HSGQE Writing (HSGQE) Practice Tests & Test Prep by Exam Edge

Correct Answer:

the sentence in question is: "it was too cold to go to the beach so jim and mickey debated weather to go to the park or to drive along the shore to see the sights." to determine the correct answer, we need to examine each underlined portion for potential errors. (a) "too cold to go to the beach" - this segment is grammatically correct. the phrase "too cold" properly describes the reason for not going to the beach, which is logically connected by the context of the sentence. (b) "weather to go to the park" - here lies the error. the word "weather" is incorrectly used. "weather" refers to atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall. however, in this context, the word should be "whether," which is used to introduce alternatives or express uncertainty. the correct phrase should be "whether to go to the park," indicating a choice or deliberation between going to the park or another activity. (c) "to drive along the shore to see the sights" - this segment does not contain any grammatical errors. the phrase appropriately suggests an alternative activity and uses the correct term "sights," referring to notable or interesting places or things to see. therefore, the correct answer is: (b) "whether" this correction fixes the misuse of "weather" by replacing it with "whether," which accurately reflects the intended meaning of presenting a choice between two alternatives. the explanation for choosing "whether" over "weather" is that "whether" refers to making decisions or choices between different options, which is the context needed here, whereas "weather" relates to environmental or atmospheric conditions which is not relevant to the decision-making context described in the sentence.