Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:
The article’s focus on technological optimism, though admirable, (1)/ fail to acknowledge the structural inequalities (2)/ that continue to exist in data access and digital literacy (3)/ among different regions and populations. (4)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. (2).
Error concept Related to Subject-Verb Agreement.
What is wrong The verb "fail" is incorrectly used in the sentence.
Grammatical concept The verb must agree in number with its subject. The subject of the verb in the main clause is "The article’s focus", which is singular.
Incorrectness of the concept in context The subject is "focus" (singular). The verb is "fail" (plural form). Since the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular (fails). The phrase "though admirable" is an interruptive phrase that does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
How to correct Thus, "fail" should be replaced with "fails" to agree with the singular subject "focus."
Correct phrase/ correction fails to acknowledge the structural inequalities
Final sentence The article's focus on technological optimism, though admirable, fails to acknowledge the structural inequalities that continue to exist in data access and digital literacy among different regions and populations.
Hence, the chosen option will be correct.