Search Previous Year Questions

Question 1: Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word. MALEDICTION Options: (1) Plea (2) Blessing (3) Curse (4) Prophecy

The correct answer is: Option (3) i.e. Curse.

Key Points

• The word "malediction" means a magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil or destruction; a curse. (शाप)
• Example: The old witch muttered a dark malediction against the village as she was cast out.
• "Curse" refers to a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something. (शाप)
• Example: He believed that an ancient family curse was the reason for his continuous misfortune.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'malediction' is 'curse'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Curse.

Additional Information

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

• Plea (याचिका/दलील): A request made in an urgent and emotional manner.
• Example: The prisoner made a desperate plea for mercy before the judge.
• Blessing (आशीर्वाद): A prayer asking for God's help and protection for someone or something.
• Example: The priest gave the couple his blessing during the wedding ceremony.
• Prophecy (भविष्यवाणी): A prediction of what will happen in the future.
• Example: The oracle's prophecy about the downfall of the king eventually came true.

The correct answer is SQRP

Key Points

• The sentence begins with the subject Ancient mythologies. To form a grammatically correct sentence, we must find the verb that corresponds to this plural subject.
• Part S (have transcended time and geographical boundaries,) provides the main verb have transcended, making it the logical first part of the sequence.
• Part Q (influencing modern literature, cinema, and philosophy) uses a present participle to describe the result or effect of mythologies transcending boundaries. It naturally follows the comma at the end of part S.
• Part R (preserving cultural traditions through oral storytelling) adds another layer of description regarding how these mythologies function, maintaining the flow of participial phrases.
• Part P (while adapting to contemporary interpretations and themes) concludes the sentence by using the conjunction while to contrast the act of preserving (in part R) with the act of adapting to the modern world.
• The complete logical sequence is SQRP: 'Ancient mythologies have transcended time and geographical boundaries, influencing modern literature, cinema, and philosophy preserving cultural traditions through oral storytelling while adapting to contemporary interpretations and themes.'

Additional Information

• In sentence rearrangement tasks, identifying the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure is the most effective first step.
• Participial phrases (words ending in -ing like influencing, preserving, and adapting) are often used to provide additional information about the subject or the preceding clause.
• Ancient mythologies, such as those from Greece, India, and Egypt, continue to provide a foundation for modern storytelling and archetypal psychology.

The correct answer is She may not buy the laptop.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Passive Voice. The structure used is: Object (The laptop) + Modal Verb (may) + not + be + Past Participle (bought) + by + Subject (her).
• To convert this into the Active Voice, the following changes are made: 1. The object of the passive sentence her becomes the subject She. 2. The subject of the passive sentence The laptop becomes the object. 3. The verb phrase may not be bought is changed to the active form may not buy. In active voice, modal verbs are followed by the base form of the verb (V1).
• Option 1 is incorrect because may not have bought represents a past possibility, which changes the original tense/aspect.
• Option 2 is incorrect because it changes the modal verb from may to should, altering the meaning from possibility to obligation.
• Option 4 is incorrect because it changes the modal verb may to might. While similar, the conversion should ideally retain the specific modal used in the original sentence unless specified otherwise.
• The correct active structure is: Subject + Modal Verb + not + V1 + Object.

Additional Information

• Modal Verbs (such as can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must) do not change their form based on the subject.
• In Active Voice, the formula is: Subject + Modal + Verb (Base Form) + Object.
• In Passive Voice, the formula is: Object + Modal + be + Verb (3^rd Form) + by + Subject.
• When a sentence is negative, the word not is placed between the modal verb and be in passive voice, or between the modal verb and the main verb in active voice.

The correct answer is Departmental compliance was to have been reviewed by the internal task force by the end of Q3.

Key Points

• The original sentence is in the Active Voice and uses the Perfect Infinitive structure: was/were + to have + past participle (V3).
• To convert a sentence with a Perfect Infinitive into the Passive Voice, the structure follows: Object + was/were + to have been + past participle (V3) + by + Subject.
• In the given sentence:
• Subject: The internal task force
• Verb phrase: was to have reviewed
• Object: departmental compliance
• Following the rule, the passive form becomes: Departmental compliance (Object) + was to have been reviewed (Passive Perfect Infinitive) + by the internal task force (Subject as agent).
• Option 1 is incorrect because to had is grammatically impossible; the infinitive always uses have.
• Option 3 is incorrect because it changes the Perfect Infinitive (to have reviewed) into a Simple Infinitive (to be reviewed), which alters the original aspect of the sentence.
• Option 4 is incorrect because was to were been is a nonsensical grammatical construction.

Additional Information

• The Perfect Infinitive (to have + V3) is frequently used after was/were to describe an action that was intended or expected to happen in the past but usually did not occur.
• When changing from active to passive, the tense and meaning must remain consistent. Only the focus shifts from the doer of the action to the receiver of the action.
• Departmental compliance is a singular noun phrase, so it correctly takes the singular auxiliary verb was.

Question: Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word. Shrugged

The correct answer is: Option (3) i.e. Embraced.

Key Points

• The word "shrugged" means to raise one's shoulders slightly and momentarily as a sign of indifference, doubt, or to dismiss something as unimportant. (कंधे उचकाना / उपेक्षा करना)
• Example: When asked about the missing keys, he simply shrugged and walked away.
• "Embraced" means to accept or support a belief, theory, or change willingly and enthusiastically; it can also mean to hold someone closely in one's arms. It is the opposite of dismissing or being indifferent to something. (स्वीकार करना / गले लगाना)
• Example: The city embraced the new technology, leading to rapid economic growth.
• Hence, we can infer that the opposite of 'shrugged' (in the sense of dismissing or ignoring) is 'embraced' (accepting or welcoming).

Therefore, the correct answer is- Embraced.

Additional Information

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

• Evaded (बचना / टालना): To escape or avoid someone or something, especially by guile or trickery.
• Example: The politician evaded the reporter's difficult questions during the press conference.
• Forsook (त्याग देना / छोड़ देना): The past tense of forsake; to abandon or leave someone or something entirely.
• Example: He forsook his worldly possessions to live a life of meditation in the mountains.
• Denounced (निंदा करना / आरोप लगाना): To publicly declare to be wrong or evil.
• Example: The international community denounced the act of violence against innocent civilians.

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

• The primary issue in the sentence is the use of "more" to form the comparative degree of the adjective "hot."
• Adjectives with one syllable (monosyllabic) typically form their comparative degree by adding the suffix "-er" (e.g., hot becomes hotter).
• The word "more" is generally used for adjectives with two or more syllables (e.g., more comfortable, more beautiful).
• Thus, the error is located in the word "more," which is Option 2.

Therefore, the correct answer is 2.

Correct Sentence: "The room was hotter than comfortable."

Additional Information

• (1) comfortable – This is an adjective used correctly to describe a state of the room being compared.
• (3) hot – This is the correct base adjective; however, its comparative form in this context should be "hotter" rather than "more hot."
• (4) room – This is the noun acting as the subject of the sentence and is used correctly.

The correct answer is Option 3.

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: He asked me if I had done my practical.
• Key Conversions:
• "if I had done" becomes "Have you done"
• The conjunction "if" indicates that the direct speech was a Yes/No question.
• The Past Perfect tense "had done" in indirect speech typically converts from the Present Perfect tense "have done" in direct speech.
• The pronoun "I" (referring to the listener 'me') changes to "you" in direct speech.
• "my practical" becomes "your practical"
• The possessive pronoun "my" changes to "your" to reflect the direct address to the listener.
• Reporting verb:
• The reporting verb "asked" is changed back to "said" followed by a comma and quotation marks for direct speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• The direct question is enclosed in quotation marks.
• It starts with a capital letter and ends with a question mark "?" inside the quotation marks.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Correct Sentence: "He said, 'Have you done your practical?'"

Additional Information

• Option 1: "He said, 'Did I do his practical?'"
• The pronouns "I" and "his" are incorrect; they would change the meaning to the speaker asking about himself and someone else's work.
• Option 2: "He said, 'Did you do their practical?'"
• The possessive pronoun "their" is incorrect as the original sentence specifies "my practical".
• Option 4: "He said, 'Had I done your practical?'"
• Direct speech rarely uses the Past Perfect ("had done") in a simple question like this, and the pronoun "I" is incorrect.

Question: Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word. PROCLIVITY

The correct answer is: Option (1) i.e. Tendency.

Key Points

• The word "Proclivity" means a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing. (झुकाव/प्रवृत्ति)
• Example: His proclivity for hard work and dedication helped him succeed in his career.
• "Tendency" refers to an inclination toward a particular characteristic or type of behavior. (प्रवृत्ति)
• Example: She has a tendency to talk too much when she's nervous.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'proclivity' is 'tendency'.

Therefore, the correct answer is- Tendency.

Additional Information

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

• Impulse (आवेग): A sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act.
• Example: He had a sudden impulse to jump into the swimming pool.
• Habit (आदत): A settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.
• Example: It is a good habit to read the newspaper every morning.
• Instinct (सहज ज्ञान/मूल प्रवृत्ति): An innate, typical fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.
• Example: Birds build nests by instinct rather than by learning.

The correct answer is Option 3.

Key Points

• The sentence contains the time indicator "by the end of this year," which refers to a point in the future.
• When we talk about an action that will be completed by a specific time in the future, we use the Future Perfect Tense.
• The grammatical structure for the Future Perfect Tense is: Subject + will + have + past participle (V3).
• In this context, "participated" must be changed to "will have participated" to correctly reflect the intended timeline.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

Correct Sentence: "He will have participated in several international conferences by the end of this year."

Additional Information

• Option 1: had participated – This is the Past Perfect Tense, used to describe an action completed before another action in the past. It is incorrect here because the context is future-oriented.
• Option 2: has participated – This is the Present Perfect Tense, used for actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or began in the past and continue to the present.
• Option 4: participates – This is the Simple Present Tense, typically used for habits, scheduled events, or general truths, rather than a specific future completion.

The correct answer is Option (2) i.e. 5-1-2-4-3

Key Points

• The passage begins with sentence 5, which establishes the broad context of scientific research into genetic traits and factors contributing to the survival of species.
• Sentence 1 follows logically by introducing the specific central concept of this scientific study: the theory of evolution and 'survival of the fittest.'
• Sentence 2 introduces a concrete illustration of the concept mentioned in sentence 1, using the phrase "One notable example of this process."
• Sentence 4 provides the specific details of that example, explaining how the environment changed and how the moths adapted to it.
• Sentence 3 concludes the passage by summarizing "this shift" (described in sentence 4) as a clear example of natural selection in action.

Therefore, the correct sequence is 5-1-2-4-3.

Additional Information

• Option 1 (4-3-2-1-5): This sequence starts with a specific detail about moths before introducing the general theory, which lacks a logical introductory flow.
• Option 3 (2-3-4-1-5): This starts with an example ("One notable example") before the reader knows what process is being exemplified.
• Option 4 (1-2-3-4-5): While this starts with a strong concept, the transition between 3 and 4 is incorrect because sentence 3 refers to "this shift," which is only explained in sentence 4.