In the following sentence certain parts are underlined and marked P, Q, and R. One of the parts may contain certain error or may not be acceptable in standard written communication. Select the part containing an error. Choose D as your answer if there is no error. The student corrected [P: all the verses] that [Q: the instructor marked] [R: on the answer book]. A. P B. Q C. R D. No error

GATE 2015 · General Aptitude · Tenses · medium

Answer: Part Q ('the instructor marked') contains the error; it should be 'had marked' to express that the instructor's marking occurred before the student corrected the verses. Answer: B.

1. Check Part P: 'All the verses' is a valid noun phrase serving as the direct object of 'corrected'. No error here.
2. Check Part Q: The relative clause 'that the instructor marked' should preferably use 'had marked' (past perfect) to show the instructor's action preceded the student's correction. Using simple past 'marked' is non-standard in this context.
3. Check Part R: 'On the answer book' is an acceptable prepositional phrase. No structural error here.
4. Select the erroneous part: Part Q contains the error because the simple past 'marked' should be the past perfect 'had marked' to correctly indicate temporal sequence.