Question:easy

Read the sentence below and find out which part contains an error. If there is no error, the answer is "No error".

Not less than (a) fifty (b) passengers were (c) killed in the bus accident. (d)

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Check whether "passengers" is a countable noun, and recall which word, "less" or "fewer", goes with countable nouns.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Not less than
  • fifty
  • passengers were
  • killed in the bus accident.
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We must find which underlined part of the sentence about the bus accident has a grammar error.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Recall the rule that "fewer" is used with countable nouns and "less" is used with uncountable nouns.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
"Passengers" can be counted one by one, fifty one passenger, fifty two passengers, and so on, so it is a countable noun.
Countable nouns take "fewer" in comparisons, not "less", so "not less than fifty passengers" breaks this rule and should read "not fewer than fifty passengers".
The rest of the sentence, "fifty", "passengers were" and "killed in the bus accident.", follows correct grammar.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The error is in part (a), "Not less than", since "less" is the wrong word to use with the countable noun "passengers".
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