In following question, there may be an error in one part of the sentence. That error part would be your answer. If there would be no error in the sentence, your answer would be ‘No error’.
Scarcely he had (A)/ reached the hilltop (B)/ before the tiger seized him.(C) / No error (D)

Correct option is A

Option (a) contains an error.
Explanation: When a sentence begins with negative adverbs like “Scarcely,” “Hardly,” or “No sooner”, the sentence must follow inversion – meaning the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.
Correct sentence: Scarcely had he reached the hilltop before the tiger seized him.
Grammatical rule used:
When using negative adverbial phrases at the beginning of a sentence (e.g., scarcely, hardly, never), inversion of subject and auxiliary verb is required.
Rule in Hindi:
यदि वाक्य की शुरुआत “Scarcely/Hardly/No sooner” जैसे शब्दों से होती है, तो वाक्य में auxiliary verb + subject का क्रम अपनाया जाता है।
Example:
· Scarcely had the meeting begun when the lights went out.
· Hardly had I reached home when it started raining.