Spotting Errors Questions for CAT with Answers PDF

Error spotting is a systematic way of identifying and rectifying the mistakes in a sentence. It is commonly used while proofreading written documents. In error spotting, the candidate has to find the grammatical errors in the given paragraph using systematic rules that are already defined.

Spotting errors is one of the most crucial yet the easiest topics for exams, provided that you have the proper knowledge of English Grammar. This segment basically checks the candidate’s command of the English Language. It covers a major section of verbal ability in competitive examinations across India. To prepare for these exams, candidates need to practice questions within the time limit.  

Easy Level

Example 1: If he was to decide to go to college, one would recommend that he plan to go to IIM, Ahmedabad.
(a) If he was to decide to go to college, one would recommend that he plan to go to IIM, Ahmedabad.
(b) If he were to decide to go to college, one would recommend that he plan to go to IIM, Ahmedabad.
(c) Had he decided to go to college, one would recommend that plan to go to IIM, Ahmedabad.
(d) In the event that he decides to go to college, one would recommend that plan to go to IIM, Ahmedabad.
(e) Had he decide to go to college, one would recommend that he go to IIM, Ahmedabad. 

Ans. (b)
Solution: b is the best way of expressing the idea.

Direction for Questions: In each of the following sentences, five options are given. You are required to identify the best way of writing the sentence in the context of the correct usage of standard written English. While doing so, you have to ensure that the message being conveyed remains the same in all cases.

Example 2: When one reads the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, you find a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.
(a) When one reads the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, you find a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.
(b) When you read the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, one finds a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.
(c) When one reads the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, he finds a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.
(d) If one reads the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, you find a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.
(e) When one reads the Hindi Literature of the twentieth century, one finds a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.

Ans. (e)
Solution: The improper use of the pronouns one and you are corrected in Choice e.

Direction for Questions: In each of the following sentences, five options are given. You are required to identify the best way of writing the sentence in the context of the correct usage of standard written English. While doing so, you have to ensure that the message being conveyed remains the same in all cases.
Example 3: Had he realized how close he was to failing, he would not have gone to the party.
(a) Had he realized how close he was to failing, he would not have gone to the party.
(b) If he would have realized how close he was to failing, he would not have gone to the party.
(c) Had he had realized how close he was to failing, he would not have gone to the party.
(d) When he realized how close he was to failing, he did not go to the party.
(e) If he would realize how close he was to failing, he should not have gone to the party.

Ans. (a)
Solution: There is no error in the original sentence (a).

Direction for Questions: In each of the following sentences, five options are given. You are required to identify the best way of writing the sentence in the context of the correct usage of standard written English. While doing so, you have to ensure that the message being conveyed remains the same in all cases.
Example 4: Poor product quality angers Mr. Garbole, who wonders if it is part of a strategy by marketers.
(a) Poor product quality angers Mr. Garbole, who wonders if it is part of a strategy by marketers.
(b) Poor product quality angers Mr. Garbole, who wonders if marketers are part of the strategy.
(c) Poor product quality angers Mr. Garbole, that wonders if it is part of a strategy by marketers.
(d) Poor product quality angers Mr. Garbole, who wonders if they are part of a strategy by marketers.
(e) Poor product quality angers Mr. Garbole, who wonders if it is part of a strategy.

Ans. (a)
Solution: No error. Poor product quality is singular, so the singular noun ‘ it’ must also be correct.

Medium Level

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 1: The matter was referred back to the expert committee since the solution to the problem was different from the one proposed earlier.
(a) referred back to the expert committee since the solution to the problem was different from the one proposed earlier.
(b) referred to the expert committee since the solution to the problem was different from the one proposed earlier.
(c) referred back to the expert committee since the solution to the problem was different than the one proposed earlier.
(d) referred to the committee since the solution to the problem was different than the one proposed earlier.
(e) referred back to the committee since the solution for the problem was different than the one proposed earlier.

Ans. (b)
Solution: In (b) Referred back is redundant. The prefix re means “back.”

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 2:  Completing the physical examination, the tonsils were found to be diseased.
(a) Completing the physical examination, the tonsils
(b) Having completed the physical examination, the tonsils
(c) When the physical examination was completed, the tonsils
(d) The physical examination completed, the tonsils
(e) Completion of the physical examination, the tonsils

Ans. (b)
Solution: Option B is the best way to convey the message.

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 3: The smaller firms in any industry sell either on a price or quality-of-workmanship basis.
(a) The smaller firms in any industry sell either on a price or quality-of-workmanship basis.
(b) The smaller firms in any industry either sell on a price or quality-of-workmanship basis.
(c) The smaller firms in any industry sell on either a price or a quality-of-workmanship basis.
(d) The smaller firms in any industry sell on either a price or on quality-of-workmanship basis.
(e) The smaller firms of any industry sell-off either on a price or quality-of-workmanship basis.

Ans. (c)
Solution: The either-or structure should always be as close as possible to the things that they are attached to.

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 4: Being in the need of a variety of clothing, he founded Azam Lucman, a Bihari tailor in Patna who could produce any type of uniform in a couple of days.
(a) He founded Azam Lucman, a Bihari tailor in Patna who could produce any type of uniform in a couple of days.
(b) A Bihari tailor Azam Lucman found him in Patna who could produce any type of uniform in a couple of days.
(c) A Bihari tailor Azam Lucman was found by him a couple of days later, who could produce any type of uniform.
(d) He founded Azam Lucman tailors, a Bihari tailor in Patna who could produce any type of uniform in a couple of days.
(e) A Bihari tailor Azam Lucman was founded by him in Patna who could produce any type of uniform in a couple of days.

Ans. (d)
Solution: 

• In 'd' the modifier ‘Being in the need of a variety of clothing’ qualifies for the pronoun ‘he’. 
• As a general rule, the modifier must be placed as near to the noun or pronoun it qualifies, as possible. 
• Option d is both grammatically and structurally correct.

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 5: Reared in a village where computers and the internet were objects of curiosity, Purty today hardly gives a thought to the immense possibilities that the internet revolution has thrown open to him.
(a) Reared in a village where computers and the internet were objects of curiosity
(b) Curious to know that computers and the internet were objects of curiosity in the village he was reared up
(c) Being reared in the village where the computers and the internet are objects of curiosity
(d) Reared in a village where computers and the internet were an object of curiousness
(e) Rearing in a village where computers and the internet were objects of curiosity

Ans. (a)
Solution:

• In 'a' the ‘first principle’ of sentence correction questions is, ‘never make an unnecessary correction.’ 
• There is nothing wrong with the original sentence. The modifier is correctly used and the part also follows ‘subject-verb agreement'.

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 6: Balancing a home delivery pizza with one hand and gripping a six-pack carton of Coke with another, the young boy Vijay, paused in front of the guard room of the building.
(a) Balancing a home delivery pizza with one hand and gripping a six-pack carton of Coke with another
(b) Balancing a home delivery pizza with one hand and having gripped a six-pack carton of Coke with another
(c) Having a balance of a home delivery pizza with one hand and gripping a six-pack of a carton of Coke with the other
(d) Balancing a home delivery pizza with one hand and gripping a pack of six Cokes with the other
(e) Balancing a home delivery pizza in one hand and gripping a six-packed carton of Coke with another

Ans. (d)
Solution: A question on parallelism. Two ‘actions’ are being described in the underlined part of the sentence, and both the ‘actions’ must be in the same form.

Hard Level

Ans. (d)
Solution: 

• Option A is incorrect as it uses the adjective after the noun it qualifies. 
• Options B and C are eliminated as they change the meaning of the sentence. 
• Hence, the correct option is D.

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 8: In the fall of 1996, the Indian government dispatched samples of the cells of the militants to those four US scientists, who were only the Americans authorized to test them.
(a) dispatched samples of the cells of the militants to those four US scientists, who were only the Americans authorized to test them.
(b) dispatched samples of the militant’s cells to those four US scientists, the only Americans authorized to test them.
(c) dispatched samples of the cells of militants to those four US scientists who were authorized to test them.
(d) dispatch the samples of the cells of the militants to those four US scientists, who were the only Americans authorized to test them.
(e) dispatched samples of cells of militants to those four US scientists, of the only Americans, authorized to test them.

Ans. (b)
Solution: 

• The only problem with the original sentence is its structure. 
• ‘cells of the militants’ should be replaced with ‘the militant's cells’. 
• Moreover, the use of the modifier ‘only’ at the appropriate place can make the sentence correct. 
• Option C changes the meaning of the sentence, and hence it is eliminated.

Directions for Questions: For each of the following questions, a part of the whole of the original sentence has been underlined. You have to find the best way of writing the underlined part of the sentence.
Example 9: To prepare himself, he subjected himself to two weeks of total abstinence and intensive training in the open fields of the Panipat, climbing the hills nearby 30 times, spend nights in the open and to test to see how long he could hold out without food.
(a) climbing the hills nearby 30 times, spend nights in the open and to test to see
(b) climbed the hills nearby 30 times, spending nights in the open and tested to see
(c) spending nights in the open by climbing the hills nearby 30 times and tested for seeing
(d) climbing the hills nearby 30 times, spending nights in the open and testing to see
(e) climbing the nearby hills 30 times, spend nights in the open and tested to see

Ans. (d)
Solution: 

• A question on parallelism. As the sentence has several ‘actions’, all the ‘actions’ must be in the same form. 
• Only option D takes care of it. None of the other options follows the rule of parallelism.