Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:
The assumption that all data must be normalized (1)/ before processing it using machine learning algorithms (2)/ has been a common practice (3)/ in this domain for decades. (4)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. (2).
Error concept: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement error.
What is wrong: The pronoun 'it' is incorrectly used to refer to a plural noun.
Grammatical concept: A pronoun must agree in number with the noun it replaces (its antecedent). If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun used to refer back to it must also be plural.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: In this sentence, the pronoun 'it' is intended to refer back to the noun 'data.' In technical and formal contexts, 'data' is treated as the plural form of 'datum.' Therefore, using the singular pronoun 'it' creates a grammatical mismatch.
Correction: Thus, 'it' should be replaced with 'them' to correctly agree with the plural noun 'data.'
Correct phrase: before processing them using machine learning algorithms.
Final sentence: The assumption that all data must be normalized before processing them using machine learning algorithms has been a common practice in this domain for decades.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.