SSC CGL Tier 2 English Previous Year Paper (Held On: 18 Feb 2018)

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. RQPS

 The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence R is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘egocentric fixation'.

The sentence R ends with the phrase ‘negative state’. Sentence Q describes the negative states. Hence, becoming the second sentence.

There is a mention of the word ‘manifest’ in the sentence Q which is further elaborated in the sentence P. Therefore, P is the third sentence.

Finally, sentence S provides the solution to egocentric fixation and hence becoming the last sentence of the passage.

The correct answer is ‘To be in debt’.

Key Points

• If a person or company is in the red or if their bank account is in the red, they have spent more money than they have in their account and therefore they owe money to the bank.
• So, the meaning of the Idiom to be in the red means to be in debt.
• For example: The company has been in the red for the last three quarters.

Hence, the correct answer is "option 3".

The correct answer is option 2 i.e.  RPSQ.

R is the first sentence of the paragraph as it introduces the theme of the passage i.e. ‘history’.

P should follow R as it describes what history provides us.

The next sentence should be S as it tells the characteristics of some events which we can get by tracing history from beginning to the recent times.

Finally, Q is the concluding statement.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. ‘no matter what’.

For example: Come hell or high water, cooking three meals a day is a mighty task.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘this’ is changed to ‘that’ and ‘is’ is changed to ‘was’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. My wife told me that that was a beautiful necklace.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. Megh.

It can be inferred from the following lines: ‘The eight names suggested by India, and which are in the list of 64, are Agni, Akaash, Bijli, Jal, Leher, Megh, Sagar and Vayu, meaning in that order, fire, sky, lightning, water, wave, cloud, sea and wind. Five of these names (that is, up to Leher) have been used so far’.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. ‘Yemen’.

It can be deduced from the following line: ‘Eight north Indian Ocean countries, namely, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, were asked to contribute names so that a combined list could be compiled’.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Phaillin.

It can be deduced from the following line: 'The name ‘Phaillin’ from Thailand means sapphire.'

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. the most destructive ones.

It can be deduced from the following line: 'The names that people do know about, and remember are, naturally, those that were most destructive ones, or very recent.'

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. Vayu.

It can be deduced from the following line: ‘The eight names suggested by India, and which are in the list of 64, are Agni, Akaash, Bijli, Jal, Leher, Megh, Sagar, and Vayu, meaning in that order, fire, sky, lightning, water, wave, cloud, sea and wind. Five of these names (that is, up to Leher) have been used so far’.

The error is in the ‘second’ part of the sentence.

The article ‘an’ must be used before ‘already’ rather than ‘a’, because 'already' has a vowel sound.

Hence, the correct sentence will be: Our government has decided to strengthen the States’ capacity to move away from an already obsolete ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

The error is in the second part of the sentence. 

The preposition after degree must be ‘to’ rather than ‘in’. 'In' is a preposition of place, and is hence inappropriate here.

'To' is, however, often used ​to indicate a relationship between words, a relationship like possession, attachment, and addition.

Therefore, the correct sentence will be: The viability of the multinational corporate system depends upon the degree to which people will tolerate the unevenness it creates.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech. 

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, the pronoun ‘you' is changed to ‘us', the verb 'will get' is changed to 'would get' and ‘today’ is converted into ‘that day’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. The Principal told us that on that day we would get our diplomas.

Option 3 i.e. ‘assailiant’ is spelt wrongly. It is correctly spelt as ‘assailant’ meaning ‘a person who physically attacks another’.

The meaning of other words is:

Adulterant: a substance used to adulterate another

Antioxidant: a substance that inhibits oxidation, especially one used to counteract the deterioration of stored food products

Ascendant: rising in power or influence

Key Points

The error is in the second part of the sentence.

The word ‘their’ must be replaced with ‘its’ to make the sentence correct.

Here 'its' will be used for 'bitcoin.  

Hence, the correct sentence will be: People would see bitcoin’s current price rise as merely a reflection of its bright future as a stateless currency.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. the party will have to work hard.

The sentence is in the future tense, therefore, option 1 will be the answer.

The sentence will be: With its overall popularity sliding, the party will have to work hard to bring in the next generation of leaders.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. ‘may come up’.

The phrase ‘come up’ means ‘to be mentioned or talked about in conversation’.

Therefore, the correct sentence will be: The ‘right to choice’ of Aadhar holders who do not want to link their accounts may come up for a decision.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘I’ is changed to ‘he’, ‘now’ is changed to ‘then’ and ‘will’ is changed to ‘would’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 2 i.e. The leader told the gang members that then he would tell them his plan.

Here the correct answer is You have been caught cheating by me for the second time.

Key Points:-

• The given sentence is in the Active voice, therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice.
• In order to do that, we need to follow the given steps:-
• The subject of the active voice 'I' will become the object of the passive voice 'me'.
• The object of the active voice 'you' will become the subject of the passive voice.
• The active voice is in present perfect tense.
• Since the active voice is in the present perfect tense, therefore, it will follow the given structure:-
• Active Voice - has/have + V3
• Passive Voice - has/have + been + V3
• Thus, 'have caught' (has/have + V₃) will become 'have been caught' (has/have + been + V₃).

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is You have been caught cheating by me for the second time.

Additional Information

• When we convert active voice to passive voice, three things need to be kept in mind:-
• Change object into subject.
• Change subject into object.
• Always use third form of verb in passive voice.
• Use 'by' before the new object.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘pulling’) shows that its subject (‘two engines’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘the train’ becomes the subject in place of ‘two engines’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘are pulling’ is converted to 'is being pulled').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘The train is being pulled up the hill by two engines’.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, the pronoun 'you' is changed to 'I' and the verb ‘go’ is changed to 'went'.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. The pilgrim told me that when I went down the street I would see the temple to my right.

The error is in the second part of the sentence.

The general tense of the sentence is present tense while the tense in the second part of the sentence is past tense. Hence, required change must be made. The verb ‘could’ must be replaced with ‘can’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Therefore, the correct sentence will be: Radium is so expensive that you can be a millionaire if you own only half a pound of it!

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘I’ is changed to ‘he’ and ‘can’ is changed to ‘could’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. My friend told us that he could lift 50 kilos easily.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, the pronoun ‘me’ is changed to ‘I’ and ‘are’ is changed to ‘was’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 4 i.e. Father asked me where I was going.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. concerning.

The sentence implies that there are many theories with respect to Parliament attack.

The meanings of the given words are:

• Realising: becoming fully aware of (something) as a fact; understand clearly.
• Resurrecting: restore (a dead person) to life.
• Pleasing: satisfying or appealing.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘will take’) shows that its subject (‘I’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘The responsibility’ becomes the subject in place of ‘I’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘will take’ is converted to 'will be taken').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘The responsibility of failure will be taken by me’.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. press.

It is directly stated in the passage: ‘The press today wields tremendous influence, so, it should support the causes and movements and condemn the wrong ones and thus teach people to form a correct opinion’.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. All of these.

All of the mentioned points are directly stated in the following line: 'It is necessary that the young and the growing minds should imbibe the spirit of fellow-feeling, the spirit of tolerance, the habit of compromise, and show due regard for the feelings and opinion of others without which a democratic society cannot function, let alone succeed’.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. ‘People themselves want such kind of atrocities to be done to them’.

It can be deduced from the following lines: ‘The government does it not because the people want it to do so but because they are too idle, too uneducated and too disunited or timid to oppose the government’.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. All of these.

It can be deduced from the following lines stated in the passage: ‘But when we find people alert, intelligent and determined to let the government know their will when they want to exercise actively their voice in the management of their country, we have an instance of a true or active public opinion’.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. formation of public opinion because the entire passage lists down the factors affecting public opinion and how the public opinion is formed.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘will drop) shows that its subject (‘the taxi’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘you’ becomes the subject in place of ‘the taxi’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘will drop’ is converted to 'will be dropped').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘You will be dropped at the airport by the taxi’.

The meaning of the given words is:

Ribald: referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way

Provision: the action of providing or supplying something for use

Biased: unfairly prejudiced for or against someone or something.

Clean: not sexually offensive or obscene

Vulgar: lacking sophistication or good taste

Therefore, clean is the opposite of ribald.

The error is in the third part of the sentence.

The usage of word ‘offend’ is incorrect. It should be ‘offence’ meaning ‘a breach of a law or rule; an illegal act’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Therefore, the correct sentence will be: Stringent penalties have a lower chance of being imposed, as compared to fines that are proportionate to the offence.

The meaning of given words is:

Avarice: extreme greed for wealth or material gain

Actuary: a person who compiles and analyses statistics and uses them to calculate insurance risks and premiums

Antiquary: relating to or dealing in antiques or rare books

Apostate: a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle

Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it has to be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, the pronoun 'I' is changed to 'she' and the verb 'can choose' is changed to 'could choose'.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 4 i.e. Juhi told her friend that she could choose to live the way she wanted to.

The meaning of the given words is as follows:

Fiendish: extremely cruel or unpleasant

Apparent: clearly visible or understood

Cruel: wilfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it

Secure: fixed or fastened so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost

Exemplify: be a typical example of

Therefore, fiendish is synonymous with cruel.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘will build’) shows that its subject (‘the city’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘a new bridge’ becomes the subject in place of ‘city’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘will build’ is converted to 'will be built').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘A new bridge across the river will be built by the city’.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘will hand’) shows that its subject (‘she’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘Her papers’ becomes the subject in place of ‘She’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘will be handed’ is converted to 'will hand').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘Her papers will be handed over by her to her company at the end of this month’.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. QPSR.

Q is the first sentence of the passage as it introduces the theme of the paragraph i.e. threats to our nation.

P should follow Q as it describes that when we solve one problem, the other raises its head.

S should follow P as ‘PS’ forms a mandatory pair and S elaborates the steps one can take to face the threat which is faced by the country.

The concluding statement is hence R. It describes that strict punishments should be given to the terrorists so that they are weeded out completely.

The correct answer is "To take responsibility for some misdemeanour"

Key Points

• Let's see the meaning of the idiom "carry the can" is "take responsibility for a mistake or misdeed."
• Example- As usual, I was left to carry the can.
• Hence, the correct answer is Option 4.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, the pronoun 'I' is changed to 'he', ‘you’ is changed to ‘him’ and ‘have’ is changed to ‘had’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 2 i.e. The chef told him that he would make for him the best rice he had ever had.

The correct answer is Option 1) i.e. She told me that she always drinks a cup of green tea as soon as she gets up.

Key Points

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

• Although we change the verbs to past tense, in this case, a habit or a regular activity is being talked about.
• Reporting Verb will be changed into 'told'
• Hence, the quoted part will remain in the present tense since the action is repeated every day.
• "I" will turn into "she" and the verbs will be changed according to the third person i.e. "drink" and "get" will become "drinks" and "gets".

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. She told me that she always drinks a cup of green tea as soon as she gets up.

Important Points

Whenever a habitual action is being talked about, there is no change in tense made while converting direct speech into indirect speech.

The meaning of the given words is as follows:

Esoteric: intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialised knowledge or interest

Befitting: appropriate to the occasion

Abstruse: difficult to understand; obscure

Relevant: closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered

Therefore, abstruse is synonymous with esoteric.

The error is in the third part of the sentence.

The flaw is because of the presence of the incorrect form of the word ‘concern’. The adjective form of the word i.e. ‘concerning’ must be replaced with the verb form concerned.

The correct sentence will be:

The vast majority of people are consuming suboptimal amounts of most micronutrients and most of the micronutrients concerned are very safe.

The error is in the second part of the sentence.

Key Points

• In the given sentence 'Buttressing' Gerund is a subject which is singular hence the verb will be used in singular form
• Thus 'are' will be replaced by 'is' to make the sentence grammatically correct 
  

Therefore, the correct sentence will be: Buttressing the confidence in the economy is the findings in the survey, which posits an improvement in the infrastructure sectors.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘mistreating’) shows that its subject (‘the authorities’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘the prisoners’ becomes the subject in place of ‘the authorities’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘are mistreating’ is converted to 'are being mistreated').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘The prisoners are being mistreated by the authorities’.

The correct answer s option 3 i.e. I choose words that are the best.

'Chose' is the past form of the verb 'choose'. Since the sentence is in the present tense, option 3 is the correct option.

The sentence will be: The purpose of speaking is to communicate, I choose words that are the best for the idea I want to convey.

The correct answer is 'Concomittant'.

Key Points

• The incorrectly spelt word is 'Concomittant'.
• The word's correct spelling is 'concomitant'- naturally accompanying or associated. (स्वाभाविक रूप से जुड़ा हुआ)
• E.g.- The drug's risks increase with the concomitant use of alcohol.
  

Additional Information

• Coalescence: the process of coming or growing together to form one thing or system (एक समूह में एकजुट होना या एक साथ आना)
• Complaisance: willingness to please others by being polite and fitting in with their plans (ऐसे गुण होना जो किसी को पसंद आएं)
• Commissariat: a department for the supply of food and equipment (एक सैन्य विभाग जो भोजन और उपकरण की आपूर्ति करता है)

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. ‘skilled in a particular area’.

For example: She's always been a dab hand with a paint brush.

The error is in the second part of the sentence. The presence of the verb ‘is’ is incorrect. It should be ‘has’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.

The correct sentence will be: India, a country of more than 1 billion population, has emerged as the economic superpower of the world.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘will not allow you’) shows that its subject (‘I’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘You’ becomes the subject in place of ‘I’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘will not allow you’ is converted to 'will not be allowed').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action. This can also be left out since the sentence can work without the subject of the sentence.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is **‘**You will not be allowed to ride that motorcycle (by me).’.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. QPRS.

The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence Q is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘Nelson Mandela’.

P should follow Q as it gives the hint of the life he lived.

R should follow P that tells us the type of racism which was held in South Africa, the hint for which is given in the sentence P.

Finally, S should conclude the passage which tells that it was not easy for Mandela to fight against racism.

The meaning of the given words is:

Alienisms: an obsolete term for the study and treatment of mental illness

Alpinism: mountain climbing

Albinism:  a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes

Algorism: the technique of performing basic arithmetic by writing numbers in place value form and applying a set of memorized rules and facts to the digits

Therefore, option 2 is the correct answer.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. any authority over others.

'Authority over' means 'ability to control'.

The sentence will be: Even after putting his body and soul, if he fails to achieve victory he will not have any authority over others.

The correct answer is Healing the wounds of the civil war.

Key Points

• There is no collocation between the words wound and improve.
• So, they are creating an error here.
• The correct word that has a collocation with wound is healing.
• Healing means to make or become well again, especially after a cut or other injury.
• So, the correct answer is option 3 i.e. ‘healing the wounds of the civil war’ as it is the only phrase that makes the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

The correct sentence will be: Perhaps a greater challenge they face is healing the wounds of the civil war, Iraq is a divided country today.

Here the correct answer is At least three questions have to be answered correctly by the candidate to pass.

Key Points:-

• The given sentence is in the Active voice, therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice.
• Let's follow the given steps to convert the given sentence into passive voice:-
• The subject of the active voice 'the candidate' will become the object of the passive voice.
• The object of the active voice 'at least three questions' will become the subject of the passive voice.
• The active voice contains an infinitive 'to answer'.
• Whenever an infinitive (to + V1) is used in the active voice, it is changed according to the following structure:-
• Active Voice - Subject + verb + to + V1 + Object.
• Passive Voice - Object + verb + to + be + V3 + by + Subject.
• Thus, 'has to answer' (verb + to + V₁) is converted to 'have to be answered' (verb + to + be + V₃).
  

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is At least three questions have to be answered correctly by the candidate to pass.

Additional Information

• When we convert active voice to passive voice, three things need to be kept in mind:-
• Change object into subject.
• Change subject into object.
• Always use the third form of the verb in the passive voice.
• Use 'by' before the new object.

Option 4 i.e. ‘accruemant’ is spelt wrongly. It is correctly spelt as ‘accruement meaning ‘to come to one as a gain, addition, or increment’

The meaning of other words is:

Abhorrent: inspiring disgust and loathing

Abstinent: refraining from an activity or from the consumption of something, especially alcohol

Achievement: a thing done successfully with effort, skill, or courage

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘you’ is changed to ‘her’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 4 i.e. The beggar thanked her for her kindness.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. ‘stride’ meaning ‘a step or stage in progress towards an aim’.

The meanings of the other words are:

Height: the measurement of someone or something from head to foot or from base to top.

Growth: the process of increasing in size.

Address: the particulars of the place where someone lives or an organisation is situated.

The meaning of the given words is as follows:

Crescendo: increase in loudness or intensity.

Dominate: have power and influence over

Escalation: an increase in the intensity

Squander: waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner

Revere: feel deep respect or admiration for (something)

Therefore, crescendo is synonymous with escalation.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. ‘to pay for something’.

For example: The bride's father was resigned to footing the bill for the wedding.

The error is in the third part of the sentence.

The formation 'did+3rd form of the verb' ('did distrubted') is grammatically incorrect. 'Did' is always followed by the first form of the verb. 

Additionally, the formation 'did+1st form of the verb' is usually used for emphasis. But it is considered incorrect if one is just stating a fact.

Hence, the correct sentence will be: She was so overwhelmed with her sons' devotion an affection that she distributed all her wealth and property among them.

The error is in the second part of the sentence.

To make the sentence grammatically correct, ‘personally’ must be replaced with ‘personal’. The use of the adverb form of the word 'personal' is incorrect because the sentence is talking about a culture of a kind of accountability; i.e. 'personal accountability.'

The correct sentence will be: Together with empowerment, there has to be a culture of personal accountability so that everyone realizes the necessity of valuing commitment.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e**. unless and until**.

The phrase ‘unless and until’ is a set phrase which is used as a conjunction to connect sentences.

The correct sentence will be: They will not be able to enjoy these unless and until they part with their personal biometric information to the government.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘have to take’) shows that its subject (‘you’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘medicines’ becomes the subject in place of ‘you’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘have to take’ is converted to 'have to be taken').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘These medicines have to be taken by you’.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. PRSQ.

P must be the first sentence as it introduces the theme of the passage i.e. the Mughal empire.

R must follow P as it tells about the role of the emperor and the nobles.

S must follow R. ‘But’ in the beginning gives us the hint that it should follow R because it talks about the fact mentioned in sentence R.

Finally, Q is the concluding statement.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. resort.

The phrase ‘resort to’ means ‘turn to and adopt (a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one) so as to resolve a difficult situation’.

The meanings of the given words are:

Annihilate: destroy utterly; obliterate.

Emerge: move out of or away from something and become visible.

Suspect: have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, the pronoun 'I' is changed to 'he', ‘your’ is converted into ‘my’ and the verb ‘think’ is changed to 'thought'.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. My friend told me that he thought that she would not accept my proposal.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. ‘Telling about the smallest possible amount or degree of something’.

For example: She came within a hair's breadth of losing her life.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. PRQS.

The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence P is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘developing countries.'

Since only option 3 has P as the first sentence, it is the correct option.

Note: In the official exam, option 3 was RPSQ, which was incorrect and hence there was no correct answer given in the official answer key. We have however changed the option for the clarity of the students.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. QSPR.

The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence P is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘Tsunami’.

Since only option 3 contains Q as the starting sentence, it is the answer.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. its because the subject is singular i.e. Centre.

'Their' is used to show possession for the plural pronoun 'they'. But here, since the subject is 'the Centre', 'its' is correct.

The sentence will be: The Centre should revisit its draft and incorporate the inputs of the report submitted by the standing committee and an expert panel.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. PQRS

The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence P is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘Children with good manners’.

Since only option 1 contains P as the starting sentence, it is the answer.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. SPQR.

S is the first sentence of the paragraph as it introduces the theme of the passage i.e. ‘growing urbanisation and lack of roots’.

P should follow S. P describes that although we have adopted apathetic attitude to most things, our behaviour defines our personality.

Q follows P as it elaborates the point discussed in sentence P.

R is thus the concluding statement.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘created’) shows that its subject (‘you’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The question words do not change their position at the beginning of the sentence when the active voice is changed into the passive voice
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘created’ is converted to ‘been created’).

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘Has this beautiful artwork been created by you?’

The given sentence is in Direct Speech. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

'She said' indicates that it was reported in the past. So, the tense of the reported speech should be changed accordingly.

'colour is' changes to 'colour was'.

The indirect form is: She told the shopkeeper that her favourite colour was yellow.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘I’ is changed to ‘he’ and ‘have’ is changed to ‘had’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 2 i.e. He told the principal that he had made a mistake.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. for instance.

The phrase 'for instance' means 'as an example'. The other options; 'as instance', 'in instance', are incorrect.

The sentence will be: For instance, you can reduce or increase your total deposit amount some time or even change the sum fixed.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘am putting’) shows that its subject (‘I’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘my life’ becomes the subject in place of ‘I’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘am putting’ is converted to 'is being put').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘My life is being put by me at a stranger's feet’.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. targeted groups but also they.

The sentence uses the 'not only..but also' formation. To add emphasis, we can use 'not only' at the beginning of a clause. When we do this, we invert the subject and the verb.

The sentence will be: Not only do they heighten anxieties among the targeted groups but also they risk giving the unacceptable a perverse acceptability.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. ‘The West’.

It can be deduced from the following line: It was from the west that Europeans explorers first arrived.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Rio Napo.

It is deduced from the following line: ‘De Orellana floated down the Rio Napo to its confluence with the Amazon, near Iquitos (Peru), and then to the mouth of the Amazon’.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. 1616.

It can be deduced from the following line: ‘No one made a serious effort to claim this sweaty territory, however, until the Portuguese built a fort near the mouth of the river at Belém in 1616, and sent Pedro Teixeira up the river to Quito and back between 1637 and 1639’.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. owners of rubber bearing forests.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. John Dunlop.

It can be deduced from the following line: ‘However, in 1842 American Charles Goodyear developed vulcanization (made natural rubber durable) and in 1890 Ireland’s John Dunlop patented pneumatic rubber tires’.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘will start’) shows that its subject (‘they’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘The fireworks’ becomes the subject in place of ‘They’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘will be started’ is converted to 'will start').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘The fireworks will be started by them at 10:00 pm sharp’.

The correct answer is 'Option 1'.

 Key Points

• The error lies in the first part of the sentence.
• The error is because of the incorrect phrase i.e. ‘slow in anger’.
• It must be ‘slow to anger’.
• The phrase ‘slow to anger’ means ‘patient’.

Therefore, the correct sentence will be: A judge must be slow to anger and quick to forgive; otherwise he may risk abusing his powers.

The error is in the first part of the sentence. 

The word ‘questions’ must be replaced with ‘question’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.

The sentence will be: Students who attempted the question paper have met some of their professors, seeking  informed answers to these questions.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. in its true sense.

The sentence implies that even after 70 years of achieving independence, democracy has yet to come to India in its actual sense.

The word which comes closest in meaning to ‘actual’ is ‘true’.

Therefore, the sentence will be: Even after 70 years of achieving independence, democracy, in its true sense, was yet to come to India.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘knitting’) shows that its subject (‘’grandmother) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘sweater’ becomes the subject in place of ‘grandmother’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘is knitting’ is converted to 'being knit').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘A sweater is being knit by grandmother for you’.

The given sentence is in the Active voice, as the form of the verb (‘find’) shows that its subject (‘I’) was doing something and was ‘active’.

Therefore, it must be changed to the Passive voice, where something could be done by the subject, and it was ‘passive’.

In order to do that,

1. The object of the transitive verb in the Active voice should become the subject of the verb in the Passive voice (‘book’ becomes the subject in place of ‘I’).
2. Add the appropriate form of the verb 'be' to the sentence and use the past participle of the verb (‘find’ is converted to 'found').
3. Add a 'by' followed by the doer of the action.

Thus, the same sentence in the Passive voice is ‘The book could not be found by me’.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. ‘To cause someone to remember something’.

For example: I wanted to see if the clothes would jog her memory.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. truth and non-violence.

It is directly stated in the passage in the following line: ‘The twin cardinal principles of Gandhi's thought are truth and nonviolence’.

The correct answer is option 4. All the mentioned points are given in the passage.

The answer is stated in the passage in the following lines: ‘For Gandhi, truth is the relative truth of truthfulness in word and deed, and the absolute truth - the Ultimate Reality. This ultimate truth is God (as God is also Truth) and morality - the moral laws and code’.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. non-violence.

It is directly stated in the passage: ‘Second, Gandhi believed that ahimsa is the most powerful force in existence’.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. ‘Love is not the universal law of life’.

It is directly stated in the passage: ‘First, if according to the Divine Reality all life is one, then all violence committed towards another is violence towards oneself, towards the collective, whole self, and thus "self"-destructive and counter to the universal law of life, which is love’.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. ‘The Gandhian philosophy’.

It is the perfect title to the passage since the entire passage talks about the Gandhian philosophy.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. RPQS.

R is the first sentence of the passage as it introduces the theme of the paragraph i.e. modernization of India.

P should follow R as it describes what English did for modernization of India.

‘QS’ is the mandatory pair because Q tells that they established the first printing press and newspaper in India and S tells what Press further developed into.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. to tackle these divisions as it is the only phrase which makes the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

The 'divisions' are plural, hence 'these' is the only correct option.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘we’ is changed to ‘they’ and ‘were living’ is changed to ‘had been living’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 1 i.e. They told me that they had been living in Dehradun.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. PSRQ.

The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence Q is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘freedom of speech’.

S should follow Q as it describes what imposing restriction can do if someone is not given the freedom of speech.

R further elaborates the problem which can occur if freedom of speech is not given to individuals. Hence, it is the third sentence in the passage.

Q is the last sentence of the passage. It explains that it eventually affects the nation as the nation cannot grow in the right direction if its people are filled with discontent.

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. PQRS

The first line of the passage must be the one which introduces the theme of the paragraph. Out of all the sentences, sentence P is the starting line as it introduces the subject of the passage i.e. ‘Information Technology’.

Since only option 2 contains P as the starting sentence, it is the answer.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech.

The given sentence is in Direct Speech because it quotes actual words. Therefore, it must be changed into Indirect Speech.

We notice that the reporting verb is in the Past tense (‘said’). Hence, a change will be made in the tense of the reported speech.

Also, the first person of the reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech.

In the given question, ‘you’ is changed to ‘I’ and ‘have’ is changed to ‘had’.

Therefore, the sentence in Indirect Speech will be option 4 i.e. The coach told me that I had to get up early.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. these hate crime videos travel.

Since the sentence is in the present tense, option 1 is the correct answer. If it was in the past tense, option 3 would have been the correct answer.

The correct sentence will be: The speed with which these hate crime videos travel on social media frames a difficult challenge for law enforcement authorities.

The error is in the third part of the sentence.

The word ‘within’ must be replaced with ‘with’ to make the sentence correct.

The preposition 'within' means  'inside' in spatial, temporal and figurative senses. However, the preposition 'with' means 'accompanying, alongside, by means of, etc.'

Hence, the correct sentence will be: A focused programme to universalize education and skills training would potentially keep juveniles from coming into conflict with the law.

The error is in the third part of the sentence.

The word ‘regulatories’ must be replaced with ‘regulation’ to make the sentence correct.

The word 'regulatory' is an adjective, which means 'serving or intended to regulate something.'

The word 'regulation' is a noun, which means 'the action or process of regulating or being regulated.'

Hence, the correct sentence will be: Policymakers will think hard about creating an appropriate legal framework to prevent the capture of regulation by special interests.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. declined to negotiate.

The sentence begins with 'The state has' which indicates Present Perfect tense. Also, the '-ing' form of the verb cannot be used with 'to'. 

The sentence will be: The state has declined to negotiate any more trade-offs on this proposal or accept calls for stringent transparency requirements.

The meaning of given words is:

Allative:  denoting motion to or toward

Conflagrant: burning intensely

Agglomerative:  a confused or jumbled mass; a heap

Calmative: (of a drug) having a sedative effect

Therefore, option 2 is the correct answer.

The meaning of given words is:

Scurrilous: making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation

Coarse: rough or harsh in texture

Sophisticated: having, revealing, or involving a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture

Insolent: showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect

Complimentary: expressing a compliment; praising or approving

Therefore, complimentary is antonym of scurrilous.

The error is in the third part of the sentence. 

• The meaning of the word 'customary' means 'according to the customs or usual practices associated with a particular society, place, or set of circumstances.' It is an 'adjective' and is incorrectly used in the given sentence.
• Instead, 'custom' is a more appropriate word. It means 'a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time.'
• A taboo means 'a social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.'

Correct sentence: Sometimes it appears as if they were deliberately (1)/ limiting their chances of survival in order (2)/ to observe some custom or taboo. (3)/ No error (4)

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. ‘to start doing something’.

For example: Most tickets have been snapped up, so get cracking if you want one.