GATE EC 2015 Set 1 — Question 6

MCQ+2 / -0.67MediumVerb-Noun Agreement & Parts of SpeechVerbal AptitudeGeneral AptitudeEnglish Grammar (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions)

General Aptitude → Verbal Aptitude → English Grammar (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions)

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

The following question presents a sentence, part of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence you find four ways of phrasing the underlined part. Following the requirements of the standard written English, select the answer that produces the most effective sentence. Tuberculosis, together with its effects, ranks one of the leading causes of death in India.

Correct answer (A) ranks as one of the leading causes of death Solution The subject of the sentence is 'Tuberculosis', which is a singular noun. The phrase 'together with its effects' is a parenthetical prepositional phrase that does not change the number of the subject. Therefore, the verb must be singular ('ranks'). Additionally, the standard idiomatic expression to describe a position or status is 'ranks as'. Option (A) correctly uses the singular verb 'ranks' and the appropriate idiom 'as'. Option (B) uses the plural verb 'rank', which is incorrect. Option (C) is wordy and less direct than (A). Option (D) uses the plural verb 'are', which is incorrect. Thus, option (A) is the most effective and grammatically correct choice. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (A) ranks as one of the leading causes of death Solution The subject of the sentence is 'Tuberculosis', which is a singular noun. The phrase 'together with its effects' is a parenthetical prepositional phrase that does not change the number of the subject. Therefore, the verb must be singular ('ranks'). Additionally, the standard idiomatic expression to describe a position or status is 'ranks as'. Option (A) correctly uses the singular verb 'ranks' and the appropriate idiom 'as'. Option (B) uses the plural verb 'rank', which is incorrect. Option (C) is wordy and less direct than (A). Option (D) uses the plural verb 'are', which is incorrect. Thus, option (A) is the most effective and grammatically correct choice.

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