TOEFL Sentence Correction Improvement Practice Test 3

Question – 1

1. When the bottom people discover that they hold justice in their own hands, the earth moves a little.?

  • A. When the bottom people discover

  • B. When the people at the bottom discover

  • C. When bottom people discover

  • D. When the lower class people discover

  • E. When the bourgeoisie discover

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:The expression ‘bottom people’ is absurd to convey a certain strata of people with respect to the context of this excerpt. However, it is not necessary that the ‘people at the bottom’ need to be expressed as ‘lower class’ or the ‘bourgeoisie’. Additionally, when option (B) is correctly making the least number of changes and improving upon the sentence, a change of words (as in options (D) and (E)) is not required. Hence, option (B) is the correct answer choice here.


Question – 2

2. Almost all politicians are convinced of the merits or liberalization though they may occasionally lose sight of the big picture in pandering to their constituencies.?

  • A. the merits or liberalization though they may occasionally lose sight of the big picture

  • B. the merits of liberalization though they may occasionally lose sight of the big pictures.

  • C. the merits of liberalization though they may occasionally lose sight of the big picture.

  • D. the merits of liberalization though they may seldom lose sight of the big picture

  • E. the merits of liberalization though they may sometimes lose sight of the big picture

  • Answer:C

  • Answer Explanation:In this sentence, the ‘or’ used before ‘liberalisation’ needs to be changed to ‘of’ and that is the only form of improvement required here. Hence, option (C), which is improving the sentence without making any additional and unnecessary changes, is the correct answer choice for this sentence.


Question – 3

3. During the Second World War, the price was paid by the economists.?

  • A. the price was paid by the economists.

  • B. the price was paid by the economics of the countries.

  • C. the price was paid by the economies of the countries.

  • D. the price was paid by the economies.

  • E. the price was paid due to the economists.

  • Answer:D

  • Answer Explanation:It is absurd to say that the ‘price’ of any kind of war is ‘paid’ by the ‘economists’ (who are just a set of people). This sentence is an example of erroneous verb and noun combinations where the verb ‘paid’ does not do justice to the noun ‘Second World War’ if used with the other noun, ‘economists’. Hence, option (D), which correctly adds logic to the sentence since the ‘price’ of any ‘war’ is paid by the ‘economies’ of the nations involved in it, is the correct answer choice. Though it can be argued that option (C) is expanding upon the logic of the sentence, in sentence improvement questions, unnecessary addition of words should be avoided when a simple correction can improve the sentence and therefore, option (D) is no-doubt the only correct answer choice here.


Question – 4

4. Companies know they can’t fool the consumers too often, they will simply switch to the competition.?

  • A. Companies know they can’t fool the consumers too often, they

  • B. Companies know they can’t fool the consumers too often since they

  • C. A Company knows it can’t fool the consumer too often; they

  • D. Companies know they can’t fool the consumers too often because they

  • E. Companies know they can’t fool the consumers too often since consumers

  • Answer:E

  • Answer Explanation:In this sentence, there is nothing evidently wrong with the grammar, the logic or the order of words within it. It is structured in a way we usually speak and thus, consider it correct. However, when two nouns (‘companies’ and ‘consumers’), are used in such an order like they are used here, the predicate of the sentence has to define the noun again so as to demonstrate which noun the conclusion is actually talking about. In simple words, the pronoun ‘they’, though correct, does not express clearly whether it is ascribed to the noun ‘companies’ or ‘consumers’. To improve the sentence therefore, the word ‘consumers’ needs to be repeated in the conclusion and hence, option (E) is the correct answer choice here.


Question – 5

5. Of each of the great leader, it is said by his followers, even long after he is gone, he made us do it.?

  • A. Of each of the great leader,

  • B. Of each of the great leaders,

  • C. Of each of the great leader’s,

  • D. Of each of a great leader,

  • E. To each of the great leaders,

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:Since ‘each of; a certain set of ‘leaders’ is being implied in the first part of this sentence, it is imperative that the word ‘leader’ be used in the plural form. Keeping this in mind, option (B) is the correct answer choice since all other options are either repeating the error or making additional changes to the phrase, which is not required. Hence, option (B) is the correct answer choice for this sentence.


Question – 6

6. To proof, one has only to look at the success of the district primary education programme, which was launched in 1994.?

  • A. To proofs, one has only

  • B. For proofs, one has to only

  • C. For proof, one has only

  • D. For a proof, one has only

  • E. To prove it, one has only

  • Answer:C

  • Answer Explanation:In this sentence, the combination of ‘to’ and ‘proof’ is the erroneous segment. To improve upon it, either the word ‘to’ needs to get replaced or the word ‘proof’ needs amendment. Since the word ‘for’, if used instead of the word ‘to’, is retaining the logic of the sentence and still improving it, option (C) is the correct answer choice for this sentence. All the other answer choices are either repeating the error or making additional changes, which is not required or welcome in these kinds of questions.


Question – 7

7. The capitalist system has produced a almost universal ignorance of how things are made.?

  • A. a almost universal ignorance of how things are made.

  • B. an almost universal ignorance of how things are made through machines.

  • C. an almost universal ignorance of how handmade things are made.

  • D. an almost universal ignorance of how things are made.

  • E. an almost universal ignorance of things being made.

  • Answer:D

  • Answer Explanation:The error in this sentence lies in the usage of the article ‘a’ where ‘an’ should have been used. Correcting this error, option (D) is making the least number of non-required changes to the sentence and hence, it is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 8

8. Of course most of us are too tired of our work when we come home to want to read.?

  • A. to want to read.

  • B. to want to read book.

  • C. to want to read at all.

  • D. to want to read more.

  • E. to want to read on.

  • Answer:A

  • Answer Explanation:This sentence is absolutely fine the way it is given. It is not necessary that what we are ‘to read’ should be defined in a sentence structured this way. Hence, the no-error option, (A), is the correct answer choice.


Question – 9

9. Excuse my going on like this; but as I am a writer of books and play myself.?

  • A. Excuse my going on like this; but as I

  • B. Excuse my going on like this; but I

  • C. Excuse me going on like this; but as I

  • D. Excuse me going on like this; but I

  • E. Excuse my going on like this; but since I

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:When the word ‘as’ is placed midway in a sentence like the way it has been placed here, a proper conclusion should follow. In this case, ‘as’ the person speaking is a ‘writer himself’, he should be stating a conclusive premise as to why he is asking to get excused in the first place. Since such a description is not available, the word ‘as’ needs to be removed to improve the sentence. Hence option (B), which is simply removing the word ‘as’ without making any other unnecessary changes to the sentence, is the correct answer choice.


Question – 10

10. The Chinese were more scared than the English ladies’ of high opposition in that outburst.?

  • A. The Chinese were more scared than the English ladies’

  • B. The Chinese were much more scared than the English ladies

  • C. The Chinese were much more scared than the English ladies’

  • D. The Chinese were more scared than the English ladies’ who were

  • E. The Chinese were more scared than the English ladies

  • Answer:E

  • Answer Explanation:The ‘English ladies’ are denoted as a set of ‘ladies’ and not ‘ladies’ to whom something is ascribed to, for which an apostrophe mark should be required. Hence, option (E), which is simply removing the misplaced apostrophe mark and thereby improving the sentence, is the correct answer choice for this sentence.


Question – 11

11. Since it was essential to read his theories to know their development, they read it.?

  • A. they read it.

  • B. they read them.

  • C. they read those.

  • D. they needed to read it.

  • E. they read them all.

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:The noun (‘theories’), in the given sentence, is in its plural form which implies that the pronoun used in place of it should also be plural (which ‘it’ is not). Hence, option B, which is simply correcting this error and improving the sentence instead of making any unnecessary and additional changes to it, is the correct answer choice.


Question – 12

12. This doubt remained and into the controversy became the Titanic figure of Louis Pasteur.?

  • A. the controversy became the

  • B. the controversy became the

  • C. the controversy came the

  • D. the controversy became involved the

  • E. the controversies came the

  • Answer:C

  • Answer Explanation:Since ‘Pasteur’ is doing something ‘into’ the ‘controversy’, that action cannot be denoted by the verb ‘became’. If the implication is of coming ‘into’ the ‘controversy’ or getting involved in it, the best way to put it is demonstrated by option (C). The other answer options (A, B, and E) are grammatically incorrect while option (D) is needlessly adding words, which is unacceptable in questions like these. Hence, option (C) is the correct answer choice here.


Question – 13

13. There is a possibility that living bacteria very well might be arising a new form of inanimate matter.?

  • A. might be arising a

  • B. might be rising a,

  • C. might be arising into a

  • D. might be raising a,

  • E. might be arising into a

  • Answer:D

  • Answer Explanation:There is verb confusion here with respect to the noun in this sentence. Since the ‘bacteria’ are said to do something to a ‘new form of matter’, and ‘arising’ is the grammatically incorrect form of the verb ‘arise’ or ‘raise’ here, the correct form (which retains the meaning of the sentence) is option (D). The other options are either repeating the erroneous verb (A, C and E) or, using another wrong form of a verb for the sentence (B), which makes option (D) the only correct answer choice.


Question – 14

14. For the one that were afraid that life did not enter from the outside, more proof was required.?

  • A. For the one that

  • B. For them that

  • C. For those ones that

  • D. For those people that

  • E. For the ones who

  • Answer:E

  • Answer Explanation:The verb, ‘were’, in this particular sentence, is plural while the noun, ‘the one’, is singular in form (which makes option A incorrect). All we need to do to improve upon this sentence is to correct the noun form, which is correctly done in option E, than by making any other additional changes to the prepositions or the pronouns (like in options B,C and D). Hence, option (E) is the correct answer choice.


Question – 15

15. Believing a solution to this problem was essential to the development of his theories.?

  • A. Believing a solution to this problem

  • B. Believing in the solution to this problem

  • C. Believing in solution to this problem

  • D. Believing that a solution to his problem

  • E. Belief in a solution to this problem

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:The given sentence is vague due to the isolation of the verb ‘believing’ and its placement within the sentence. Since the placement of the verb cannot be altered, the best solution is to ascribe the verb to the respective nouns ‘solution’ and ‘problem’. Unlike the other answer options, option (B) correctly binds the verb and the noun with the correct preposition and hence, it is the correct answer choice for this sentence.


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