Question

In each question, a part of the sentence is made bold. Below are given alternatives to the bold part at (A), (B), (C) and (D) which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no replacement is needed, mark (E) as your answer. The committee expressed serious doubts {on the feasibility of the proposal.

• A. on feasibility of the proposal
• B. about the feasibility of proposal
• C. over feasibility of the proposal
• D. about the feasibility of the proposal
• E. No correction required

Hint:

Prepositions are often fixed by convention. Memorize common collocations: you have "doubts about", not "doubts on" or "doubts over" a concept or idea.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This question tests prepositional usage and idiomatic expressions in English. Specifically, it looks at which preposition correctly follows the noun "doubts" in this context.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

Analyzing the original sentence: "The committee expressed serious doubts on the feasibility of the proposal."

Prepositional Logic: In English, we generally have "doubts about" something or "doubts as to" something. Using "on" is considered less standard or even incorrect when expressing uncertainty about a project's potential.

Evaluating Options:
- (A) "on feasibility of the proposal": Still uses "on" and drops the article "the" before feasibility, making it grammatically weaker.
- (B) "about the feasibility of proposal": Uses the correct preposition "about" but incorrectly omits the definite article "the" before "proposal". Specific proposals require "the".
- (C) "over feasibility of the proposal": "Doubts over" is occasionally used but "doubts about" is more idiomatic. It also drops the article before feasibility.
- (D) "about the feasibility of the proposal": This uses the correct preposition "about" and maintains the necessary definite articles for both "feasibility" and "proposal".

Conclusion: Option (D) provides the most natural and grammatically sound improvement. It clarifies the object of the committee's concern using standard idiomatic English.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The most appropriate replacement is "about the feasibility of the proposal".