GMAT Verbal: GMAT Verbal — Sentence Correction Practice Questions
Test yourself on GMAT Verbal — Sentence Correction with 13 original GMAT practice questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback and a full explanation.
Free original practice questions for study purposes. Open Exam Prep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the makers of GMAT.
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Answer the questions below — you get instant feedback and a full explanation for each.
1. Neither the manager nor the employees ______ satisfied with the new policy that was implemented last quarter.
Explanation. With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Here the nearer subject is 'employees' (plural), so the plural verb 'were' is correct. 'Was' and 'has been' are singular; 'is being' is awkward and singular.
2. The committee's report, along with several supporting documents, ______ been forwarded to the board for review.
Explanation. The subject is 'report' (singular). The phrase 'along with several supporting documents' is a modifier set off by commas and does not change the number of the subject. So the singular 'has been forwarded' is correct.
3. Unlike the novels of her contemporaries, ______ focus heavily on character development and emotional depth.
Explanation. A comparison introduced by 'unlike' must compare logically parallel items. 'Unlike the novels of her contemporaries' must be followed by something comparable—'her writing' (or her novels). 'Her writing' creates a sensible comparison. Other choices either repeat illogically or compare novels to a person.
4. The scientist argued that the new data not only confirmed her hypothesis ______ also revealed an unexpected secondary effect.
Explanation. The correlative idiom is 'not only...but also.' The blank requires 'but' to complete 'not only...but...also.' 'And,' 'yet,' and 'but additionally' break the fixed idiom.
5. Having studied the migration patterns for over a decade, ______.
Explanation. The introductory modifier 'Having studied...' must modify the noun performing that action: the researchers. Only choice C places 'the researchers' immediately after the modifier. The others create dangling modifiers (the conclusion/data did not study patterns).
6. The number of applications submitted this year ______ significantly higher than analysts had predicted.
Explanation. 'The number of' takes a singular verb (referring to a single quantity), whereas 'a number of' takes plural. So 'The number of applications...is' is correct. Compare: 'A number of applications are...'
7. The new regulations are designed to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and ______ public health.
Explanation. Items in a list must be parallel. The series is 'reduce... improve... and [promote]'—all bare infinitive verbs following 'designed to.' 'Promote' matches. The 'to' carries over from 'designed to,' so 'to promote' would break parallelism with 'reduce/improve.'
8. Many economists believe that the recession was caused not by a single factor but ______ a combination of policy errors and market shocks.
Explanation. Parallelism with the correlative 'not by...but by...' requires repeating the preposition 'by.' 'Was caused not by a single factor but by a combination' is parallel and idiomatic. The other choices break parallel structure.
9. The CEO announced that the company ______ its workforce over the next two years, a move expected to cut costs substantially.
Explanation. In reported speech after a past-tense main verb ('announced'), future intent is expressed with 'would.' 'Would reduce' correctly conveys a future action from the past viewpoint. 'Will be reduced' is passive and wrong tense; 'had reduced' wrongly indicates a completed past action.
10. The findings suggest that exposure to sunlight is more strongly associated with improved mood ______ previously thought.
Explanation. Comparatives use 'more...than.' The correct word is 'than,' not 'as' (used with 'as...as') or 'then' (a time word). 'Than was' adds an unnecessary verb that disrupts the comparison; the clean 'than previously thought' is correct.
11. Neither of the proposed solutions ______ likely to resolve the underlying technical problem.
Explanation. 'Neither' (when used as the subject pronoun, 'neither of...') is singular and takes a singular verb: 'is.' Although 'solutions' is plural, 'neither' governs the verb, so the singular 'is likely' is correct.
12. The professor's lectures, known for ______ clarity and depth, attract students from across the university.
Explanation. The possessive pronoun must agree with its antecedent 'lectures' (plural), so 'their' is correct. 'Its' is singular; 'they're' means 'they are'; 'there' indicates place.
13. The study, which surveyed thousands of participants and ______ over five years, provides robust evidence for the link between diet and longevity.
Explanation. Inside the relative clause 'which surveyed... and [lasted]...,' the two verbs must be parallel: 'surveyed' and 'lasted' (both simple past). 'Which lasted' redundantly repeats 'which'; 'lasting' breaks parallelism with the finite verb 'surveyed.'
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FAQ
What does GMAT Sentence Correction actually test?
It tests grammar, idiom, and meaning. Key areas include subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and reference, verb tense/mood, parallelism, modifiers (especially dangling/misplaced), comparisons, and idiomatic expressions. Beyond grammar, the GMAT prizes clear, concise, logically sensible sentences—so meaning and concision often decide between two grammatical options.
How should I approach a Sentence Correction question efficiently?
Read the whole sentence for meaning first. Scan the answer choices for the 'splits' (differences) and use them to identify the tested issues. Eliminate choices with clear errors (agreement, parallelism, modifier problems) rather than reading each option in full. When two choices are grammatically fine, prefer the one that is clearer, more concise, and preserves the intended meaning.
What are the most common traps to watch for?
Watch for: subjects separated from verbs by long modifiers ('along with,' 'as well as' do not change the subject's number); 'the number of' (singular) vs 'a number of' (plural); broken idioms like 'not only...but also' and 'more...than'; dangling modifiers after introductory phrases; pronoun-antecedent mismatches; and faulty parallelism in lists or correlative pairs.