TOEFL Sentence Correction Improvement Practice Test 5

Question – 1

1. I say, therefore, that my two kids are my two bundle of joys.?

  • A. bundle of joys.

  • B. bundles of joy.

  • C. bundles of joys.

  • D. bundle of joy.

  • E. bundles in joy.

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:To justify the plural noun ‘kids’, the expression, ‘bundle of joy’, in its plural form, should become ‘bundles of joy’ since the word ‘bundle’ is the noun and the verb form ‘joy’ remains in the same in singular as well as plural conversions. Hence, amongst the given options, (B) is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 2

2. Certain kinds of flaws is recognizable, as such by anyone, except the prejudiced man.?

  • A. Certain kinds of flaws is

  • B. Certain kind of flaws is.

  • C. Certain kinds of flaws are

  • D. Certain kind of flaws are

  • E. A certain kind of flaw is

  • Answer:C

  • Answer Explanation:The underlined segment of this sentence talks about a plural term ‘flaws’ and their ‘kinds’. To maintain parity within the sentence, the word ‘is’ should be changed to ‘are’ and the sentence will get improved. Option(C) is the only option, amongst the given choices, which is correcting this simple error without any other additional changes and hence, it is the correct answer choice.


Question – 3

3. When it came to bigger, more universal, or more subtle ideas, it may not be so easy to change them.?

  • A. When it came to bigger

  • B. When it became to bigger

  • C. When it come to bigger

  • D. When it comes to bigger

  • E. When it came to big

  • Answer:D

  • Answer Explanation:The terms ‘came’ and ‘may not’ are grammatically unsuitable to be used together, the way they are used, in this sentence. This is because; ‘came’ is in the past tense while ‘may not’ is depicting the future tense. To make a correction, the word corresponding with ‘may not’ should be ‘comes’ which is correctly depicted in option (D). Hence, (D) is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 4

4. The vacuum of our mind may only too easily be filled by some big, fantastic notion.?

  • A. The vacuum of our mind

  • B. The vacuums of our mind

  • C. The vacuum space of our mind

  • D. The vacuum in our mind

  • E. The vacuum of our minds

  • Answer:E

  • Answer Explanation:Since the word ‘our’ is used before the noun ‘mind’, the tense of the noun changes to its plural form which is ‘minds’. Option (E) is correcting this error without making any additional or unnecessary changes and hence, (E) is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 5

5. The amount of pages that this book contains is good enough to scare any reader, especially, someone like me.?

  • A. The amount of pages that this book contains

  • B. The number of pages that this book contains

  • C. The amount of pages that this book contain

  • D. The quantity of pages that this book contains

  • E. The number of pages that this book has

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:This sentence contains something called an error of quantification. The noun ‘pages’ cannot be counted in ‘amount’ but in numbers or simply ‘number’. Option (B) is correcting this error without making any other unnecessary changes and hence, it is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 6

6. Though their like and dislikes vary, in essence, this fact maintains that; like father like son.?

  • A. like and dislikes vary, in essence, this fact

  • B. like and dislikes vary, in essence, the fact

  • C. likes and dislikes vary, in essence, this fact

  • D. likes and dislikes vary, in essence, that fact

  • E. likes and dislikes vary, in essence, a fact

  • Answer:C

  • Answer Explanation:In this sentence, a lot of frills have been added to camouflage the usage of the word ‘like’ in the underlined segment. This ‘like’ should be in the plural form since it is being used to denote the ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ of people while the other two times that the word ‘like’ is used in this sentence is to depict a similarity. Due to the difference in the implication of the first ‘like’ from the other two times it is repeated, option (C), which is changing its form into plural without making any other unnecessary changes to the sentence, it is the correct answer choice.


Question – 7

7. All those independent histories agreed to collectivise themselves into the idea of the nation of India.?

  • A. All those independent histories

  • B. All these independent histories

  • C. All the independent histories

  • D. All independent histories

  • E. All kinds of independent histories

  • Answer:A

  • Answer Explanation:There is no-error in the underlined segment of this sentence and hence, option (A), is the correct answer choice.


Question – 8

8. On the other hand, evidently something have changed in the last 10 years.?

  • A. something have changed

  • B. some things have been changed

  • C. something have not changed

  • D. something’s have changed

  • E. something has changed

  • Answer:E

  • Answer Explanation:The term ‘something’ is a singular form while its associated verb in the sentence (‘have’) is plural. Option (E) is simply correcting this error instead of changing the form of the word (like in options B and E) or repeating the error (like in options A and D). Hence, (E) is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 9

9. I feel as if I’ve lost a limb; I am very anxious to bring that period to an end.?

  • A. am very anxious to bring that

  • B. am very anxious to bring this

  • C. was very anxious to bring that

  • D. am very anxious to bring a

  • E. was very anxious to bring this

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:The term, ‘that period’, talks about any ‘period’ which is not depicting ‘now’ or, the present. However, the word ‘feel’ depicts a current feeling or a feeling in the present. To justify the word ‘feel’, the form of the word ‘that’ should also be in the present tense which is ‘this’. Hence, option (B), which is correctly editing this error, unlike the other options which are either repeating the error or making unnecessary additions to the sentence, is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 10

10. The fact that it hasn’t happened for 50 years on quite the same scale means nothing; it can still happen tomorrow.?

  • A. it can still

  • B. it cannot still

  • C. they can still

  • D. it could still

  • E. it could not still

  • Answer:A

  • Answer Explanation:TThis is a completely correct sentence and needs no alternations. Though it can be argued that option (D) is also completely correct, in questions like these, when the given sentence is correct and another correct alternative is provided, it is always better to choose the no-error option (A) instead of making any change to the given sentence. The examiners are only trying to gauge your confidence in English grammar and such questions are designed to check if you opt for the answer choices or go with the already correct statement. Hence, option (A) is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 11

11. We must not be forgetting that science rationally concluded that life once did originate on Earth.?

  • A. We must not be forgetting

  • B. We must not forget

  • C. We should not forget

  • D. We are used to forgetting

  • E. We must not be able to forget

  • Answer:B

  • Answer Explanation:The two verbs ‘be’ and ‘forgetting’ cannot be used in conjunction with each other the way they have been used in this sentence. To improve upon the grammar of this sentence, the word ‘be’ needs to be removed while the word ‘forgetting’ needs to be edited to convert it into the correct tense. Option (B) is correctly editing the error without making any other unnecessary changes and hence, it is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 12

12. What was unreasonable was the parade of men who claimed has ‘proved’ this fact.?

  • A. men who claimed has ‘proved’ this fact.

  • B. men who have claimed have ‘proved this fact.

  • C. men who claimed to have ‘proved’ this fact.

  • D. men who claim has ‘proved’ this fact.

  • E. men who claimed they had ‘proved’ this fact.

  • Answer:C

  • Answer Explanation:The phrase ‘parade of men’ implies that there was more than one man since it is a ‘parade’. The associated verb ‘has’ for a plural noun has to be ‘have’ which is correctly depicted in option (C). All the other options are either repeating the error or, making additional and unnecessary changes which are not acceptable in sentence improvement questions. Hence, option (C) is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 13

13. Science can only prove an event improbable: it can never prove its impossible.?

  • A. improbable: it can never prove its impossible.

  • B. improbable: it can never prove the impossible.

  • C. improbable, it can never prove impossible.

  • D. improbable: it can never prove it impossible.

  • E. improbable, it can never prove it’s impossibility.

  • Answer:D

  • Answer Explanation:There are two words in the underlined segment, either of which, if corrected, can improve the grammar of the sentence. Those two words are ‘its’ and ‘impossible’. If we wish to retain the word ‘its’ in its given form, an answer option has to provide the same but with the word ‘impossibility’ following it. Option (E) is using the word ‘impossibility’ but it is also altering the structure of the word ‘its’ to make the sentence incorrect once again. This implies that the word ‘its’ needs to be altered while maintaining the given word ‘impossible’. The word ‘its’ is a pronoun and it is used in this sentence in place of the noun ‘event’. Since the noun is in its singular form, the word ‘it’ will be most suitable to denote it (within the given structure of the sentence) than ‘it’s’ (which uses an apostrophe without justifying what it is ascribed to). Hence, option (D), which makes the required and correct alteration, is the correct answer choice for this question.


Question – 14

14. Listening and reading are not hobbies today, it is a necessity.?

  • A. , it is a necessity.

  • B. it is a necessity.

  • C. , it is a very necessary thing.

  • D. as they are very necessary.

  • E. , they are a necessity.

  • Answer:E

  • Answer Explanation:Since there are two subject verbs ‘listening’ and ‘reading’ mentioned in the sentence, they have to be denoted by a plural pronoun. Unlike the other options, option (E) is correctly improving upon the sentence by eliminating this error instead of making several additional changes which are not required. Hence, option (E) is the correct answer choice.


Question – 15

15. They have a word-lore all their own.?

  • A. all their own.

  • B. all on their own.

  • C. all in their own.

  • D. their own.

  • E. all that they can own.

  • Answer:A

  • Answer Explanation:The grammar and usage of the underlined segment of this sentence is totally correct and hence, option (A), which is the no-error option, is the correct answer choice for this question.


Score: 0/10

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