The government has decided (A) / to not only provide (B) / free medical care (C) / but also to improve rural infrastructure. (D)

• A. The government has decided
• B. to not only provide (Answer)
• C. free medical care
• D. No error

SPLIT INFINITIVE + PARALLELISM TRAP: 'Not only to provide...but also to improve' requires both 'to' infinitives to be positioned equally. Correct: 'to not only provide' should be 'not only to provide free medical care but also to improve'. The split corrupts parallelism.

The director insisted (A) / on reviewing the script, (B) / revising the budget, (C) / and to approve the casting choices. (D)

• A. The director insisted
• B. on reviewing the script,
• C. revising the budget,
• D. to approve the casting choices (Answer)

PARALLEL STRUCTURE AFTER PREPOSITION: 'Insisted on' is followed by gerunds (reviewing, revising). The third item must also be a gerund: 'approving the casting choices', not 'to approve'. When a series follows a preposition, all items must be gerunds.

He admitted (A) / to have committed (B) / the fraud (C) / under duress. (D)

• A. He admitted
• B. to have committed (Answer)
• C. the fraud
• D. No error

'Admit to' takes a gerund: 'to having committed'. 'To have committed' uses the perfect infinitive, which is incorrect after 'admit to'. Correct: 'admitted to having committed the fraud'. Students confuse 'to have' (infinitive) with 'to having' (gerund after preposition).

The new policy aims at (A) / reducing corruption, (B) / increasing transparency, (C) / and to empower local authorities. (D)

• A. The new policy aims at
• B. reducing corruption,
• C. increasing transparency,
• D. to empower local authorities (Answer)

PARALLEL SERIES AFTER 'AIM AT': 'Aim at' is followed by gerunds. 'Reducing, increasing' are gerunds — the third must match: 'empowering local authorities'. 'To empower' breaks the parallel. Students tire by the third item and switch to the infinitive accidentally.

She would rather (A) / resign from her post (B) / than to compromise (C) / her professional integrity. (D)

• A. She would rather
• B. resign from her post
• C. than to compromise (Answer)
• D. No error

'Would rather...than' requires bare infinitive (without 'to') in both parts. 'Resign' is correct; 'to compromise' is wrong. Correct: 'than compromise'. The 'to' before the second verb is the inserted error. Students feel 'than to' sounds formal and natural.

The chairman not only approved (A) / the proposed merger (B) / but also called for (C) / to expand into international markets. (D)

• A. The chairman not only approved
• B. the proposed merger
• C. but also called for
• D. to expand into international markets (Answer)

'Called for' as used here means demanded/requested, and takes a gerund object: 'expanding into international markets'. 'To expand' is a bare infinitive and is structurally incorrect after 'called for'. Correct: 'called for expanding into international markets'.

It is futile (A) / to expect him (B) / to giving up (C) / such a lucrative position. (D)

• A. It is futile
• B. to expect him
• C. to giving up (Answer)
• D. No error

INFINITIVE vs GERUND AFTER 'EXPECT': 'Expect + object + to-infinitive' is the pattern. 'To giving up' mixes the infinitive marker 'to' with a gerund form, which is incorrect. Correct: 'to expect him to give up'. A hybrid form that sounds plausible at speed.

His responsibilities include (A) / managing client portfolios, (B) / preparing quarterly reports, (C) / and the training of junior staff. (D)

• A. His responsibilities include
• B. managing client portfolios,
• C. preparing quarterly reports,
• D. the training of junior staff (Answer)

NOUN PHRASE vs GERUND PARALLELISM: A series begun with gerunds (managing, preparing) must continue with a gerund: 'training junior staff'. 'The training of junior staff' is a noun phrase that breaks the parallel structure. This is a common error in formal writing.

We look forward (A) / to meet you (B) / at the annual conference (C) / scheduled for next month. (D)

• A. We look forward
• B. to meet you (Answer)
• C. at the annual conference
• D. No error

'Look forward to' — here 'to' is a PREPOSITION, not part of an infinitive. After a preposition, use a gerund. Correct: 'to meeting you'. Students see 'to' and automatically write the infinitive. This is a top-5 most-tested error in Banking exams.

The scientists were surprised (A) / to discover (B) / that the compound was not only effective (C) / but also safety for human use. (D)

• A. The scientists were surprised
• B. to discover
• C. that the compound was not only effective
• D. but also safety for human use (Answer)

ADJECTIVE vs NOUN PARALLELISM: 'Not only effective' uses an adjective. 'But also safety' uses a noun. Correct parallel structure: 'but also safe for human use' (adjective). Students misread 'safety' as a natural continuation without checking the grammatical category.