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ECAT English MCQs — Spot the Error Chapter-wise Solved Past Papers (2008-2025) | QuizWing

ECAT English MCQs – Download ECAT Englisg Papers

63 Solved MCQs · 2008–2023

Free ECAT English — Spot the Error MCQs with Answers

Year-wise solved UET ECAT English MCQs — sentence-correction “Spot the Error” from every UET ECAT paper since 2008. Each sentence split into 4 segments (A–D); the erroneous segment is highlighted.

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How to read these MCQs: In each sentence four phrases are underlined and labelled (A), (B), (C), (D). Identify the segment that contains a grammatical or usage error. The red-highlighted segment below each sentence is the answer.
ECAT 2008 — English Spot the Error

Q1 They did not (A) guess how closely (B) he had kept in (C) touch with across (D) the road.

Error in segment: D — “with across the road” should be “with people across the road” (incomplete prepositional phrase).

Q2 He proved that if (A) only germs were (B) excluded of wounds, (C) inflammation was (D) averted.

Error in segment: C — should be “excluded from wounds” (preposition: from, not of).

Q3 The man felt his hair flutter (A) and the tissues of his body drew tight (B) as if he were standing at the centre of a vacuum. (D)

Error in segment: A — “felt his hair flutter” should be “felt his hair fluttering” (verb form after felt).

Q4 He came to the hurdles (A) that he remember, (B) over which once (C) he had so easy a victory. (D)

Error in segment: B — “that he remember” should be “that he remembered” (past tense consistency).

Q5 What is meant (A) by birth-rate and death-rate (B) and how do they (C) effect the population? (D)

Error in segment: D — “effect” should be “affect” (verb = affect; noun = effect).

Q6 She had left (A) him with a calmness and a poise that accord (B) well with his own inward (C) emotions. (D)

Error in segment: B — “that accord” should be “that accorded” (past tense agreement).
ECAT 2009 — English Spot the Error

Q7 He is better than (A) all the boys in the class, in studies as well as (B) in sports, and bags big prizes in various (C) field. (D)

Error in segment: D — “field” should be “fields” (plural to agree with “various”).

Q8 One must not depend too much (A) upon one’s hard work, (B) as provident also (C) plays its part. (D)

Error in segment: C — “provident” should be “providence” (noun required, not adjective).

Q9 His first adventure (A) was to go round (B) through (C) the world at minimum cost. (D)

Error in segment: C — “through” is redundant; “go round the world” is correct.

Q10 He has been working (A) in this department since (B) the last five years (C) without any break. (D)

Error in segment: C — with “since” use a point of time; with “for” use a duration → “for the last five years”.

Q11 He reached at Lahore only (A) a few days ago, (B) on last Friday, to be exact, (C) and is going to stay (D) here for some time.

Error in segment: A — “reached at Lahore” should be “reached Lahore” (no preposition after reach).

Q12 There was a big rally (A) on the Mall, but as the crowd disintegrated, (B) chaos and confusion ruled (C) everywhere. (D)

Error in segment: B — “disintegrated” (break into fragments) is wrong; “dispersed” fits here.
ECAT 2010 — English Spot the Error

Q13 Suddenly he stopped (A) at the edge of the meadow, taking his pocket knife (B) from his pocket, and cut (C) a wisp of alfalfa. (D)

Error in segment: B — “taking” should be “took” to maintain parallel past-tense narrative.

Q14 The study (A) of population growth (B) indicates one of the (C) greatest paradox (D) of our time.

Error in segment: D — “paradox” should be “paradoxes” (plural after “one of the greatest”).

Q15 Among the Western nations, (A) the decline in the death rate (B) is followed after an interval by the reduction in the birth rate, (C) so that the population is not now growing (D) so fast.

Error in segment: C — “by the reduction” should be “by a reduction” (indefinite article).

Q16 In view of increasing hazards with (A) our national security it is (B) the duty of every citizen to keep (C) a watch on his surroundings. (D)

Error in segment: A — “hazards with” should be “hazards to” (preposition).

Q17 Thrifty housewives preserved their homegrown vegetables and fruits in canning, (A) pickling or (B) drying them for (C) use during the (D) cold weather.

Error in segment: A — “in canning” should be “by canning” (means/method preposition).

Q18 When a low-wage (A) category worker finds (B) he has to maintain a large family, (C) his expenses may exceeds his income. (D)

Error in segment: D — “may exceeds” should be “may exceed” (base form after modal).
ECAT 2011 — English Spot the Error

Q19 The patient’s (A) blood analysis shows that there is a big number of (B) amorphous cells which are (C) quiet unidentifiable. (D)

Error in segment: D — “quiet” should be “quite” (common confusable).

Q20 The police, in their investigation, used coercive measure (A) to (B) get favourable statement from (C) the accused. (D)

Error in segment: A — “measure” should be “measures” (plural).

Q21 Your argument is (A) simply abstruse as there is no clarity of (B) thought and coherence in (C) ideas and it also lack vision. (D)

Error in segment: D — “lack” should be “lacks” (subject-verb agreement with it).

Q22 The workers were raising (A) much (B) hue and cry when their demands (C) were turned away. (D)

Error in segment: D — “turned away” should be “turned down” (idiom: turn down = reject).

Q23 The disease is uncurable (A) without (B) the judicious (C) use of (D) antibiotics.

Error in segment: A — “uncurable” is not standard; correct word is “incurable”.

Q24 The younger sister hopes to emulate (A) her elder sister’s (B) sporting achievement (C) as she is putting up hectic effort. (D)

Error in segment: D — “up hectic effort” should be “in hectic effort” (correct preposition).
ECAT 2012 — English Spot the Error

Q25 The theory was discarded (A) as (B) there was no corroborating evidence for (C) its favour. (D)

Error in segment: D — “for its favour” should be “in its favour”.

Q26 The workers were raising (A) much (B) hue and cry when their demands (C) were turned away. (D)

Error in segment: D — “turned away” should be “turned down”.

Q27 Aslam was badly cudgeled from (A) his step-brother. He received many bruises (B) and contusions. Thank God! (C) No injury was serious. (D)

Error in segment: A — “cudgeled from” should be “cudgeled by” (agent preposition in passive).

Q28 I extend a cordial invitation for (A) you (B) to visit our farm house. We have grown (C) vegetables without chemical fertilizers over (D) there.

Error in segment: A — “invitation for” should be “invitation to” (invite to).

Q29 Although he is not a close relative of me, (A) yet I was greeted (B) with a show (C) of (D) deep cordiality.

Error in segment: A — “of me” should be “of mine” (possessive after of).

Q30 This antibiotic destroys (A) red corpuscles in (B) the blood and cause (C) pernicious anaemia. (D)

Error in segment: D — error is in “cause” (C) which should be “causes” for subject-verb agreement; per source key D.
Note: grammatically the error is in segment C (“cause” → “causes”); source book marks D. Both preserved.
ECAT 2013 — English Spot the Error

Q31 Amjad was not conscious to (A) the aberration he had committed in (B) the public meeting. It was disliked by (C) all and sundry. (D)

Error in segment: A — “conscious to” should be “conscious of”.

Q32 Late Agha Shahi was an outstanding genius in (A) the international affairs. He was gifted of the acumen (B) to judge (C) the future events, judge the future events in advance. (D)

Error in segment: B — “gifted of the acumen” should be “gifted with the acumen”.

Q33 The old man was sitting quite (A) bamboozled when the swindler deprived him from (B) his pension money by (C) his evil (D) tricks.

Error in segment: B — “deprived from” should be “deprived of”.

Q34 The prime minister fired a broadside at the opposition leaders. A few of (A) his remarks were not up (B) at (C) the mark. (D)

Error in segment: D — “at the mark” should be “to the mark” (idiom: up to the mark).

Q35 Lucy is the diva which (A) performance as (B) an (C) opera singer is peerless. (D)

Error in segment: A — “which” should be “whose” (possessive relative pronoun for person).

Q36 The police report exonerated Anwar of (A) all charges of (B) corruption and job was also restored (C) (D)

Error in segment: A — “exonerated of” should be “exonerated from”.
ECAT 2014 — English Spot the Error

Q37 We were ten miles (A) up the highway when I happened to saw this (B) classified advertisement (C) in the newspaper. (D)

Error in segment: C — full error is “to saw” in segment B; source key marks C; both noted. Correct: “to see”.
Note: grammatically the error is “to saw” (segment B) → “to see”. Source key marks C; preserved.

Q38 “All is well what ends well”, (A) said the (B) father when he had (C) finished the story. (D)

Error in segment: A — idiom is “All’s well that ends well” (relative pronoun).

Q39 Rubber tubes upon which (A) children had swing in backyards (B) hung suspended like (C) stopped clock pendulums in the blazing air. (D)

Error in segment: B — “had swing” should be “had swung” (past participle of swing is swung).

Q40 The child was fully (A) dressed and sitting in (B) her father’s lap near the kitchen table. (C)

Error in segment: C — “kitchen table” punctuation/context; source key C preserved.

Q41 The three (A) Abdal Rahman, like his (B) illustrious predecessor, was a (C) young man of twenty-three when he (D) took office.

Error in segment: A — “The three” should be “The Third” (ordinal with a name).

Q42 Enlarged and beautified by later (A) Caliphs, Al-Zahra become the (B) nucleus of a royal suburb whose remain (C) in and after (D) 1910, can still be seen.

Error in segment: C — “whose remain” should be “whose remains” (plural noun “remains”).
ECAT 2015 — English Spot the Error

Q43 He picked up (A) one or two magazines and after a hurried (B) glance on (C) the contents carefully replaced them. (D)

Error in segment: C — “glance on” should be “glance at/through”.

Q44 His guests found it fun (A) to watch him (B) to make tea — (C) mixing careful spoonful (D) from different caddies.

Error in segment: C — “to make tea” should be “making tea” (gerund after watch him).

Q45 You have put your life (A) in his hands (B) many a (C) times. (D)

Error in segment: C — “many a times” should be “many a time” (singular noun after many a).

Q46 Chips, thinking it over a good many time, (A) always added to himself (B) that Kathie would have approved (C) and also have been amused. (D)

Error in segment: A — “a good many time” should be “a good many times” (plural).

Q47 But the men (A) ate (B) their (C) supper in (D) good appetites.

Error in segment: D — “in good appetites” should be “with good appetites”.

Q48 A common sense of (A) failure is a mistaken ambition of (B) the boys on (C) the part of (D) his parents.

Error in segment: D — “of his parents” should be “on his parents” (standard idiom “on the part of”).
ECAT 2016 — English Spot the Error

Q49 It showed (A) that he was a man capable of (B) looking beneath (C) the surface of things, a man not dependent in (D) paper manifestations.

Error in segment: D — “dependent in” should be “dependent on”.

Q50 When he was (A) a child, every time he were (B) naughty, his foster-mother used to (C) threaten to send him (D) Timbuktu.

Error in segment: B — “he were” should be “he was” (subject–verb agreement: he takes was).

Q51 I was faced with alternatively (A) of either (B) evicting the books or else (C) leaving them in sole, undisturbed tenancy and taking rooms (D) elsewhere for myself.

Error in segment: A — “with alternatively” should be “with the alternative” (noun, not adverb).

Q52 I remember going to (A) the British museum one day to read for (B) the treatment for some slight ailment of which (C) I had (D) a touch — hay fever, I fancy it was.

Error in segment: B — “to read for” should be “to read up” (phrasal verb — “read up on”).

Q53 The number of people in the world are rapidly (A) increasing rather like a (B) gigantic snowball which not only gets bigger (C) as it rolls but goes faster (D) as well.

Error in segment: A — “are rapidly” should be “is rapidly” (subject: the number, singular).

Q54 It has been calculate (A) that unless the growth is checked, (B) there will only be (C) enough room on the earth for people to stand by. (D)

Error in segment: D — “stand by” should be “stand on” (the correct idiom here).
ECAT 2017 — English Spot the Error

Q55 When Maulvi Abul reached Shamin Ahmed’s new shop (A) he found a crowd (B) had already assembled there to watch (C) the proceeding. (D)

Error in segment: D — “the proceeding” should be “the proceedings” (plural noun proceedings).

Q56 One of his hands was (A) slipped into a pocket (B) of his overcoat while in other (C) he held a short polished cane which every now and then (D) he twirled jauntily.

Error in segment: C — “while in other” should be “while in the other” (definite article required).

Q57 The finder is requested to return (A) the purse to the mayor office (B) or to Mr. James (C) the caretaker of this (D) public hall.

Error in segment: B — “the mayor office” should be “the mayor’s office” (possessive).

Q58 He told them how the glory of (A) their country and of its ancient throne (B) would be increased if the post of court (C) acrobat was created. (D)

Error in segment: D — “was created” should be “were created” (subjunctive after if).

Q59 With this faith we will be able to to hew out (A) from the mountain (B) of despair (C) a stone of hope. (D)

Error in segment: B — “from the mountain” should be “out of the mountain” (idiom “hew out of”).

Q60 If it was possible (A) to get the necessities of life (B) from the heavens through prayers, (C) Maulvi Abul would have prayed to Allah for a pair of shoes for his Umda (D)

Error in segment: A — “If it was possible” should be “If it were possible” (subjunctive mood).
ECAT 2019 — English Spot the Error

Q61 She had one of those picture children (A) (B) often reproduced in advertising leaflets and the photogravure (C) sections of the Sunday papers. (D)

Error in segment: (not marked)
Note: source image shows segments underlined but no tick-mark is visible to indicate which letter is the error. Please verify against the book.

Q62 Education and economic progress along with (A) good governance is the factor (B) that take a country (C) towards quick development. (D)

Error in segment: B — “is the factor” should be “are the factors” (compound subject + plural noun).
ECAT 2023 — English Spot the Error

Q63 When the mother (A) threatened to lock Aslam in the attic, (B) the mere thought for (C) being confined made him breathless. (D)

Error in segment: D — error is in segment C: “thought for” should be “thought of” (noun thought + preposition of); source key D preserved.
Note: grammatically the error is in C (“thought for” → “thought of”). Source key marks D; preserved.

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About ECAT English — Spot the Error

ECAT English carries only 10 MCQs in the UET ECAT paper, but it is frequently the deciding section for border-line admission merit cutoffs. The most dominant question type is Spot the Error (sentence correction) — a format where a single sentence is split into four underlined segments (A)–(D) and the student must identify the segment containing the grammatical, idiomatic, or preposition error. This page compiles 63 solved Spot-the-Error MCQs from UET ECAT past papers 2008 through 2023.

UET ECAT English Pattern 2026

SectionMCQsMarks
Mathematics30120
Physics30120
Chemistry / Computer Science30120
English1040
Total100400

+4 for each correct answer, –1 for each wrong answer. Time: 100 minutes.

What does “Spot the Error” mean in ECAT English?

A sentence is presented with four underlined parts, labelled (A), (B), (C) and (D). Exactly one of these segments contains a grammatical error, a wrong preposition, a tense mismatch, a subject-verb disagreement, a wrong article, an idiom error, or a confusable-word slip. Your job is to pick that letter. If all four segments are correct, the sentence has “No error”.

Most-tested error categories in UET ECAT English

  1. Wrong preposition — “deprived from” → of, “conscious to” → of, “exonerated of” → from, “dependent in” → on, “invitation for” → to. This is the #1 error pattern in ECAT (≈ 30% of all Spot-the-Error MCQs).
  2. Subject-verb agreement — “the number of people are” → is; “it lack” → lacks; “he were” → was.
  3. Tense consistency — switching between past and present in the same sentence; using “may exceeds” instead of “may exceed” after a modal.
  4. Pronoun case and possession — “relative of me” → of mine; “the mayor office” → mayor’s office; “whose” vs “which” for persons.
  5. Article error — “in other” → in the other; definite article missing before unique references.
  6. Idiom / phrasal verb error — “turned away” (dispersed) vs “turned down” (rejected); “stand by” vs “stand on”; “up to the mark” not “at the mark”; “All’s well that ends well”.
  7. Confusable words — effect / affect, quiet / quite, uncurable / incurable.
  8. Singular vs plural — “one of the greatest paradox” → paradoxes; “many a times” → many a time; “the proceeding” → proceedings.
  9. Subjunctive mood — “If it was possible” → If it were possible.
  10. Since vs for (duration) — “since the last five years” → for the last five years.

How to prepare ECAT English in 2026

  1. Start with the error-category list above. 80% of ECAT English errors come from these 10 patterns — memorise them cold.
  2. Attempt all 63 MCQs on this page timed. Give yourself 20 seconds per MCQ; below 70% accuracy means you need to revise prepositions and idioms.
  3. Keep a preposition list — verbs that take specific prepositions (insist on, consist of, differ from, familiar with, invite to, prevent from, etc.).
  4. Read English newspapers — Dawn, The News, Business Recorder — for 15 min daily. Ear-training beats rote memorisation.
  5. Learn standard idioms: up to the mark, turn down, hew out of, stand on one’s feet, a show of, part and parcel.

Why QuizWing’s ECAT English MCQ bank is different

Other sites — maqsad.io, paklearningspot, ilmkidunya — either dump raw PDFs of past papers or scatter English MCQs across generic banks. QuizWing organises every Spot-the-Error MCQ year-wise 2008–2023 with the error segment colour-highlighted in red and a short grammar explanation under each answer, so you learn why each segment is wrong — not just which letter to tick.

Related ECAT resources on QuizWing

Official references

FAQs — ECAT English Spot the Error

How many English MCQs come in ECAT?

UET ECAT carries 10 English MCQs out of 100 total questions. Questions test Spot-the-Error sentence correction, vocabulary, synonyms/antonyms and sentence completion.

What does “Spot the Error” mean in ECAT English?

Spot-the-Error is a sentence-correction MCQ format where a sentence is split into 4 underlined segments labelled (A), (B), (C), (D). One segment contains a grammatical or usage error — you must identify that letter. If all four are correct the answer is “No error”.

Which grammar topics appear most often in ECAT English?

The most-tested topics in UET ECAT English Spot-the-Error are: preposition usage (at/on/to/for/with), subject–verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, tense consistency, article use (a/an/the), comparative/superlative forms and idiom correctness.

How many marks is ECAT English worth?

ECAT English carries 10 MCQs at +4 each = 40 marks total out of 400 (10% weight). Though small, English is often decisive for border-line admission cutoffs.

Is English compulsory in ECAT 2026?

Yes. All ECAT candidates must attempt the English section regardless of whether they choose Chemistry or Computer Science as their third subject.

What is the difference between “effect” and “affect”?

“Affect” is almost always a verb meaning to influence (“smoking affects health”). “Effect” is almost always a noun meaning a result (“the effect of smoking”). ECAT 2008 tested exactly this confusable.

When do we use “since” vs “for” in duration?

Use “since” with a specific point in time (“since Monday”, “since 2005”). Use “for” with a length of time (“for five years”, “for two hours”). ECAT 2009 tested: “since the last five years” is wrong — should be “for the last five years”.

Is QuizWing’s ECAT English MCQ bank free?

Yes — all 63 ECAT English Spot-the-Error MCQs on this page are free with answer explanations. The complete printed ECAT Guess Paper (252 MCQs across all four subjects) is available at pkbookshop.com or WhatsApp 0302-1417839.

Does ECAT English have reading comprehension passages?

Yes — apart from Spot-the-Error, the 10-MCQ English section may include a short comprehension passage, sentence-completion / fill-in-the-blank items and vocabulary (synonym / antonym) MCQs.

How can I score full marks in ECAT English?

Three steps: (1) master the 10 most-tested error categories listed above; (2) solve all 63 year-wise MCQs on this page until you can answer each in < 20 seconds; (3) read a quality English newspaper for 15 min daily to build natural ear for correct usage.

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