Question 1

The committee have decided to postpone the meeting till next month. Which of the following is the best improvement?

Accepted Answer

The subject 'committee' is a collective noun. In British English, collective nouns take plural verbs when the group acts as individuals, but in this context, the committee functions as a single unit. However, the standard formal usage in Indian banking exams treats 'committee' as singular, requiring 'has' instead of 'have'.

Question 2

The newly appointed director are responsible for implementing the new policies across all departments. Which of the following is the best improvement?

Accepted Answer

The subject 'director' is singular, but the verb 'are' is plural. The correct verb should be 'is'. The phrase 'newly appointed director' is a singular noun phrase referring to one person, requiring singular verb agreement.

Question 3

She has been working in this bank since five years. Which of the following is the best improvement?

Accepted Answer

The phrase 'since five years' is incorrect. 'Since' is used with a point in time (since 2019, since Monday), while 'for' is used with a duration (for five years, for two months). The sentence should use 'for' instead of 'since'.

Question 4

The report states that the company's profit have increased by 15% this quarter. Which of the following is the best improvement?

Accepted Answer

The subject 'profit' is singular, but the verb 'have' is plural. The correct verb should be 'has'. Additionally, 'company's profit' is a singular noun phrase, requiring singular verb agreement.

Question 5

The principal along with the teachers are planning to organise a cultural programme for the students next month.

Accepted Answer

When a singular subject is followed by a prepositional phrase (along with, together with, as well as), the verb must remain singular because these phrases do not make the subject compound. The subject 'principal' is singular and requires a singular verb 'is'.

Question 6

The committee have decided to postpone the meeting because of the unforeseen circumstances that has arisen.

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error. 'Committee' is a collective noun that takes a singular verb in Indian English when referring to the body as a single unit. Additionally, 'circumstances' is plural and requires 'have' not 'has'.

Question 7

The report which was submitted last week contains several recommendations that needs to be implemented immediately by the management.

Accepted Answer

The subject 'recommendations' is plural and requires the plural verb 'need', not the singular 'needs'. The relative clause must agree with its antecedent.

Question 8

Identify the sentence that is grammatically correct and most appropriate.

The committee has decided that the new policy will be implemented next month, and all employees must to comply with the regulations.

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a modal verb error. After the modal verb 'must', the base form of the verb should be used without 'to'. The phrase 'must to comply' is incorrect; it should be 'must comply'.

Question 9

The principal requested that all staff members attend the mandatory training session, but many of them have ignored his request and did not show up.

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a tense inconsistency. The phrase 'have ignored' (present perfect) is mixed with 'did not show up' (simple past), creating an illogical temporal relationship. Since both actions refer to the same completed event in the past, both verbs should be in the same tense. The corrected sentence should read: 'The principal requested that all staff members attend the mandatory training session, but many of them ignored his request and did not show up.'

Question 10

The newly appointed manager, along with his team members, are committed to improving the company's productivity and ensuring that all employees receive fair compensation.

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error. The subject is 'The newly appointed manager' (singular), and the phrase 'along with his team members' is a parenthetical addition that does not affect the verb agreement. The verb should be 'is' (singular) to agree with the singular subject 'manager', not 'are' (plural). The corrected sentence should read: 'The newly appointed manager, along with his team members, is committed to improving the company's productivity and ensuring that all employees receive fair compensation.'

Question 11

The committee have decided to postpone the meeting, and they is planning to reschedule it for next month.

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error. 'Committee' is a collective noun that takes a plural verb in British English when the members are acting as individuals. The first clause correctly uses 'have', but the second clause incorrectly uses 'is' instead of 'are'. The correct sentence should read: 'The committee have decided to postpone the meeting, and they are planning to reschedule it for next month.'

Question 12

Despite of his extensive experience in the field, he was unable to solve the complex problem that had been puzzling scientists for decades.

Accepted Answer

The phrase 'despite of' is grammatically incorrect. The preposition 'despite' is already complete and does not require 'of'. The correct form is simply 'despite' followed by a noun phrase. The corrected sentence should read: 'Despite his extensive experience in the field, he was unable to solve the complex problem that had been puzzling scientists for decades.'

SBI Clerk Sentence Improvement

Sentence Improvement— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

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Sentence Improvement — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Sentence Improvement