English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: The teacher asked the students which lines of the poem they had not understood.
• Key Conversions:
• "they had not understood" becomes "had you not understood"
• In direct speech, the Past Perfect tense (had not understood) can originate from the Past Perfect or Present Perfect. However, when looking at the options and the grammatical structure of a direct question, the pronoun must shift.
• The pronoun 'they' (referring to students) changes to 'you' in direct speech to address the students directly.
• In a direct question, the auxiliary verb (had) must come before the subject (you).
• Reporting verb:
• The indirect reporting verb 'asked' is converted to 'said to' in the direct speech format.
• Punctuation and Format:
• The direct speech is enclosed within quotation marks.
• The sentence inside the quotes starts with a capital letter and ends with a question mark (?) because it is an interrogative sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "The teacher said to the students, 'Which lines of the poem had you not understood?'"

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: Uses the third-person pronoun 'they' inside direct speech, which is incorrect when the teacher is speaking directly to the students.
• Option 3: The word order 'you have not understood' is assertive, not interrogative. A question requires the auxiliary verb before the subject.
• Option 4: Uses the pronoun 'they' instead of 'you', implying the teacher is asking about a third group, not the students being addressed.

The correct answer is I was called by my grandmother to the worship place.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Active Voice and uses the Simple Past Tense (Subject + V2 + Object). Hence, the structure must change according to the rules of passive conversion.
• The subject of the active sentence is My grandmother and the object is me. In the passive voice, the object me shifts to the subject position and becomes the pronoun I. Hence, the new sentence must begin with I.
• For the Simple Past Tense, the passive construction follows the formula: Subject + was/were + past participle (V3) + by + Object. Hence, the verb called changes to was called.
• The prepositional phrase to the worship place remains associated with the action to maintain the original meaning of the sentence. Hence, the final structure is I was called by my grandmother to the worship place.

 Additional Information

• Voice Conversion Rules:
• The Active Voice emphasizes the doer of the action, whereas the Passive Voice emphasizes the recipient or the action itself.
• The pronoun me (objective case) always converts to I (nominative case) when it moves from the object position to the subject position.
• The Past Participle form of the verb call is called, which is used in all passive voice variations regardless of the original tense.
• In the Simple Past, was is used with singular subjects (I, He, She, It) and were is used with plural subjects (We, You, They).

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the phrase Most than half of.
• The word than is used for comparisons. When indicating a quantity that exceeds a certain amount, the correct comparative phrase is More than.
• Most is a superlative adjective and cannot be followed by than in this context.
• Therefore, the correct expression should be More than half of to indicate a proportion greater than 50 percent.

Therefore, the correct answer is 1.

 

Correct Sentence: 'More than half of the 14-18 year old children in rural India can't solve a simple division problem.'

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: 'the 14-18 year-old children' – This describes the subject group correctly and is grammatically sound.
• Option 3: 'a simple division problem' – This is a correct use of the indefinite article a followed by a singular countable noun phrase.
• Option 4: 'in rural India can't solve' – This part correctly identifies the location and uses the contraction for cannot properly.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Direct Speech: She said, ‘I will meet you at the cafe at 3 p.m.’
• Key Conversions:
• "I will" becomes "she would"
• The first-person pronoun ‘I’ changes to ‘she’ to match the subject of the reporting verb.
• The modal verb ‘will’ changes to its past form ‘would’ because the reporting verb ‘said’ is in the past tense.
• "you" becomes "me"
• The second-person pronoun ‘you’ changes to ‘me’ (assuming the speaker is addressing the listener).
• Reporting verb and Conjunction:
• The reporting verb ‘said’ can be changed to ‘told me’ when an object is implied.
• The conjunction ‘that’ is used to introduce the reported clause in assertive sentences.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Quotation marks and commas are removed in indirect speech.
• The sentence ends with a full stop.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: ‘She told me that she would meet me at the cafe at 3 p.m.’

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: ‘She told me that she will meet you at the cafe at 3 p.m.’
• Incorrect because ‘will’ is not changed to ‘would’ and ‘you’ is not changed to ‘me’.
• Option 2: ‘She asked me if she would meet me at the cafe at 3 p.m.’
• Incorrect because ‘asked’ and ‘if’ are used for questions, but the original sentence is a statement.
• Option 4: ‘She told me that I will meet you at the cafe at 3 p.m.’
• Incorrect because pronouns and tenses are not updated correctly, changing the entire meaning of the sentence.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: The official from the Metrological Department predicted that there would be heavy fog in Delhi the next day.
• Key Conversions:
• ‘there would be’ becomes ‘There will be’
• In reported speech, will changes to would. To convert back to direct speech, the modal would reverts to its original form will.
• The introductory word that is replaced by a comma and quotation marks.
• ‘the next day’ becomes ‘tomorrow’
• Time expressions like the next day or the following day in indirect speech are converted back to tomorrow in direct speech.
• Reporting verb:
• The verb predicted indicates a statement about the future. While converting to direct speech, it is commonly replaced by said followed by the actual statement.
• Punctuation and Format:
• The spoken words are enclosed within quotation marks.
• The first letter inside the quotes ‘T’ is capitalized.
• The sentence ends with a full stop inside the quotation marks.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: ‘The official from the Metrological Department said, “There will be heavy fog in Delhi tomorrow.”’

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: ‘The official from the Metrological Department said, “Delhi will experience heavy fog tomorrow.”’
• Changes the sentence structure and verb (experience) which was not present in the original indirect speech.
• Option 2: ‘The official from the Metrological Department said, “Heavy fog will descend in Delhi tomorrow.”’
• Introduces a new verb descend, altering the original wording ‘there would be’.
• Option 3: ‘The official from the Metrological Department said, “There would be heavy fog in Delhi the next day.”’
• Incorrect because it fails to revert the tense (would) and time expression (the next day) back to their direct forms.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The primary issue in the sentence is the use of the preposition until, which indicates a point in time up to which an action continues.
• The sentence describes an action (asking questions) occurring within the time frame of an event (the session).
• The preposition during is used to denote that something happened throughout the course or duration of a period of time or an event.
• Therefore, during is the most grammatically appropriate choice to show when the questions were asked.

Therefore, the correct answer is during.

 

Correct Sentence: 'He asked the speaker some questions during the session.'

 

Additional Information

• Through: This typically refers to moving from one side to another or from the beginning to the end of a physical space or a period, but during is more natural for specific actions within an event.
• While: This is a conjunction used to link two actions happening at the same time and is usually followed by a clause (subject + verb), not a simple noun phrase like 'the session'.
• Until: This indicates the limit of time (e.g., 'He waited until the session ended'), which does not fit the context of asking questions throughout the event.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The primary rule involved here is Subject-Verb Agreement when using additive phrases.
• When the subject of a sentence is joined to other nouns or pronouns using words like along with, together with, as well as, or with, the verb must agree with the first subject (the main subject).
• In the given sentence, the main subject is The teacher, which is singular.
• Therefore, the auxiliary verb should be was (singular) instead of were (plural).
• The correct construction is The teacher along with the students was crossing.

Therefore, the correct answer is along with the students was crossing.

 

Correct Sentence: 'The teacher along with the students was crossing the river, when the boat capsized.'

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: 'as well as the students were crossing' is incorrect because as well as also requires the verb to agree with the singular first subject (The teacher).
• Option 2: 'with the students were crossing' is incorrect for the same reason; the preposition with does not make the subject plural.
• Option 3: 'No improvement required' is incorrect because the original sentence uses the plural verb were incorrectly.
• If the sentence were The teacher and the students, then the plural verb were would be correct because and creates a compound subject.

The correct answer is Let the window be opened to let in some fresh air..

Key Points

• The given sentence is an Imperative Sentence because it expresses a command or a request, starting directly with the main verb Open.
• To convert an Imperative Sentence containing an Object into the Passive Voice, the standard structure follows the pattern: Let + Object + be + V3 (Past Participle).
• In the active sentence, Open is the transitive verb and the window is the direct object.
• Applying the rule, the sentence begins with Let, followed by the object the window, then the auxiliary be, and finally the third form of the verb opened.
• The infinitive phrase to let in some fresh air remains unchanged as it functions as an Adverbial Phrase of Purpose and does not affect the core passive transformation. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

 Additional Information

• Passive Voice Rules for Imperatives:
• If the sentence suggests an Advice, the structure Object + should + be + V3 can also be used (e.g., The window should be opened).
• If the sentence is a Request, it often starts with You are requested to followed by the base form of the verb.
• Intransitive Imperatives: For sentences without an object (e.g., Go out), the passive is formed using You are ordered/requested/told to....
• Common errors involve forgetting the Past Participle (V3) form or omitting the be auxiliary, which are essential for any passive construction.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The sentence contains a specific time reference to a completed past action: Last evening.
• When a sentence mentions a definite point of time in the past (like yesterday, last night, in 2010), we must use the Simple Past Tense.
• The Present Perfect Tense (have gone) is incorrect here because it is used for actions that happened at an indefinite time or have a connection to the present.
• The Simple Past form of the verb go is went.
• Therefore, I went is the grammatically correct substitution.

Therefore, the correct answer is I went.

 

Correct Sentence: "Last evening I went to the theatre to see a performance."

 

Additional Information

• I was going: This is the Past Continuous Tense, which describes an ongoing action in the past, but the sentence implies a completed visit.
• I am gone: This is grammatically incorrect in this context as it uses a Present Tense auxiliary with a Past Participle to describe a past event.
• No improvement required: This is incorrect because have gone cannot be used with a specific past time marker like last evening.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the question tag used in the sentence: 'don't they?'.
• In English grammar, if the main statement is negative, the question tag must be positive.
• The statement 'People under eighteen do not have the right to vote' contains the negative verb 'do not'.
• Therefore, the correct question tag should be 'do they?' instead of 'don't they?'.
• Thus, the error is located in part A (Option 1).

Therefore, the correct answer is 1.

 

Correct Sentence: 'People under eighteen do not have the right to vote, do they?'

 

Additional Information

• Rule of Question Tags: Positive Statement → Negative Tag (e.g., They work hard, don't they?).
• Rule of Question Tags: Negative Statement → Positive Tag (e.g., They don't work hard, do they?).
• People under eighteen: This is a correct subject phrase referring to minors.
• do not have: This is the correct negative plural verb form corresponding to the subject 'People'.
• the right to vote: This is a standard idiomatic expression.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Direct Speech: The little girl said to her friend, 'I have brought a chocolate for you.'
• Key Conversions:
• Reporting Verb: 'said to' is changed to 'told' when followed by an object (her friend).
• Conjunction: The comma and quotation marks are replaced by the conjunction 'that'.
• Pronoun Change:
• The first-person pronoun 'I' (subject) changes to 'she' to agree with the subject of the reporting verb (The little girl).
• The second-person pronoun 'you' (object) changes to 'her' to agree with the object of the reporting verb (her friend).
• Tense Change: The Present Perfect tense ('have brought') changes into the Past Perfect tense ('had brought') because the reporting verb is in the past tense ('said').

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: The little girl told her friend that she had brought a chocolate for her.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: 'The little girl told her friend that I have brought a chocolate for you.' - Incorrect because it fails to change the pronouns 'I' and 'you' and the tense 'have brought'.
• Option 2: 'The little girl told her friend that she has brought a chocolate for you.' - Incorrect because the tense 'has brought' (Present Perfect) is not changed to Past Perfect, and 'you' is not updated.
• Option 3: 'The little girl told her friend that I had brought a chocolate for her.' - Incorrect because the pronoun 'I' remains in the first person instead of changing to 'she'.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the part 'You may discussing'.
• The word 'may' is a modal auxiliary verb. In English grammar, modal verbs (such as may, can, shall, will, must, etc.) are always followed by the base form of the verb (V1) without 'to'.
• The present participle form 'discussing' (V-ing) is incorrect here. It should be replaced with the base form 'discuss'.
• The correct construction should be: 'You may discuss...'

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: 'You may discuss your problem in tomorrow's meeting.'

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: 'in tomorrow's meeting' – This part is grammatically correct as it uses the possessive form for a time expression correctly.
• Option 3: 'your problem' – This is a correct noun phrase acting as the object of the verb.
• Modal Verb Rule: Subject + Modal + Base Verb (e.g., He can go, They might come, You should study).
• If the sentence were in the continuous tense with a modal, it would require 'be' (e.g., You may be discussing), but in this context of a future possibility/permission, the simple base form is standard.

The correct answer is The teacher was explaining the complex math problem to the students.

Key Points

• The original sentence is in the Passive Voice and uses the Past Continuous Tense, as indicated by the auxiliary verb structure was being explained.
• To convert a sentence from Passive Voice to Active Voice in the Past Continuous Tense, the structure must change from Object + was/were + being + Past Participle (V3) + by + Subject to Subject + was/were + present participle (V1 + ing) + Object.
• The Subject of the active sentence is The teacher, and the Object is the complex math problem.
• The phrase was being explained (Passive) must be converted to was explaining (Active) to maintain the Past Continuous aspect.
• Option 4 correctly identifies The teacher as the performer of the action and uses the correct tense form was explaining. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

 Additional Information

• Analysis of Incorrect Options:
• The teacher explained: This represents the Simple Past Tense. It lacks the continuous aspect required to match was being.
• The teacher has explained: This represents the Present Perfect Tense, which indicates a completed action in the recent past rather than a continuous action.
• The teacher will be explaining: This represents the Future Continuous Tense, which shifts the timeframe of the action to the future.
• Voice Conversion Rules:
• The Active Voice emphasizes the doer of the action, while the Passive Voice emphasizes the recipient or the action itself.
• In Continuous Tenses, the word being is a mandatory marker in the passive construction to preserve the ongoing nature of the verb.

The correct answer is a very beautiful.

Key Points

• The sentence requires a positive degree of the adjective to describe Shimla as a singular entity without making a direct comparison to another specific hill station.
• The underlined phrase the more beautiful uses the comparative degree, which is grammatically incorrect here because the definite article 'the' is generally not used with the comparative degree unless followed by 'of the two'.
• Since there is no mention of a second entity for comparison, the comparative degree 'more' is inappropriate; instead, an intensifier like 'very' should be used with the positive degree adjective 'beautiful'.
• The indefinite article 'a' is required because the sentence identifies Shimla as one member of the broader category of hill stations in Himachal Pradesh.
• Therefore, the phrase a very beautiful correctly provides a descriptive quality to the subject without establishing an incomplete comparison.

 Additional Information

• Degrees of Comparison:
• Positive Degree: Used to describe a single noun without comparison (e.g., beautiful, tall, good).
• Comparative Degree: Used to compare two entities, often followed by 'than' (e.g., more beautiful than, taller than).
• Superlative Degree: Used to compare three or more entities, usually preceded by 'the' (e.g., the most beautiful, the tallest).
• Shimla: It is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh and was historically the summer capital of British India.
• Adjective Usage: When using the word 'more', it must logically link to a conjunction like 'than' unless the context of two specific items is already established.

The correct answer is but he did not inform anyone.

Key Points

• The sentence describes two sequential facts about John: his absence due to illness and his failure to notify others.
• The original underlined part uses the conjunction nor, which is typically used to connect two negative ideas or as a correlate to neither. Since the first clause is an affirmative statement regarding the reason for absence (he was sick), nor is grammatically inappropriate here.
• The intended meaning is to show a contrast or an additional negative fact following a positive statement of cause; therefore, the adversative conjunction but is required to link the fact of being sick with the failure to inform.
• Grammatically, after the auxiliary verb did, the base form of the verb (inform) must be used. The construction he did not inform correctly follows the Subject + did + not + V1 structure.
• Option 1 is incorrect because it uses the past tense informed after the auxiliary did, violating the rule of do-support.
• Option 3 is incorrect due to faulty word order (did not he) which is used for questions, not declarative statements.

 Additional Information

• Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS):
• But: Used to introduce a phrase or clause that contrasts with what has already been mentioned. In this context, it highlights the negligence of not informing despite having a valid reason (sickness).
• Nor: Used to continue a negative thought. Example: He did not call, nor did he write. It triggers subject-auxiliary inversion when starting a clause.
• And: Used to connect words or sentences that are to be taken together. While and he did not inform is grammatically possible, but provides a stronger logical contrast in this specific narrative.
• Negative Sentence Structure:
• In the Simple Past Tense, negative sentences are formed using did + not + root form of the verb.
• Example: She did not go (Correct) vs She did not went (Incorrect).

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the usage of the verb form "allowed" after the auxiliary verb "did."
• In English grammar, the auxiliary verb "did" (used in negative or interrogative sentences in the simple past tense) is always followed by the base form (V1) of the main verb.
• Therefore, "did not allowed" is grammatically incorrect and should be replaced with "did not allow."
• Thus, the error is located in part 4 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is did not allowed her.

 

Correct Sentence: "Her parents did not allow her to learn western music."

 

Additional Information

• Her parents: This is the subject of the sentence and is used correctly.
• To learn western music: This is the infinitive phrase acting as the object of the verb, and it is grammatically sound.
• Simple Past Negative Rule: Subject + did not + Base Form of Verb (e.g., She did not go, He did not play, They did not allow).

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Direct Speech: ‘Please listen carefully to what I am teaching,’ said Madam Mahima to the students.
• Key Conversions:
• Reporting Verb: The reporting verb said to is changed to told or requested. Since the sentence is an imperative one (a request or instruction), the connector to is used before the base verb.
• Pronoun Change: The first-person pronoun I changes to the third-person she to match the subject Madam Mahima.
• Tense Change: The Present Continuous tense (am teaching) in direct speech changes to the Past Continuous tense (was teaching) in indirect speech.
• Sentence Structure: The word please is removed as its sense is captured by the polite reporting structure, and the imperative clause is joined using to + verb (to listen).

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: Madam Mahima told the students to listen carefully to what she was teaching.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: Uses is teaching (present tense), which is incorrect as the reporting verb said is in the past tense.
• Option 2: Uses has been teaching (present perfect continuous), which incorrectly changes the aspect of the original present continuous tense.
• Option 4: Fails to convert the sentence into indirect speech, retaining the quotation marks and original pronouns/tenses.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The sentence describes a habitual action or a general fact about the traffic situation in a specific part of Delhi.
• To express habitual actions or permanent states, the Simple Present Tense is used.
• The phrase is always remaining is in the present continuous form, which is used for actions happening right now, not for permanent characteristics or frequent habits.
• The adverb always typically accompanies the simple present tense (remains) to indicate a constant state.
• Since Traffic is an uncountable noun, it takes the singular verb remains.

Therefore, the correct answer is always remains.

 

Correct Sentence: 'Traffic always remains heavy in this part of Delhi.'

 

Additional Information

• have always remained: This is grammatically incorrect because Traffic is a singular uncountable noun and requires the singular auxiliary has, not have. Furthermore, the perfect tense is less suitable here than the simple present.
• has always been remaining: This is the present perfect continuous form, which suggests an action that started in the past and is still continuing; however, remain is a stative verb that is rarely used in continuous forms in this context.
• No improvement required: This is incorrect because the original present continuous construction is always remaining is stylistically and grammatically awkward for expressing a permanent fact.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the use of the present participle "deserting" in the phrase "in a deserting quarry."
• A participle used as an adjective must logically describe the noun. "Deserting" implies the quarry is currently in the act of leaving or abandoning something.
• The intended meaning is a quarry that has been abandoned or is no longer in use. Therefore, the past participle "abandoned" or the adjective "deserted" should be used.
• The correct phrase should be "in a deserted quarry."

Therefore, the correct answer is 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "A ground-breaking discovery has been made in a deserted quarry near New York, where researchers have unearthed the planet's most ancient forest."

 

Additional Information

• A ground-breaking discovery has been made: This part is grammatically sound, using the present perfect passive voice correctly.
• where researchers have unearthed: This relative clause correctly identifies the location and uses the present perfect tense for a completed action with current relevance.
• the planet's most ancient forest: This uses the superlative degree ("most ancient") correctly to describe the unique nature of the discovery.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the phrase 'It is estimating that'.
• The sentence requires a passive voice construction because the action of estimating is performed by people or experts, not by the dummy subject 'it'.
• In English grammar, the structure 'It is + past participle' is used to report opinions, beliefs, or calculations. Therefore, 'estimating' (present participle) should be replaced with 'estimated' (past participle).
• The correct grammatical form is 'It is estimated that...'

Therefore, the correct answer is 2.

 

Correct Sentence: 'It is estimated that this forest once covered an area of approximately 400 km.'

 

Additional Information

• 'this forest once': This part is correct as 'once' functions as an adverb indicating a former state.
• 'covered an area of': This is grammatically sound, using the simple past tense to describe a historical fact.
• 'approximately 400 km': This part provides a numerical measurement and is used correctly in the context of the sentence.

Note:

While km² (square kilometers) is usually preferred for area, in general English usage or specific contexts, the unit provided is not the primary grammatical error compared to the tense/voice mistake.