Question 1

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

The manager asked (A) an employee to submit (B) the report by (C) next Monday. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. 'An' is the correct indefinite article before 'employee' (consonant sound /ɪ/). 'The' is correct before 'report' (specific, previously mentioned context). All prepositions and verb forms are accurate.

Question 2

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

She has been working (A) as a teacher (B) for the past (C) ten years. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. 'As a teacher' uses the indefinite article 'a' correctly before a singular countable noun. 'The past' uses the definite article appropriately. Present perfect continuous tense is correct with 'for' + duration.

Question 3

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

The committee has decided (A) to implement an new (B) policy that will benefit (C) the organisation. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

There is an error in part B. 'An new' is incorrect; it should be 'a new'. The word 'new' begins with a consonant sound /njuː/, so the indefinite article 'a' (not 'an') is required.

Question 4

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

The students were asked (A) to read a chapter (B) from the textbook (C) and submit a summary. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. 'A chapter' uses the indefinite article correctly before a singular countable noun. 'The textbook' uses the definite article appropriately (specific, contextually known). All other elements are accurate.

Question 5

In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

The director approved a proposal (A) to establish an university (B) in the region (C) next year. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

There is an error in part B. 'An university' is incorrect; it should be 'a university'. The word 'university' begins with a consonant sound /juː/, so the indefinite article 'a' (not 'an') is required, despite the spelling starting with the vowel letter 'u'.

Question 6

The committee has decided (A) / that an independent auditor should (B) / review the financial statements (C) / of the organisation before the annual meeting. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains an error in part (B). The correct form should be 'that an independent auditor should review' is acceptable, but the issue is subtle: after 'decided that', British English typically uses 'should' in formal contexts, making this correct. However, re-examining: the sentence is actually correct throughout. 'The committee has decided that an independent auditor should review the financial statements of the organisation before the annual meeting' follows proper structure with correct article usage ('an' before 'independent', 'the' before 'financial statements' and 'organisation'), correct verb form (has decided), and proper preposition (of). This is a no-error sentence.

Question 7

The bank has announced (A) / that a new digital platform will be (B) / launched next month to provide (C) / customers with an enhanced banking experience. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. It properly uses the indefinite article 'a' before 'new digital platform' (introducing a new concept), the definite article 'the' before 'bank' (a specific institution), and maintains consistent future tense with 'will be launched'. The preposition 'with' correctly follows 'provide', and 'an' is correctly used before 'enhanced' (vowel sound).

Question 8

The government has introduced (A) / a comprehensive policy to ensure (B) / that the underprivileged sections of the society (C) / receive adequate support and resources. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains an error in part (C). The phrase 'sections of the society' is incorrect; it should be 'sections of society' (without 'the'). In English, when referring to society as an abstract concept or collective group, we use 'society' without the definite article. The correct form is 'the underprivileged sections of society', not 'sections of the society'.

Question 9

The sentence below has four underlined parts (A, B, C, D). Identify the part that contains a grammatical error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.

The manager told us that (A) a new policy has been (B) implemented in (C) the organisation last month, and all employees must (D) adhere to it.

Accepted Answer

The error lies in part B. The phrase 'has been implemented' uses present perfect tense, but the time reference 'last month' is a definite past time marker that requires simple past tense. The correct form should be 'was implemented'. When a specific past time is mentioned (last month, yesterday, in 2020), simple past must be used, not present perfect.

Question 10

The manager instructed (A) / that all employees should submit (B) / their reports to (C) / the HR department by Friday. (D) / No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct. 'The manager instructed that all employees should submit their reports to the HR department by Friday' follows proper structure with correct use of the indirect command form (instructed + that clause), correct preposition (to), and proper article usage (the HR department). All parts are error-free.

Question 11

Identify the error in the following sentence:

The committee has decided that (A) a comprehensive review of (B) the existing policies, which were implemented five years ago, (C) is necessary to address the current challenges that (D) the organisation faces. No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The subject 'a comprehensive review' is singular, so the verb should be 'is' (which is correct here). However, the phrase 'which were implemented five years ago' uses 'were' to refer to 'policies' (plural), which is correct. The real error is the use of the indefinite article 'a' in part (A). In formal English, when introducing a significant, specific concept in a professional context (especially after 'decided that'), the definite article 'the' is more appropriate. The sentence should read: 'The committee has decided that the comprehensive review of the existing policies...' The indefinite article 'a' suggests any review, not the specific, necessary review being discussed.

Question 12

Identify the error in the following sentence:

While the report highlights (A) an urgent need for infrastructure development, (B) the government's response has been (C) a half-hearted attempt that fails to address (D) the root causes of the problem. No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The phrase 'an urgent need' uses the indefinite article 'an' before 'urgent', which is grammatically correct (vowel sound). However, in the context of this sentence, which discusses a specific, critical issue, the definite article 'the' would be more appropriate. The sentence should read: 'While the report highlights the urgent need for infrastructure development...' The use of 'an' makes the need sound general or non-specific, whereas 'the' emphasises that this is the particular, well-established urgent need being discussed in the report.

Question 13

Identify the error in the following sentence:

The research team discovered that (A) an effective solution to the problem, which had been (B) the subject of intense debate for decades, (C) requires a multidisciplinary approach that (D) the institution is now prepared to implement. No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The phrase 'an effective solution' uses the indefinite article 'an', but the context demands the definite article 'the'. The sentence structure indicates that this is not just any effective solution, but a specific, particular solution that the research team discovered. The phrase 'which had been the subject of intense debate for decades' further emphasises that this is a well-established, specific problem with a specific solution. The sentence should read: 'The research team discovered that the effective solution to the problem...' Using 'an' suggests the team found one of many possible solutions, whereas 'the' correctly indicates they found the particular solution to this specific problem.

Question 14

Identify the error in the following sentence:

The board has recognised that (A) an innovative strategy, which the company had been (B) developing for the past two years, (C) is essential for maintaining (D) the competitive advantage in the market. No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The phrase 'an innovative strategy' uses the indefinite article 'an', but the context requires the definite article 'the'. The relative clause 'which the company had been developing for the past two years' establishes that this is a specific, particular strategy that the company has been working on—not just any innovative strategy. The sentence should read: 'The board has recognised that the innovative strategy, which the company had been developing for the past two years, is essential...' The indefinite article 'an' incorrectly suggests that the board recognised one of many possible innovative strategies, whereas 'the' correctly indicates the specific strategy the company has been developing.

Question 15

Identify the error in the following sentence:

Although the organisation has invested significantly in training programmes, (A) an adequate support system, which is crucial for (B) the success of such initiatives, (C) has not been established despite (D) the repeated recommendations from external consultants. No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The phrase 'an adequate support system' uses the indefinite article 'an', but the context requires the definite article 'the'. The relative clause 'which is crucial for the success of such initiatives' establishes that this is a specific, particular support system being discussed—the one that is crucial for the success of the training programmes mentioned in the first clause. Additionally, the phrase 'has not been established' suggests a specific system that should have been established. The sentence should read: 'Although the organisation has invested significantly in training programmes, the adequate support system, which is crucial for the success of such initiatives, has not been established...' The indefinite 'an' incorrectly suggests that some adequate support system is missing, whereas 'the' correctly indicates the particular support system that is essential for the programmes.

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