Question

In each of the following questions, a part of the given sentence has been underlined as this part may have an error. The first option is the same as the underlined part of the given sentence. Choose this option if you think the underlined part has no error. Otherwise, choose the option that rectifies the error in the underlined part of the given sentence.

The reason why she is absent today is because her husband is ill.

• A. Absent today is because her husband is ill.
• B. Absent today because her husband is ill.
• C. Absent today is that her husband is ill.
• D. Absent today is because her husband illness.
• E. Absent today was that her husband was ill.

Hint:

Never follow "the reason" with "because"; use "the reason... is that..." instead.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Identify the construction being tested.
The sentence begins with "The reason why... is because...". This is the well-known "reason is because" error.

Step 2: Understand why it is wrong.
"Reason" and "because" both express cause, so using them together is redundant, since "because" essentially restates the idea already carried by "the reason". In formal English, "reason" should be followed by "that", not "because", to introduce the explanation as a noun clause acting as the complement of "reason".

Step 3: Apply the correction.
The sentence should read "The reason why she is absent today is that her husband is ill." This keeps the tense consistent (present tense "is" throughout, since both the absence and the illness are current) and replaces "because" with "that".

Step 4: Eliminate the other options.
Option (b) drops the linking verb "is" and breaks the sentence structure. Option (d) is grammatically broken ("her husband illness" is not a complete clause). Option (e) shifts everything to the past tense unnecessarily, changing the intended meaning. Option (a) repeats the original "reason is because" error.

Step 5: Conclusion.
Option (c), "Absent today is that her husband is ill", correctly completes the sentence.