Latest Pattern of Spotting Errors for IBPS PO Exam

One of the most sought-after professions in the country is a job in the banking industry. The role of the probationary officer, or PO, in India’s public sector banks, is in high demand due to the opportunity for growth and worthwhile remuneration. Every year, the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Probationary Officers (IBPS PO) examination is held for the recruitment of Probationary Officers in various public sector banks.

The IBPS PO test is difficult but not impossible to pass. Here are some Spotting Error practice questions from the English section of the exam to help you in your preparation for this coveted exam.

Directions (1-10): Given below are three statements, of which some may be incorrect. Identify the correct statement(s).

1.
I. Since blue whales track productive waters, they demonstrate that the waters in the archipelago are rich and productive.
II. The archipelago is rich and productive as demonstrated by the presence of blue whales, who track productive waters.
III. The productive waters of the archipelago are rich and productive and attract the blue whales.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – E
Solution: All the given sentences are correct. Hence, the correct answer is Option – E.

2.
I. Social mobility is the upward or downward change in an individual’s socioeconomic status compared to that of their parents.
II. An individual’s upward or downward change in socioeconomic status, as compared to that of their parents, is called social mobility.
III. As compared to their parents, an individual’s socioeconomic status in social mobility is called within the upward or downward change.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – D
Solution: Both sentences I & II are correct. In Sentence III, the preposition “within” is unnecessary. “Within” is used to denote something that is contained inside something. This is not a given case, as “is called” is usually followed by a noun, which had been discussed before it. Hence, the correct answer is Option – D.

3.
I. She had people told me but she’s nothing of the kind and was very pleasant.
II. People had told me she was very pleasant but she’s nothing of the kind.
III. People tells me she was very pleasant and she the nothing of the kind.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – B
Solution: Only sentence II is correct. The rest are incorrect and explained below:
I: “but” is a conjunction, which should come in between two clauses. “She had people told me” is not a complete clause because it lacks an object for the verb, “told.”
III: “people” is in the third person plural, so the corresponding verb (tell) should follow suit. It should be “tell” instead of “tells.” Also, “she the nothing of the kind” lacks the auxiliary verb “is.” Hence, the correct answer is Option – B.

4.
I. The prospect of a career break after becoming mothers is faced by many woman.
II. Motherhood forces woman to prospect the face of a career break.
III. Many women face the prospect of a career break after becoming mothers.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – C
Solution:
Only sentence III is correct. The rest are incorrect and explained below:
I: “many” indicates that there is more than one woman. So, it should be “women”, the plural of “woman.”
II: “prospect” is a noun, that cannot follow ‘to-infinitive.’ ‘To-infinitive’ must be followed by the base form of a verb. Hence, the correct answer is Option – C.

5.
I. The landlady found they had been illegally subletting the flat.
II. They found the landlady that was illegally subletting the flat.
III. They found the flat that had been illegally subletting the landlady.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – A
Solution: Only sentence I is correct. The rest are incorrect and explained below:
II: “that” is used to refer to the landlady, who is a person. When referring to a person, we should use “who” instead of “that.”
III: “sublet” means to lease (a property) to a subtenant. A “landlady” cannot be sublet by a flat.
Hence, the correct answer is Option – A.

6.
I. We washed some down bread by a glass of milk for breakfast.
II. We washed some bread with a glass of milk for breakfast.
III. We washed some bread down with a glass of milk for breakfast.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – C
Solution: If you wash something, especially food, down with a drink, you drink the drink after eating the food, especially to make the food easier to swallow or digest. In Sentence I, “by” is used instead of “with.” Sentence II is missing “down.” Only sentence III correctly uses the phrasal verb “wash down.” Hence, the correct answer is Option – C.

7.
I. They restricted in villages off the beaten track for nearly fifteen years.
II. They rusticated in villages off the beaten track for nearly fifteen years.
III. For nearly fifteen years, they were rusticated in villages of the beaten track.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – B
Solution: Only sentence II is correct. The rest are incorrect and explained below:
I: the verb “restricted” lacks a helping verb as well as an object. It is a transitive verb, which needs an object.
III: it should be “off” instead of “of” to form the phrase “off the beaten track.” A place that is off the beaten track is an area where not many people live or go.
Hence, the correct answer is Option – B.

8.
I. The book celebrates the hostages’ remarkable triumph over appalling adversity.
II. The triumph of the hostages over appalling adversity is celebrated throughout the book.
III. The book revolves itself around the hostages’ remarkable triumph over appalling adversity.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – D
Solution: Both sentences I & II are correct. In sentence III, the pronoun “itself” is unnecessary as the object of the verb “revolves” is “around the hostages’ remarkable triumph over appalling adversity.” Hence, the correct answer is Option – D.

9.
I. India has witnessed a gradual decline in the female labour force participation rate for more than two decades.
II. A gradual decline in the female labour force participation rate has been witnessed for more than two decades by India.
III. For more than two decades, there has been a gradual decimation in the female labour force participation rate in India.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – A
Solution: Only sentence I is correct. The rest are incorrect and explained below:
II: the sentence is in passive voice. The object “India” should be placed right after the verb (witnessed) along with the preposition “by.” It should be “witnessed by India for more than two decades.”
III: decimation means the killing or destruction of a large proportion of a group or species. This doesn’t suit the given context. Rates can either increase, decrease or stay the same. So, we should use these words or any of their synonyms instead of “decimation.”
Hence, the correct answer is Option – A.

10.
I. Mumbai floods every year now, and the heaviest brunt of the disaster is borne by its poorest residents.
II. Every year, the poorest residents of the Mumbai bear the heaviest brunt of the floods.
III. Every year, floods in Mumbai turn into a disaster, and its heaviest brunt is borne by the city’s poorest residents.

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Both I and II
E. All of these

Answer: Option – E
Solution: All the given sentences are correct. Hence, the correct answer is Option – E.

Directions (11-15): In the given question, a sentence is divided into five parts, out of which the last part is correct. Out of the remaining four, there are errors in three parts. Choose the part which doesn’t have an error. If all the four parts are correct, mark Option – E, i.e., ‘All are correct’ as the answer.

11. With the pandemic diminishing already economic (A)/ opportunities for womans and with more companies (B)/ switching to gig work, there is still a big question (C)/ mark on weather the gig economy is the right platform (D)/ to facilitate women’s engagement in paid work.

A. With the pandemic diminishing already economic
B. opportunities for womans and with more companies
C. switching to gig work, there is still a big question
D. mark on weather the gig economy is the right platform
E. All are correct

Answer: Option – C
Solution: Only option C is correct here. The rest of the options are incorrect and explained below:
A: “already” is an adverb and should come before the verb “diminishing.”
B: the plural of “woman” is “women,” not “womans.”
D: “weather” refers to the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Here, we need the conjunction “whether” to express the uncertainty of the gig platform.
Hence, the correct answer is Option – C.

12. The depletion of fish stock in the (A)/ Arabian Sea is a growing concerned for (B)/ Mumbai’s Kolis, an indigenous committee (C)/ of over two lakh fishes workers living in villages (D)/ like Madh Koliwada, along the city’s coast.

A. The depletion of fish stock in the
B. Arabian Sea is a growing concerned for
C. Mumbai’s Kolis, an indigenous committee
D. of over two lakh fishes workers living in villages
E. All are correct

Answer: Option – A
Solution: Only option A is correct here. The rest of the options are incorrect and explained below:
B: “growing” is used as an adjective. This, along with the use of the article “a” before the adjective, demands a noun instead of a verb. It should be “concern,” instead of “concerned.”
C: “committee” refers to a group of people appointed for a specific function by a larger group and typically consisting of members of that group. This doesn’t fit the context of the given sentence as it is talking about an entire village, who have a common profession. “community” will be more suited here instead of “committee.” Community refers to a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
D: “Fishes” here is a noun that describes the profession of the worker. In such cases, where a noun is directly attached to another noun, to modify the later, we use the singular form. It should be “fish” instead of “fishes.”
Hence, the correct answer is Option – A.

13. The relief, lagoon, island and open ocean is (A)/ intricately inked and any development (B)/ and infrastructure plains for the islands (C)/ need to be carried out within the (D)/ ecological limits of this fragile ecosystem.

A. The relief, lagoon, island and open ocean is
B. intricately inked and any development
C. and infrastructure plains for the islands
D. need to be carried out within the
E. All are correct

Answer: Option – D
Solution: Only option D is correct here. The rest of the options are incorrect and explained below:
A: the verb “is” acts for all the nouns mentioned (relief, lagoon, island and open ocean). These multiple nouns make it a plural subject, even though they are singular by themselves. So, the verb should follow suit. It should be “are” instead of “is.”
B: “inked” means to mark (words or a design) with ink. This doesn’t fit in the context of the given sentence. Since we are talking about the water bodies in a collective sense, it could be “connected,” “linked,” or any other suitable word instead of “inked.”
C: “plains” means a large area of flat land with few trees. This doesn’t fit in the context of the given sentence. Since we are talking about future developments, we need “infrastructure plans.” A plan refers to a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.
Hence, the correct answer is Option – D.

14. The absence of unions along with no (A)/ minimum wages, health benefits, social security (B)/ and dispute settlement mechanisms make (C)/ the gig economy a vulnerable place by (D)/ the workers, especially women.

A. The absense of unions along with no
B. minimum wages, health benefits, social security
C. and dispute settlement mechanisms make
D. the gig economy a vulnerable place by
E. All are correct

Answer: Option – B
Solution: Only option B is correct here. The rest of the options are incorrect and explained below:
A: “absense” is the wrong spelling of “absence.” It means the non-existence or lack of (something).
C: the verb “make” is used for the subject “the absence,” which is in third person, singular. So, the verb should follow suit. It should be “makes” instead of “make.”
D: “by” indicates the means of achieving something. In the given sentence, nothing is achieved. Here, we are talking about the place that is intended for the workers. It should be “for” instead of “by.”
Hence, the correct answer is Option – B.

15. Sadar Bazaar continues to have permanent, quasi-permanent (A)/ and weekly markets and with its long history (B)/ and varied uses, residents talk about (C)/ a sense of togetherness and affiliation (D)/ that they feel with the place.

A. Sadar Bazaar continues to have permanent, quasi-permanent
B. and weekly markets and with its long history
C. and varied uses, residents talk about
D. a sense of togetherness and affiliation
E. All are correct

Answer: Option – E
Solution: All the parts are correct. Hence, the correct answer is Option – E.