Identify the error/s in the following sentence.
A. My mother tends to
B. tightens the purse strings
C. especially toward the close of the month
D. in order to keep a check
E. on unnecessary expenditure.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → B and C
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the key: the correct answer should be Option (2) → B only, as explained below.
A. My mother tends to — Correct.
- "Tends to" means usually does and is followed by a verb in its base form.
B. tightens the purse strings — Incorrect.
- After "tends to" the verb must be the base form: "tightens" should be "tighten".
- To tighten the purse strings is to spend less money.
Example: After the shop lost money, the owner had to tighten the purse strings. - Correct form: My mother tends to tighten the purse strings, especially toward the close of the month, in order to keep a check on unnecessary expenditure.
C. especially toward the close of the month — Correct.
- "Toward" and "towards" are both standard English with the same meaning.
- "Toward" is the usual American form and is also accepted in British usage.
D. in order to keep a check — Correct.
E. on unnecessary expenditure. — Correct.
- To keep a check on something is to control or limit it.
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.