One of the parts (A, B, C, D) in the sentence given below contains an ERROR. Which one of the following is INCORRECT? I requested (A) that he should be given (B) the driving test (C) today instead of tomorrow. (D) A. requested that B. should be given C. the driving test D. instead of tomorrow

GATE 2012 · General Aptitude · Incorrect Sentence Part · medium

Answer: Option B is the answer. 'Should be given' is the error — after the mandative verb 'requested that', the correct subjunctive form is 'be given' (without the modal 'should').

1. Identify the verb type: 'Request' is a mandative verb. A that-clause following it must use the subjunctive mood (base form of the verb, no modal auxiliaries).
2. Check Part B against the rule: 'Should be given' uses the modal auxiliary 'should', which is not permitted in the subjunctive that-clause after 'request'. The correct form is 'be given' (passive subjunctive). Using 'should' is a grammatical error.
3. Verify remaining parts: Part A ('requested that') is correct. Part C ('the driving test') is a correct noun phrase. Part D ('instead of tomorrow') is a correct time-contrast phrase. None of them contain errors.