Read the given sentences carefully and choose the grammatically incorrect options:
A. After Sir Davos Seaworth was punished for smuggling, he had three less fingernails to clean.
B. I am irked every time my cousin introduces me as her older sister; I am only six months older than her!
C. My brother is an introvert and struggles with social interactions, so he has a few friends.
D. The team decided to stop for a meal while they awaited farther instructions from the head office.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → C and D only
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 (1) → A, B and D only, as explained below.
A. After Sir Davos Seaworth was punished for smuggling, he had three less fingernails to clean. — Incorrect.
- Fewer is used with things that can be counted (fingernails, people, books).
- Less is used with amounts that cannot be counted (water, time, money).
Example: This year there were fewer accidents on the highway. - Correct form: After Sir Davos Seaworth was punished for smuggling, he had three fewer fingernails to clean.
B. I am irked every time my cousin introduces me as her older sister; I am only six months older than her! — Incorrect.
- In formal grammar, "than" here is followed by a clause that is understood ("than she is"), so the subject pronoun is needed.
- "Than her" is common in speech but is not the correct written form.
Example: My brother is taller than I am. - Correct form: I am irked every time my cousin introduces me as her older sister; I am only six months older than she is!
C. My brother is an introvert and struggles with social interactions, so he has a few friends. — Correct.
- The sentence is grammatically well formed.
- A few means "some", while few means "hardly any".
- "Few friends" would suit the sense of "struggles" better, but the choice is one of meaning, not a grammatical error.
Example: We have a few minutes left, so let us revise once more.
D. The team decided to stop for a meal while they awaited farther instructions from the head office. — Incorrect.
- Farther is used only for physical distance.
- Further also means "more" or "additional".
Example: Please wait for further orders. - Correct form: The team decided to stop for a meal while they awaited further instructions from the head office.
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.