English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is: Suave.

Key Points

• The word "Peevish" means easily irritated or annoyed, often due to trivial matters. (चिड़चिड़ा)
• Example: Her peevish behavior made it difficult for others to work with her.
• "Suave" refers to someone who is charming, confident, and elegant, typically in a sophisticated manner. (मधुर, सौम्य)
• Example: He impressed everyone with his suave manners and eloquent speech.
• Since "peevish" means irritable and "suave" means calm and charming, they are antonyms.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Suave.

Additional Information

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

• Flat (सपाट): Something that is level, smooth, or without variation.
• Example: The soda tasted flat because it had lost its fizz.
• Tedious (उबाऊ): Something that is too long, slow, or monotonous, making it boring.
• Example: Filling out these forms is such a tedious task.
• Dull (मंद): Lacking excitement or interest; boring.
• Example: The lecture was so dull that many students started to doze off.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The underlined word in the sentence is "watch," which is a homonym because it has multiple meanings.
• In the given context, "watch" refers to a timepiece kept on the nightstand.
• Option 1 – "The guard was assigned to night watch duty" uses the word "watch" in a different sense, meaning a period of observing or guarding.
• Other options (2, 3, and 4) refer to the same meaning of "watch" as a timepiece, so they do not qualify as using a homonym.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Explanation: The word "watch" in Option 1 refers to a period of surveillance or guarding, which is distinct from the meaning of "watch" as a timepiece.

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: Refers to the same meaning of "watch" as a timepiece.
• Option 3: Refers to a digital timepiece, which is not a homonym in this context.
• Option 4: Refers to a new gold timepiece, again, not a homonym.
• Homonym: A word that is spelled and pronounced the same as another word but has a different meaning.

The correct answer is: Praise.

Key Points

• The word "Slander" means a false spoken statement that damages someone's reputation; it is a form of defamation. (निंदा)
• Example: The politician accused his opponent of slander during the debate.
• "Praise" refers to the expression of approval or admiration for someone or something. It is the opposite of slander as it involves positive acknowledgment rather than defamation. (प्रशंसा)
• Example: The teacher praised the student for her excellent performance in the competition.
• Hence, we can infer that the antonym of 'Slander' is 'Praise'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Praise.

Additional Information

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

• Mock (मज़ाक उड़ाना): To make fun of someone or something, often in a cruel or sarcastic way.
• Example: The children mocked their friend for his unusual hairstyle.
• Blame (दोष देना): To assign responsibility for a fault or wrong.
• Example: She blamed her brother for breaking the vase.
• Abuse (गाली देना/दुरुपयोग करना): To treat someone or something with cruelty or violence, or to use something improperly.
• Example: The manager was fired for abusing his authority.

Question 1: Choose the antonym of 'Slander'.

The correct answer is: Praise.

The correct answer is: Option 4 i.e. Solve a problem boldly.

Key Points

• The idiom "Cut the Gordian knot" means to solve a complex or seemingly unsolvable problem in a decisive and bold manner. (एक जटिल समस्या को साहसिक और निर्णायक तरीके से हल करना)
• Example: The CEO cut the Gordian knot by completely restructuring the company to resolve its financial crisis.
• Here, the idiom signifies taking a direct and effective approach to resolve an issue rather than overcomplicating it. (यह सीधे और प्रभावी ढंग से समस्या को हल करने का संकेत देता है।)

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 4.

Additional Information

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

• Option 1: Create unnecessary complications (अनावश्यक जटिलताओं को उत्पन्न करना): This refers to making a situation more difficult than it needs to be.
• Example: Instead of simplifying the process, he created unnecessary complications by adding extra steps.
• Option 2: Disagree with authority (प्राधिकरण से असहमति): This means to oppose or challenge someone in a position of power.
• Example: The student was expelled for openly disagreeing with authority during the meeting.
• Option 3: Tie unrelated issues together (असंबंधित मुद्दों को एक साथ जोड़ना): This refers to connecting different problems or matters that are not linked logically.
• Example: The politician tried to tie unrelated issues together to confuse the audience.

Question: Choose the correct meaning of Idiom "Cut the Gordian knot".

The correct answer is: Option 4.

The correct answer is 'Option 4'.

 

Key Points

• Direct speech (प्रत्यक्ष वाक्य) quotes the exact words of the speaker within quotation marks.
• Example: She said, "I will come tomorrow."
• Indirect speech (अप्रत्यक्ष वाक्य) reports what someone said without quoting their exact words, often changing pronouns and tenses.
• Example: She said that she would come the next day.
• The correct indirect speech for the given sentence is: Option 4: The officer said that if he had known about the problem earlier, he would have helped. (अधिकारी ने कहा कि अगर उसे पहले समस्या के बारे में पता होता, तो वह मदद करता।)
• Example: He said, "Had I seen you, I would have spoken." → He said that if he had seen me, he would have spoken.
• This option correctly maintains the conditional structure, tense, and meaning as required in indirect speech.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "The officer said he had helped if he had known it." — Incorrect structure and does not reflect the proper conditional meaning.
• Option 2: "The officer told if he knew about the problem, he would help." — Incorrect reporting verb ("told"), incorrect tense, and does not match the original sentence's meaning.
• Option 3: "The officer said that he know if he had helped." — Grammatically incorrect and does not convey the intended meaning.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The word "indifferent" is typically followed by the preposition "to."
• It indicates a lack of interest or concern towards something.
• Other options such as "on," "at," and "in" do not fit the context of the sentence.
• Thus, "to" is the most appropriate choice to complete the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "The boy was indifferent to his studies."

 

Additional Information

• Indifferent means showing no interest, enthusiasm, or concern towards something.
• The correct preposition that pairs with "indifferent" is "to," making the phrase "indifferent to" grammatically and contextually correct.
• Other prepositions such as "on," "at," and "in" would alter the meaning or make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• The sentence needs to be rearranged to form a meaningful and grammatically correct structure.
• The part "R. the young shooter" serves as the subject of the sentence, so it should come first.
• The part "Q. was selected for the Olympic squad" logically follows as the verb and object, forming the action.
• The part "S. due to his exceptional performance at the national trials" explains the reason for the selection, so it comes next.
• Finally, the part "P. though he lacked international experience" provides a contrasting detail, which fits at the end.

Therefore, the correct sequence is R-Q-S-P, and the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "The young shooter was selected for the Olympic squad due to his exceptional performance at the national trials, though he lacked international experience."

 

Additional Information

• P: "though he lacked international experience" – This part provides a contrasting detail and fits best at the end of the sentence.
• Q: "was selected for the Olympic squad" – This part forms the main action and logically follows the subject.
• R: "the young shooter" – This part is the subject and should start the sentence.
• S: "due to his exceptional performance at the national trials" – This part explains the reason and fits after the action.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The active sentence provided is: "He will submit the report by Friday."
• To convert the sentence into passive voice, the object "the report" becomes the subject of the sentence.
• The correct passive form uses the structure: "will be + past participle" (submit → submitted).
• Thus, the passive form is: "The report will be submitted by him by Friday."

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Passive Sentence: "The report will be submitted by him by Friday."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "The report is submitted by him by Friday." – Incorrect because "is submitted" implies present tense, not future tense.
• Option 2: "The report will have been submitted by him." – Incorrect because "will have been submitted" is future perfect tense and does not match the structure of the given sentence.
• Option 3: "The report submitted by him by Friday." – Incorrect because it lacks the auxiliary verb "will be," making the sentence incomplete.
• Option 4: "The report will be submitted by him by Friday." – Correct as it follows the correct passive voice structure.
• Option 5: – No relevant information provided for evaluation.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The subject of the sentence is "The teacher," which is singular.
• The verb "have" is incorrect as it is used for plural subjects. The correct verb should be "has" to match the singular subject.
• Thus, the error lies in Option 2, where "have" should be replaced with "has".

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "The teacher who had conducted the workshop earlier, along with his assistants, has submitted the final report to the board before the deadline last week."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "The teacher who had conducted the workshop earlier," – This part is grammatically correct and does not require any changes.
• Option 3: "have submitted the final report to the board" – This part contains the error because of subject-verb disagreement. The verb should be "has."
• Option 4: "before the deadline last week" – This part is grammatically correct and does not require any changes.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The given sentence needs to be rearranged to form a coherent and logical statement.
• The correct sequence is QRPS, which forms the sentence: "The update enhanced encryption, ensuring security and data autonomy across user devices."
• Option 2 (QRPS) maintains the logical flow of the sentence: starting with the update's key feature (enhanced encryption), followed by its purpose (ensuring security), and then elaborating on the additional benefits (data autonomy across user devices).

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Rearranged Sentence: "The update enhanced encryption, ensuring security and data autonomy across user devices."

 

Additional Information

• P: "ensuring security" – This part of the sentence indicates the purpose of the update.
• Q: "enhanced encryption" – This part highlights the primary feature of the update, and thus it should come first after the subject "The update."
• R: "and data autonomy" – This part adds more details about the benefits of the update.
• S: "across user devices" – This part specifies where the benefits apply, making it the logical conclusion of the sentence.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The error lies in the use of the verb "were" in part 2 of the sentence.
• The subject of the sentence, "Each participant," is singular, so it requires a singular verb.
• The correct verb should be "was" instead of "were."
• Thus, the error is located in part 2 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "Each participant who registered online for the event was given a welcome kit along with the program schedule and map at the helpdesk near the entrance."

 

Additional Information

• Part 1: "Each participant who registered online for the event" – This part is grammatically correct and does not require any changes.
• Part 3: "along with the program schedule and map" – This part is grammatically correct and does not require any changes.
• Part 4: "at the helpdesk near the entrance" – This part is grammatically correct and does not require any changes.
• No error – This would be the correct option if there were no mistakes in the sentence, but there is an error in part 2.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The given sentence is a universal truth, as "Time and tide wait for none" is a well-known proverb.
• When converting direct speech to indirect speech for universal truths or proverbs, the tense remains unchanged.
• The reporting verb "said to" changes to "told" in indirect speech.
• The correct sentence becomes: "Roshni told Rakesh that time and tide waits for none."

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "Roshni told Rakesh that time and tide waits for none."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "Roshni told Rakesh if time and tide waited for none." – The use of "if" is incorrect in this context.
• Option 3: "Roshni told Rakesh whether time and tide waited for none." – The use of "whether" is incorrect in this context.
• Option 4: "Roshni told Rakesh that time and tide waited for none." – This would have been correct if the statement was not a universal truth, but here the tense should remain unchanged.
• Option 5: This option is missing and therefore invalid.

The correct answer is: Limerick.

Key Points

• The word "Elegy" refers to a poem of serious reflection, often lamenting the dead. (शोकगीत)
• Example: The poet wrote an elegy to honor his late friend.
• "Limerick" is a humorous poem consisting of five lines with a specific rhyming scheme (AABBA). (लिमरिक)
• Example: There was a young man from Peru, who dreamt he was eating his shoe. He awoke with a fright, in the middle of the night, to find that his dream had come true.
• Hence, the correct one-word substitution for "A humorous poem of five lines" is "Limerick."

Therefore, the correct answer is: Limerick.

Additional Information

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

• Elegy (शोकगीत): A poem that mourns the dead or reflects on serious topics.
• Example: He composed an elegy for his late grandmother.
• Haiku (हाइकू): A Japanese form of poetry consisting of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern.
• Example: An old silent pond / A frog jumps into the pond— / Splash! Silence again.
• Sonnet (सॉनेट): A poem of 14 lines with a specific rhyme scheme, often expressing deep emotions.
• Example: Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 begins with "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Question: Choose the correct one-word substitution for: "A humorous poem of five lines"

Correct Answer: Limerick.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The sentence describes the effects of an economic slowdown and how it has impacted various aspects of the economy.
• The correct order of the sentence should logically follow the sequence of cause and effect.
• The correct arrangement is SQRP, as this sequence explains the economic slowdown leading to job losses, which strained household incomes, further reducing consumer spending in multiple industries.
• Option 2 is the correct answer as it provides a coherent and meaningful arrangement.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "The economic slowdown has led to job losses, straining household incomes and reducing consumer spending in multiple industries."

 

Additional Information

• S: "has led to job losses," – This part introduces the primary consequence of the economic slowdown.
• O: "straining household incomes and" – This part explains the further impact caused by job losses.
• R: "reducing consumer spending" – This part highlights the effect on consumer behavior due to strained incomes.
• P: "in multiple industries." – This part specifies the industries affected by reduced consumer spending.

The correct answer is: Option 2 i.e. Obstacle.

Key Points

• The word "Encumbrance" refers to something that acts as a burden or hindrance, restricting progress or movement. (बाधा, बोझ)
• Example: The heavy luggage was an encumbrance during their trek up the mountain.
• "Obstacle" means something that blocks one's way or prevents progress. It is a synonym of encumbrance as both words signify hindrance or impediment. (अवरोध)
• Example: The fallen tree on the road was a major obstacle for the commuters.
• Hence, the word "Obstacle" is the synonym of "Encumbrance".

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 2 i.e. Obstacle.

Additional Information

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

• Offend (अपमान करना): To cause someone to feel hurt, upset, or angry.
• Example: His rude comments were enough to offend the entire team.
• Ignore (अनदेखा करना): To refuse to take notice of or acknowledge something.
• Example: She chose to ignore his sarcastic remarks and continued her work.
• Disinterest (उदासीनता): A lack of interest or concern about something.
• Example: His disinterest in the project was evident from his lack of participation.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• The sentence uses the future tense twice, which is incorrect.
• In clauses referring to future events, the verb in the subordinate clause should be in the present tense.
• The correct phrase should be "By the time we reach," ensuring proper grammatical structure.
• Thus, the replacement "we reach" is suitable to correct the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "By the time we reach, the concert will have started."

 

Additional Information

• No improvement – This option is incorrect because the sentence has a grammatical error.
• we reached – This option is incorrect because it places the verb in the past tense, which does not align with the future context of the sentence.
• we have reached – This option is incorrect because it uses present perfect tense, which does not fit the sentence structure.
• we reach – This is the correct option as it uses the present tense appropriately for the subordinate clause referring to a future event.

The correct answer is: Rash.

Key Points

• The word "Reckless" means acting or proceeding without thinking or caring about the consequences. It describes behavior that is often careless or heedless. (अविवेकी)
• Example: He drove recklessly, ignoring all the traffic signals and endangering others.
• "Rash" refers to acting hastily or without due consideration, often leading to poor decisions or unintended consequences. (अतिवेगपूर्ण)
• Example: Making a rash decision without consulting the team resulted in a major setback for the project.
• Hence, we can infer that "Rash" is a synonym for "Reckless."

Therefore, the correct answer is: Rash.

Additional Information

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

• Prudent (विवेकपूर्ण): Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.
• Example: It is prudent to save money for unforeseen circumstances.
• Cautious (सावधान): Taking care to avoid risks or danger.
• Example: She was cautious while walking on the slippery road.
• Careful (सतर्क): Making sure to avoid harm or mistakes.
• Example: He was careful while handling the fragile glassware.

Question: Select the synonym of Reckless.

The correct answer is: Rash.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The sentence in indirect speech states a universal truth: "The sun rises in the east." Universal truths remain unchanged when converted to direct speech.
• In direct speech, the verb tense remains in the present tense because universal truths are always true.
• Options 1, 2, and 3 are incorrect because they either use the wrong verb tense or distort the meaning of the universal truth.
• Option 4 correctly conveys the original sentence in direct speech: "The teacher said, 'The sun rises in the east.'"

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "The teacher said, 'The sun rises in the east.'"

 

Additional Information

• Universal truths: Facts that are always true, such as scientific principles or general observations, remain in the present tense in both direct and indirect speech.
• Option 1: "The sun rising in the east" is grammatically incorrect and lacks proper verb usage.
• Option 2: "The sun rose in the east" changes the tense to past, which is incorrect for universal truths.
• Option 3: "The sun has risen in the east" changes the tense to present perfect, which is also incorrect for universal truths.
• Option 4: "The sun rises in the east" correctly retains the present tense and conveys the universal truth accurately.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The given sentence is in direct speech, and the task is to convert it into indirect speech while retaining its essence.
• The exclamation "What a beautiful painting you have made!" expresses strong admiration, which should be conveyed using the verb "exclaimed" in indirect speech.
• Option 1 correctly conveys this admiration with the phrase "She exclaimed to her friend that she had made a very beautiful painting."
• Other options fail to accurately capture the exclamatory tone or use incorrect sentence structures.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "She exclaimed to her friend that she had made a very beautiful painting."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "She told her that the painting is beautiful." – This option fails to convey the exclamatory tone and admiration expressed in the original sentence.
• Option 3: "She exclaimed to her friend that she made a very beautiful painting." – Incorrect
• Option 4: "She shouted that painting was very nice." – This option misrepresents the tone and meaning of the original sentence.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The sentence indicates that Jobin has been working all day, which suggests that he is likely to feel exhausted.
• The word "must" is appropriate here as it conveys a logical inference based on the given context.
• Other options like "can be," "will be," or "shall be" do not accurately fit the meaning of the sentence.
• Thus, "must be" is the correct choice to complete the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "Jobin has been working all day. He must be tired."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "can be" – This suggests possibility, but it is not suitable for expressing logical inference in this context.
• Option 2: "will be" – This implies a future action, which does not align with the current state described.
• Option 3: "shall be" – This is more formal and used for promises or obligations, which does not fit here.
• Option 5: No option – This would be correct if there were no suitable answers provided, but "must be" is the correct choice.