The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error.
The residents of Rameswaram / about the 1940s were quite / orthodox, but were also / tolerant of other communities.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. about the 1940s were quite.
Error concept: Incorrect preposition usage.
What is wrong: The phrase “about the 1940s” is wrong in this context. To indicate the time period people belonged to, the correct phrase is “in the 1940s.”
Grammatical concept:
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In + decade/century → used for time references (e.g., in the 1940s, in the 18th century).
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About is used for approximation, but not for specifying a historical time period for people.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Saying “residents … about the 1940s” sounds ungrammatical and unclear.
How to correct: Replace “about” with “in.”
Correct phrase/ correction: in the 1940s were quite
Final sentence: The residents of Rameswaram in the 1940s were quite orthodox, but were also tolerant of other communities.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.