English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is Archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery in Paestum, an ancient Greek city.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Passive Voice, specifically in the Present Perfect Tense, as indicated by the auxiliary verb structure has been made followed by the past participle.
• To convert a Present Perfect Passive sentence into Active Voice, the object of the passive sentence (archaeologists) becomes the subject of the active sentence.
• The formula for Present Perfect Active Voice is: Subject + has/have + Past Participle (V3) + Object.
• The subject archaeologists is plural; therefore, the auxiliary verb have must be used instead of has to maintain Subject-Verb Agreement.
• The main verb made remains in its third form, and the original subject a remarkable discovery in Paestum, an ancient Greek city becomes the direct object of the active sentence.
• Following these grammatical rules, the sentence transforms to: Archaeologists (Subject) + have (Auxiliary) + made (V3) + a remarkable discovery... (Object).

 Additional Information

• Paestum:
• It was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy).
• The site is world-renowned for its three well-preserved Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and continues to be a significant location for archaeological excavations.
• Tense Identification:
• Archaeologists made: This represents the Simple Past Tense, which does not match the Present Perfect nature of the original sentence.
• Archaeologists are making: This represents the Present Continuous Tense, indicating an ongoing action.
• Archaeologists make: This represents the Simple Present Tense, typically used for habitual actions or general truths.

The correct answer is The project was completed ahead of schedule by the team.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Active Voice and uses the Simple Past Tense, as indicated by the verb completed.
• The structure of the Active Voice in Simple Past is: Subject + V2 (Past Tense Verb) + Object. In this case, The team is the subject and the project is the object.
• To convert a Simple Past sentence into Passive Voice, the structure must change to: Object + was/were + V3 (Past Participle) + by + Subject.
• Since the project is a singular noun, the auxiliary verb was must be used followed by the third form of the verb, which is completed.
• The phrase ahead of schedule is an adverbial phrase and remains in its relative position to maintain the original meaning of the sentence.
• Following these grammatical rules, the construction results in: The project was completed ahead of schedule by the team. Hence, the selected option is correct.

 Additional Information

• Understanding Voice Changes:
• Passive Voice emphasizes the action or the recipient of the action rather than the performer.
• Past Perfect Passive: Uses had + been + V3. This is used when the active sentence is in Past Perfect (had completed).
• Present Perfect Passive: Uses has/have + been + V3. This is used when the active sentence is in Present Perfect (has completed).
• Subject-Object Swap: During conversion, the Object of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the passive sentence, and the Subject is typically introduced by the preposition by.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The primary error in the sentence is the omission of the auxiliary verb in the first segment.
• When using the present continuous tense (Verb + ing) to describe a current or future plan, a helping verb such as is, am, or are must be used.
• Since Akasa Air is a singular proper noun, it should be followed by is.
• The correct phrase should be Akasa Air is planning to acquire or Akasa Air plans to acquire to ensure grammatical completeness.
• Thus, the error is located in part 4 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is 4.

 

Correct Sentence: 'Akasa Air is planning to acquire 150 Boeing 737 planes in order to expand the airline's reach in both domestic and international operations.'

 

Additional Information

• 150 Boeing 737 planes in order to – This part is correct as it uses the phrase in order to followed by a base verb to express purpose.
• expand the airline's reach in – This segment is correct; it uses the possessive form airline's properly.
• both domestic and international operations – The use of the correlative conjunction both... and is applied correctly here to connect two adjectives.
• In January 2024, Akasa Air actually placed a firm order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft at the Wings India airshow, making this sentence contextually relevant.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• Direct Speech: I said to Bhawna, 'Have the monkeys eaten up our cauliflowers?'
• Key Conversions:
• Reporting Verb: The reporting verb 'said to' changes to 'asked' because the sentence is an interrogative (question).
• Conjunction: For Yes/No questions (starting with an auxiliary verb like 'Have'), we use 'if' or 'whether' to connect the reporting clause and the reported speech.
• Tense Change: The Present Perfect tense ('have eaten') changes to the Past Perfect tense ('had eaten') when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
• Sentence Structure: The interrogative form ('Have the monkeys...') is converted into an assertive form ('the monkeys had...') in indirect speech.
• Pronoun: The first-person possessive pronoun 'our' remains 'our' here because it refers to the speaker ('I') and his/her group, and the listener is being addressed directly.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: 'I asked Bhawna if the monkeys had eaten up our cauliflowers.'

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: 'I asked Bhawna that have...' — Incorrect because 'that' is not used with 'if' in questions, and the tense is not changed to past.
• Option 3: 'I asked Bhawna if the monkeys have eaten...' — Incorrect because it fails to change the present perfect to past perfect.
• Option 4: 'I asked Bhawna if the monkeys had eaten up their cauliflowers.' — Incorrect because the pronoun 'our' is changed to 'their' without context suggesting it belongs to a third party; it should reflect the speaker's perspective.

The correct answer is 'will find'.

 

Key Points

• The given sentence is an example of a First Conditional sentence.
• The structure of a First Conditional sentence is: If + Simple Present (Condition), Simple Future (Result).
• In the first part of the sentence, the Simple Present Tense ("study") is used. Therefore, the second part must use the Simple Future Tense ("will + base verb").
• Among the given options, "will find" is the correct form that fits this grammatical rule.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Complete Sentence: "If you diligently study the intricacies of the language, you will find that your proficiency in it improves significantly."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "will be finding" indicates a continuous action in the future, which is less appropriate for a general result in a conditional clause.
• Option 2: "found" is the past tense and would be used in a Second Conditional (If you studied...).
• Option 3: "have found" is the present perfect tense and does not fit the structure of a future result.

The correct answer is We will attend the concert.

Key Points

• The given sentence is in the Passive Voice, indicated by the structure will + be + past participle (V3) of the verb attend, followed by the agent by us.
• The sentence is in the Future Indefinite Tense (Simple Future). The standard passive structure for this tense is Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Subject.
• To convert it into the Active Voice, the object of the passive sentence (us) becomes the subject (We), and the subject (The concert) becomes the object.
• The active structure for the Future Indefinite Tense is Subject + will/shall + V1 (base form of the verb) + Object.
• Applying this rule, us changes to We, the auxiliary will be attended changes to will attend, and the concert remains the object.
• Therefore, the active form is We will attend the concert.

 Additional Information

• Tense Conversion Rules:
• Future Continuous: The phrase are attending indicates a Present Continuous action, which does not match the Simple Future timeframe of the original sentence.
• Future Perfect: The phrase will have attended is used for actions that will be completed by a certain point in the future, following the structure Subject + will have + V3.
• Present Perfect: The phrase have attended represents an action completed in the immediate past with a connection to the present, which is grammatically inconsistent with the auxiliary will.
• Pronoun Shifts: In voice conversion, Objective Case pronouns like us, me, him, her, and them must be converted back to their Nominative Case forms: we, I, he, she, and they respectively.

The correct answer is The employee was given a bonus by the manager..

Key Points

• The original sentence is in the Active Voice and uses the Simple Past Tense (gave). The structure follows Subject + Verb (V2) + Indirect Object + Direct Object.
• To convert a sentence with two objects (employee as the indirect object and bonus as the direct object) into Passive Voice, either object can become the new subject.
• The standard Passive Voice structure for Simple Past Tense is: Subject (Receiver) + was/were + Past Participle (V3) + by + Agent.
• In the correct option, the indirect object (The employee) becomes the Subject. Since the subject is singular, the auxiliary verb was is used followed by the third form of the verb, given.
• The direct object (a bonus) remains in its position, and the original subject (the manager) is introduced by the preposition by.

 Additional Information

• Rules for Passive Conversion:
• Tense Identification: The verb gave indicates a completed action in the past; hence, had been given (Past Perfect) is grammatically incorrect for this transformation.
• Prepositional Use: The use of by the bonus in alternative options is logically incorrect as the bonus is the thing given, not the agent performing the action.
• Alternative Passive Form: While The bonus was given to the employee by the manager is technically a possible construction, the provided correct option follows the more common stylistic choice of prioritizing the human indirect object as the subject.
• Subject-Verb Agreement: Always ensure the auxiliary was or were matches the new subject in number. The employee (singular) requires was.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: Manya said that she didn't want any breakfast.
• Key Conversions:
• 'she didn't want' becomes 'I don't want'
• The pronoun 'she' in indirect speech refers to the speaker Manya, so it changes to 'I' in direct speech.
• The past tense 'didn't want' is changed back to the present tense 'don't want' because the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense.
• Reporting verb:
• The reporting verb 'said' remains 'said' in direct speech.
• Conjunction:
• The conjunction 'that' is removed when converting to direct speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• The direct speech is enclosed within quotation marks.
• A comma is used after the reporting verb 'said'.
• The first letter of the reported speech starts with a capital letter.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: 'Manya said, "I don't want any breakfast."'

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: 'Manya said, "You didn't want any breakfast."'
• Incorrect pronoun 'You' and incorrect past tense.
• Option 2: 'Manya says, "She doesn't want any breakfast."'
• The reporting verb 'says' is in the present tense, which does not match the original sentence, and the third-person pronoun 'She' is incorrect for direct speech here.
• Option 4: 'Manya said, "She didn't want any breakfast."'
• Maintains the third-person pronoun and past tense, which is incorrect for converting back to direct speech from this indirect form.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The primary error in the underlined part is the use of the incorrect preposition 'from' after the adjective 'allergic.'
• In English grammar, the adjective allergic is followed by the fixed preposition 'to' when indicating the substance that causes a reaction.
• The correct phrase structure is 'allergic to [something].'
• Therefore, the sentence should be 'She is allergic to peanuts' to be grammatically accurate.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: 'She is allergic to peanuts, so she always checks food labels carefully.'

 

Additional Information

• Option 2 (No improvement required): This is incorrect because 'allergic from' is a non-standard and ungrammatical construction.
• Option 3 (She is allergical from peanuts): This is incorrect because 'allergical' is not a standard English word; the correct adjective form is 'allergic.' Additionally, it repeats the incorrect preposition 'from.'
• Option 4 (She is allergic with peanuts): This is incorrect because 'with' is not the appropriate preposition to use with the adjective 'allergic.'
• Fixed Prepositions: Some adjectives always take specific prepositions, such as interested in, fond of, similar to, and allergic to.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the lack of parallelism in the list of activities.
• In English grammar, when listing items, they should be in the same grammatical form. The sentence uses two gerunds (knowing and learning) but then switches to an infinitive phrase (to generate).
• To maintain consistency, the word 'to generate' should be changed to the gerund form 'generating'.
• Therefore, the error is in the phrase 'and to generate a distinct experience'.

Therefore, the correct answer is 1.

 

Correct Sentence: 'Traditional practices are ways of knowing, learning and generating a distinct experience of the world around us.'

 

Additional Information

• Parallel Structure: Parallelism is used to balance a list of items or ideas in a sentence. For example: 'He likes swimming, hiking, and running' (All are gerunds).
• Option 2: 'ways of knowing, learning' is correct as it sets up the pattern of using gerunds after the preposition 'of'.
• Option 3: 'of the world around us' is a correctly structured prepositional phrase.
• Option 4: 'Traditional practices are' correctly matches the plural subject 'practices' with the plural verb 'are'.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the use of the adverb negatively to modify the noun effect.
• In English grammar, a noun must be modified by an adjective, not an adverb.
• The word negatively is an adverb, whereas negative is the adjective form required here.
• The correct phrase should be has a negative effect, where negative describes the quality of the effect.
• Therefore, the error is located in the part has a negatively effect.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: Human activity often has a negative effect on the ecosystem of wetlands.

 

Additional Information

• Adjectives (like negative, beautiful, fast) describe or modify nouns or pronouns.
• Adverbs (like negatively, beautifully, fast) typically modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
• Part 1: Human activity often – This part is correct. Often is an adverb of frequency correctly modifying the verb has.
• Part 4: on the ecosystem of wetlands – This prepositional phrase is grammatically sound.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Direct Speech: ‘The sun is shining brightly today,’ he said, looking out of the window.
• Key Conversions:
• "is shining" becomes "was shining"
• The Present Continuous tense in direct speech changes to the Past Continuous tense in indirect speech when the reporting verb (said) is in the past tense.
• "today" becomes "that day"
• Adverbs of time change in indirect speech; ‘today’ is converted to ‘that day’ to reflect the shift in time.
• Reporting Verb and Structure:
• The reporting verb ‘said’ remains the same.
• The conjunction ‘that’ is used to introduce the reported clause.
• The participial phrase ‘looking out of the window’ can be placed at the beginning for better flow.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: ‘Looking out of the window, he said that the sun was shining brightly that day.’

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: Incorrect because it fails to change the tense (is shining) and the time adverb (today).
• Option 2: Incorrect because it fails to change the time adverb ‘today’ to ‘that day’.
• Option 3: Incorrect because the reporting verb ‘says’ is in the present tense, which does not match the original sentence, and the main clause tense remains in the present.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The primary error in the sentence is the use of the auxiliary verb "don't" with a third-person singular subject ("She").
• According to the rules of subject-verb agreement in the simple present tense, the auxiliary verb "does" (or "doesn't" in the negative) must be used with singular subjects like he, she, it, or any singular noun.
• The verb "don't" (do not) is used for I, you, we, they, and plural nouns.
• When using "does" or "doesn't," the main verb must remain in its base form ("like"), not the "s" form ("likes").
• Therefore, "She don't like" must be changed to "She doesn't like" to be grammatically correct.

Therefore, the correct answer is She doesn't like.

 

Correct Sentence: "She doesn't like chocolate, so I bought a vanilla cake for her birthday."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "She don't likes" – This is incorrect because "don't" is wrong for a singular subject, and the main verb should not have an 's' after an auxiliary.
• Option 3: "She don't liked" – This is incorrect because "don't" is used for the present tense, and the main verb should be in the base form, not the past tense "liked."
• Option 4: "No improvement required" – This is incorrect because the original sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The sentence contains a tense inconsistency. The second part of the sentence uses the past tense verb 'had' (when I had severe cough and cold).
• To maintain tense consistency throughout the sentence, the action of the doctor giving the medicine must also be in the Simple Past Tense.
• The underlined word 'prescribes' is in the simple present tense, which is incorrect for a completed past action.
• The past tense form of the verb 'prescribe' is 'prescribed'.

Therefore, the correct answer is prescribed.

 

Correct Sentence: 'The doctor prescribed antibiotics and a cough syrup to me when I had severe cough and cold.'

 

Additional Information

• was prescribing: This is the Past Continuous Tense, which is used for an ongoing action in the past, rather than a completed action.
• are prescribing: This is the Present Continuous Tense (used with plural subjects), which is grammatically and contextually incorrect here.
• Simple Past Tense: Used to indicate an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. Since the illness occurred in the past ('had'), the prescription also happened in the past.

The correct answer is: Intensify.

Key Points

• The word 'Mitigate' means to make something bad less severe, serious, or painful. (कम करना / शांत करना)
• Example: The government implemented new measures to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis.
• 'Intensify' refers to becoming or making something greater in strength, amount, or degree; it means to increase the severity or force of something, which is the opposite of mitigating it. (बढ़ाना / तीव्र करना)
• Example: The lack of rain served to intensify the water shortage in the region.
• Hence, we can infer that the opposite of 'mitigate' is 'intensify'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Intensify.

Additional Information

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

• Diminish (घटाना): To make or become less in size, importance, or value.
• Example: The strength of the army began to diminish after several weeks of fighting.
• Alleviate (हल्का करना): To make suffering, deficiency, or a problem less severe.
• Example: Taking a painkiller helped to alleviate her constant headache.
• Weaken (कमजोर करना): To make or become less strong or powerful.
• Example: The constant criticism began to weaken his confidence.

The correct answer is: Excitement.

Key Points

• The word Exuberance means the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness; ebullience. (प्रचुरता/उत्साह)
• Example: The exuberance of the fans was evident as they cheered for their favorite team.
• Excitement refers to a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness; it is a state of being emotionally stirred up. (उत्साह/उत्तेजना)
• Example: The children were filled with excitement on the morning of their school trip.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of Exuberance is Excitement.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Excitement.

Additional Information

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

• Lethargy (सुस्ती): A lack of energy and enthusiasm.
• Example: After a heavy meal, a sense of lethargy often settles over the body.
• Depression (अवसाद): A state of low spirits or a medical condition that causes severe feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
• Example: Regular exercise can help in managing symptoms of depression.
• Indifference (उदासीनता): Lack of interest, concern, or sympathy.
• Example: His indifference towards the suffering of others was quite shocking.

The correct answer is: Restrained.

Key Points

• The word 'Extravagant' means spending much more than is necessary or wise; lacking restraint in spending money or using resources. (फिजूलखर्च)
• Example: Her extravagant lifestyle eventually led her into deep financial debt.
• 'Restrained' refers to someone or something that is kept under control or characterized by reserve or moderation; not excessive. (संयमित)
• Example: Despite his anger, he gave a restrained response to the criticism.
• Hence, we can infer that the opposite of 'extravagant' is 'restrained'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Restrained.

Additional Information

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

• Enrich (सम्पन्न बनाना): To improve or enhance the quality or value of something.
• Example: Reading books can greatly enrich your vocabulary and knowledge.
• Lavish (शानदार/अतिव्ययी): Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious; often used as a synonym for extravagant.
• Example: They threw a lavish party to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
• Righteous (न्यायप्रिय/धर्मी): Morally right or justifiable; acting in accord with divine or moral law.
• Example: He was a righteous man who always stood up for the truth.

The correct answer is: Catalogue.

Key Points

• The phrase 'A complete, usually alphabetical list of items, often with notes giving details' refers to a systematic list used to organize items like books in a library or products in a shop. (सूची)
• Example: The library maintains an updated catalogue of all its newly acquired journals.
• 'Catalogue' is a list of things, such as goods for sale or books in a library, which is organized in a particular order so that people can find what they are looking for easily. (सूची-पत्र)
• Example: I spent the afternoon browsing through a furniture catalogue to find a new sofa.
• Hence, we can infer that the one-word substitute for the given group of words is 'Catalogue'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Catalogue.

Additional Information

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

• Brochure (विवरणिका): A small magazine or booklet containing pictures and information about a product or service.
• Example: We picked up a travel brochure to plan our summer vacation in Switzerland.
• Pamphlet (पत्रिका): A small, thin book with a paper cover that contains information about a single subject.
• Example: The health clinic distributed a pamphlet on the importance of vaccination.
• Monograph (विशेष निबंध): A detailed written study of a single specialized subject or an aspect of it.
• Example: The professor published a monograph on the economic history of the 18^th century.

The correct answer is: beans.

Key Points

• The idiom 'Spill the beans' means to reveal a secret or private information, often prematurely or unintentionally. (भेद खोलना)
• Example: We were planning a surprise party for him, but his younger brother spilled the beans.
• 'Beans' in this context refers to the secret information being disclosed; it is the standard noun used to complete this specific idiomatic expression. (फलियां/राज)
• Example: Trust me not to spill the beans about your new job before you are ready to announce it.
• Hence, the correct word to complete the idiom is 'beans'.

Therefore, the correct answer is- beans.

Additional Information

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

• Beads (मनके): Small pieces of glass, stone, or similar material, typically rounded and perforated for threading with others.
• Example: She wore a necklace made of colorful glass beads.
• Tea (चाय): While 'Spill the tea' is a modern slang meaning to share gossip, 'Spill the beans' is the traditional idiomatic phrase used in formal English contexts.
• Example: After the meeting, everyone gathered in the breakroom to spill the tea.
• Milk (दूध): Often used in the idiom 'Crying over spilled milk', which means worrying about past events that cannot be changed.
• Example: It is no use crying over spilled milk; we just have to move on and do better next time.

The correct answer is: Rigid.

Key Points

• The phrase 'Not able to be changed or adapted' describes something that is fixed, inflexible, or stiff in nature. (बदला या अनुकूलित न किया जा सकने वाला)
• Example: The company has a rigid policy regarding working hours that everyone must follow.
• 'Rigid' refers to something that is unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible. It also refers to people or systems that are unwilling to adapt or change their views. (कठोर/अनम्य)
• Example: Despite the changing market trends, the manager remained rigid in his traditional approach.
• Therefore, the correct answer is- Rigid.

Additional Information

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

• Austere (सख्त/संयमी): Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance; having no comforts or luxuries.
• Example: The monk lived an austere life in a small mountain cabin.
• Permissive (उदार/अनुमति देनेवाला): Allowing or characterized by great or excessive freedom of behavior.
• Example: The school has a permissive dress code that allows students to wear almost anything.
• Harsh (कठोर/निर्दयी): Cruel, severe, or unpleasant to the senses.
• Example: The desert environment is known for its harsh climate and extreme temperatures.