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The correct answer is Option 3: Arson.

Key Points

• The term "Arson" refers to the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property. (आगजनी)
• Example: The accused was arrested on charges of arson after the warehouse was set ablaze.
• It is considered a serious crime because it endangers life and causes heavy property damage.
• Thus, "Arson" precisely matches the given definition.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Additional Information

Here are the other options explained along with their Hindi meanings:

• Burglary (सेंधमारी): Illegal entry into a building with intent to commit a crime, especially theft.
• Example: The police investigated the burglary at the jewellery shop.
• Vandalism (तोड़फोड़): Deliberate destruction or damage to public or private property.
• Example: The monument was damaged due to vandalism.
• Sabotage (तोड़फोड़ द्वारा नुकसान पहुँचाना): Deliberate action aimed at weakening or damaging something, often secretly.
• Example: The workers were accused of sabotage during the strike.

The correct answer is Option 1: Glossophobia.

Key Points

• The term "Glossophobia" refers to the fear of public speaking. (सार्वजनिक भाषण का भय)
• Example: Due to glossophobia, he avoided giving presentations in front of large audiences.
• The word is derived from the Greek word "glossa" meaning tongue and "phobia" meaning fear.
• Hence, "Glossophobia" correctly describes the fear of speaking in public.

Therefore, the correct answer is- Glossophobia.

Additional Information

Here are the other options explained along with their Hindi meanings:

• Sociophobia (सामाजिक भय): Fear of social interactions or social situations.
• Example: Sociophobia can make attending social gatherings stressful.
• Anthophobia (फूलों का भय): Fear of flowers.
• Example: People with anthophobia may feel anxious around gardens.
• Ergophobia (काम का भय): Fear of work or the workplace.
• Example: Ergophobia can interfere with a person’s professional life.

The correct answer is Option 2: was it.

Key Points

• The sentence begins with "Not until", which is a negative adverbial expression.
• When a sentence starts with a negative expression like "Not until", it requires subject-auxiliary inversion.
• The correct structure becomes: Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb.
• Therefore, "was it accepted" follows the correct inverted structure.

Correct sentence: Not until the data was independently verified was it accepted by the journal.

Additional Information

• Option 1: "it was" – Incorrect because inversion is required after "Not until."
• Option 3: "did it" – Incorrect as the sentence is in passive voice and requires "was," not "did."
• Option 4: "had it" – Incorrect because past perfect is not required in this context.

The correct answer is Option 1: whose

Key Points

• The blank introduces a non-restrictive relative clause giving additional information about "the chairperson".
• The word required must show possession (authority belonging to the chairperson).
• "Whose" is a possessive relative pronoun used for both people and things.
• Thus, the correct structure is: "the chairperson, whose authority was rarely contested,"

Correct sentence: Though the board remained divided on procedural issues, the chairperson, whose authority was rarely contested, pushed the resolution through.

Additional Information

• Option 2: "whom" – Used as an object pronoun, not to show possession.
• Option 3: "who's" – Contraction of "who is" or "who has"; incorrect in possessive context.
• Option 4: "which" – Used for things, not appropriate for referring to a person in this context.

The correct answer is Option 2: until the investigation would be completed.

Key Points

• The error lies in the use of "would be completed" after the conjunction "until".
• After words like "until," "when," "before," "after", we generally use the simple present tense to refer to future time.
• The correct form should be "until the investigation is completed", not "would be completed."
• "Would" is not used in time clauses referring to future events.

Correct sentence: The spokesperson refused to comment until the investigation is completed to avoid jeopardising ongoing proceedings.

Additional Information

• Part (1) – Grammatically correct.
• Part (3) – "Jeopardising" is correctly used as a gerund after "avoid."
• Part (4) – "Ongoing proceedings" is correctly structured.

The correct answer is Option 4: Was the comprehensive zoning plan approved by the council?

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the simple past interrogative form: “Did the council approve…?”
• In passive voice, the object “the comprehensive zoning plan” becomes the subject.
• The auxiliary “did” changes to “was” to maintain the simple past tense in passive form.
• The structure follows: Was + subject + past participle + by + agent?
• The past participle of “approve” is approved.
• Thus, the correct passive form is: “Was the comprehensive zoning plan approved by the council?”

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Option 1: Uses present perfect tense (“Has…been approved”), which changes the original tense.
• Option 2: Uses present continuous passive (“is being approved”), which is incorrect.
• Option 3: Uses past continuous passive (“was being approved”), which does not match the simple past form.

The correct answer is Option 1.

Key Points

• The error lies in part (1): “Were he to have responded promptly.”
• In conditional inversion for hypothetical past situations, the correct structure is “Had he responded promptly”, not “Were he to have responded.”
• “Were he to respond” is used for hypothetical future situations, not for past unreal conditions.
• Since the result clause uses “could have been averted”, the condition must also refer to the past.
• The correct sentence should begin: “Had he responded promptly…”
• Thus, part (1) contains the grammatical error.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

Additional Information

• Part (2): “the crisis could have been” is grammatically correct.
• Part (3): “averted far earlier than it ultimately was” is structurally accurate.
• Part (4): “saving valuable diplomatic capital” correctly functions as a participial phrase.

The correct answer is Option 3: They signed a compact to maintain peace.

Key Points

• The word "compact" in the given sentence means a small, flat case containing a mirror, often used for cosmetics. (छोटा शीशा डिब्बा)
• Example: She quickly checked her face in her compact before entering the hall.
• In Option 3, "compact" means a formal agreement or contract between parties. (समझौता / संधि)
• Example: The two nations signed a compact to strengthen trade relations.
• Both words have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings, which makes them homonyms.

Therefore, the correct answer is- They signed a compact to maintain peace.

Additional Information

Here are the other options explained along with their Hindi meanings:

• Option 1: The team formed a compact defensive unit. "Compact" here means closely packed or tightly formed. (सघन / सटा हुआ)
• Option 2: He compacted the soil using a roller. "Compacted" is a verb meaning pressed together firmly. (दबा देना / सघन करना)
• Option 4: The book was written in a compact style. "Compact" here means brief and concise. (संक्षिप्त)

The correct answer is Option 4: Authorities believed the accused had been hiding in the hills.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in passive voice because the subject "The accused" is receiving the action.
• The structure "was believed to have been hiding" uses a perfect continuous infinitive, which indicates that an unnamed agent believed something about the accused's ongoing state in the past.
• To convert it into active voice, we must introduce a logical subject (doer of the action), such as "Authorities", and use the Past Perfect Continuous tense (had been hiding) to match the timeline.
• The correct active form becomes: "Authorities believed the accused had been hiding in the hills."

Correct sentence: Authorities believed the accused had been hiding in the hills before being captured.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

Additional Information

• Option 1: Incorrect because it changes the meaning; it suggests the accused himself believed something.
• Option 2: Incorrect because "had hidden" (Past Perfect) changes the continuous aspect to a completed action.
• Option 3: Incorrect because it remains in an impersonal passive-like structure using "It was believed".

The correct answer is Option 3.

Key Points

• The passage explores the interdependence of emotions, specifically how one provides the necessary context for the other.
• The author explicitly links these concepts by stating: "the pang of loss finds contour only because we have once cherished the presence of what is now absent."
• In this logic, "presence" (cherishing something) is the source of joy, while "absence" (the loss of that presence) is the source of sorrow.
• The analogy follows a cause-and-effect relationship defined in the text: Joy arises from having (presence), and sorrow arises from no longer having (absence).

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Correct Sentence from Text: "...the pang of loss finds contour only because we have once cherished the presence of what is now absent."

Additional Information

• Option 1: Freedom – While sorrow can lead to growth, the passage does not define sorrow as freedom; instead, it uses "presence" and "absence" as direct structural counterparts.
• Option 2: Anticipation – The passage discusses the "memory" of experiences (like winter or failure), but doesn't link sorrow specifically to the act of looking forward.
• Option 4: Stagnation – The text actually argues the opposite; it suggests sorrow leads to growth and "refining our capacity," which is the antithesis of stagnation.