Sentence Correction / Improvement: IPMAT practice questions with solutions

Question 1

Part of the sentence below is in bold. Choose the option that should replace the bold part to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is already correct, choose (D) No improvement.

She is one of those writers who refuse to use a computer.

Accepted Answer

(A) were. Answer: (A) were Corrected sentence: If I were a bird, I would fly over the mountains every morning. Rule: subjunctive-were: After wish, as if, as though and in unreal "if" clauses, use "were" for every person. Why (A) is right: An unreal present wish or condition takes "were" for every person: "If I were a bird". Why the others are wrong: - (B) "If I am a bird" treats an impossible situation as real. - (C) "Will" does not go in an if-clause about an imagined situation. - (D) The sentence does need a change: "was" should be "were".

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(B) am

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(C) will be

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(D) No improvement

Question 2

In the following sentence, the incorrect part is underlined (shown here in bold). Choose an alternative from the four given options so that the sentence is rendered correct.

He was having a difficult time, but never once he complained.

Accepted Answer

(D) not once did he complain. Answer: (D) not once did he complain Corrected sentence: He was having a difficult time, but not once did he complain. Rule: inversion-negative-adverbial: After a fronted negative or limiting adverbial (not once, never, hardly, seldom, no sooner, not only, rarely), put the auxiliary before the subject. Why (D) is right: A clause that opens with "not once" (or "never once") needs inversion: "not once did he complain". Why the others are wrong: - (A) Has the inversion, but "give the complaint" is not idiomatic. - (B) No inversion after "not once". - (C) Clumsy and vague: "any complaining happened" hides who did (not) complain.

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(A) not once did he give the complaint

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(B) not once he complained

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(C) not once any complaining happened

Question 3

Part of the sentence below is in bold. Choose the option that should replace the bold part to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is already correct, choose (D) No improvement.

If he will work hard, he will pass the exam.

Accepted Answer

(C) works. Answer: (C) works Corrected sentence: If he works hard, he will pass the exam. Rule: tense-future-in-condition: In clauses of time and condition (if, when, unless, provided, as soon as, before, till), use the present tense for a future meaning. Why (C) is right: A real future condition takes the present tense in the if-clause: "If he works hard, he will pass". Why the others are wrong: - (A) "Would" does not go in the if-clause of a real condition. - (B) "Worked… will pass" mixes an unreal condition with a real result. - (D) "If he will work" needs a change.

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(A) would work

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(B) worked

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(D) No improvement

Question 4

In the following sentence, the incorrect part is underlined (shown here in bold). Choose an alternative from the four given options so that the sentence is rendered correct.

Which team has the best record, yours or theirs?

Accepted Answer

(D) Which team has the better record. Answer: (D) Which team has the better record Corrected sentence: Which team has the better record, yours or theirs? Rule: comparative-two-superlative-three: Use the comparative for two people or things and the superlative for three or more. Why (D) is right: "Yours or theirs" compares exactly two teams, so the comparative "better" is needed, not the superlative "best". (D) makes that one change and keeps the natural "Which team". Why the others are wrong: - (A) Keeps the superlative "best" for a comparison of two. - (B) Same error ("best" for two), with extra words. - (C) Uses "better" correctly, but "Which one team" is not idiomatic English.

Answer

(A) Which of the teams has the best record

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(B) Which one of the teams has the best record

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(C) Which one team has the better record

Question 5

In the following sentence, the incorrect part is underlined (shown here in bold). Choose an alternative from the four given options so that the sentence is rendered correct.

Which team has the best record, yours or theirs?

Accepted Answer

(B) aroused. Answer: (B) aroused Corrected sentence: His talk on heritage sites has aroused my interest. Rule: word-choice-meaning: Choose the word whose meaning and usual partners fit the sentence (raise a question, arouse interest, make a decision). Why (B) is right: Interest is "aroused" (awakened, stirred). "Picked up my interest" is not idiomatic. "Aroused my interest" is the standard collocation. Why the others are wrong: - (A) Things brighten a room or a mood, not an interest. - (C) You adopt a policy or a child; you do not adopt someone's interest. - (D) "Caught" is the casual verb for a sudden glance of attention (it caught my eye); a talk that builds up your interest "arouses" it, the standard collocation this item tests.

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(A) brightened

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(C) adopted

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(D) caught

Question 6

Which of the following sentences about a festival is grammatically correct?

Accepted Answer

(B) If we had left earlier, we would have seen the fireworks.. Answer: (B) If we had left earlier, we would have seen the fireworks. Rule: conditional-third: "If + had + past participle" pairs with "would/could/might have + past participle"; "would" never goes in the if-clause. subjunctive-were: After wish, as if, as though and in unreal "if" clauses, use "were" for every person. tense-since-for: An action continuing up to now with since/for takes the present perfect (continuous), not the simple present. infinitive-or-gerund: Some verbs take the to-infinitive (decide, refuse, hope, want, agree), others the -ing form (avoid, enjoy, mind, finish, suggest, deny). Why (B) is right: Unreal past: "If we had left…, we would have seen…". Correct. Why the others are wrong: - (A) No "will" in an if-clause about an imagined situation: "If I were the organiser". - (C) "Since 1990" needs the present perfect: "has been held". - (D) "Enjoy" takes the -ing form: "enjoyed watching".

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(A) If I will be the organiser, I would start the show earlier.

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(C) The festival is being held here since 1990.

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(D) The children enjoyed to watch the procession.

Question 7

Which of the following sentences about a museum visit is grammatically correct?

Accepted Answer

(B) We spent an hour in the museum's new gallery.. Answer: (B) We spent an hour in the museum's new gallery. Rule: possessive-apostrophe: Singular possessive = 's (the story's plot); plural ending in s = s' (the teams' captains). uncountable-no-plural: Uncountable nouns (information, advice, furniture, luggage, equipment, scenery, machinery) have no plural and take a singular verb. Why (B) is right: "An hour" (silent h) and the singular possessive "museum's" are both right. Correct. Why the others are wrong: - (A) "Scenery" is uncountable: "beautiful scenery". - (C) "Advice" is uncountable: "some advice". - (D) "Children" is already plural: "children's section".

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(A) The museum walls are covered with many beautiful sceneries.

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(C) The guide gave us an information sheet and some advices.

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(D) The childrens' section was crowded.

Question 8

Part of the sentence below is in bold. Choose the option that should replace the bold part to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is already correct, choose (D) No improvement.

She is one of those writers who refuse to use a computer.

Accepted Answer

(D) No improvement. Answer: (D) No improvement Corrected sentence: She is one of those writers who refuse to use a computer. Rule: sva-relative-clause: The verb inside a who/which/that clause agrees with the noun the relative pronoun stands for ("one of those who" → plural verb). Why (D) is right: "Who" refers to "those writers" (plural): of the writers who refuse to use a computer, she is one. So the plural "refuse" is correct, and no change is needed. Why the others are wrong: - (A) Singular, as if "who" referred to "one". (Informal English often does this; the careful form is the plural.) - (B) Singular, and "has refused" changes a habit into a single event. - (C) Singular and continuous.

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(A) refuses

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(B) has refused

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(C) is refusing

Question 9

Which of the following sentences about a debate competition is grammatically correct?

Accepted Answer

(B) It was she who won the prize for the best speaker.. Answer: (B) It was she who won the prize for the best speaker. Rule: pronoun-case-subject: Use the subject form (I, he, she, we, they) as a subject, as a complement after "be" in formal English, and after than/as when a verb is understood. who-whom: Use who/whoever as the subject of its own clause and whom/whomever as the object of a verb or preposition in that clause. reflexive-misuse: Use a reflexive pronoun (myself, himself) only when the doer acts on itself or for emphasis, never as a plain subject or object. pronoun-ambiguity: A pronoun must point clearly to one noun; if two nouns could fit, repeat the noun. Why (B) is right: After "It was", formal English uses the subject form ("she"), and "who" is the subject of "won". Correct. Why the others are wrong: - (A) Remove "they thought": " had argued best" needs the subject form "who". - (C) A reflexive cannot be a subject: "Two friends and I". - (D) "He" and "him" could each be either person.

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(A) The judges praised the team whom they thought had argued best.

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(C) Myself and two friends represented our college.

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(D) When the speaker met the judge, he congratulated him.

Question 10

Which of the following sentences about a science experiment is grammatically correct?

Accepted Answer

(C) The teacher said that light travels faster than sound.. Answer: (C) The teacher said that light travels faster than sound. Rule: narration-backshift: In reported speech after a past reporting verb, move the tense one step back (is → was, will → would, has → had, must → had to). conditional-third: "If + had + past participle" pairs with "would/could/might have + past participle"; "would" never goes in the if-clause. stative-continuous: Verbs of state (know, believe, own, belong, understand, prefer, seem, contain) are not normally used in continuous forms. Why (C) is right: A universal truth keeps the present tense even after a past reporting verb. Correct. Why the others are wrong: - (A) "The day before" places it before "told": "she had completed". - (B) No "would" in the if-clause: "If the lab had had more funds". - (D) "Know" is not used in the continuous, and "since last week" needs the present perfect: "has known".

Answer

(A) She told us that she has completed the experiment the day before.

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(B) If the lab would have had more funds, the study would have finished sooner.

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(D) The team is knowing the results since last week.

Sentence Correction / Improvement questions for IPMAT, with solutions