English Comprehension PYQs

The correct answer is: Sluggish.

Key Points

• The word "languid" means displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed. (सुस्त)
• Example: After a long day of work, she enjoyed a languid afternoon by the pool.
• "Sluggish" refers to moving, reacting, or working more slowly than usual. (मंद)
• Example: The sluggish stream flowed gently through the meadow.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'languid' is 'sluggish'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Sluggish.

Additional Information

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

• Hurried (जल्दबाज़ी): Done in a hurry or with excessive speed.
• Example: She gave a hurried explanation before running out the door.
• Lively (जीवंत): Full of life and energy.
• Example: The lively music got everyone dancing at the party.
• Energetic (ऊर्जावान): Showing or involving great activity or vitality.
• Example: The energetic puppy played in the yard for hours.

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

Key Points

• The word "Prerogative" means a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class. (विशेष अधिकार)
• Example: It is the manager's prerogative to make decisions regarding hiring new employees.
• "Privilege" refers to a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. (विशेषाधिकार)
• Example: He enjoys the privilege of free meals at the restaurant because he is a close friend of the owner.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'Prerogative' is 'Privilege'.

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

Additional Information

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

• Bias (पक्षपात): Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.
• Example: The referee was accused of bias towards the home team.
• Satisfaction (संतोष): Fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.
• Example: She smiled with satisfaction after completing her project successfully.
• Predisposition (पूर्वाग्रह): A liability or tendency to suffer from a particular condition, hold a particular attitude, or act in a particular way.
• Example: Her predisposition to anxiety made her nervous about the upcoming exam.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The verb "boasts" should be followed by the preposition "of" instead of "at".
• The correct sentence should read "Ravi always boasts of his achievements."
• Thus, the error is located in part 2 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "Ravi always boasts of his achievements."

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 given passive voice sentence: "The entire cake was eaten by Maria."
• To convert it into active voice, place the original subject ("Maria") at the beginning.
• Change the verb "was eaten" to "ate" to maintain the past simple tense.
• Ensure that the object ("the entire cake") remains in place.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "Maria ate the entire cake."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "Maria is eating the entire cake." – Incorrect as it changes the tense to present continuous.
• Option 2: "Maria was eating the entire cake." – Incorrect as it changes the tense to past continuous.
• Option 3: "Maria had eaten the entire cake." – Incorrect as it changes the tense to past perfect.

The correct answer is: Option 4.

Key Points

• The idiom "nipped in the bud" means to stop something immediately so that it does not become a worse problem. (समस्या बढ़ने से पहले उसे रोक लेना)
• Example: The company nipped the potential scandal in the bud by addressing the issue promptly.
• To stop something immediately refers to taking quick action to prevent a problem from escalating. (तुरंत रोकना)
• Example: He nipped the argument in the bud by changing the topic.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 4.

Additional Information

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

• To remove unnecessary items (अनावश्यक वस्तुओं को हटाना):
• Example: She decided to remove unnecessary items from her closet to make more space.
• To cut the bud (कली को काटना):
• Example: The gardener cut the bud to encourage the plant to grow more flowers.
• Very promising at a young age (किसी के लिए बहुत आशाजनक होना):
• Example: The young athlete was very promising at a young age and showed great potential.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: My sister requested me to bring her a watch.
• Key Conversions:
• "requested me" becomes "Please"
• Change the reporting verb "requested" to "please" for a direct request.
• "her" becomes "me"
• Pronoun "her" is changed to "me" to match the direct speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
• Starts with a capital letter "Please" and ends with a period ".".
• Reporting clause follows the quoted speech, with the speaker’s name.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "“Please bring me a watch,” said my sister."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "Please bring my sister a watch,” said she."
• Incorrect as it suggests someone else is asking for the sister's watch, not the sister herself.
• Option 3: “My sister, please bring me a watch.” said she."
• Unnecessary addition of "My sister" which is not present in the original sentence.
• Option 4: "Will you bring me a watch?” said my sister.”
• Changes the request into a question, altering the original meaning.

The correct answer is Option 4.

 

Key Points

• The primary issue in the sentence is the preposition used with the verb "glanced".
• The correct preposition to use with "glanced" is "at" instead of "to".
• The correct phrase should be "glanced at the inspector", ensuring grammatical correctness and clarity.
• Thus, the error is located in part 4 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

 

Correct Sentence: "Mr. Unkerton glanced at the inspector, who merely snorted and looked at the ceiling."

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 active voice, the sentence is: "Ms. Jyothi will finish the task in a week."
• To convert to passive voice: Place the object "the task" at the beginning.
• Change the active verb form "will finish" to "will be finished" (future simple passive).
• Add the preposition "by" followed by the original subject "Ms. Jyothi."
• Ensure the time phrase "in a week" remains at the end of the sentence for clarity.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "The task will be finished by Ms. Jyothi in a week."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "The task was being finished by Ms. Jyothi in a week." – Incorrect tense (past continuous passive).
• Option 3: "The task will have been finished by Ms. Jyothi in a week." – Incorrect tense (future perfect passive).
• Option 4: "The task is being finished by Ms. Jyothi in a week." – Incorrect tense (present continuous passive).

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: Mary said that she was not feeling well.
• Key Conversions:
• "I am not feeling well" becomes "she was not feeling well"
• Pronoun "I" is changed to "she" to match the third person.
• The verb "am" is changed to "was" to match the past tense in reported speech.
• Reporting verb:
• Direct: "said"
• Indirect speech also uses "said".

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "Mary said that she was not feeling well."

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "Mary says that she is not feeling well."
• Incorrect reporting verb tense; "says" should be "said" to match the past tense context.
• Option 2: "Mary said that she is not feeling well."
• Incorrect verb tense "is" should be "was" to match the past tense in reported speech.
• Option 4: "Mary says that she wasn’t feeling well."
• Incorrect reporting verb tense; "says" should be "said" to match the past tense context.
• Mixed tenses; "says" and "wasn't" should both reflect past tense for consistency.

The correct answer is: Option 4 i.e. impeccable.

Key Points

• The word "immaculate" means perfectly clean, neat, or tidy; free from flaws or mistakes. (निर्मल)
• Example: Her kitchen was immaculate, with every utensil in its place.
• "Impeccable" refers to something that is in accordance with the highest standards of propriety; faultless. (निष्कलंक)
• Example: His manners were impeccable, always polite and respectful to everyone.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'immaculate' is 'impeccable'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: impeccable.

Additional Information

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

• Grubby (मैला): Covered with dirt; grimy.
• Example: His hands were grubby after working in the garden all day.
• Indelicate (अशिष्ट): Lacking sensitivity or tact; coarse.
• Example: He made an indelicate remark that offended many people at the dinner party.
• Tarnished (कलंकित): Having lost its luster, especially as a result of exposure to air or moisture.
• Example: The silverware was tarnished and needed to be polished.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The active sentence is: “They think that the Governor will resign.”
• In the passive voice, the structure is: It is thought that + clause.
• The verb “think” is changed to its passive form “is thought”.
• The clause “the Governor will resign” remains unchanged because it is already in the future tense.
• Thus, the sentence becomes: “It is thought that the Governor will resign.”

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: “It is thought that the Governor will resign.”

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: “It is thought that the Governor will be resigning.” – Incorrect because the future continuous tense (“will be resigning”) changes the original meaning.
• Option 3: “They thought that the Governor would be resigning.” – Incorrect; it changes the tense to past (“thought”) and alters the meaning.
• Option 4: “They think that the Governor is resigning.” – Incorrect; it remains in the active voice and uses the present continuous tense.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• Direct speech to indirect speech conversion follows a specific structure.
• The given sentence is an interrogative sentence.
• In indirect speech, "said to" is changed to "asked" in reported speech.
• The question word “Do” is removed, and "if" or "whether" is used to introduce the reported clause.
• The verb tense changes from present simple ("know") to past simple ("knew") because of the reporting verb in the past tense.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "He asked her if she knew French."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "He asked her whether she has known French." – Incorrect as "has known" is present perfect, which is not needed here.
• Option 3: "He asked her that does she know French." – Incorrect structure; "that" is not used in reported questions.
• Option 4: "He asked her if she knows French." – Incorrect as it does not change the verb tense properly.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The primary issue in the sentence is the inconsistency in the use of the definite article "the" before the nouns.
• In English, when referring to specific groups such as "the elderly," "the rich," and "the powerful," the definite article "the" should be used consistently.
• The correct sentence should use "the" before all these groups to ensure grammatical correctness and clarity.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "The youth must respect the elderly, the rich must help the needy and the powerful must help the weak. If we keep up this trend, then the world can be a beautiful place."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "The youth must respect the elderly, rich must help needy and the powerful must help the weak." – This option omits "the" before "rich" and "needy," making it grammatically incorrect.
• Option 3: "The youth must respect the elderly, the rich must help the needy and the powerful must help weak." – This option omits "the" before "weak," making it grammatically incorrect.
• Option 4: "The youth must respect the elderly, the rich must help the needy and powerful must help the weak." – This option omits "the" before "powerful," making it grammatically incorrect.

The correct answer is: Option 3 i.e. Unnecessary anger or worry.

Key Points

• The idiom "A storm in a teacup" means a lot of unnecessary anger or worry about something that is not important. (बेकार की चिंता या गुस्सा)
• Example: The whole argument was just a storm in a teacup; it didn't really matter in the end.
• "Unnecessary anger or worry" refers to being upset or anxious about something trivial or insignificant. (अनावश्यक गुस्सा या चिंता)
• Example: His reaction to the small delay was unnecessary anger or worry.
• Hence, we can infer that the meaning of the idiom "A storm in a teacup" is "Unnecessary anger or worry".

Therefore, the correct answer is: Option 3.

Additional Information

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

• A hidden advantage (छिपा हुआ लाभ): An unseen or unexpected benefit.
• Example: The new software has a hidden advantage that makes data processing faster.
• An easy and pleasant job (आसान और सुखद काम): A task that is both simple and enjoyable.
• Example: Being a tour guide in a beautiful city is an easy and pleasant job.
• More than expected or required (उम्मीद से अधिक या आवश्यक से अधिक): Exceeding expectations or requirements.
• Example: The students' performance in the exam was more than expected or required.

The correct answer is: Option 4 i.e. inauspicious.

Key Points

• The word "ominous" means giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious. (अशुभ)
• Example: The dark clouds in the sky looked ominous, indicating that a storm was approaching.
• "Inauspicious" refers to something that is not conducive to success; unpromising. (अशुभ)
• Example: The inauspicious start to the day made her worry about the outcome of her important meeting.
• Hence, we can infer that the synonym of 'ominous' is 'inauspicious'.

Therefore, the correct answer is: inauspicious.

Additional Information

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

• Propitious (अनुकूल): Giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable.
• Example: It was a propitious moment to ask for a raise.
• Profane (अपवित्र): Relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious.
• Example: His profane language shocked the congregation.
• Blissful (आनंदमय): Extremely happy; full of joy.
• Example: They enjoyed a blissful vacation in the mountains.

I always believe that 'honesty' is the best policy.

 

Key Points

• The word "honesty" is a noun that refers to the quality of being truthful and sincere.
• The sentence is a common phrase emphasizing that being honest is always the best approach.
• Options 2, 3, and 4 do not fit the context of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Complete Sentence: "I always believe that honesty is the best policy."

 

Additional Information

• Option 2: "complexity" is incorrect because it refers to the state of being intricate or complicated, which does not fit the context.
• Option 3: "immorality" is incorrect as it refers to the quality of being immoral, which is contrary to the intended meaning.
• Option 4: "sanctity" is incorrect because it refers to the state of being holy or sacred, which does not match the context.

The correct answer is Option 1.

 

Key Points

• The phrase "a society that will be not concerned with any particular religious doctrines" can be concisely expressed.
• The term "secular" precisely captures the intended meaning of being unconcerned with religious doctrines.
• "Secular" means not connected with religious or spiritual matters, making it the most suitable substitution.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

 

Correct Sentence: "We should help each other to make a secular society that will be not concerned with any particular religious doctrines."

 

Additional Information

• B: "a prejudiced society" – This option is incorrect because "prejudiced" implies bias, which is not the intended meaning.
• C: "a harmonious society" – While "harmonious" indicates peace, it does not specifically address the aspect of religious neutrality.
• D: "a humanist society" – "Humanist" focuses on human values and interests, which is not the precise context needed here.

The correct answer is Option 2.

 

Key Points

• The primary issue in the sentence is the incorrect use of the article "A" before "first."
• The correct article to use before "first" is "the".
• The correct phrase should be "The first Indian who went to space was Rakesh Sharma," ensuring grammatical correctness and clarity.
• Thus, the error is located in Option 2 of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

 

Correct Sentence: "The first Indian who went to space was Rakesh Sharma."

The correct answer is Option 3.

 

Key Points

• Indirect Speech: The student requested them to take him to the reception.
• Key Conversions:
• "requested them" becomes "Please"
• The polite request "requested" is converted to "Please" in direct speech.
• "to take him" becomes "take me"
• Pronoun "him" is changed to "me" to match direct speech.
• Punctuation and Format:
• Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
• Starts with a capital letter "Please" and ends with a comma before the reporting clause.
• Reporting clause follows the quoted speech, starting with a lowercase letter after the comma.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

 

Correct Sentence: "Please take me to the reception," said the student.

 

Additional Information

• Option 1: "Take me to the reception now," said the student."
• Adds "now" which is not present in the original sentence.
• Option 2: "Take me to the reception," said the student."
• Lacks the polite request "please" from the original sentence.
• Option 4: "Please take me in the reception," said the student."
• Incorrect preposition "in" instead of "to".

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

Key Points

• The paragraph discusses the importance of peace of mind and its relation to happiness, contentment, and relaxation.
• The logical sequence starts with the importance of peace of mind (d).
• It then explains the attributes correlated with peace of mind (a).
• Following this, it states that peace of mind provides these attributes (c).
• Finally, it concludes with the necessity of peace of mind in our lives (b).

Therefore, the correct answer is dacb.

 

Additional Information

• Option 2 (bdca): This option starts with the necessity of peace of mind, which skips the introduction of the importance and attributes related to it.
• Option 3 (bcda): This option also starts with the necessity of peace of mind, creating a disjointed sequence.
• Option 4 (dcba): This option starts correctly but ends with the necessity of peace of mind, which should be the concluding sentence.