Sentence Improvement — Set 7

Correct Answer: B. He must finish this task without fail.

The original sentence uses redundant intensifiers: 'absolutely', 'completely', and 'without fail' all emphasize necessity. Removing 'absolutely' and 'completely' leaves a cleaner sentence. 'He must finish this task without fail' is concise and clear.

Correct Answer: C. I think the new plan is a good idea.

'In my own personal opinion' and 'I think' are redundant—both express the same idea. 'A good idea' and simply 'good' express similar meaning. The clearest version is 'I think the new plan is a good idea.' or even shorter 'The new plan is good.'

Correct Answer: C. The teenage girl walked carefully.

'Young teenage girl' is redundant (teenage already implies young). 'Slowly and deliberately' and 'with careful steps' are repetitive descriptions of the same action. 'The teenage girl walked carefully' conveys the same meaning more concisely.

Correct Answer: B. The students returned home and went inside their houses.

'Returned back' is redundant ('return' already means to come back). 'Went back inside their houses' is redundant with 'returned home'. The sentence should be 'The students returned home and went inside their houses.' or simply 'The students returned home.'

Correct Answer: C. Because the weather was terrible, the event was postponed.

'Due to the fact that' can be replaced with 'because'. 'Bad and terrible' are redundant synonyms. The simplest form is 'Because the weather was terrible, the event was postponed.' This conveys the full meaning without repetition.

Correct Answer: B. The conclusion of the study revealed surprising results.

'Final conclusion' is redundant. 'All of the results' and simply 'results' mean the same thing. 'Surprising and unexpected' are repetitive. 'The conclusion of the study revealed surprising results' is most concise while maintaining clarity.

Correct Answer: B. Winter is characterized by cold temperatures.

'It is interesting to note' is wordy. 'Winter season' can be just 'winter'. 'Cold and chilly' are redundant synonyms. The most direct version is 'Winter is characterized by cold temperatures.' This removes all unnecessary elements.

Correct Answer: B. The manager chose the candidate who was better qualified.

'Made a decision to choose' is redundant; simply 'chose' conveys the same meaning. 'More better' is grammatically incorrect; it should be just 'better'. 'The manager chose the candidate who was better qualified' is clear and concise.

Correct Answer: B. Despite the rain, we went out.

'Despite the rain, we went out.' is grammatically correct. 'Despite' is a preposition that must be followed directly by a noun or noun phrase, not by 'of' or a clause. 'Despite of' is a common error in Indian English. Options A and D incorrectly add 'of', and option C incorrectly uses a clause after 'despite'.

Correct Answer: B. The report showed that profit margins were declining.

'Showed and demonstrated' are redundant synonyms. 'Declining and decreasing' are redundant. 'Clearly' and 'steadily' add unnecessary emphasis. 'The report showed that profit margins were declining' conveys the information most efficiently.