A. enough marbles B. lower marbles C. few marbles D. fewer marbles
The correct answer is D.
• There is an error in adjective usage in the underlined part of the given sentence.
• Less is an adjective of quantity used with uncountable nouns. – less sugar, less time, etc.
• But, marbles is a countable noun.
• Marbles means small balls of coloured glass or similar material used as a toy.
• In such a case we need to use the adjective few which is used with nouns for countable objects and concepts.
• Since a comparison between two entities is happening (the number of marbles Robin has versus the number George has) we need to use the comparative degree of few which is fewer.
• Hence, option 4 or fewer marbles is the option that will improve the underlined part of the given sentence.
After finishing high school, I “plan to pursuing” law. A. No substitution B. plan to pursue C. plan in pursue D. plan for pursuing
The correct answer is B
• Pursue should be used in place of pursuing.
• To is used before a verb to make the to-infinitive form.
• An infinitive verb is essentially the base form of a verb with the word “to” in front of it.
• When an infinitive verb is used, the “to” is a part of the verb. It is not acting as a preposition in this case.
• Thus, the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence is option B.
We want to divide the expenses “between” the three of us. A. at B. among C. from D. for
The correct answer is B
• We use ‘among’ to divide things among groups when the number of people is more than two.
• Whereas ‘between’ is used when divided among two.
• Between can also be used for times and places that indicate two end points.
Let’s look at the other option;
• At: when we refer to an address and
• We use as adjectives ‘at’ to talk about things that we do well or badly.
o For eg:- He is good at english.
• From: to refer to the place where someone or something starts or originates.
• For: to talk about a purpose or a reason for something.
The place is “too much noisy”. A. No substitution B. much too much noisy C. much noisy D. too noisy
The correct answer is D
• ‘Much’ is used when we are speaking about a singular noun.
• “Too much” means that there is an excess of something.
• “Too” is used to describe that the adjective or adverb being used is in an excessive or extreme state, while “much” describes the fact that this phrase describes the quantity of something.
• In the given sentence, ‘too noisy’ is most appropriate.
Additional Information
• We often use too before much and many.
• We can use too much before an uncountable noun and too many before a plural noun, or without a noun when the noun is obvious:
Example: I bought too much food. We had to throw some of it away.
The Indian Air Force has played a vital role in the nation’s defense and our glorious history is “replete of numerous counts” of valour and fortitude in the face of extreme odds. A. replete of numerous accounts B. replete with numerous accounts C. replete by numerous account D. replete through numerous counts E. No correction required
The correct answer is B
Replete (Adjective): filled or well-supplied with something. The adjective is generally followed by the proposition ‘with’.
Ex. Earth’s climate system is replete with potential surprises.
Synonyms: full, loaded, crowded, abounding, etc.
Moreover, the noun ‘account’ refers to a report or description of an event or experience and its plural form ‘accounts’ should be used here in the context.
Everyone around Sachin in 1988 knew that he would play for India but never thought “he would end up with” all the cricketing records possible. A. he would end B. he would end in C. he would end with D. he would end into E. No correction required
The correct answer is E
To end up with someone or something (Idiom):to finish with the possession of someone or something or in the company of someone or something.
Ex. I thought my date was with Ayesha, but I ended up with her twin sister.
The sentence is absolutely correct and hence requires no correction.
Anyone with a little interest in sports is “bound to familiar” with Sachin Tendulkar’s name. a) binding to be familiar b) binding to familiar c) bound to be familiar d) bound to have familiar e) No correction required
The correct answer is C
On applying the principle of least deviation, the least deviated options are more likely to be a correct option. Here, among the given options, (b) and (d) are least deviated hence either of the two can be a correct option, at the same time, remaining two options (a) and (c), cannot be the correct options.
Now, let us consider options (b) and (d). Option (d) cannot be a correct option because it has ‘to have familiar’. ‘Have’ means to ‘possess something’.
