Question 1

Sentence improvement — parallel auxiliary structure: 'has not been and can never be in the good books' (supply past participle after 'has').

Accepted Answer

Given sentence He has not and can never be in the good books of his employer because he lacks honesty. Concept/Approach After the auxiliary 'has', a past participle must follow ('has been'). Maintain parallelism across the coordinated verb phrases: 'has not been and can never be …' Corrected span has not been and can never be Why other options fail 'has not and cannot be' → missing participle after 'has'.'has not and can never been' → wrong placement of 'been'.'No improvement' → leaves a grammar error. Final Answer has not been and can never be

Question 2

Sentence improvement — pronoun case in compound subject: use the subject form 'Anil and I' after the clause 'When the examinations were over …'.

Accepted Answer

Given sentence When the examinations were over Anil and me went to our native town. Concept/Approach 'Anil and I' is the compound subject; therefore the pronoun must be in the subjective case ('I'), and by convention we place the first/third person before first person for politeness: 'Anil and I …' Eliminating options 'me and Anil' → wrong case and order.'I and Anil' → awkward ordering.'No improvement' → keeps the error. Final Answer Anil and I

Question 3

Sentence improvement — choose the precise adjective for timekeeping: prefer 'accurate' rather than 'correct/right/regular' for clocks: 'Our office clock is not as accurate as it should be …'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence Our office clock is not so correct as it should be; it is usually five minutes fast. Concept/Approach For instruments, the natural adjective is accurate, meaning 'showing the correct time'. Correction 'not so correct as' → more idiomatic as 'not as accurate as …' Why others are suboptimal 'right' → informal and less precise.'regular' → refers to interval/consistency, not exactness.'No improvement' → retains weaker diction. Final Answer accurate

Question 4

Sentence improvement — correct phrasal verb for the end of difficulties: choose 'blown over' (not 'blown out/up/away') in 'The cloud of misfortunes appears to have blown over.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence The cloud of misfortunes appears to have blown out. Concept/Approach The idiom describing a problem subsiding is blow over. 'Blow out' usually refers to extinguishing a flame or bursting a tyre; 'blow up' is to explode; 'blow away' is to carry off. Correction blown over Final Answer over

Question 5

Sentence improvement — remove redundant complementizer and fix number/capitalization: prefer 'While we would like all Indian children to go to school …' over 'we would like that all Indian Children …'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence While we would like that all Indian Children to go to school, we need to ponder why they do not. Concept/Approach After 'would like', English takes an object + to-infinitive ('like someone to do something'). The complementizer 'that' is unnecessary here. Also use lower-case 'children' and concise phrasing. Correction 'would like that all Indian Children to go' → 'would like all Indian children to go …' Why alternatives are weaker 'that all the Indian children' → still keeps the incorrect 'that' construction.'if all the children of India' → changes meaning to a condition.'No improvement' → retains structural error and odd capitalization. Final Answer all Indian children

Question 6

Sentence improvement — Choose the most idiomatic and temporally accurate wording for this civics/history sentence: ‘‘In India today many of our intellectuals still talk in terms of the French Revolution and the Rights of Man, not appreciating that m…

Accepted Answer

Given data In India today many of our intellectuals still talk in terms of the French Revolution and the Rights of Man, not appreciating that much has happened since then. Concept/Approach The phrase ‘‘since then’’ requires the present perfect to connect a past reference point with relevance to the present. ‘‘has happened’’ correctly expresses completed change up to now. Step-by-step evaluation much has been happening — Present perfect progressive suggests ongoing activity, not a completed span of historical change; less apt.much had happened — Past perfect needs another past time anchor; none is provided.much might happen — Hypothetical future; contradicts ‘‘since then’’.No improvement — Retains the correct present perfect with ‘‘since then’’. Verification/Alternative Compare: ‘‘Much has changed since then’’ (standard idiom). The given structure mirrors this pattern. Common pitfalls Switching to past perfect without a second past reference point; overusing progressive aspect with historical summaries. Final Answer No improvement

Question 7

Sentence improvement — Polite conditional request form: choose the most natural modal construction to refine ‘‘I shall be grateful to you if you are of help to me now.’’ so the register is courteous and idiomatic.

Accepted Answer

Given data I shall be grateful to you if you are of help to me now. Concept/Approach In polite requests, English favors ‘‘I would be grateful if you would help me (now).’’ The modal ‘‘would’’ signals courteous willingness/volition. Step-by-step evaluation help — Bare infinitive after ‘‘if you’’ is ungrammatical here.would help — Correct: ‘‘I shall/would be grateful if you would help me now.’’helped — Simple past after ‘‘if’’ implies unreal/remote condition; clashes with ‘‘now’’.No improvement — Leaves the clumsy ‘‘are of help’’; less idiomatic. Verification/Alternative Equally natural: ‘‘I would be grateful if you could help me now.’’ Common pitfalls Using ‘‘are of help’’ instead of the direct verb ‘‘help.’’ Overlooking courtesy modal ‘‘would/could’’ in requests. Final Answer would help

Question 8

Sentence improvement — Past perfect passive with medial adverb placement: refine ‘‘The logic of Berlin wall already had been undermined ...’’ by choosing the best adverb position to produce a formal, fluent clause before the main event.

Accepted Answer

Given data The logic of Berlin wall already had been undermined but when the news came through that the wall itself had been opened I jumped into a car. Concept/Approach In passive past perfect, stance adverbs like ‘‘already’’ most naturally appear between the auxiliary and the past participle: ‘‘had already been …’’. Among the provided options, the adverb placement in option (B) is the most idiomatic. Step-by-step evaluation had been undetermined already — Adverb at end is possible but less elegant; rhythm is weaker.had already been undetermined — Preferred adverb slot; reads smoothly.had been already undetermined — Splits ‘‘been’’ and complement unnaturally.No improvement — Leaves the adverb before the auxiliary cluster; less natural. Verification/Alternative Standard template: ‘‘Subject + had already been + past participle ...’’ Common pitfalls Misplacing ‘‘already’’ so it disrupts auxiliary stacking; mixing aspects/voices. Final Answer had already been undetermined

Question 9

Sentence improvement — Correct tense with a definite past-time marker: improve ‘‘Other countries have eradicated this disease ten years ago.’’ by selecting the appropriate simple past form for a time-adverbial ‘‘... years ago’’.

Accepted Answer

Given data Other countries have eradicated this disease ten years ago. Concept/Approach With a specific past time (‘‘ten years ago’’), English requires the simple past, not the present perfect. Step-by-step evaluation eradicated — Correct simple past: ‘‘... eradicated this disease ten years ago.’’had eradicated — Past perfect needs a second, later past reference; not present.did eradicated — Incorrect auxiliary + past form combination; should be ‘‘did eradicate’’ if emphasis were needed.No improvement — Keeps wrong tense. Verification/Alternative Rule of thumb: ‘‘ago’’ → simple past. Common pitfalls Overextending present perfect with explicit past-time adverbials. Final Answer eradicated

Question 10

Sentence improvement — Collocation and register: choose whether ‘‘Young men and women should get habituated to reading and writing about current affairs.’’ needs any change for formal correctness and clarity.

Accepted Answer

Given data Young men and women should get habituated to reading and writing about current affairs. Concept/Approach ‘‘Get habituated to’’ + gerund is acceptable in formal English to suggest developing a steady habit. Alternatives either shift meaning or naturalness. Option analysis used — ‘‘get used to’’ is idiomatic but slightly more informal/colloquial than ‘‘get habituated to’’ in this register.prepared — ‘‘get prepared to’’ changes meaning from habit to readiness.trained — Implies an external trainer; not the intent.No improvement — Best preserves formal tone and intended sense. Verification/Alternative An equally fine rephrase is ‘‘cultivate the habit of reading and writing about current affairs.’’ The key is that no mandatory change is required. Final Answer No improvement

Question 11

Sentence improvement — Choose the correct aspect for a continuing action with ‘‘for more than 4 hours now’’: improve ‘‘The poor villagers have waited in the bitter cold for more than 4 hours now.’’

Accepted Answer

Given data The poor villagers have waited in the bitter cold for more than 4 hours now. Concept/Approach Duration with ‘‘for ... now’’ indicates an action that started in the past and is still continuing. Use the present perfect continuous: ‘‘have been waiting.’’ Option analysis have been waiting — Correct aspect and plural agreement with ‘‘villagers’’.had waited — Past perfect requires a later past anchor; not present.has been waiting — Subject–verb disagreement (singular vs plural).No improvement — Leaves suboptimal aspect. Verification/Alternative Template: ‘‘They have been + V-ing for X hours now.’’ Final Answer have been waiting

Question 12

Sentence improvement — Remove double negative and fix quantifier: refine ‘‘The old man felled some trees in the garden with hardly no effort at all.’’ to standard affirmative English.

Accepted Answer

Given data The old man felled some trees in the garden with hardly no effort at all. Concept/Approach Standard English avoids double negatives unless intended rhetorically. ‘‘Hardly any’’ is the correct quantifier with ‘‘hardly’’. Option analysis hard effort — Reverses meaning.hardly any effort — Corrects the double negative and preserves sense.a hardly any effort — Articles do not precede ‘‘hardly any’’ in this structure.No improvement — Keeps the error. Verification/Alternative Recast: ‘‘... with almost no effort at all.’’ Final Answer hardly any effort

Question 13

Sentence improvement — Subordinate clause after ‘‘ensure that’’: select the best finite-clause completion of ‘‘The company goes to great length to ensure that employees ___ comfortable in their work environment.’’ so the result clause is natural and…

Accepted Answer

Given data The company goes to great length to ensure that employees can be comfortable in their work environment. Concept/Approach After ‘‘ensure that’’, we typically use a straightforward indicative clause that states the assured state: ‘‘employees are comfortable.’’ The modal ‘‘can’’ implies mere possibility, not ensured outcome. Option analysis are comfortable — Best: expresses the guaranteed state the company aims to secure.will be comfortable — Future orientation; unnecessary and less idiomatic.should be comfortable — Moral desirability, not assurance.No improvement — Retains weaker ‘‘can be’’. Verification/Alternative Also idiomatic: ‘‘ensure a comfortable work environment for employees.’’ Common pitfalls Over-using modals like ‘‘can/should’’ when a simple finite verb better matches ‘‘ensure that’’. Final Answer are comfortable

Question 14

Sentence improvement — Word order and the split infinitive in a directive: assess ‘‘I want you to clearly understand that excuses won't do’’ and decide if any rearrangement is required for modern standard English.

Accepted Answer

Given data I want you to clearly understand that excuses won't do. Concept/Approach Split infinitives (‘‘to clearly understand’’) are widely accepted in contemporary English, especially when they improve clarity and rhythm. The pronoun placement ‘‘I want you to …’’ is also standard. Option analysis you clearly to understand — Unnatural word order.you to understand clearly — Acceptable, but no need to move the adverb; current placement is fine.to clearly understand you — Changes the object (misleading meaning).No improvement — Best choice; modern, clear, idiomatic. Verification/Alternative Alternative: ‘‘I want you to understand clearly ...’’ (also correct). The given version is not erroneous. Common pitfalls Treating all split infinitives as wrong—this is a myth; clarity takes precedence. Final Answer No improvement

Question 15

Sentence improvement — Passive voice for penalties: determine whether ‘‘He was fined for careless driving.’’ already uses the correct passive construction and therefore requires no change.

Accepted Answer

Given data He was fined for careless driving. Concept/Approach Official penalties are commonly reported in the passive: ‘‘was fined’’. It is concise, formal, and correct. Option analysis got fined — Colloquial; less formal.fined — Bare past-participial fragment if used alone; the given sentence already has a complete passive clause.was to be fined — Indicates future-in-the-past intention, not actual imposition.No improvement — Keeps the proper passive. Verification/Alternative Active alternative: ‘‘The court/police fined him for careless driving.’’ Passive is perfectly natural here. Common pitfalls Assuming ‘‘got + past participle’’ is acceptable in formal exam English; prefer be-passive for penalties. Final Answer No improvement

Question 16

Sentence improvement — choose the most appropriate idiom: replace the phrase 'by far' with the broader, summary expression 'by and large' to read, 'Although India is still by and large a poor country, it can become rich if its natural and human reso…

Accepted Answer

Given sentence Although India is still by far a poor country, it can become rich if its natural and human resources are fully utilised. Concept/Approach We are improving word choice/collocation. 'By far' is an intensifier meaning 'to a great degree', which does not match the concessive nuance here. The sentence wants an overall characterization — 'on the whole' — which is conveyed by the idiom by and large. Option analysis • by and large = 'on the whole; generally.' Fits after 'still' to mean 'still generally a poor country'.• 'few and far between' = rare/scarce; illogical here.• 'by and by' = soon/after a while; wrong meaning.• 'No improvement' keeps a less suitable intensifier. Final Answer by and large

Question 17

Sentence improvement — remove the illogical double cause ('reason' + 'because') and use a clean complement: 'The reason why he wrote the letter was that he could not contact him over the phone.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence The reason why he wrote the letter was because he could not contact him over the phone. Concept/Approach Avoid double causatives like 'reason … because'. Standard English uses: 'The reason … was that …' or simply 'He wrote the letter because …'. Option analysis • why he wrote the letter was that → correct complementizer 'that' after 'was' avoids redundancy.• 'why … was since' → 'since' is causal but sounds clumsy in this slot.• 'for which … because' → repeats cause ('for which' + 'because'); ungrammatical.• 'No improvement' → retains the redundancy. Final Answer why he wrote the letter was that

Question 18

Sentence improvement — correct phrasal verb: use the reflexive idiom 'look after himself' in 'As he is past his teens now, he can look after himself.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence As he is past his teens now, he can look for himself. Concept/Approach The intended meaning is 'take care of himself'. The set phrase is look after oneself, not 'look for oneself' (which means 'search for oneself', illogical). Option analysis • after → 'look after (himself)' is correct.• 'to'/'around' → wrong particles for this meaning.• 'No improvement' keeps a semantic error. Final Answer after

Question 19

Sentence improvement — prefer the precise noun 'space': 'There is no more space for you in this compartment.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence There is no more room for you in this compartment. Concept/Approach In transport contexts (train/coach compartment), 'space' is idiomatic for available capacity. 'Room' is acceptable in general, but 'space' is crisper and collocates better with seats/standing areas. Option analysis • there is no more space → natural collocation.• 'no more seat' → number mismatch (should be 'seats'); also too specific.• 'accommodation' → formal and odd here.• 'No improvement' → less idiomatic. Final Answer there is no more space

Question 20

Sentence improvement — correct preposition with 'protest': use 'protest against' an action: 'Most donors would seriously protest against any effort to extrapolate from such limited data.'

Accepted Answer

Given sentence Most donors would seriously protest any effort to extrapolate from such limited data. Concept/Approach When the object is an action/proposal, the collocation is protest against (e.g., protest against a decision). 'Protest to' is used with a person, and 'protest at' is less common/BrE-specific for places or events. Correction protest against any effort … Final Answer protest against

Sentence Improvement Questions