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Sentence Correction
The Sentence Correction questions of the computer-based GMAT tests your grasp of English grammar, English syntax and English diction through 15 questions featured in its verbal section.
These questions do not occur in a single group in the test, but are interspersed among other questions on Reading Comprehension and Logical reasoning.
The directions for Sentence Correction read as follows:
In each of the following sentences, some part of the sentence or the entire sentence is underlined. Beneath each sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is better than any of the alternatives, choose answer A; otherwise, choose one of the others.
Choose the best version as your answer.
This is a test of correctness and effectiveness of expression.
In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction.
Choose the answer that expresses most effectively what is presented in the original sentence; this answer should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity or redundancy.
Example-1:
In England the well-dressed gentleman of the eighteenth century protected their clothing while having their wig powdered by poking their head through a device that resembled the stocks.
(A) gentleman of the eighteenth century protected their clothing while having their wig powdered by poking their head
(B) gentleman of the eighteenth century protected his clothing while having his wig powdered by poking his head
(C) gentleman of the eighteenth century protected their clothing while having their wigs powdered by poking their heads
(D) gentlemen of the eighteenth century protected his clothing while having his wig powdered by poking his head
(E) gentlemen of the eighteenth century protected their clothing while having his wig powdered by poking his head
ANALYSIS:
This question has the error of using a wrong pronoun and also using a singular noun where a plural noun is necessary. The subject of the given sentence is ‘well dressed-gentleman’, which is a singular noun.
So, the use of the plural pronoun in the phrase ‘their wig’ is grammatically wrong. In addition, the phrases ‘their wig’ and ‘their head’ implies that many of them together had only one wig and only one head, which is absurd. So, (A) is wrong.
A cursory examination of the other choices shows that (C) also incorporates the first error identified above, and can be eliminated.
(B) corrects these errors and results in a clear and grammatical statement, and is the answer.
(D) and (E) both have the same error in reverse, with the plural noun ‘gentlemen’ being represented by the singular pronoun ‘his’ in the latter part of the sentence.
The correct sentence is:
In England the well-dressed gentleman of the eighteenth century protected his clothing while having his wig powdered by poking his head through a device that resembled the stocks.
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