Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘No substitution’.
There have been numerous attempts made by the citizens to restore parity.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4i.e. No substitution
Error concept: Checking for redundancy or wrong degree of comparison
What is wrong: The phrase “numerous attempts” is already correct and natural. Words like “quite numerous”, “more numerous”, or “most numerous” make the sentence ungrammatical or awkward.
Grammatical concept: Numerous itself means “many in number.” It does not require a comparative or superlative degree, as it is an absolute adjective.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Using “more numerous” or “most numerous” would be wrong because numerous cannot logically be compared in this way.
How to correct: Keep the original phrase as it is.
Correct phrase/ correction: numerous attempts
Final sentence: There have been numerous attempts made by the citizens to restore parity.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.