English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is Option 3.

Key Points

• The primary error in the sentence is an inconsistency in tense.
• The sentence begins in the Simple Past Tense with the verb asked and the subsequent clause explained.
• To maintain grammatical parallelism and logical flow, the final clause must also be in the past tense. The phrase is listening (Present Continuous) should be changed to was listening (Past Continuous).
• Thus, the error is located in the segment but nobody is listening.

Therefore, the correct answer is 3.

Correct Sentence: 'The teacher asked the class to be quiet while she explained the new assignment, but nobody was listening.'

Additional Information

• The teacher asked the class: This is the main clause in the Past Indefinite tense and is grammatically correct.
• to be quiet while she: This uses an infinitive phrase (to be) and a subordinating conjunction (while) correctly.
• explained the new assignment: This maintains the Past Tense consistency established by the word 'asked'.
• In English grammar, when describing a sequence of events or a state of being in the past, all related verbs should generally reflect the past timeframe.

When the reporting verb is in the present tense ('say'), the tense of the reported speech does not change. 'We' changes to 'they'.

The correct answer is Option 1.

Key Points

• Direct Speech: The mother said, 'I am busy today'.
• Key Conversions:
• 'I' becomes 'she'
• The first-person pronoun 'I' in direct speech changes according to the subject of the reporting verb (The mother), thus becoming 'she'.
• 'am' becomes 'was'
• Since the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense, the present continuous/simple present tense inside the quotes changes to the simple past.
• 'today' becomes 'that day'
• Words expressing nearness in time are generally changed into words expressing distance. 'Today' is replaced by 'that day' in indirect speech.
• Reporting verb:
• The reporting verb 'said' remains 'said' because there is no object mentioned (it is not 'said to me').
• Punctuation and Format:
• The comma and quotation marks are removed.
• The conjunction 'that' is used to introduce the reported clause.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

Correct Sentence: The mother said that she was busy that day.

Additional Information

• Option 2: 'The mother said that she is busy today.'
• Incorrect because the tense ('is') and time adverb ('today') have not been changed to reflect the past reporting.
• Option 3: 'The mother told that I am busy today.'
• Incorrect because 'told' requires an object (e.g., 'told me'), the pronoun 'I' is not changed, and the tense remains in the present.
• Option 4: 'The mother told that she was busy today.'
• Incorrect because 'today' has not been changed to 'that day', and 'told' is used without a listener.

The correct answer is My parcel was given to my neighbour by the courier in my absence.

Key Points

• The original sentence is in the Active Voice and uses the Simple Past Tense, as indicated by the verb gave.
• In Active Voice, the structure follows: Subject (The courier) + Verb (gave) + Direct Object (my parcel) + Indirect Object (to my neighbour).
• To convert a Simple Past Tense sentence into Passive Voice, the structure must be: Subject (formerly the object) + was/were + past participle (V3) + by + Object (formerly the subject).
• The Direct Object my parcel is singular; therefore, it must be paired with the auxiliary verb was followed by the past participle of give, which is given.
• The phrase in my absence is an adverbial adjunct and remains unchanged in its relative position to maintain the original meaning.
• Combining these elements, the sentence becomes: My parcel (Subject) + was given (Verb) + to my neighbour + by the courier (Agent) + in my absence.

 Additional Information

• Verb Tense Variations:
• Needs to be given: This reflects a Modal Passive indicating necessity or obligation, which changes the original factual past statement.
• Was given to my parcel: This construction is grammatically incorrect as it suggests the neighbor was handed over to the parcel, reversing the logical semantic roles.
• Had been given: This represents the Past Perfect Passive, which is used to describe an action completed before another point in the past, rather than a simple past occurrence.
• Voice Transformation Rules:
• The Subject of the active sentence becomes the Object of the passive sentence, usually introduced by the preposition by.
• The Object of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the passive sentence.
• The Main Verb is always changed into its Third Form (V3) regardless of the original tense.

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: I told my daughter that I would pick her up from school that week.
• Key Conversions:
• 'would' becomes 'will'
• In direct speech, the future tense (will) is used, which changes to would in indirect speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
• 'her' becomes 'you'
• The pronoun her refers to the daughter (the listener). In direct speech, the speaker addresses the listener as you.
• 'that week' becomes 'this week'
• Time expressions change from proximity to distance. This week in direct speech becomes that week in indirect speech.
• Reporting verb:
• 'told' is converted to 'said to' when followed by an object (my daughter) in direct speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• The reporting clause I said to my daughter is followed by a comma.
• The direct speech is enclosed in double quotation marks and begins with a capital letter.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Correct Sentence: 'I said to my daughter, "I will pick you up from school this week."'

Additional Information

• Option 1: Incorrect because it retains would, her, and that week, which are features of indirect speech.
• Option 3: Incorrect because it fails to change the pronoun her to you and the time expression that week back to this week.
• Option 4: Incorrect because it changes the tense to future continuous (will be picking) and fails to change the pronoun her to you.

The correct answer is No improvement required.

Key Points

• The sentence uses the phrase this method helps accelerate, where this method serves as a singular subject. According to the rules of Subject-Verb Agreement, a singular subject in the Simple Present Tense must be followed by a singular verb, which is formed by adding -s or -es. Hence, the verb helps is grammatically correct.
• The verb help is a unique English verb that can be followed by a bare infinitive (the base form of a verb without to) or a full infinitive (with to). In this context, accelerate is a bare infinitive acting as the object of the verb helps. Hence, helps accelerate is a standard and correct construction.
• The word this is a demonstrative adjective modifying the singular noun method, maintaining numerical consistency throughout the noun phrase. Hence, the underlined portion requires no changes.

 Additional Information

• Verb Patterns with Help:
• Help + Object + Verb: For example, She helped him finish his homework.
• Help + Verb: For example, This tool helps organize files.
• Help + To + Verb: While less common in modern casual English, helps to accelerate is also grammatically acceptable.
• Analysis of Incorrect Forms:
• Helping accelerating: This creates a participle mismatch and lacks a finite verb to support the subject this method.
• Help accelerate: This creates a Subject-Verb Agreement error because help is a plural verb form, but the subject method is singular.
• Helps accelerated: The use of a past participle (accelerated) after the verb help is grammatically incorrect in this causative-style structure.

The correct answer is The hotel staff will have completed all the arrangements by the time the PM reaches here.

Key Points

• The original sentence is in the Passive Voice of the Future Perfect Tense, identified by the structure will have been + past participle (V3).
• To convert a Future Perfect sentence into Active Voice, the auxiliary been is removed, and the subject and object are interchanged.
• The structure for Active Voice in Future Perfect Tense is: Subject + will have + past participle (V3) + Object.
• In this sentence, the agent performing the action is the hotel staff, which becomes the Subject in the active form.
• The action will have been completed changes to will have completed to maintain the correct tense and voice alignment.
• The phrase by the time the PM reaches here is a time clause and remains unchanged as it provides the temporal context for the completion of the action.
• The resulting sentence The hotel staff will have completed all the arrangements by the time the PM reaches here correctly follows these grammatical transformations.

 Additional Information

• Verb Tense Variations:
• Future Indefinite: Uses will + V1 (e.g., will complete). This indicates a simple future action without the completion aspect required by the original sentence.
• Future Continuous: Uses will be + V-ing (e.g., will be completing). This implies an ongoing action in the future rather than one that is finished.
• Present Perfect: Uses have + V3 (e.g., have completed). This refers to an action completed in the past with relevance to the present, which contradicts the Future context provided.
• Future Perfect: Specifically used to describe an action that will be finished by a certain point in the future, often marked by by the time or by next year.

The correct answer is No improvement required.

Key Points

• The sentence uses the Simple Past Tense, which is the correct grammatical structure for actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
• The presence of the adverbial phrase last week acts as a definite time marker, necessitating the use of the V2 form of the verb.
• The verb saw is the past tense (V2) of the irregular verb see, following the pattern see (V1) - saw (V2) - seen (V3).
• According to English grammar rules, when a sentence mentions a finished time period like yesterday, last week, or in 1990, the Past Simple must be used instead of the Present Perfect or Past Continuous.
• The second part of the sentence, it was really interesting, is also in the Simple Past Tense, maintaining tense consistency throughout the statement.

 Additional Information

• Analysis of Incorrect Options:
• I see that movie: This uses the Simple Present Tense, which is incorrect because the action occurred in the past (last week).
• I was seeing that movie: This represents the Past Continuous Tense; while grammatically possible for ongoing actions, the verb see is a stative verb (verb of perception) and is rarely used in continuous forms unless it means 'meeting' or 'dating'.
• I seen that movie: This is grammatically incorrect as seen is a past participle (V3) and cannot function as the main verb of a sentence without an auxiliary verb like 'have' or 'had'.
• Verb Conjugation of 'See':
• Base Form (V1): See - Used for present habits or general truths.
• Past Simple (V2): Saw - Used for completed actions in the past.
• Past Participle (V3): Seen - Used in Perfect Tenses or Passive Voice.

The correct answer is A series of ground-breaking experiments were conducted by the scientist, revealing new insights into the nature of dark matter.

Key Points

• The original sentence is in the Active Voice and uses the Simple Past Tense, as indicated by the verb conducted. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect as it uses the present tense.
• In Passive Voice transformations for the Simple Past Tense, the structure follows: Subject (Receiver) + was/were + Past Participle (V3) + by + Object (Doer).
• The phrase A series of ground-breaking experiments serves as the new subject; since series refers to a collection of plural items (experiments) and the action is completed in the past, the auxiliary verb were is appropriate for plural focus in this context. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The Present Perfect form have been conducted changes the original tense and temporal meaning of the sentence. Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.
• The second option incorrectly swaps the nouns insights and experiments, which alters the logical meaning of the original statement. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

 Additional Information

• Active vs. Passive Voice:
• In the Active Voice, the Subject (the scientist) performs the action (conducted).
• In the Passive Voice, the Subject (a series of experiments) receives the action, emphasizing the result rather than the performer.
• Tense Maintenance:
• When converting voices, the Tense must remain consistent. Simple Past remains Simple Past (was/were conducted), and does not shift to Present Tense (are conducted) or Present Perfect (have been conducted).
• Participle Phrases:
• The phrase revealing new insights... is a Present Participle Phrase acting as an adverbial modifier; it remains unchanged in the transformation as it describes the result of the main action.

The correct answer is Did Kavya finish the food?.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Passive Voice and follows the structure of an Interrogative Sentence in the Simple Past Tense.
• The structure for a Simple Past Tense interrogative sentence in Passive Voice is: Was/Were + Subject + Past Participle (V3) + by + Object?
• To convert this into Active Voice, the Simple Past Tense interrogative structure must be used: Did + Subject + Base Form of the Verb (V1) + Object?
• In the passive sentence, the food is the grammatical subject and Kavya is the object of the preposition by.
• When converting to active voice, Kavya becomes the subject, the auxiliary Was is replaced by Did, and the past participle finished reverts to its base form finish.
• Following these rules, the sentence becomes: Did Kavya finish the food?

 Additional Information

• Verb Tense Consistency:
• Does Kavya finish the food? uses the Simple Present Tense (Do/Does + Subject + V1), which does not match the past tense of the original sentence.
• Has Kavya finished the food? uses the Present Perfect Tense (Has/Have + Subject + V3), which indicates a completed action in the present context.
• Had Kavya finished the food? uses the Past Perfect Tense (Had + Subject + V3), typically used to describe an action completed before another point in the past.
• The Simple Past Tense (Did) is strictly used for actions that occurred at a specific time in the past, matching the Was + Subject + V3 passive construction.

The correct answer is My sisters will have prepared the dinner.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Passive Voice and follows the structure of the Future Perfect Tense.
• The structure for Passive Voice in the Future Perfect Tense is: Object + will/shall + have been + Past Participle (V3) + by + Subject.
• To convert this into Active Voice, the Subject of the passive sentence (my sisters) becomes the Agent performing the action at the start of the sentence.
• The structure for Active Voice in the Future Perfect Tense is: Subject + will/shall + have + Past Participle (V3) + Object.
• Applying this rule, my sisters (subject) is followed by will have and the Past Participle form of the verb prepared, ending with the object the dinner.
• Therefore, the sentence My sisters will have prepared the dinner correctly maintains the tense integrity and grammatical logic of the original statement.

 Additional Information

• Future Perfect Tense:
• This tense is used to describe an action that will be completed between now and some point in the future.
• It identifies a deadline or a specific point of completion.
• Common Errors in Voice Conversion:
• Tense Shift: Moving from Future Perfect to Future Continuous (will be preparing) or Simple Future (will prepare) is a common mistake that changes the temporal meaning.
• Subject-Object Reversal: Changing the logical roles (e.g., suggesting the dinner is preparing the sisters) results in a semantic error.

The correct answer is Option 4.

Key Points

• The error lies in the phrase 'to offer a plethora of' (Part 4).
• The sentence describes a general fact or characteristic of the coastline. In such structures, the present participle form (offering) is used to show a result or an additional detail that accompanies the main action.
• Using the infinitive 'to offer' implies a purpose or intention (as if the coastline stretches with the specific goal of offering beaches), which is semantically less appropriate than the resultative participle 'offering'.
• The phrase should be corrected to 'offering a plethora of' to ensure smooth flow and grammatical accuracy.

Therefore, the correct answer is 4.

Correct Sentence: 'India's coastline stretches for over 7,500 kilometres, offering a plethora of must visit beaches and coastal destinations.'

Additional Information

• Part 1: 'for over 7,500 kilometres,' correctly uses the preposition 'for' to indicate the extent of the distance.
• Part 2: 'must visit beaches and coastal destinations.' is correct, though 'must-visit' is often hyphenated when used as a compound adjective.
• Part 3: 'India's coastline stretches' uses the correct possessive form and singular verb agreement.
• Plethora: This noun means a large or excessive amount of something, and it is correctly followed by the preposition 'of'.

The correct answer is runs faster than.

Key Points

• The sentence requires the use of a comparative degree of the adverb fast to compare the running speed of the subject with her brother.
• The word fast is a monosyllabic adverb that forms its comparative degree by adding the suffix -er, resulting in the form faster.
• The use of more faster is grammatically incorrect because it creates a double comparative; more should not be used with adjectives or adverbs that already have an -er ending.
• The conjunction than is correctly used to introduce the second element in a comparison.
• Therefore, the redundant more must be removed to maintain grammatical precision in Standard English.

 Additional Information

• Degrees of Comparison:
• Positive Degree: This is the base form of an adjective or adverb (e.g., fast, slow, intelligent) used when no comparison is being made.
• Comparative Degree: Used to compare two entities. Short words take -er (e.g., taller, quicker), while longer words (typically two or more syllables) take more (e.g., more beautiful, more efficiently).
• Superlative Degree: Used to compare three or more entities, typically involving the suffix -est (e.g., fastest) or the word most (e.g., most difficult).
• Grammar Rule - Double Comparatives:
• Applying both more and -er simultaneously is a common error in syntax. Examples such as more better, more taller, or more faster are always considered non-standard.

The correct answer is would be able to qualify.

Key Points

• The sentence is written in the Past Perfect Tense as indicated by the phrase She had hoped, which necessitates that subsequent clauses maintain tense consistency. Hence, the use of the past modal 'would' is grammatically correct.
• The adjective able must be followed by a to-infinitive (to + base form of the verb) to express capability or possibility in a sentence. Hence, 'able to qualify' is the correct idiomatic structure.
• The underlined portion would be able qualifying is incorrect because it lacks the preposition to and incorrectly uses the present participle (-ing form) instead of the infinitive. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• The phrase would be able to qualify correctly pairs the conditional modal with the infinitive phrase to describe an intended future action viewed from the past. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

 Additional Information

• Will be able to qualify:
• This option uses the future tense modal will, which creates a tense mismatch with the main verb had hoped.
• According to the Sequence of Tenses, when the principal clause is in the past, subordinate clauses must also be in a past form.
• Would be able to be qualifying:
• This uses the continuous infinitive (to be + verb-ing), which is used for ongoing actions.
• The verb qualify in the context of an examination like CAT (Common Admission Test) represents a perfective aspect or a completed achievement, making the continuous form contextually redundant.
• Infinitive vs Gerund:
• Certain adjectives like able, eager, ready, and prepared always take the infinitive (to + V1) rather than a gerund or participle.

The correct answer is Flowers are being planted in the garden by the gardener.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Present Continuous Tense, identified by the structure is/am/are + V1 + ing (is planting).
• In Passive Voice, the object of the active sentence (Flowers) becomes the subject, and the subject (The gardener) becomes the agent introduced by the preposition by.
• The specific conversion rule for the Present Continuous Tense requires the auxiliary verb is/am/are followed by being and the past participle (V3) of the main verb.
• Since Flowers is a plural noun, the auxiliary verb are must be used to maintain Subject-Verb Agreement.
• The structure follows the pattern: New Subject (Flowers) + are + being + V3 (planted) + by + agent (the gardener).
• Applying these rules, the transformed sentence is Flowers are being planted in the garden by the gardener.

 Additional Information

• Active vs. Passive Voice Transformations:
• Simple Present: Uses is/am/are + V3. Option 2 follows this structure, which is incorrect for a continuous action.
• Future Simple: Uses will be + V3. Option 1 represents this tense, which changes the original meaning.
• Present Perfect: Uses has/have been + V3. Option 3 utilizes this structure, signifying a completed action rather than an ongoing one.
• Continuous Aspect: The inclusion of being is mandatory in passive voice whenever the active voice uses a continuous (progressive) form to indicate that the action is currently in progress.

The correct answer is Yesterday the police arrested all the culprits.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in Passive Voice and follows the structure of the Simple Past Tense, identified by the auxiliary verb were followed by the Past Participle (V3) form of the verb arrested.
• The standard structure for Passive Voice in the Simple Past Tense is: Subject + was/were + V3 + (by + Object).
• To convert this into Active Voice, the Object of the passive sentence (which is implied as the police in the context of an arrest) must become the Subject.
• The structure for Active Voice in the Simple Past Tense is: Subject + V2 (Past Tense) + Object.
• In the correct option, the police serves as the Subject, arrested is the V2 form of the verb, and all the culprits serves as the Object, maintaining the original meaning and temporal context of Yesterday.

 Additional Information

• Verb Tense Consistency:
• Past Continuous Tense: Options using were arresting or was arresting indicate an ongoing action in the past, which does not match the completed action of the original sentence.
• Past Perfect Tense: The use of had arrested indicates an action completed before another point in the past, which changes the grammatical aspect of the Simple Past statement.
• Collective Nouns: In English grammar, police is a collective noun that is always treated as plural; therefore, using was with police is grammatically incorrect in standard British English or American English.

The correct answer is No improvement required.

Key Points

• The sentence is written in the Simple Past Tense, as indicated by the verb was in the main clause I was exhilarated. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The use of the conjunction When is appropriate here to indicate a specific point in time when the action of receiving the letter occurred. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The verb received is the V2 (past) form of the verb receive, which correctly matches the past state of being described in the second half of the sentence. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The structure follows the rule of tense consistency, where a past event (receiving the letter) leads to a past emotional state (being exhilarated). Hence, statement 3 is correct.

 Additional Information

• Verb Tense Analysis:
• While I received: The conjunction While is typically used for continuous actions or two actions happening simultaneously over a duration, which does not fit the momentary act of receiving a letter.
• When I receive: This is in the Simple Present Tense, which creates a tense mismatch with the past tense verb was in the following clause.
• When I have received: This is in the Present Perfect Tense, which is used for actions completed in the past that have a connection to the present, making it grammatically incompatible with the past context of was exhilarated.
• Exhilarated: This is an adjective meaning to feel extremely happy, animated, or elated, often used as a subject complement in past tense constructions.

The correct answer is Option 4.

Key Points

• The subject of the sentence is the distributive pronoun Each, which is always considered singular in nature.
• According to the rules of Subject-Verb Agreement, a singular subject must be followed by a singular verb.
• While the phrase Each of the is followed by a plural noun (students), the verb must agree with Each, not the plural noun.
• Therefore, the plural verb were must be replaced with the singular verb was to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Therefore, the correct answer is Each of the students was asked.

Correct Sentence: 'Each of the students was asked to submit the project by the following day.'

Additional Information

• Option 1: 'Every of the students...' – This is grammatically incorrect because Every cannot be used directly with of; it must be followed by a noun or replaced by Every one of.
• Option 2: 'No improvement required' – This is incorrect because the original sentence uses were, which violates the subject-verb agreement rule for Each.
• Option 3: 'Each of the student...' – This is incorrect because the structure Each of the must always be followed by a plural noun (students) to indicate a selection from a group.

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

• Direct Speech: Avika said to her father, 'I have to stay back at school for dance practice today.'
• Key Conversions:
• 'said to' becomes 'told'
• In assertive sentences, the reporting verb 'said to' is changed to 'told' when followed by an object (her father).
• 'I' becomes 'she'
• The first-person pronoun 'I' changes according to the subject of the reporting verb, which is 'Avika' (female).
• 'have to' becomes 'had to'
• Since the reporting verb is in the past tense ('said'), the present tense 'have to' changes to the past tense 'had to'.
• 'today' becomes 'that day'
• Words expressing nearness in time or place are changed into words expressing distance. 'Today' is always converted to 'that day' in indirect speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• The comma and quotation marks are replaced by the conjunction 'that'.
• The sentence becomes a statement ending with a full stop.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Correct Sentence: 'Avika told her father that she had to stay back at school for dance practice that day.'

Additional Information

• Option 1: Uses the pronoun 'I' and the word 'today', which fails to follow the rules of indirect speech conversion.
• Option 3: Uses 'will have to', which incorrectly changes the tense to future.
• Option 4: Uses 'has to' and 'today', failing to change the present tense and the time expression to the past.

The correct answer is The students loved this book.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Passive Voice, indicated by the structure Object + was + Past Participle (V3) + by + Subject.
• The presence of was loved signifies that the sentence is in the Simple Past Tense.
• To convert a Simple Past Tense sentence from passive to Active Voice, the structure must follow: Subject + Simple Past Verb (V2) + Object.
• In the passive sentence, The students is the agent (doer), and this book is the recipient of the action.
• When shifting to Active Voice, The students becomes the grammatical subject and the verb was loved changes to its V2 form, which is loved. Hence, the students loved this book is the correct active form.

 Additional Information

• Rules for Tense Conversion:
• Simple Present: If the active voice is love/loves, the passive would be is/am/are loved.
• Present Continuous: If the active voice is are loving, the passive would be is/am/are being loved.
• Present Perfect: If the active voice is have loved, the passive would be has/have been loved.
• Simple Past: Since the passive uses was loved, the active must use the second form of the verb (loved) without auxiliary verbs like is, are, or have.