English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: He asked me if I should finish my task on time.
• Key Conversions:
• "Will you finish" becomes "if I should finish"
• The modal verb "will" changes to "should" in indirect speech to maintain tense agreement.
• Pronoun "you" changes to "I" to match the subject in indirect speech.
• Reporting verb:
• Direct speech: "said"
• Converted to: "asked" as it is a question.
• Conjunction: "if" is used to introduce the indirect question.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is transformed into a statement without quotation marks.
• The question mark is omitted in indirect speech.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "He asked me if I should finish my task on time."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "He asked me if I should finish my task on time?"
• The question mark is incorrectly used at the end of an indirect speech statement.
• Option 2: "He asked me if I should have finished my task on time."
• The use of "should have finished" changes the meaning to a past unreal condition.
• Option 4: "He asked me if I should finish his task on time."
• The possessive pronoun "his" is incorrect as the question refers to "my task" in the original sentence.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The sentence is in the conditional form, specifically the third conditional, which is used to describe situations that did not happen in the past.
• The structure of the third conditional is: If + past perfect, would have + past participle.
• In this case, "Had I known about the delay" is the past perfect clause, so the correct continuation is "I would have waited."
• The original sentence uses "will wait," which is incorrect because it does not align with the third conditional structure.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "Had I known about the delay, I would have waited."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "will have waited" is incorrect because it suggests a future perfect tense, which does not fit the context of the sentence.
• Option 3: "would waited" is grammatically incorrect because "would" must be followed by the base form "have" and the past participle "waited."
• Option 4: "waited" alone is incorrect because it does not include the modal verb "would" or "would have," which are required in the third conditional.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The paragraph begins by introducing the importance of the compass as a navigation tool and ends by highlighting its reliability.
• Sentence S comes first as it introduces the users of the compass:
• "Hikers and sailors rely on it during travel."
• Sentence R follows as it explains why the compass is independent of modern technology:
• "It does not depend on GPS or electricity."
• Sentence P comes next as it explains the compass's key feature:
• "It always points towards the magnetic north."
• Sentence Q comes last as it emphasizes its utility in challenging conditions:
• "Even in cloudy weather, it shows direction."
• The correct sequence is SRPQ.

 

Coherent paragraph after rearrangement:

"A compass is an important tool in navigation. Hikers and sailors rely on it during travel. It does not depend on GPS or electricity. It always points towards the magnetic north. Even in cloudy weather, it shows direction. Thus, it remains a reliable tool even today."

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The verb "said" is not used directly with an object (e.g., "me").
• The correct verb to use in this context is "told," which is always followed by an object.
• Option 2, "said to me," is grammatically correct but less commonly used in this context compared to "told me."

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "She told me the truth."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "said to me" is grammatically correct but less commonly used in this context. It would be more appropriate in a different sentence structure.
• Option 3: "says me" is incorrect because the verb "says" cannot be used with an object like "me."
• Option 4: "spoke to me" is incorrect because the verb "spoke" does not fit the meaning of "telling the truth" in this context.

The correct answer is: Reserved.

Key Points

• The word "Taciturn" refers to someone who is habitually silent or reserved and tends to say very little. (मितभाषी)
• Example: Unlike his talkative brother, John was taciturn and preferred to observe quietly in group discussions.
• "Reserved" means someone who is quiet, restrained, or not very open in expressing their thoughts or feelings. (संकोची)
• Example: She is a reserved person who prefers to keep her opinions to herself in public settings.
• Hence, it is clear that "Reserved" is a synonym of "Taciturn".

Therefore, the correct answer is: Reserved.

Additional Information

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

• Bold (साहसी): Someone who is confident and fearless in their actions or behavior.
• Example: The bold explorer ventured into the uncharted jungle without hesitation.
• Talkative (बातूनी): Someone who talks a lot, often excessively or without restraint.
• Example: The talkative child kept interrupting the teacher with questions and stories.
• Noisy (शोरगुल वाला): Something or someone making a lot of loud or disruptive sounds.
• Example: The noisy crowd made it difficult to hear the speaker during the event.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The sentence contains a tense inconsistency between its two parts.
• The phrase "Hardly had he left the room" is in the past perfect tense, which is correct.
• However, the phrase "when the guests have arrived" is in the present perfect tense, creating a grammatical error.
• For consistency, the phrase should be changed to "when the guests arrived" (past tense).

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "Hardly had he left the room when the guests arrived."

The correct answer is: Option 4 i.e. Raise a false alarm.

Key Points

• The idiom "Cry wolf" means to give a false alarm or to raise a warning about something that is not true. (झूठी चेतावनी देना)
• Example: If you cry wolf too many times, people will stop believing you even when you're telling the truth.
• "Raise a false alarm" refers to warning others about danger or an issue that does not exist or is fabricated. (झूठी चेतावनी देना)
• Example: The student raised a false alarm about a fire in the school to avoid the exam.
• Hence, the idiom "Cry wolf" means "Raise a false alarm."

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 4 i.e. Raise a false alarm.

Additional Information

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

• Option 1: Be truthful (सत्य बोलना): To always tell the truth and be honest.
• Example: It is important to be truthful in all your dealings.
• Option 2: Lie unnecessarily (बिना कारण झूठ बोलना): To tell lies without any valid reason.
• Example: He often lies unnecessarily, which makes it hard to trust him.
• Option 3: Help others (दूसरों की मदद करना): To assist or support someone in need.
• Example: We should always help others whenever we can.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Passive voice structure: The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence.
• In the passive voice, the sentence is: "The house was painted by them last month."
• To convert to active voice: Place the subject "They" at the beginning.
• Change the passive verb form "was painted" to "painted" (past simple active).
• Ensure the time phrase "last month" remains at the end of the sentence for clarity.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "They painted the house last month."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "They paint the house last month." – Incorrect tense (present simple instead of past simple).
• Option 2: "They have painted the house last month." – Incorrect tense (present perfect instead of past simple).
• Option 3: "They were painting the house last month." – Incorrect aspect (past continuous instead of past simple).

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• Passive voice structure: The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence.
• In the passive voice, the sentence is: "Let the mobile be charged."
• To convert to active voice: Identify the implied subject (e.g., "You" or "Someone").
• Change the verb structure to its active form: "Charge the mobile."
• Ensure the sentence conveys the same instruction or meaning as the original.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "Charge the mobile."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "One must charge the mobile." – This is grammatically correct but includes an unnecessary subject.
• Option 3: "Someone should charge the mobile." – This changes the modality of the sentence, introducing "should."
• Option 4: "Will you charge the mobile?" – This changes the intent to a question.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: She asked if he had left already.
• Key Conversions:
• Question format:
• Direct question "Has he left already?" is converted to indirect question "if he had left already."
• The helping verb "has" is changed to "had" to match past tense reporting in indirect speech.
• Conjunction:
• "If" is used to introduce the indirect question.
• Pronoun:
• Pronoun "he" remains unchanged as it refers to the same subject.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
• Indirect speech removes quotation marks and uses "if" for the question format.
• Reporting clause follows the indirect question.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "She asked if he had left already."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "She asked had he left already."
• Incorrect word order: "had he" should follow "if" or "whether" in indirect speech.
• Option 3: "She asked whether had he left already."
• Incorrect word order: "had he" should follow "whether" without inversion.
• Option 4: "She said if he had left already."
• Incorrect reporting verb: "said" does not correctly convey the questioning tone.

The correct answer is: Accomplice.

Key Points

• The word "Accomplice" refers to a person who helps another in committing a crime or wrongful act. (सह-अपराधी)
• Example: The police arrested the thief and his accomplice who were involved in the bank robbery.
• "Partner in crime" is a phrase that is synonymous with accomplice and refers to someone who aids or collaborates in illegal or immoral activities. (अपराध में साथी)
• Example: They were partners in crime, planning all the mischief together.
• Hence, the word "Accomplice" perfectly substitutes the phrase "A partner in crime."

Therefore, the correct answer is: Accomplice.

Additional Information

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

• Rival (प्रतिद्वंद्वी): A person or entity competing against another.
• Example: The two companies have been rivals in the tech industry for decades.
• Patriot (देशभक्त): A person who strongly supports and is loyal to their country.
• Example: The soldiers displayed great patriotism by defending their nation during the war.
• Ally (मित्र): A person or group that supports or cooperates with another, often in times of conflict.
• Example: During World War II, many countries became allies to fight against common enemies.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The usage of prepositions is crucial for conveying the correct meaning in sentences.
• The preposition "on" is used to indicate a mode of transportation like a train, bus, or plane.
• In contrast, prepositions such as "in" or "with" are incorrect in this context.
• The phrase "by a train" is grammatically incorrect because "by" is generally used without an article when referring to modes of transport (e.g., "by train").

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "He went to college on a train."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "He went to college in a train." – This is incorrect because "in" is not used for this mode of transportation.
• Option 2: "He went to college with a train." – This is incorrect as "with" implies accompaniment, which is not applicable here.
• Option 3: "He went to college by a train." – This is incorrect because "by" does not require an article for modes of transport (e.g., "by train").

The correct answer is Option (3) i.e. CBAD

 

Key Points

• The sentence begins with the subject, Mr. Sharma, which is correctly indicated by part (C).
• Following the subject, reached (B) logically continues the sentence, indicating the action performed by Mr. Sharma.
• The next part, to the office (A), completes the object of the action, specifying where Mr. Sharma reached.
• Ending with at 9 am (D), the sentence is completed with the time detail.

Therefore, the correct sequence is CBAD.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1 (CABD): This option starts with Mr. Sharma to the office reached at 9 am. This structure is incorrect as the verb reached is placed in the wrong position.
• Option 2 (CDBA): This option starts with Mr. Sharma at 9 am reached to the office. This sequence disrupts the logical flow of the sentence.
• Option 4 (DCAB): This option starts with at 9 am Mr. Sharma to the office reached. This structure is grammatically incorrect and confusing.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The sentence uses the present continuous tense, "He is living," which is inappropriate with the time marker "since 2020."
• For actions that started in the past and are still continuing, the present perfect continuous tense should be used.
• The correct form is "He has been living here since 2020."
• Option 2 correctly uses the present perfect continuous tense, while the other options do not fit the required grammatical structure.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "He has been living here since 2020."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "He is staying here since 2020." – Incorrect because "is staying" is present continuous, which does not align with "since 2020."
• Option 3: "He lives here since 2020." – Incorrect because "lives" is simple present, which does not indicate a continuous action from the past.
• Option 4: "He is here since 2020." – Incorrect because "is here" is present tense and does not indicate the action has been ongoing.

The correct answer is 'an'.

 

Key Points

• The article "an" is used before singular, countable nouns that begin with a vowel sound.
• In the given sentence, "apple" begins with the vowel sound "a", so "an" is the appropriate article to use.
• Options 1, 3, and 4 are incorrect because they do not fit the grammatical rules of article usage in this context.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Complete Sentence: "There is an apple on the table."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "one" is incorrect because it does not function as an article in this context, and the sentence requires an article.
• Option 3: "a" is incorrect because it is used before nouns starting with a consonant sound, not a vowel sound.
• Option 4: "the" is incorrect because it refers to a specific item, which is not implied here.

The correct answer is: Confess.

Key Points

• The idiom "Make a clean breast of" means to admit or confess something openly and without hesitation, particularly a wrongdoing or secret. (स्पष्ट रूप से स्वीकार करना)
• Example: After years of hiding the truth, he decided to make a clean breast of his mistakes and apologize to everyone involved.
• "Confess" refers to admitting or acknowledging something, especially something wrong, embarrassing, or that one is guilty of. (कबूल करना)
• Example: She confessed to breaking the vase when her parents asked who was responsible.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Confess.

Additional Information

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

• Argue (विवाद करना): To present reasons or evidence in support of or against something.
• Example: They argued about the best way to complete the project.
• Accuse (आरोप लगाना): To charge someone with a fault, offense, or crime.
• Example: The teacher accused him of cheating during the test.
• Whisper (फुसफुसाना): To speak very softly or quietly, typically so as not to be heard by others.
• Example: She whispered the secret into her friend's ear.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The phrase "No less than" is incorrect in the given sentence.
• For countable nouns like "fifty students," the correct phrase is "No fewer than" instead of "No less than."
• The use of "less" is appropriate for uncountable nouns, while "fewer" is used for countable nouns.
• Thus, the error is located in Option 4 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "No fewer than fifty students were absent."

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• Passive voice structure: The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence.
• In the active voice, the sentence is: "They have discussed the issue already."
• To convert to passive voice: Place the object "the issue" at the beginning.
• Change the active verb form "have discussed" to "has been discussed" (present perfect passive).
• Add the preposition "by" followed by the original subject "them."
• Ensure the word "already" remains in the sentence for clarity.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "The issue has been discussed already by them."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "The issue was discussed by them." – Incorrect tense (past simple instead of present perfect passive).
• Option 3: "The issue discusses by them." – Incorrect structure.
• Option 4: "The issue had been discussed." – Incorrect tense (past perfect instead of present perfect passive).

The correct answer is: Proximity.

Key Points

• The word "Vicinity" refers to the area near or surrounding a particular place; it is synonymous with closeness or nearness. (नजदीकी, आस-पास)
• Example: There were several restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel.
• "Proximity" means closeness or nearness in space, time, or relationship; it is used to indicate being close to something. (निकटता)
• Example: The proximity of the school to her house made it convenient for the children to attend classes.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'Vicinity' is 'Proximity'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Proximity.

Additional Information

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

• Absence (अनुपस्थिति): The state of being away or not present.
• Example: His absence from the meeting was noticeable.
• Distance (दूरी): The amount of space between two things or people.
• Example: The distance between the two towns is approximately 50 kilometers.
• Departure (प्रस्थान): The act of leaving a place.
• Example: The departure of the train was delayed due to weather conditions.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The phrase "fell down from the stairs" is incorrect because the word "down" is redundant.
• The correct expression is "fell from the stairs", as "fell" inherently implies downward movement.
• Thus, the error lies in Option 3, "from the stairs."

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "The old man fell from the stairs."