English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is D.

Key Points

• The given paragraph is about the dowry system.
• Sentence D is the first sentence as it introduces the topic of the paragraph 'Dowry system' by mentioning its evil effect on society.
• Sentence A is the second sentence as it explains how the dowry system has affected the sacredness of marriage.
• Sentence B is the third sentence as it explains how badly the parents of the bride get affected by the demand for dowry.
• Sentence F is the fourth sentence as it says the parents even become poor or bankrupt to get their daughters married.
• Sentence E is in the correct place so it's the fifth sentence as it explains the ruthless effect of the dowry system on young brides.
• Sentence C is the sixth sentence as it concludes the paragraph by giving the solution of eradicating the dowry system from society.
• The correct sequence is DABFEC.

Correct Paragraph: The Dowry system is evil in society. It has reduced the sacred affair of marriage to a business deal. The parents of the brides are often put under inhuman pressure for a handsome dowry. Sometimes they become paupers to get their daughters married. In many cases, young brides are ruthlessly tortured or pushed to suicide. To eradicate this social evil, a total change in the outlook of society is a must.

The correct answer is A.

Key Points

• The given paragraph is about the dowry system.
• Sentence D is the first sentence as it introduces the topic of the paragraph 'Dowry system' by mentioning its evil effect on society.
• Sentence A is the second sentence as it explains how the dowry system has affected the sacredness of marriage.
• Sentence B is the third sentence as it explains how badly the parents of the bride get affected by the demand for dowry.
• Sentence F is the fourth sentence as it says the parents even become poor or bankrupt to get their daughters married.
• Sentence E is in the correct place so it's the fifth sentence as it explains the ruthless effect of the dowry system on young brides.
• Sentence C is the sixth sentence as it concludes the paragraph by giving the solution of eradicating the dowry system from society.
• The correct sequence is DABFEC.

Correct Paragraph: The Dowry system is evil in society. It has reduced the sacred affair of marriage to a business deal. The parents of the brides are often put under inhuman pressure for a handsome dowry. Sometimes they become paupers to get their daughters married. In many cases, young brides are ruthlessly tortured or pushed to suicide. To eradicate this social evil, a total change in the outlook of society is a must.

The correct answer is B.

Key Points

• The given paragraph is about the dowry system.
• Sentence D is the first sentence as it introduces the topic of the paragraph 'Dowry system' by mentioning its evil effect on society.
• Sentence A is the second sentence as it explains how the dowry system has affected the sacredness of marriage.
• Sentence B is the third sentence as it explains how badly the parents of the bride get affected by the demand for dowry.
• Sentence F is the fourth sentence as it says the parents even become poor or bankrupt to get their daughters married.
• Sentence E is in the correct place so it's the fifth sentence as it explains the ruthless effect of the dowry system on young brides.
• Sentence C is the sixth sentence as it concludes the paragraph by giving the solution of eradicating the dowry system from society.
• The correct sequence is DABFEC.

Correct Paragraph: The Dowry system is evil in society. It has reduced the sacred affair of marriage to a business deal. The parents of the brides are often put under inhuman pressure for a handsome dowry. Sometimes they become paupers to get their daughters married. In many cases, young brides are ruthlessly tortured or pushed to suicide. To eradicate this social evil, a total change in the outlook of society is a must.

The correct answer is F.

Key Points

• The given paragraph is about the dowry system.
• Sentence D is the first sentence as it introduces the topic of the paragraph 'Dowry system' by mentioning its evil effect on society.
• Sentence A is the second sentence as it explains how the dowry system has affected the sacredness of marriage.
• Sentence B is the third sentence as it explains how badly the parents of the bride get affected by the demand for dowry.
• Sentence F is the fourth sentence as it says the parents even become poor or bankrupt to get their daughters married.
• Sentence E is in the correct place so it's the fifth sentence as it explains the ruthless effect of the dowry system on young brides.
• Sentence C is the sixth sentence as it concludes the paragraph by giving the solution of eradicating the dowry system from society.
• The correct sequence is DABFEC.

Correct Paragraph: The Dowry system is evil in society. It has reduced the sacred affair of marriage to a business deal. The parents of the brides are often put under inhuman pressure for a handsome dowry. Sometimes they become paupers to get their daughters married. In many cases, young brides are ruthlessly tortured or pushed to suicide. To eradicate this social evil, a total change in the outlook of society is a must.

The correct answer is C.

Key Points

• The given paragraph is about the dowry system.
• Sentence D is the first sentence as it introduces the topic of the paragraph 'Dowry system' by mentioning its evil effect on society.
• Sentence A is the second sentence as it explains how the dowry system has affected the sacredness of marriage.
• Sentence B is the third sentence as it explains how badly the parents of the bride get affected by the demand for dowry.
• Sentence F is the fourth sentence as it says the parents even become poor or bankrupt to get their daughters married.
• Sentence E is in the correct place so it's the fifth sentence as it explains the ruthless effect of the dowry system on young brides.
• Sentence C is the sixth sentence as it concludes the paragraph by giving the solution of eradicating the dowry system from society.
• The correct sequence is DABFEC.

Correct Paragraph: The Dowry system is evil in society. It has reduced the sacred affair of marriage to a business deal. The parents of the brides are often put under inhuman pressure for a handsome dowry. Sometimes they become paupers to get their daughters married. In many cases, young brides are ruthlessly tortured or pushed to suicide. To eradicate this social evil, a total change in the outlook of society is a must.

The correct answer is Option (2) i.e. Lies, Distant

Key Points

 Let's look at the meaning of the correct answer:

• Lies - be, remain, or be kept in a specified state.
• ​Example - "The abbey lies in ruins today."
• Distant - a long way away in space or time,
• ​Example - travel to distant parts of the world
• ​From the given meaning we can conclude that the correct answer is lies, distant

Thus the correct sentence is: "The truth lies in every substance of this universe yet it is distant from many.*"*​

Additional Information

 Let's ​discuss the meaning of other options:

• Disappear - to become impossible to see or to find
• Perfuse - permeate or suffuse (something) with a liquid, color, quality, etc
• Persist - to perform a task, etc. or to put a plan into action
• Flourish - to be strong and healthy; to develop in a successful way

The correct answer is Option (3) i.e. Engulfed, Contains 

Key Points

 Let's look at the meaning of the correct answer:

• Engulfed - to cover or surround somebody/something completely
• ​Example - Within a few minutes the factory was engulfed in flames.
• Contains - to have something inside or as part of itself,
• ​Example - Each box contains 24 tins.
• ​From the given meaning we can conclude that the correct answer is engulfed, contains

Thus the correct sentence is: "The poverty-stricken, the penurious are mostly engulfed with indigence that contains nothing but suffering. *"*​

Additional Information

 Let's ​discuss the meaning of other options:

• Languid - weak or faint from illness or fatigue.
• Perfuses - permeate or suffuse with a liquid, colour, or quality.
• Persists - to continue to exist
• Shrink - to become smaller or make something smaller

The correct answer is Option (4) i.e. Push, Goal

Key Points

 Let's look at the meaning of the correct answer:

• Push - to use force to move somebody/something forward or away from you
• ​Example - She pushed him into the water.
• Goal - an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision,
• ​Example - The goal is to win at any cost this time.
• ​From the given meaning we can conclude that the correct answer is push, goal.

Thus the correct sentence is: "The Bog-standards never push on the hard work. As their goal is always 'topsy- turvy'. *".*​

Additional Information

 Let's ​discuss the meaning of other options:

• consideration - an act of thinking about something carefully or for a long time
• foundation - the idea, principle, or fact on which something is based
• execution - to perform a task, etc. or to put a plan into action

The correct answer is Option (3) i.e. Cry, catch

Key Points

 Let's look at the meaning of the correct answer:

• cry - to make a noise and produce tears in your eyes, for example, because you are unhappy or have hurt yourself
• ​Example - The baby never stops crying​
• catch - to capture somebody/something that you have been following or looking for,
• ​Example - Two policemen ran after the thief and caught him at the end of the street.
• ​From the given meaning we can conclude that the correct answer is Cry, Catch.

Thus the correct sentence is: "The dolorous cry all the time for something they do not catch on easily. *".*​

Additional Information

 Let's ​discuss the meaning of other options:

• hesitate - to pause before you do something or before you make a decision, usually because you are uncertain or worried
• irritate - to make somebody angry; to annoy
• execute - to perform a task, etc. or to put a plan into action
• portray - to show somebody/something in a picture; to describe somebody/something in a piece of writing
• barge- to push people out of the way in order to get past them

The correct answer is Option (2)Curiosity, Satified.

Key Points

 Let's look at the meaning of the correct answer:

• curiosity - a state in which you want to learn more about something
• ​Example - My fingers tremble with curiosity, confusion, and excitement.​
• satisfied - you’re satisfied, you’re contented,
• ​Example - I patted myself, satisfied that they were flat enough that my uncle would not notice them.
• ​From the given meaning we can conclude that the correct answer is Curiosity, Satisfied.

Thus the correct sentence is: "The impatient ragamuffins were the main curiosity of the dictators who were not satisfied with their behaviours.*".*​

Additional Information

 Let's ​discuss the meaning of other options:

• attention - the process whereby a person concentrates on some
• jealous - suspicious or unduly suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a rival
• culprits - someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
• aware - having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
• Whippersnappers- someone who is unimportant but cheeky and presumptuous
• Upright- in a vertical position; not sloping
• Grumbletonians - A person who is often discontented, thereby taken to grumbling
• convenience- something that makes things easier, quicker or more comfortable

The correct answer is option 3.

 Key Points To answer this question, let's first understand the meanings of the marked words:

• Attendance - the act of being present at a particular place or event (हाजरी)
• For Example -
• The teacher took attendance at the beginning of the class to see which students were present.
• Requiring - demanding or needing something as necessary (आवश्यकता होना)
• For Example -
• She is requiring additional time to complete the project.
• Pandemic - an outbreak of a disease that occurs on a global scale, affecting a large number of people and often crossing international boundaries (महामारी)
• For Example -
• The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the world's healthcare systems and economies.
• Gradually - in a slow or gradual manner, taking place over a period of time (धीरे-धीरे)
• For Example -
• She gradually improved her language skills by practising a little bit every day.
• After understanding the meanings of the marked words, we can conclude that in the given sentence, "attendance" should be interchanged with "pandemic" to make it grammatically correct because the sentence is about the pandemic's impact on office attendance.
• Similarly, "requiring" should be interchanged with "gradually" to clarify that the increase in office presence is happening slowly over time, making the sentence contextually correct.
• Hence, the correct answer is "C-A, D-B."

 

The correct sentence after the rearrangement would be: "Following the pandemic, the fin-tech firm gradually increased office attendance from one day per week initially to now requiring employees to be present at the physical office for four days each week."

The correct answer is 'C-B.'

Key Points

• The given sentence says that after the troops departed from the country racked or devastated by war, a decline or relapse occurred when the citizens fall back on their unstable form of government.
• Let us explore the meaning of the highlighted words:
• Left - To go away from somewhere. (कहीं से दूर चले जाना)
• Resorted - To turn to and adopt a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one so as to resolve a difficult situation. (विवशता में किसी भी अरुचिकर उपाय का सहारा लेना)
• Regression - A return to a former or less developed state. (वापसी, प्रतीपगमन)
• Unstable - Likely to change or fail; not firmly established. (जो कभी भी बदल या गिर सकता है; डाँवाँडोल, अस्थिर)
• Thus, (C) and (B) must be interchanged.

Hence, the correct answer is option 2.

Correct Sentence: After our troops left the war-torn country, regression occurred when the citizens resorted to their unstable form of government.

The correct answer is 'No change required.'

Key Points

• The given sentence talks about Iyer who seemed to be getting better after his surgery but started to relapse or worsen today and is now confined to bed.
• Let us explore the meaning of the highlighted words:
• Recovering - To become well again after you have been ill. (बीमारी के बाद स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य लाभ करना)
• Surgery - Medical treatment in which your body is cut open so that part of it can be removed or repaired. (शल्‍य-क्रिया, शल्‍य-चिकित्‍सा, शरीर के रोगग्रस्‍त अंग को काटकर निकाल देना या सुधार देना)
• Regress - To go back to a former condition or a less developed way of behaving. (आचरण या स्थिति की पूर्व या अविकसित अवस्था में लौट जाना, प्रतिगमन करना, बदतर होना, पतन होना)
• Bedridden - Confined to bed by sickness. (बीमारी के कारण बिस्तर पर पड़ा हुआ)
• Thus, no change is required in the sentence.

Hence, the correct answer is option 5.

Correct Sentence: While Iyer seemed to be recovering after his surgery last week, he started to regress today and is now bedridden.

The correct answer is 'B-C.'

Key Points

• The given sentence says that when someone's backpack was looted in a foreign country, the importance of her missing passport and visa caused worry since she was not able to leave the country.
• Let us explore the meaning of the highlighted words:
• Stolen - To take something from a person, shop, etc. without permission and without intending to return it or pay for it. (चुराना, चोरी करना)
• Concern - A feeling of worry; something that causes worry. (चिंता; परवाह; चिंताजनक बात)
• Significance - The quality of being worthy of attention; importance. (किसी बात का महत्व)
• Unable - Not able to do something. (असमर्थ, अशक्त)
• Thus, (B) and (C) must be interchanged.

Hence, the correct answer is option 1.

Correct Sentence: When my friend’s backpack was stolen in a foreign country, the significance of her missing passport and visa caused concern since she was unable to leave the country.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The original sentence placement of "only" can be improved for clarity.
• Moving "only" next to "a little" clarifies that the cost is minimal.
• The best replacement provided is "It would cost India only a little."
• Thus, the error is resolved by choosing Option 1.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "Because the deal cannot enter into force in its current form, India's foreign minister said that signing it would cost India only a little."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "It would only cost India little." – Less natural and not as clear.
• Option 3: "It would costing India only a little." – Grammatically incorrect (incorrect verb form).
• Option 4: "It will only cost India little." – Changes tense and lacks clarity.
• Option 5: "No correction required." – Original sentence needed improvement for clarity.

The correct answer is the people reached Mumbai when.

Key Points

• There are two errors in the bold part.
• Firstly, the term ‘people’ is a collective noun. Collective nouns are used in the singular form. Therefore, ‘peoples’ must be replaced by ‘people’ in order to make the sentence correct.
• Secondly, ‘hardly’ and ‘when’ form a pair of coordinating conjunctions. Coordinating conjunctions join phrases, words, etc. of equal ranks. Therefore, ‘when’ should be used instead of ‘than’ in order to make it a grammatically correct sentence.
• Among the choices available, option 3 replaces the bold part most appropriately.
• Hence, option 3 is the correct answer.

The correct sentence is: Hardly had the people reached Mumbai when they were ordered to return to Delhi.

Additional Information

• Hardly -when is used in past perfect tense sentences as follows. Sometimes we use Scarcely-when in place of Hardly-when
• Hardly had the race started when we started cheering.
• Scarcely had you asked a question when he answered it.
• We can use 'no sooner- than' as follows.
• No sooner did we call him than he responded.

The correct answer is were split on whether

Key Points

• If the committee members are unanimous regarding a decision, in that case, the committee is considered as a singular collective noun and a singular verb is used in the context. On the other hand, if a committee has members differing in their views regarding something, the plural form of the verb is used in that case.
• In the given context, the committee members are differing in their opinions and therefore a plural form of the verb should be used. As the tense is correct in the sentence, the correct verb should have been ‘were’.
• This makes option 1 the correct choice among the given options.

The correct sentence is: The committee were split on whether the new regulations for the National Health Protection Scheme should be implemented.

The correct answer is "The backbone of the organization's"

Key Points 

• The correct idiomatic expression in this sentence is ‘the backbone of' and not 'the backing bone in'.
• Be the backbone (Idiom): The part of something that makes it successful or strong.
• Ex: Ordinary volunteers form the backbone of most charitable organizations.
• Hence ‘the backbone of’ should be used in place of ‘the backing bone in’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.
• Among the given choices, only option 3 replaces the given bold part most appropriately.
• Hence the correct answer is Option 3.

The correct sentence is: BJP is the country's only political party with a trained political human resource, which will serve as the backbone of the organization’s workforce in the coming years.

The correct answer is 'Sterile'.

Key Points

• The term 'prolific' means producing many works, results, or offspring, usually with the implication of them being high quality. It implies abundance. (उपजाऊ)
• Example: He was a prolific writer, producing dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories.
• The term 'Sterile' means not able to produce children, young animals, or plant seeds. In a more figurative sense, it might mean unproductive or not producing results. (बांझ)
• Example: The project turned out to be sterile and didn't bring the desired outcomes.
• Hence, the correct antonym for 'prolific' is 'Sterile'.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3’.

 Additional Information

• 'Abundant' refers to existing or available in large quantities; plentiful. (प्रचुर)
• 'Fruitful' means producing good or helpful results; productive. (उपजाऊ)
• 'Productive' refers to producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities. (उत्पादक)
• 'Plentiful' means existing in or yielding great quantities; abundant. (प्रचुर)

The correct answer is ‘To smooth over the perceived differences between India and Russia.’

Key Points

• The passage specifically notes that a substantial component of Mr. Jaishankar’s mission was to smooth over the perception of differences between the two nations.
• The visit sought to address some of the issues currently affecting the India-Russia relationship, including defence supplies and issues over payment for imports.
• Although other details were discussed during the visit, these were secondary to the primary mission of addressing perceived differences.
• Therefore, it would be accurate to say that the primary rationale for the visit was to "smooth over the perceived differences" as per option 3.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3’.

 Additional Information

• Option 1: The negotiation of President Putin's visit to India is not mentioned as a key reason for Mr. Jaishankar’s visit.
• Option 2: While military talks could be a part of discussions, they were not the main focus, as per the passage.
• Option 4: Participation in the BRICS summit is not mentioned as a reason for this visit.
• Option 5: Ensuring swift delivery of S-400 air system units was not noted as the primary objective of the visit.