Which of the following sentences are grammatically correct?
(A) Rama is her eldest daughter.
(B) The Sun Temple is the eldest temple in Odisha.
(C) Rama is elder than Adyasha.
(D) Kailashnath is the oldest monolithic temple in India.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:-
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) and (D) only
Elder, eldest and older, oldest:
- Elder and eldest are used only for people, mainly members of the same family (my elder brother, her eldest daughter).
Example: My eldest sister is a doctor. - Elder is not followed by "than"; for a comparison with "than", older is used.
- Older and oldest are used for both people and things.
(A) Rama is her eldest daughter. — Correct. "Eldest" is used for a person within a family.
(B) The Sun Temple is the eldest temple in Odisha. — Incorrect. A temple is a thing, so "oldest" is needed.
Correct form: The Sun Temple is the oldest temple in Odisha.
(C) Rama is elder than Adyasha. — Incorrect. "Elder" cannot be followed by "than"; "older" is used.
Correct form: Rama is older than Adyasha.
(D) Kailashnath is the oldest monolithic temple in India. — Correct. "Oldest" is the right superlative for a thing.