NDA (II) 2018 GAT Q2: One of the members expressed doubt if the Minister was an

Q: What is the answer to NDA (II) 2018 GAT Q2?

B. Correct — B, 'expressed doubt if'. After 'doubt' used affirmatively, standard written English takes 'whether' — 'expressed doubt whether the Minister was an atheist'. 'If' belongs to a condition, or to a reported yes/no question after a verb such as 'ask'; it does not follow 'doubt' in an affirmative sentence.

NDA (II) 2018 General Ability Test · Question 2 of 146

Question text verified against the official NDA question paper.

One of the members expressed doubt if the Minister was an atheist. No error

(a)One of the members
(b)expressed doubt if
(c)the Minister was an atheist.
(d)No error

Answer

Why

Correct — B, 'expressed doubt if'. After 'doubt' used affirmatively, standard written English takes 'whether' — 'expressed doubt whether the Minister was an atheist'. 'If' belongs to a condition, or to a reported yes/no question after a verb such as 'ask'; it does not follow 'doubt' in an affirmative sentence.

Why the others are wrong

(a)One of the members — Error-free — 'one' is the singular subject, and the verb 'expressed' agrees with it.
(c)the Minister was an atheist. — Error-free — the past 'was' follows correctly from the past reporting verb, and 'an atheist' takes 'an' before a vowel sound.
(d)No error — The link word joining the two halves is wrong, so the sentence does contain an error.

Concept

The standard rule taught for this exam sets 'doubt' with 'whether' in an affirmative sentence and with 'that' in a negative or interrogative one.

The pattern is easiest to hold in three examples. Affirmative — 'I doubt whether he will come.' Negative — 'I do not doubt that he will come.' Interrogative — 'Do you doubt that he will come?' Spoken English substitutes 'if' freely in the first of the three, and that habit is exactly what this item is set to catch. A quick check is to see whether 'or not' could be added; where it could, 'whether' is the word.

Key facts

'Whether' can follow a preposition and can introduce alternatives; 'if' can do neither — one writes 'the question of whether to go'.
'If' after a reporting verb such as 'ask' is standard: 'She asked if I was ready.'
'Doubt' as a noun takes the same link words as the verb.

Study next

'If' and 'whether' in reported questionsNouns and verbs that fix the link word after them'Doubt' in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentencesSubject-verb agreement after 'one of the'

Common traps

Carrying spoken 'doubt if' into written English.
Hunting for the mistake in the longest segment and skipping the two-word link.

Asked as an error-spotting item on the link word that follows 'doubt'.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the sentence that follows the standard rule.
- (a)I doubt if he is honest.
- (b)I doubt whether he is honest.
- (c)I doubt for he is honest.
- (d)I doubt which he is honest.
Answer(b) I doubt whether he is honest — an affirmative 'doubt' takes 'whether'.
practice — not a real PYQ
Fill the blank — I do not doubt ______ he will keep his word.
- (a)if
- (b)whether
- (c)that
- (d)which
Answer(c) that — a negative 'doubt' takes 'that'.