Traditionally, 'Everyone' takes a singular possessive 'his'. Using 'their' is common in modern usage but often marked wrong in strict grammar tests. Correct: 'his duty'.
14222
Identify the segment containing an error: 'She stopped to write.'
'Stop to write' means she stopped moving in order to write. If the meaning is she ceased writing, it must be 'stopped writing'. Context usually implies the latter in error tests.
14223
Identify the segment containing an error: 'He has passed the exam in 2020.'
While 'avail' is often used reflexively, the common error here is omitting the reflexive pronoun or the preposition. In this specific format, if 'herself' was missing it would be an error. However, strictly speaking, 'avail' must take a reflexive pronoun. If the sentence was 'She avails of every opportunity', 'avails' would be the error locus needing correction. Assuming the test sentence provided was 'She avails of every opportunity', the error is missing 'herself'. If the sentence provided is correct, there is no error. However, for the purpose of error detection tests, usually 'avail' appears without the reflexive. Let's assume the error is often the omission. Wait, the provided sentence 'She avails herself of every opportunity' is actually correct. Let's fix the question to a common error: 'She avails of every opportunity.' Error: 'avails'. Explanation: 'Avail' requires a reflexive pronoun. Correct: 'She avails herself of...'.
14225
The witness's testimony was ______ by security camera footage, which showed the suspect at the scene of the crime.
Rule: Verbs of Confirmation/Denial. If the camera footage supports the witness's testimony, it confirms what the witness said. 'Corroborated' means to confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding). This is the correct legal and formal term. Options (a) 'refuted', (b) 'contradicted', and (d) 'disputed' are all antonyms, meaning the footage would have shown the witness was wrong.
14226
The author's latest book is a ______ of essays on politics, culture, and art.
Rule: Vocabulary of Literature. A book that is a collection of writings (in this case, essays) is often called a compendium. 'Compendium' is a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject. It fits the description of a collection of essays. Options (b) 'novel', (c) 'poem', and (d) 'play' are different literary forms and are not collections of essays.
14227
The ______ of witnesses confirmed the defendant's account of the events.
Rule: Vocabulary - Legal Context. What a witness provides in a legal setting is their formal statement or evidence. 'Testimony' is a formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law. The fact that this testimony 'confirmed' the account makes it the logical choice. Options (a) 'contradiction', (b) 'disparity', and (d) 'discrepancy' are all words for differences or inconsistencies, which would have challenged the defendant's account, not confirmed it.
14228
The evidence against him was ______, yet he continued to protest his innocence.
Rule: Logic of Contrast ('Yet'). The word 'yet' signals a contrast. He protests his innocence *despite* the evidence. This implies the evidence against him was very strong. 'Overwhelming' means very great in amount or very strong; overpowering. This creates the necessary contrast. Options (a) 'scant', (b) 'flimsy', and (d) 'tenuous' all mean the evidence was weak, which would make his protest of innocence logical, not contrasting.
14229
The team's victory was ______; they won in the last few seconds of the game.
Rule: Inference from Context. Winning 'in the last few seconds' implies that the game was very close and difficult. 'Hard-fought' means contested with great determination and effort, which accurately describes such a victory. Options (a) 'decisive' and (b) 'resounding' would imply an easy win by a large margin. Option (c) 'perfunctory' means carried out with minimum effort, which is the opposite of the situation described.
14230
If the government ______ its spending, the national debt would decrease.
Rule: Second Conditional Sentences. This question tests the second conditional, used for hypothetical or unlikely situations in the present or future. The structure is 'If + simple past, subject + would + base verb'. The main clause 'the national debt would decrease' uses 'would + base verb'. Therefore, the 'if' clause must use the simple past tense. 'Reduced' is the simple past form of the verb. Option (a) 'reduces' is simple present (used in first conditional). Option (c) 'had reduced' is past perfect (used in third conditional). Option (d) 'will reduce' is incorrect in the 'if' clause of a conditional sentence.