Which of the following sentences have the CORRECT usage of punctuation?
- Italy is famous for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and
- Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers,
- Italy is famous, for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and
- Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France for its chefs and philosophers,
- Italy is famous for its composers and musicians. France for its chefs and philosophers.
The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
To determine the correct usage of punctuation in the given sentences, we need to understand the basic rules of punctuation, specifically focusing on the usage of commas and semicolons.
1. **Commas** are used to separate parts of a sentence such as phrases or items in a list. They can also set off clauses within a sentence, allowing for a pause for clarity.
2. **Semicolons** are used to link independent clauses that are closely related in thought. They suggest a stronger separation than a comma, but less than a full stop (period).
Now, let's analyze the given options:
- Option 1: "Italy is famous for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and"
- The error here is "their" which is used instead of the correct possessive pronoun "its" for a country. Also, the use of semicolon is not entirely correct because the sentence seems incomplete.
- Option 2: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers,"
- This sentence correctly uses commas to separate the two independent clauses. The possessive pronoun "its" is correctly used, making this the correct option.
- Option 3: "Italy is famous, for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and"
- The error here includes an unnecessary comma after "famous" and, again, the incorrect use of "their" instead of "its". Additionally, the semicolon does not correctly separate complete clauses.
- Option 4: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France for its chefs and philosophers,"
- While "its" is correctly used, the lack of a comma after "France" disrupts the parallel structure.
- Option 5: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians. France for its chefs and philosophers."
- This sentence incorrectly uses a period between clauses that should be connected with a comma, as they convey related ideas.
After examining each option, Option 2 is the only sentence with the correct usage of punctuation and grammatical structure: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers,".
Approach Solution -2
To identify the sentence with correct punctuation usage, we assess the punctuation rules for sentence structure:
- Semicolon Usage: Use semicolons to separate independent clauses that are closely related. Example: "I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight."
- Comma Usage: Use commas to separate elements in a series and to separate independent clauses with conjunctions like 'and,' 'but,' 'or,' etc. Also, commas can set off non-essential information or amplify described items in parallel structures.
Let's examine the options:
- Option 1: "Italy is famous for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and" - The pronoun "their" is incorrect for a singular reference to Italy or France. The semicolon is used correctly.
- Option 2 (Correct): "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers," - Proper use of comma to weave two related phrases together. The "its" accurately reflects singular nations.
- Option 3: "Italy is famous, for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and" - Incorrect comma placement after "famous", and incorrect use of "their".
- Option 4: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France for its chefs and philosophers," - Lack of second comma after "France" disrupts the parallel structure.
- Option 5: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians. France for its chefs and philosophers." - Using a period causes a sentence fragment after "musicians."
Considering standard grammatical rules and accurate punctuation, Option 2, "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers," is correctly punctuated delivering a clear and grammatically correct sentence structuring.
Top Questions on Grammar
- Read the following sentences carefully.
1. Everybody were late.
2. I will ask you if I need help.
3. Please revert to me at the earliest possible.
4. The report that the committee submitted was well received.
5. She is accustomed to work late.
Which of the following options consists of only grammatically CORRECT sentences?
- Read the following sentences carefully.
1. She described about the journey.
2. We are awaiting her reply.
3. She is superior to us.
4. She requested for more time.
5. She is sharing with her friend.
6. She insisted for an apology.
Which of the following options contains only grammatically INCORRECT sentences?
- Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Articles are very important words in English and so is their knowledge.
Reasons (R): Two or more pronouns joined by "and" require a plural verb.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below: Pick the correct option to complete the following sentence.
The officer was pleased _____ the work his subordinate did.
”Although Babur and Humayun,–(i)– the Delhi Sultanate that ruled previously, had considered Delhi to be their capital, Akbar had shifted it to Agra. Forts, palaces and mausoleums of peerless grandeur came up in just a few years. Jahangir and in the early part of his reign, Shahjahan, continued to–(ii)– Akbarabad. But now, the Emperor wanted to build a fine new city for his–(iii)–, which would bear his name and outstretch the creation of his grandfather, in both splendour and scale”.
Questions Asked in XAT exam
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1. Generation X
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3. Generation Alpha
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- XAT - 2026
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This year, Brijbhushan has lent money only to five farmers: Aditya, Binod, Chhuttan, Dabloo and Govind. The perimeter of Chhuttan’s plot is 250 meters, with the length and width being at a ratio of 4:1. Aditya’s plot has an area three times the area of Govind’s plot. The area of Aditya’s plot is also the average of the areas of Govind’s plot and Dabloo’s plot. The plots belonging to Aditya, Binod and Dabloo are of the same width, but of different lengths. Moreover, the length of Binod’s plot is the sum of the lengths of Aditya’s plot and Dabloo’s plot.- XAT - 2026
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Light Chemicals is an industrial paint supplier with presence in three locations: Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The sunburst chart below shows the distribution of the number of employees of different departments of Light Chemicals. There are four departments: Finance, IT, HR and Sales. The employees are deployed in four ranks: junior, mid, senior and executive. The chart shows four levels: location, department, rank and gender (M: male, F: female). At every level, the number of employees at a location/department/rank/gender are proportional to the corresponding area of the region represented in the chart.
Due to some issues with the software, the data on junior female employees have gone missing. Notice that there are junior female employees in Mumbai HR, Sales and IT departments, Hyderabad HR department, and Bengaluru IT and Finance departments. The corresponding missing numbers are marked u, v, w, x, y and z in the diagram, respectively.
It is also known that:
a) Light Chemicals has a total of 210 junior employees.
b) Light Chemicals has a total of 146 employees in the IT department.
c) Light Chemicals has a total of 777 employees in the Hyderabad office.
d) In the Mumbai office, the number of female employees is 55.
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An investment company, Win Lose, recruit's employees to trade in the share market. For newcomers, they have a one-year probation period. During this period, the employees are given Rs. 1 lakh per month to invest the way they see fit. They are evaluated at the end of every month, using the following criteria:
1. If the total loss in any span of three consecutive months exceeds Rs. 20,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 3-month period,
2. If the total loss in any span of six consecutive months exceeds Rs. 10,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 6-month period.
Further, at the end of the 12-month probation period, if there are losses on their overall investment, their services are terminated.
Ratan, Shri, Tamal and Upanshu started working for Win Lose in January. Ratan was terminated after 4 months, Shri was terminated after 7 months, Tamal was terminated after 10 months, while Upanshu was not terminated even after 12 months. The table below, partially, lists their monthly profits (in Rs. ‘000’) over the 12-month period, where x, y and z are masked information.
Note:
• A negative profit value indicates a loss.
• The value in any cell is an integer.
Illustration: As Upanshu is continuing after March, that means his total profit during January-March (2z +2z +0) ≥
Rs.20,000. Similarly, as he is continuing after June, his total profit during January − June ≥
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For students who are just joining a B school, the capability to actually solve such problems is quite limited. Because of that, the corporate houses generally are more focused on the presentations made by groups. Hence, the groups that communicate better, most often, win these competitions.
Abirami joins MBS, a B school. As a fresher, she believes she needs to learn a lot about how organizations work and wants to work with others who have joined MBS and have work experience.- XAT - 2026
- Statements and Assumptions