Question

The following sentence has not been edited. There is one error in the line. Pick the option that has the incorrect word and the correction that completes the sentence correctly and logically.

But what knows the quirk of fate?

• A. Incorrect= knows, Correct= know
• B. Incorrect = what, Correct = who
• C. Incorrect= quirks, Correct= quirk
• D. Incorrect= the, Correct= their

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Incorrect = what, Correct = who

A pronoun replaces a noun that's been mentioned before, to avoid repetition. An interrogative pronoun helps ask a question as well as refers to the noun they stand for. The given question is rhetorical, it is not directed towards somebody, and is a general statement. The question has an error, "what" is the error, as it refers to a thing, whereas only a person can "know" something. The correct pronoun is 'who', which questions about a person, hence option B is correct. When a subject is singular, the verb that follows should be singular as well (known as the subject-verb agreement). Singular verbs end with an s, and plural verbs don't, for example 'she knows' and 'they know'. 'Who' refers to a single person, hence "knows" is correct, and option A is wrong. "Quirk of fate" is a phrase that means 'an unexpected turn of events', 'quirk' means a turn, hence the plural form 'quirks' is not required, as it modifies 'fate'. Hence option C is incorrect. As the rhetorical question is not directed towards a particular person, 'their' is unnecessary here, 'their' is a possessive pronoun which does not modify 'quirk', but 'who', whereas 'the' is the required article that modifies 'quirk', hence option D is incorrect.