English Section

Reading Comprehension

Directions For Questions 1- 5 : Read the passage carefully and answer the questions accordingly.

The Indian middle class consist of so many strata that it defies categorisation under a single term class,

which would imply a considerable degree of homogeneity. Yet two paradoxical features characterise its

conduct fairly uniformly; extensive practice and intensive abhorrence of corruption.

In the several recent surveys of popular perceptions of corruptions, politicians of course invariably and

understandably top the list, closely followed by bureaucrats, policemen, lawyers, businessmen and others.

The quintessential middle class. If teachers do not figure high on this priority list, it is not for lack of

trying, but for lack of oppurtunities. Over the years, the sense of shock over acts of corruption in the

middle class has witnessed a steady decline, as its ambitions for a better material life have soared but the

resources for meeting such ambitions have not kept pace.

What is fascinating, however, is the intense yearning of this class for a clean corruptionless politics and

society, a yearning that has again and again surfaced with any figure public or obscure, focus on his

mission of eradicating corruption. Even the repeated failure of this promise on virtually every man's part

has not subjected it to the law of diminishing returns.

1. The intense Middle Class intensely yearns for

(a) better material resources (c) clean honest society

(b) extensive practice of corruption (d) law of increasing returns

2. Teachers are not high on the list of corruption because they do not have

(a) Courage (b) Opportunities (c) Support (d) Ambition

3. The Indian Middle class is

(a) Defiant (b) Mysterious (c) Homogeneous (d) Stratified

4. Who figure on top of the list of corruption?

(a) businessmen (b) lawyers (c) politicians (d) Policeman

5. This yearning, over the years, has

(a) persisted (b) soared (c) declined (d) disappeared

Directions For Questions 6- 10 : Read the passage carefully and answer the questions accordingly.

Today perhaps your only association with the word 'polio' is the Sabin Oral Vaccine that protects children

from the disease. Fifty five years ago this was not so. The dreaded disease, which mainly affects the brain

ans spinal cord, causing stiffening and weakening of muscles, crippling and paralysis - which is Why I am

in a wheelchair today. If somebody had predicted, when I was born, that this would happen to me, no one

would have believed it. I was seventh child in a family of four pairs of brothers and sisters, with huge 23

year gap between the first and last. I was so fair and brown haired that I looked more look like a foreigner

than a Dawood Bohri. I was also considered to be the healthiest of the brood.

6. In his childhood, the narrator was

(a) a weakling (b) very healthy (c) tall and slim (d) short and stout

7. In this passage, the word 'brood' refers to

(a) polio victims (b) foreign children (c) children in the family (d) Indian Children

8. The narrator was the seventh child in a family of

(a) 8 children (b) 16 children (c) 23 children (d) 4 children

9. In this passage, the narrator is a patient of

(a) heart disease (b) polio (c) paralysis (d) nervous weakness

10. In his childhood, the narrator looked "more like a foreigner than a Dawood Bohri" This was because

he was

(a) a foreign child (b) a very healthy boy (c) tell and smart (d) fair and brown haired

Closet Test

Directions for Questions 11-15 : Use the most appropriate words from the options to fill the blanks.

Today most businessmen are very worried. To begin with, they are not used to competition.In the past

they sold whatever ...(1)... produced at whatever prices they chose. But ...(2)... increasing competition,

customers began to ...(3)... and choose. Imports suddenly became ...(4)... available and that too at cheaper

...(5)...

11. (a) It (b) He (c) They (d) We

12. (a) With (b) By (c) After (d) From

13. (a) Buy (b) Take (c) Pick (d) Want

14. (a) Hardly (b) Easily (c) Frequently (d) Conveniently

15. (a) Costs (b) Returns (c) Dividend (d) Prices

Directions for Questions 16-25 : Use the most appropriate words from the options to fill the blanks.

Recent discoveries ...(1)... that Indians of early days ...(2)... to have been ...(3)... civilised ...(4)... many

ways. They had massive public buildings and comfortable dwelling houses ...(5)... mostly of brick. They

had ...(6)... arrangements ...(7)... good sanitation, and an elaborate drainage system. They knew how to

write ...(8)... their language, which has not yet been ...(9)... was not alphabetic but syllabic ...(10)... the

Sumerian language.

16. (a) Shown (b) Derived (c) Investigated (d) Seen (e) Reflected

17. (a) Intend (b) Decided (c) Behaved (d) Proved (e) Appear

18. (a) intermittently (b) Highly (c) Positively (d) Rarely (e) Consistently

19. (a) On (b) Under (c) through (d) in (e) to

20. (a) Designed (b) Formulated (c) Built (d) Construct (e) Building

21. (a) Less (b) Ignored (c) Made (d) Started (e) Not

22. (a) In spite (b) Against (c) By (d) From (e) For

23. (a) but (b) Because (c) While (d) Since (e) Perhaps

24. (a) Written (b) Deciphered (c) Formed (d) Talked (e) Used

25. (a) Across (b) Closely (c) Before (d) Like (e) Similarily

Spoting Errors

Directions for Questions 26- 35 :Read the each sentence to find out whether there is any

grammatical error in it. The error, if any will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part

is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is 'D'. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any).

26. (a) We discussed about the problem so thoroughly (b) on the eve of the examination

(c) that I found it very easy to work it out (d) No Error

27. (a) An Indian ship (b) laden with merchandise

(c) got drowned in the Pacific Ocean. (d) No Error

28. (a) One of the members (b) expressed doubt if (c) the Minister was an atheist. (d) No Error

29. (a) I have got (b) my M.Sc. degree (c) in 1988 (d) No Error

30. (a) Having received your letter (b) this morning, we are writing

(c) to thank you for the same. (d) No error.

31. (a) According to the Bible (b) it is meek and humble

(c) who shall inherit the earth. (d) No error.

32. (a) Do the roses in your garden smell (b) more sweetly

(c) than those in ours? (d) No Error

33. (a) You can get (b) all the information that you want (c) in this book. (d) No error.

34. (a) Block of Residential flats (b) are coming up

(c) near our house. (d) No error

35. (a) If you lend him a book (b) he will lend it to some one else

(c) and never you will get it back. (d) No Error

Idioms And Phrases

Directions for Questions 36- 45 : Some proverbs/idioms are given below together with their

meanings. Choose the correct meaning of proverb/idiom, If there is no correct meaning given, E

(i.e.) 'None of these' will be the answer.

36. To cry wolf

(a) To listen eagerly (b) To give false alarm (c) To turn pale

(d) To keep off starvation (e) None of these

37. To end in smoke

(a) To make completely understand (b) To ruin oneself (c) To excite great applause

(d) To overcome someone (e) None of these

38. To be above board

(a) To have a good height (b) To be honest in any business deal (c) They have no debts

(d) To try to be beautiful (e) None of these

39. To put one's hand to plough

(a) To take up agricultural farmin (b) To take a difficult task

(c) To get entangled into unnecessary things (d) Take interest in technical work

40. To pick holes

(a) To find some reason to quarrel (b) To destroy something (c) To criticise someone

(d) To cut some part of an item (e) None of these

41. To leave someone in the lurch

(a) To come to compromise with someone (b) Constant source of annoyance to someone

(c) To put someone at ease (d) To desert someone in his difficulties

42. To play second fiddle

(a) To be happy, cheerful and healthy (b) To reduce importance of one's senior

(c) To support the role and view of another person (d) To do back seat driving

43. To beg the question

(a) To refer to (b) To take for granted (c) To raise objections (d) To be discussed

44. A black sheep

(a) An unlucky person (b) A lucky person (c) An ugly person

(d) A partner who takes no share of the profits (d) None of these

45. A man of straw

(a) A man of no substance (b) A very active person

(c) A worthy fellow (d) An unreasonable person

Directions for Questions 46-55 : In questions given below out of four alternatives, choose the one

which can be substituted for the given word/sentence.

46. A drawing on transparent paper

(a) Red Print (b) Blue Print (c) Negative (d) Transparency

47. One who is not easily pleased by anything

(a) Maidan (b) Medieval (c) Precarious (d) Fastidious

48. A remedy for all diseases

(a) Stoic (b) Marvel (c) Panacea (d) Recompense

49. One who is fond of fighting

(a) Bellicose (b) Aggressive (c) Belligerant (d) Militant

50. A small shop that sells fashionable clothes, cosmetics, etc.

(a) Store (b) Stall (c) Boutique (d) Booth

51. That which cannot be read

(a) Negligible (b) Illegible (c) Ineligible (d) Incorrigible

52. In a state of tension or anxiety or suspense

(a) Off Balance (b) Depressed (c) Diffused (d) On Tenterhooks

53. A person not sure of the existence of god

(a) Cynic (b) Agnostic (c) Atheist (d) Theist

54. A paper written by hand

(a) Handicraft (b) Manuscript (c) Handiwork (d) Thesis

55. One who cannot be corrected

(a) Incurable (b) Incorrigble (c) Hardened (d) Invulnerable

Spellings

Directions for Questions 56-65 : Find the correctly spelt words.

56. (a) Efficient (b) Treatmeant (c) Beterment (d) Employd

57. (a) Ommineous (b) Omineous (c) Ominous (d) Omenous

58. (a) Benefitted (b) Benifited (c) Benefited (d) Benefeted

59. (a) Vetarinary (b) Veteninary (c) Vetinary (d) Veterinary

60. (a) Chancelary (b) Chancellery (c) Chancelery (d) Chancellary

61. (a) Excessive (b) Exccessive (c) Exxcesive (d) Excesive

62. (a) Indipensable (b) Indipenseble (c) Indispansible (d) Indispensable

63. (a) Humorous (b) Ganerous (c) Pupolous (d) Maretorious

64. (a) Itinarery (b) Itinerary (c) Itenary (d) Itinarary

65. (a) Survaillance (b) Surveillance (c) Survellance (d) Surveilance

Sentence Correction

Directions for Questions 66- 75 : Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the

phrase printed in bold type to make the grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is,

mark 'E' as the answer.

66. Despite of their differences on matters of principles, they all agree on the demand of hike is salary?

(a) Despite their (b) Despite of the (c) Despite for their

(d) Despite off their (e) No correction required

67. The man who has committed such a serious crime must get the mostly severe punishment.

(a) be getting the mostly severely (b) get the most severe (c) have got the most severely

(d) have been getting the severe most (e) No correction required

68. For many centuries in Indian History there was no city so famous like the city of Ujjain.

(a) as (b) Such as (c) Likewise (d) so alike (e) No correction required

69. We don't know how did the thief made an escape.

(a) how the thief did make (b) how the thief does make (c) how the thief made

(d) how was the thief made (e) No correction required

70. He is a singer of repute, but his yesterday's performance was quite disappointing.

(a) performances of yesterday were (b) yesterday performance was

(c) yesterday performance were (d) performances about yesterday were (e) No Correction

71. Their earnings are such that they find it difficult to make both ends to meet.

(a) to makings both ends meet (b) to make both ends for meeting (c) to make both ends meet

(d) for making both ends to meet (e) No correction required

72. He has received no other message than an urgent telegram asking him to rush his

village immediately.

(a) asked him to rush his village (b) asking him to have rush his village

(c) asking him to rush to his village (d) asking him rushing at his village

73. One of the most significant phenomenons of our time has been the development of cinema.

(a) phenomenon (b) phenomena (c) phenomenonna (d) phenomenonns

74. Had you been told me about your problem, I would have helped you.

(a) If you would have told (b) Had you have told (c) had you told

(d) If you have told (e) No correction required

75. It was until many years later that Gandhi became a rebel against authority.

(a) It was not until many years (b) It was till many years (c) It was not many years

(d) Until It was many years (e) No correction required

Ordering Of Words

Directions for Questions 76- 80 : In each question below, there is a sentence of which some parts

have been jumbled up. Rearrange these parts which are labelled P, Q, R and S to produce the

correct sentence. Choose the proper sequence.

76. When he

P : did not know

Q : he was nervous and

R : hear the hue and cry at midnight

S : What do to

The Proper sequence should be:

(a) RQPS (b) QSPR (d) SQPR (d) PQRS

77. It has been established that

P : Einstein was

Q : although a great scientist

R : was weak in arithmetic

S : Right from his school days

The Proper sequence should be:

(a) SRPQ (b) QPRS (c) QPSR (d) RQPS

78. I read an Advertisement that said

P : Posh, air- conditioned

Q: Gentleman of taste

R: are available for

S : fully furnished rooms

The Proper sequence should be :

(a) PQRS (b) PSRQ (c) PSQR (d) SRPQ

79. Since the beginning of history

P : have managed to

Q : the eskimos and Red Indians

R : by a great difficulty method

R : a few specimens of this aquativ animal

The proper sequence should be :

(a) QRPS (b) SQPR (c) SQRP (d) QPSR

80. We have to

P : as we see it

Q: speak the truth

R : there is falsehood and weakness

S : even if all around us

The proper sequence should be

(a) RQSP (b) QRPS (c) RSQP (d) QPSR

Synonyms

DIRECTIONS for Questions 81 – 90 - In the following the questions choose the word which best

expresses the meaning of the given word.

81. NEUTRAL

(a) Unbiased (b) Non – aligned (c) Undecided (d) Indifferent

82. SHALLOW

(a) Artificial (b) Superficial (c) Foolish (d) Worthless

83. INEXPLICABLE

(a) Confusing (b) Unaccountable (c) Chaotic (d) Unconnected

84. FEEBLE

(a) Weak (b) Vain (c) Arroagant (d) Sick

85. TRANSIENT

(a) Transparent (b) Fleeting (c) Feeble (d) Fanciful

86. ECSTATIC

(a) Animated (b) Bewildered (c) Enraptued (d) Illful

87. ADMONISH

(a) Punish (b) Curse (c) Dismiss (d) Reprimand

88. DILIGENT

(a) Progessive (b) Brilliant (c) Inventive (d) Hardworking

89. PIOUS

(a) Pure (b) Pretentious (c) Clean (d) Devout

90. CANDID

(a) Apprarent (b) Explicit (c) Frank (d) Bright

Antonyms

Directions for Questions 91 – 100 : In the following questions choose the word which is the exact

OPPOSITE of the given words.

91. QUIESCENT

(a) Active (b) Dormant (c) Weak (d) Unconcerned

92. EVASIVE

(a) Free (b) Honest (c) Liberal (d) Frank

93. GREGARIOUS

(a) Antisocial (b) Glorious (c) Horrendous (d) Similar

94. HIRSUTE

(a) Scaly (b) Bald (c) Erudite (d) Quiet

95. SHRINK

(a) Contract (b) Spoil (c) Expand (d) Stretch

96. NADIR

(a) Modernity (b) Zenith (c) Liberty (d) Progress

97. EXTRAVAGANCE

(a) Luxury (b) Poverty (c) economical (d) Cheapness

98. URBANE

(a) Illiterate (b) Backward (c) Discourteous (d) Orthodox

99. VANITY

(a) Pride (b) Humility (c) Conceit (d) Ostentatious

100. MALICIOUS

(a) Kind (b) Boastful (c) Generous (d) Indifferent

Answer Key

1. Option C

2. Option B

3. Option C

4. Option C

5. Option A

6. Option B

7. Option C

8. Option A

9. Option B

10. Option D

11. Option C

12. Option A

13. Option C

14. Option B

15. Option D

16. Option A

17. Option E

18. Option B

19. Option D

20. Option C

21. Option C

22. Option E

23. Option A

24. Option B

25. Option D

26. Option A

We discussed the problem so thoroughly

27. Option C

sank in the Pacific Ocean

28. Option B

expressed doubt that

29. Option A

I got

30. Option D

31. Option B

it is the meek and the humble

32. Option B

Sweeter

33. Option B

all the information you want

34. Option A

Blocks of Residential flats

35. Option C

and you will never get it back

36. Option B

37. Option B

38. Option B

39. Option B

40. Option C

41. Option D

42. Option C

43. Option B

44. Option E

In the English language, 'Black sheep' is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of

a group, especially within a family.

45. Option A

46. Option D

47. Option D

48. Option C

49. Option A

50. Option C

51. Option B

52. Option D

53. Option B

54. Option B

55. Option B

56. Option A

57. Option C

58. Option C

59. Option D

60. Option B

61. Option A

62. Option D

63. Option A

64. Option B

65. Option B

66. Option A

67. Option B

68. Option A

69. Option C

70. Option E

71. Option C

72. Option C

73. Option B

74. Option C

75. Option A

76. Option A

77. Option B

78. Option B

79. Option D

80. Option D

81. Option A

82. Option B

83. Option B

84. Option A

85. Option B

86. Option C

87. Option D

88. Option D

89. Option D

90. Option C

91. Option A

92. Option B

93. Option A

94. Option B

95. Option C

96. Option B

97. Option C

98. Option C

99. Option B

100. Option A