IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Question 10

Two errors in one short sentence.

1 — effect vs affect.

affect (verb) = to influence

effect (noun) = a result; (rarely, verb) = to bring about

The setting influences the plot, so the verb must be affects.

2 — the missing apostrophe. “storys” is not a word. The plot belongs to the story — one story — so the singular possessive is story’s.

The fix. “The setting of a story affects the story’s plot.”

Why the others fail:

(a) affect the story’s plot — right word, right apostrophe, but wrong agreement. The subject is “The setting” (singular), so the verb needs -s: affects. The plural noun story sitting next to the verb is a deliberate distraction.

(b) effects the stories’ plot — keeps the wrong verb and makes the possessive plural.

(d) affects the story plots — fixes the verb but drops the possessive entirely, changing the meaning.

Answer: Option 3

Shortcut. Fix the two errors independently, then take the option satisfying both.

Only (c) survives all three.

The memory hook for the word pair: Affect is the Action (verb); Effect is the End result (noun). It is tested almost every year.