Question 1

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains a grammatical error.

"She wanted to study hard (A) and pass the examination, (B) but she could not concentrate (C) because of the noise outside. (D) No error (E)"

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. All conjunctions are used appropriately: 'and' joins two parallel infinitive phrases ('to study hard' and 'pass the examination'), 'but' correctly contrasts the intention with the outcome, and 'because of' properly introduces the reason. There is no error in this sentence.

Question 2

In the following sentence, identify the error (if any):
Because he was ill, (A) / so he decided (B) / to stay at home (C) / and rest. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). Using both 'because' and 'so' together is incorrect; they are both subordinating/coordinating conjunctions that express the same relationship. The sentence should use either 'Because he was ill, he decided...' OR 'He was ill, so he decided...', but not both.

Question 3

In the following sentence, identify the error (if any):
The manager asked the team members (A) / whether they could complete (B) / the project on time, and if (C) / they needed any assistance. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). After 'whether' in an indirect question, the second part should use 'or' (not 'and if'). The correct form is 'whether...or': 'whether they could complete the project on time or if they needed any assistance.' Alternatively, use 'whether...or whether', but 'whether...and if' is incorrect.

Question 4

In the following sentence, identify the error (if any):
Although the weather was bad, (A) / yet the children played (B) / in the garden (C) / without any fear. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). Using both 'although' and 'yet' together is incorrect; 'although' is a subordinating conjunction that already expresses contrast, and adding 'yet' (a coordinating conjunction) creates redundancy. The sentence should use either 'Although the weather was bad, the children played...' OR 'The weather was bad, yet the children played...', but not both.

Question 5

In the following sentence, identify the error (if any):
He wanted to study hard (A) / and pass the examination (B) / but he could not concentrate (C) / on his studies. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. All conjunctions are used properly: 'and' links two parallel infinitive phrases ('to study hard' and 'pass the examination'), and 'but' correctly introduces a contrasting clause. The structure maintains parallelism and logical flow.

Question 6

Identify the error in the following sentence:

Neither the manager nor the employees (A) was willing to accept the new policy, (B) so they decided to meet (C) and discuss the matter further. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error lies in part (A). When using the correlative conjunction 'neither...nor', the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. Here, 'employees' (plural) is closest to the verb, so the verb should be 'were' (plural), not 'was' (singular). The correct form should be: 'Neither the manager nor the employees were willing...'

Question 7

Identify the error in the following sentence:

The manager insisted that (A) all employees attend the meeting, (B) yet many of them were reluctant (C) because they had other commitments (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. The conjunction 'yet' properly connects two independent clauses with contrasting ideas. 'Insisted that' correctly takes the base form 'attend' (subjunctive mood). All tenses and structures are appropriate.

Question 8

Identify the error in the following sentence:

Although he was tired, (A) yet he continued working (B) because he wanted to complete the project (C) and impress his manager. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error lies in part (A). When 'although' is used to introduce a concessive clause, it should NOT be followed by 'yet' in the main clause. The conjunction 'although' already expresses the contrast; adding 'yet' creates a redundant double conjunction. The correct form should be: 'Although he was tired, he continued working...' or 'Though he was tired, yet he continued working...' (where 'though' can pair with 'yet', but 'although' cannot).

Question 9

Identify the error in the sentence:

Although (A) / he was highly qualified, (B) / yet he could not secure (C) / the position because of his poor communication skills. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The conjunction 'Although' should not be paired with 'yet' in the same sentence. When 'although' introduces a concessive clause, the main clause should not contain 'yet' or 'but'—these are redundant. The correct form is either 'Although he was highly qualified, he could not secure...' or 'Though he was highly qualified, yet he could not secure...' (where 'yet' is acceptable with 'though' in formal British English, but pairing 'although' with 'yet' is considered incorrect in standard grammar). The sentence violates the rule of conjunction coordination.

Question 10

Identify the error in the sentence:

Neither the manager nor the employees (A) / was willing to compromise, (B) / so they decided to escalate (C) / the matter to the board of directors. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). When 'neither...nor' connects two subjects, the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. Here, 'employees' (plural) is closest to the verb, so the verb should be 'were' (plural), not 'was' (singular). The rule is: with 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Since 'employees' is plural and closer to the verb, 'were' is required.

Question 11

Identify the error in the sentence:

The committee has decided that (A) / not only the budget will be increased (B) / but also the staff strength should be enhanced (C) / to meet the growing demands. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in parts (B) and (C) together, but if forced to choose one, the primary error is in (B). The correlative conjunction 'not only...but also' requires parallel structure (parallelism). In (B), the structure is 'will be increased' (future passive), but in (C), it is 'should be enhanced' (modal + passive). The verbs must be in the same form for parallelism. Correct form: 'not only the budget will be increased but also the staff strength will be enhanced' OR 'not only should the budget be increased but also should the staff strength be enhanced.' The sentence violates the parallelism rule required by 'not only...but also.'

Question 12

Identify the error in the sentence below:

Although he was exhausted, (A) he insisted on completing the project (B) because he wanted to prove his competence, (C) yet he eventually abandoned it when the deadline passed. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a conjunction error. The coordinating conjunction 'yet' (option D) is incorrectly used after 'because' clause. The structure creates a logical contradiction: 'Although...because...yet' uses three contrasting/causal conjunctions in sequence without proper coordination. The word 'yet' should be replaced with 'but' to maintain grammatical consistency, or the sentence structure should be restructured. However, the core error is that 'yet' (a coordinating conjunction showing contrast) contradicts the causal relationship established by 'because' and the concessive relationship of 'Although.' The correct form would be: 'Although he was exhausted, he insisted on completing the project because he wanted to prove his competence, but he eventually abandoned it when the deadline passed.' The error lies in the misuse of 'yet' in this context.

SBI Clerk Conjunctions

Conjunctions— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Conjunctions — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Conjunctions