UPSC CSAT : Sentence Correction Home Exercise 02,DIRECTIONS for questions 11 to 15:

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Thursday, 19 February 2015

Sentence Correction Home Exercise 02,DIRECTIONS for questions 11 to 15:




DIRECTIONS for questions 11 to 15:  each of the following questions consists of a sentence, with some parts of it underlined, which could be erroneous. From among the choices given, you to select an answer the is the best possible replacement for the underlined part of the key sentence. While choosing the right answer, please pay particular attention to the syntax, idiom, usage and economy of words being used.
 


11.       After Queen Isabella asked Admiral Columbus to describe the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), which was newly discovered, he had reached for a sheet of paper, crumpled it , and said, “ It looks like that – beyond the mountains , more mountains”.

A.      After Queen Isabella asked Admiral Columbus to describes to describe the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), which was newly discovered, he had reached
B.      On being asked to describe the new discovery of the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti) by  Queen Isabella, Admiral Columbus, reaching
C.      Queen Isabella asked Admiral Columbus to describe the newly discovered island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), then he reached
D.      When asked by Queen Isabella to describe the newly discovered island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), Admiral Columbus reached

12.       After suffering $2 billion in losses and 25,000 layoffs, the nation’s semiconductor industry, which makes chips that run everything from computers and spy satellites to dishwashers, appears to have made a long- awaited recovery.
A.      Computers and spy satellites to dishwashers, appears to have
B.      Computers, spy satellites , and dishwashers, appears having
C.      Computers , spy satellites and dishwashers , appears that it has
D.      Computers and spy satellites to dishwashers , appears that it has

13.       After the Arab conquest of Egypt in A.D. 640. Arabic became the dominant language of the Egyptians, replacing older languages and writing systems.

A.      Became the dominant language of the Egyptians, replacing older languages
B.      Became the dominant language of the  Egyptians, replacing languages that were older
C.      Becomes the dominant language of the Egyptians and it replaced older languages
D.      Becomes the dominant language of the Egyptians and it replaced languages that were older

14.       After the Civil War, contemporaries of Harriet Tubman’s maintained that she has all of the qualities of a great leader, coolness in the face of danger, an excellent sense of strategy, and an ability to plan in minute detail.
A.      Tubman’s maintained that she has
B.      Tubman’s maintain that she had
C.      Tubman’s have maintained that she had
D.      Tubman maintained that she had

15.       Visitors to the park have often looked up into the leafy canopy and saw monkeys sleeping on the branches, whose arms and legs hang like socks on a clothesline.
A.      Saw monkeys sleeping on the branches, whose arms and legs hang
B.      Saw monkeys sleeping on the branches, whose arms and legs were hanging
C.      Saw monkeys sleeping on the branches, with arms and legs hanging
D.      Seen monkeys sleeping on the branches, with arms and legs hanging


Answer:

 
11.         D    The entire sentences have to be in a parallel form. This sentence describes a past event by using the simple past tense at two places, using all verbs in the simple past form. Bit in the third place, it uses he had reached, which makes it seem structurally awkward. Consequently, option A is ruled out. C distorts the intended meaning entirely. Hence [D]

12.       A      option B, C and D all distort the meaning to a significant extent. Besides, given the subject, C and D are also guilty of using a wrong pronoun it. Hence [A]

13.       A   Options C and D, are ruled out as they the verb became too becomes as the sentence definitely talks of a past event. Between A and B, the former is a better answer as B uses older (than what?), which is not justified in the context. Hence A.

14.       D      contemporaries of warrants that Tubman should not be following by an apostrophe s. This requirement straightway rules out Band C, leaving us with only option D.

15.       D      Choices, A B and C use have …. Saw where have seen is required. Choice A and awkwardly, the noun it modifies. Choices A and B also confusingly use the present tense hang and the present perfect have hung, respectively; neither verb conveys clearly that, at the time the monkeys were spotted sleeping their arms and legs were hanging in the manner described . Choice D, the best answer, not only forms a correct and clear sentence by supplying the present perfect verb have….. seen, but also solves the problem of the whose…. Clause by using the appropriately placed adverbial phrase with arms and legs hanging …. To modify sleeping.


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