English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is: Option 1 i.e. Hoping without reason.

Key Points

• The idiom "Clutching at straws" means making a desperate attempt to find some hope or solution, even when the chances are very slim. (बिना किसी तर्कसंगत कारण के आशा करना)
• Example: Realizing that the situation was out of control, he started clutching at straws, hoping for a miracle.
• "Hoping without reason" refers to having hope or belief in an outcome, even when there is no logical or practical basis for it. (बिना किसी ठोस कारण के उम्मीद करना)
• Example: Despite the unfavorable odds, she kept hoping without reason that things would improve.
• Hence, the idiom "Clutching at straws" directly aligns with the meaning of "Hoping without reason."

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 1 i.e. Hoping without reason.

Additional Information

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

• Laughing loudly (जोर से हंसना): Refers to laughing in an uncontrollable or very loud manner.
• Example: The audience was laughing loudly at the comedian’s jokes.
• Boasting unnecessarily (अनावश्यक रूप से डींग मारना): Refers to talking with excessive pride about oneself or something, even when it is not required.
• Example: He kept boasting unnecessarily about his achievements in front of everyone.
• Winning easily (आसानी से जीतना): Refers to achieving victory with little or no effort.
• Example: The team won the match easily due to their excellent strategy.

The correct answer is: Option 3 i.e. Stay neutral.

Key Points

• The idiom "Sit on the fence" means to remain undecided or neutral about a particular issue or decision. (फैसला न लेना या तटस्थ रहना)
• Example: The politician preferred to sit on the fence rather than take sides on the controversial issue.
• When someone stays neutral, they avoid supporting or opposing either side in a dispute or argument. (तटस्थ रहना)
• Example: In the family argument, she stayed neutral and didn't take anyone's side.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 3.

Additional Information

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

• Option 1: Take a risk (जोखिम उठाना): To undertake something that involves danger or uncertainty.
• Example: He decided to take a risk and invest all his savings in the new business venture.
• Option 2: Remain silent (चुप रहना): To not speak or express oneself.
• Example: During the heated debate, she chose to remain silent and observe.
• Option 4: Join both sides (दोनों पक्षों से जुड़ना): To support or be involved with both opposing groups or parties.
• Example: It is difficult to join both sides when they are in direct conflict.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• The subject of the sentence is "He as well as his brothers," which is singular because the phrase "as well as" does not make the subject plural.
• The verb "were" is incorrect as it is plural. A singular verb like "was" should be used instead.
• Thus, the error is located in part 3 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "He as well as his brothers was present."

The correct answer is: Liberate.

Key Points

• The word "Yoke" refers to a wooden bar or frame used to join animals like oxen for pulling a plow or cart. It can also metaphorically represent control, oppression, or burden. (जुआ, नियंत्रण या बोझ)
• Example: The farmer placed a yoke on the oxen to prepare them for plowing the fields.
• "Liberate" means to free someone or something from oppression, control, or bondage. It is the antonym of "Yoke" as it signifies freedom from constraints. (मुक्त करना)
• Example: The revolution aimed to liberate the people from oppressive regimes.
• Hence, we can infer that the opposite of 'Yoke' is 'Liberate'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Liberate.

Additional Information

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

• Immoral (अनैतिक): Not conforming to accepted moral standards; unethical behavior.
• Example: Stealing is considered immoral in every society.
• Vicious (दुष्ट): Deliberately cruel or violent; wicked.
• Example: The villain's vicious plans caused havoc in the town.
• Harness (जीन): A set of straps or fittings used to control animals or equipment; related to "Yoke" in terms of control.
• Example: The horse's harness was adjusted before the carriage ride.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The bold part of the sentence needs to be replaced to ensure grammatical correctness and clarity.
• The clause "that I borrowed" refers to the books, and the correct relative pronoun for objects (books) is "which."
• Other options ("whom," "what," and "whose") are not appropriate for the context, as they either refer to people or change the meaning.
• Thus, the correct replacement is "which I borrowed."

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "The fiction and non-fictional book, which I borrowed, was interesting."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "whom I borrowed" – The pronoun "whom" is used for people, not objects, so this option is incorrect.
• Option 2: "what I borrowed" – This option introduces ambiguity and changes the meaning of the sentence.
• Option 3: "whose I borrowed" – The word "whose" indicates possession and does not fit the context of the sentence.

The correct answer is: Confused.

Key Points

• The idiom "All at sea" means to be in a state of confusion or uncertainty about what to do. (उलझन में)
• Example: He felt all at sea when he started his new job because he didn’t know what was expected of him.
• Confused refers to a mental state where a person struggles to understand or make sense of something. (उलझा हुआ)
• Example: The instructions for the test were so vague that many students were confused about what they had to do.
• Hence, the meaning of the idiom "All at sea" aligns with the word "Confused".

Therefore, the correct answer is: Confused.

Additional Information

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

• Far away (दूर): Refers to a physical or metaphorical distance from something.
• Example: The island is far away from the mainland and takes hours to reach by boat.
• Excited (उत्साहित): Feeling or showing happiness and enthusiasm.
• Example: She was excited to receive her acceptance letter from the university.
• Drowning (डूबना): The act of being submerged in water and unable to breathe.
• Example: He saved a child who was drowning in the river.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: The astronomer noted that Jupiter's rotation was the fastest among all planets in the solar system.
• Key Conversions:
• "is the fastest"
• The sentence describes a scientific fact. In English grammar, scientific facts and universal truths remain in the Simple Present tense in both Direct and Indirect speech.
• Reporting verb:
• Indirect: "noted that"
• Converted to: "noted," followed directly by the quoted speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
• Starts with a capital letter "Jupiter" and ends with a period "."
• Reporting clause follows the quoted speech, starting with a lowercase letter after the comma.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "The astronomer noted, "Jupiter's rotation is the fastest among all planets in the solar system.""

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "The astronomer noted, "Jupiter's rotation has been the fastest...""
• The tense "has been" is incorrect as it changes the context away from a universal truth.
• Option 2: "The astronomer noted, "Jupiter's rotation had been the fastest...""
• The tense "had been" incorrectly shifts the fact to the past perfect.
• Option 3: "The astronomer noted, "Jupiter's rotation was the fastest among all planets in the solar system.
• The tense "was" is incorrect because scientific facts are expressed in the Simple Present tense.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: He prayed that God might bless me.
• Key Conversions:
• "May God bless you" becomes "that God might bless me"
• The verb "may" is changed to "might" in indirect speech.
• The personal pronoun "you" is changed to "me" according to the context.
• Reporting Verb: "said" is changed to "prayed" to reflect the context of a blessing or wish.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is converted into a subordinate clause using "that".
• The verb tense is adjusted to match the rules of indirect speech.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: He prayed that God might bless me.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "He told that God should bless me."
• The reporting verb "told" is incorrect in this context as it does not convey a wish or prayer.
• Option 2: "He said that God may bless me."
• The modal verb "may" remains unchanged, which is incorrect in indirect speech.
• Option 3: "He wished God bless me."
• The sentence is grammatically incorrect as it omits the conjunction "that" and does not follow proper structure.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

The misspelled word is 'bilief', 'beleif', and 'beleaf'.

• The correct spelling is 'belief'.
• The word 'belief' is a noun that means 'an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially without proof'. (विश्वास)
• For Example -
• It is my belief that hard work leads to success.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'belief'.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The given sentence is in Direct Speech: She said, "I was tired."
• When converting Direct Speech to Indirect Speech, the pronoun "I" changes to "she".
• Since the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, the verb in the reported clause undergoes backshifting.
• The past tense "was" can shift to past perfect ("had been") to clearly indicate an action completed before the time of reporting.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "She said that she had been tired."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: Incorrect — tense changes incorrectly to future.
• Option 2: Grammatically acceptable but does not reflect tense backshifting beyond past.
• Option 3: Incorrect — present tense is not used after a past reporting verb.

The correct answer is: Pacify.

Key Points

• The word "Allay" means to diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry). It also means to alleviate or reduce the intensity of something. (शांत करना, कम करना)
• Example: The doctor tried to allay the patient's fear by explaining the procedure carefully.
• "Pacify" means to calm down someone or something, especially by soothing or appeasing them. It is closely related in meaning to "Allay." (शांत करना, मनाना)
• Example: The mother pacified her crying child by giving him a toy.
• Hence, "Pacify" is the word closest in meaning to "Allay."

Therefore, the correct answer is: Pacify.

Additional Information

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

• Clash (संघर्ष): A violent confrontation or a disagreement.
• Example: There was a clash of ideas during the meeting.
• Noise (शोर): A sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant.
• Example: The noise from the construction site was unbearable.
• Dispute (विवाद): A disagreement or argument.
• Example: The two companies are involved in a legal dispute over patent rights.

The correct answer is Option (1) i.e. DCAB

 

Key Points

• The sentence begins with the subject "The topper," which is correctly indicated by part (D).
• Following the subject, "was awarded" (DC) continues the logical sequence, making it clear what happened to the topper.
• The next part, "a scholarship," completes the idea of what was awarded, indicated by (A).
• Ending with "for higher studies" (B) completes the sentence by providing the purpose of the scholarship.

Therefore, the correct answer is DABC.

 

Additional Information

• Option 2 (DABC): This option starts with "the topper a scholarship for higher studies," which creates a grammatically incorrect sentence.
• Option 3 (DACB): This option starts with "the topper was awarded a scholarship for higher studies," but places "a scholarship" before "for higher studies" in a way that doesn't follow the logical sequence.
• Option 4 (DBCA): This option starts with "the topper a scholarship was awarded for higher studies," which creates a confusing structure.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: I told him that I was busy.
• Key Conversions:
• “I told him that I was busy” becomes “I told him, ‘I am busy.’”
• Pronoun “I” remains unchanged as the speaker is referring to themselves.
• Verb “was” is converted to “am” to reflect the present tense in direct speech.
• Reporting verb:
• Indirect: “I told him”
• Converted to: “I told him,” maintaining the context of the conversation.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
• Starts with a capital letter “I” and ends with a period “.”
• Reporting clause precedes the quoted speech, followed by a comma.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: “I told him, ‘I am busy.’”

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: “I told him, ‘You are busy.’”
• Changes the subject from “I” to “You,” altering the meaning of the sentence.
• Option 2: “Said, ‘I am busy.’”
• Incomplete reporting clause: missing the subject and context.
• Option 3: “I told him, ‘I was busy.’”
• Incorrect tense: “was” should be changed to “am” to reflect direct speech.

The correct answer is 'with'.

 

Key Points

• The preposition with is used to express dissatisfaction regarding something or someone.
• The sentence highlights the manager's dissatisfaction regarding the poor attendance, making with the most appropriate choice.
• Options 1, 3, and 4 are incorrect in this context as they do not fit grammatically or semantically.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Complete Sentence: "The manager was dissatisfied with the poor attendance."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "of" is incorrect because "dissatisfied of" is not a valid collocation in English.
• Option 3: "by" is incorrect; while "by" can indicate the cause of an action, it does not fit in the context of expressing dissatisfaction.
• Option 4: "to" is incorrect because "dissatisfied to" is not grammatically correct.

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: She said that she liked chocolate.
• Key Conversions:
• "she liked" becomes "I like"
• Pronoun "she" is changed to "I" to reflect the speaker's perspective in direct speech.
• Verb "liked" is changed to "like" to represent the present tense in direct speech.
• Reporting verb:
• Indirect: "She said that"
• Converted to: "She said," maintaining the reporting format.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
• Starts with a capital letter "I" and ends with a period ".".
• Reporting clause follows the quoted speech, separated by a comma.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "I like chocolate," she said.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "I liked chocolate," she said.
• Incorrect tense: "liked" indicates past tense, while the original sentence implies a general liking (present tense).
• Option 2: "I had liked chocolate," she said.
• Incorrect tense: "had liked" indicates past perfect, which does not match the original sentence.
• Option 4: "She likes chocolate," she said.
• Incorrect pronoun: "She" does not reflect the speaker's perspective in direct speech.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: They said that their teacher would explain the topic the next day.
• Key Conversions:
• "Our teacher" becomes "their teacher"
• Possessive pronoun "our" is changed to "their" in indirect speech.
• "will explain" becomes "would explain"
• Future tense "will" is changed to "would" in indirect speech.
• "tomorrow" becomes "the next day"
• Time expression "tomorrow" is changed to "the next day" in indirect speech.
• Reporting verb:
• Indirect: "They said"
• Maintains the original reporting verb "said" for indirect speech.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "They said that their teacher would explain the topic the next day."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "They said that our teacher will explain the topic tomorrow."
• Incorrect because "our" should change to "their" in indirect speech.
• Also, "will" should change to "would" as the future tense is shifted.
• Option 3: "They said that the teacher should explain the topic tomorrow."
• Incorrect because "should" changes the meaning from a future action to a suggestion.
• Option 4: "They said that the teacher explained the topic the next day."
• Incorrect because "explained" changes the future action to a past action.

The correct answer is Option (2) i.e. BCAD.

 

Key Points

• The sentence starts with the subject, which is the action "farmers can increase," indicated by part (B).
• Following this, "agricultural production" (C) logically completes what farmers can increase.
• The next part, "by adopting modern methods" (A), explains how farmers can achieve this increase.
• Finally, "effectively" (D) concludes the sentence, emphasizing the manner of achieving the increase.

Therefore, the correct sequence is ABCD.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1 (ABCD): This sequence is incorrect as it disrupts the logical flow of the sentence.
• Option 3 (BADC): This option places "effectively" prematurely, creating a grammatically incorrect sentence.
• Option 4 (BACD): This option disrupts the logical order of "by adopting modern methods," placing it after "effectively."

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The primary issue in the sentence lies in the verb agreement. The subject "The number of applicants" is singular, and therefore, the verb should be singular as well.
• Instead of "have increased," the correct verb form is "has increased."
• This ensures proper subject-verb agreement and grammatical correctness.
• Thus, the error is located in Option 4 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "The number of applicants has increased this year."

The correct answer is: Option 3 i.e. "Be sold cheaply".

Key Points

• The idiom "To go for a song" means to be sold at a very low price or cheaply. (बहुत सस्ते में बिकना)
• Example: The antique vase went for a song at the auction because no one knew its true value.
• "Be sold cheaply" refers to something being sold at a price much lower than its actual worth. (सस्ते में बेचना)
• Example: Due to the urgent need for cash, he sold his car cheaply.
• Hence, the idiom "To go for a song" matches the meaning of "Be sold cheaply".

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 3 i.e. "Be sold cheaply".

Additional Information

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

• Option 1: Be expensive (महंगा होना): Refers to something that costs a lot of money.
• Example: The diamond necklace is very expensive and beyond my budget.
• Option 2: Be unsold (बिके बिना रह जाना): Refers to something that has not been purchased or bought.
• Example: Several products remained unsold at the end of the fair.
• Option 4: Be sung loudly (जोर से गाना): Refers to singing in a loud voice.
• Example: The choir sang the anthem loudly during the event.

The correct answer is: Option 1 i.e. Take a risky initiative.

Key Points

• The idiom "To bell the cat" means to take a dangerous or risky initiative, especially one that is for the benefit of others. (जोखिम भरी पहल करना)
• Example: Someone had to bell the cat and tell the manager that his plan was flawed.
• "Take a risky initiative" refers to the act of performing a task or action that involves a significant amount of risk or danger. (जोखिम भरा कदम उठाना)
• Example: The firefighter took a risky initiative to save the child trapped in the burning building.
• Hence, the idiom "To bell the cat" aligns with the meaning of taking a risky initiative.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 1 i.e. Take a risky initiative.

Additional Information

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

• Feed a pet (पशु को खाना खिलाना): The act of giving food to a domesticated animal.
• Example: She remembers to feed her pet dog every morning at 8 AM.
• Escape a problem (समस्या से बच निकलना): The act of avoiding or running away from a difficult situation.
• Example: He tried to escape a problem by blaming others for his mistakes.
• Make an easy move (आसान कदम उठाना): To take an action that is simple or requires little effort.
• Example: Completing the first level of the game was an easy move for her.