Find the part of the sentence that contains an error:
The inquiry’s conclusions, troubling in their extent and implications, (1)/ triggered reactions not only from the relevant authorities (2)/ but also from reviewers who state they (3)/ were never allowed to examine essential documents. (4)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. (4).
Error is related to / concept: Incorrect tense usage: state they were never allowed.
What is wrong: In part (4), “reviewers who state they were never allowed …” contains a tense mismatch. “State” is in present tense, but “were never allowed” is in simple past, which creates an illogical shift.
Grammatical concept: When the reporting verb is in the present, the reported clause should maintain present tense unless past reference is logically required.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: The reviewers are currently stating this claim. So the clause should reflect a present-related structure such as “have never been allowed”.
How to correct: “Were never allowed” changes to “have never been allowed” to maintain present relevance and match the reporting verb “state”.
Correct phrase/ correction: “… reviewers who state they have never been allowed to examine essential documents.”
Final sentence: The inquiry’s conclusions, troubling in their extent and implications, triggered reactions not only from the relevant authorities but also from reviewers who state they have never been allowed to examine essential documents.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.