Table of Contents
Directions (1-5): In each of the following questions, five options are given and you have to choose the one which is grammatically correct. If all the options are grammatically incorrect then choose option (e) as your choice.
Q1.
(a) The Principal indicated that the issues of improved quality of teaching in the college was high in his list of priorities.
(b) The Principal indicates that the issues of improved quality of teaching in the college were high in his list of priorities.
(c) The Principal indicated that the issues of improved quality of teaching in the college were high in his list of priorities.
(d) The Principle indicated that the issues of improved qualities of teaching at the college were high in his list of priorities.
(e) None of these.
Q2.
(a) Mohan has been suffering from fever since ten days and his condition has been deteriorating.
(b) Mohan has been suffering from fever for ten days and his condition has been deteriorating.
(c) Mohan have been suffering from fever for ten days and his condition have been deteriorating.
(d) Mohan has been suffering from fever for ten days and his condition have been deteriorated.
(e) None of these.
Q3.
(a)Often in political campaigns, a point is reached where the candidates take out their gloves and started slugging with bare fists.
(b)Often in political campaigns, a point is reached in which candidates take out their gloves and start slugging with bare fists.
(c) Often in political campaigns, a point is reached where the candidates take out their gloves and start slugging with bare fists.
(d) Often in political campaigns, a point is reached at which the candidates take out their gloves and start slugging with bare fists.
(e) None of these.
Q4.
(a) The Brahmins, in the period of their decline, took stock of the situation, and realized where the deficiencies of the ancient creed lied and how it should be met.
(b)The Brahmins, in the period of their decline, took stock of the situation, and realized where the deficiencies of the ancient creed lay and how it should be met.
(c)The Brahmins, in the period of their decline, take stock of the situation, and realized where the deficiencies of the ancient creed lay and how they should be met.
(d)The Brahmins, in the period of their decline, took stock of the situation, and realized where the deficiencies of the ancient creed lay and how they should be met.
(e) None of these.
Q5.
(a) Scarcely had we finished observing this when we were surprised by about a dozen of the old birds jumping in the most unsafe and funny manner towards the sea.
(b) Scarcely had we finished observing this when we were surprised by about a dozen of the old birds jumping at the most unsafe and funny manner towards the sea.
(c)Scarcely we had finished observing this when we were surprised by about a dozen of the old birds jumping in the most unsafe and funny manner towards the sea.
(d)Scarcely had we finished observing this when we are surprised by about a dozen of the old birds jumping in the most unsafe and funny manner towards the sea.
(e) None of these.
Directions (6-10): A part of the sentence is given in bold. Below are given alternatives to the highlighted part at (A), (B), (C) which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative and mark your answer. In case no improvement is needed, choose option (e).
Q6. Trying to keep her balance on the icy surface, the last competitor’s ski-tip caught the pole and somersaulted into the soft snow.
(a) the last competitor somersault into the soft snow when the tip of her ski was caught by the pole.
(b)the ski-tip of the last competitor caught the pole and somersaulted in the soft snow.
(c)the last competitor caught the pole with the tip of her ski, and somersaulted into the soft snow
(d)the last competitor caught the pole with her ski-tip, which made her somersault into the soft snow.
(e) No improvement
Q7. One of the most important choices facing the new administration at this moment is if they should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy.
(a) this present moment is whether it should continue the advancement of contractionary fiscal policy (b)this present moment is whether it should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
(c)this moment is whether it should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
(d)this moment is whether they should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
(e) No improvement
Q8. Many United States Congressmen recently voted to give the National Security Agency new powers enabling them to eavesdrop on telephone calls without a court warrant and pass along evidence from the calls to other government agencies.
(a) enabling it to eavesdrop on telephone calls without a court warrant and be passing along evidence from those calls
(b) enabling it to eavesdrop on telephone calls without a court warrant and pass along evidence from the calls on which it eavesdropped
(c) enabling it to eavesdrop on telephone calls without a court warrant and pass along evidence from those calls
(d) enabling them to eavesdrop on telephone calls without a court warrant and be passing along evidence from those calls
(e) No improvement
Q9. After Exeter Recycling reported dismal earnings for the fifth straight quarter, its Chairman announced that the Board of Directors planned to fire the current executive managers, seen by many as unresponsive and incompetent, and in replacing them, choose younger and more nimble managers.
(a) and replace them with younger
(b) to be replacing it with younger
(c) and replace it with younger
(d) to replace them with younger
(e) No improvements
Q10. Under the provisions of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States, the Federal government cannot detain an American citizen indefinitely without cause and is required either to bring charges against the individual being held, in which case he is entitled to a lawyer, or this the government must release him.
(a)they may be release him
(b)release him
(c)to proceed releasing him
(d)the government must release
(e) No improvement
Directions (11-15); Please select the most appropriate option, out of the five options given for each of the following sentences, which, in your view, should be grammatically and structurally correct. Please note that the meaning & context of the sentence do not change.
Q11.
(a) They could have helped him had they approach him for some help well in advance.
(b) They could have helped him had they been approached him for some help well in advance.
(c) They could have helped him had they approached him for some help well in advance.
(d) They could have helped him had they approached by him for some help well in advance.
(e) No error
Q12.
(a) Every animal in the zoo is fed regularly and attended to very promptly.
(b) Every animal at the zoo is fed regularly and attended to very promptly.
(c) Every animal in the zoo is fed regularly and attended upon promptly.
(d) Every animal of the zoo is fed regularly and attended promptly.
(e) No error.
Q13.
(a) Only by working hard did he prosper as a business consultant since he arrived in America 20 years ago.
(b) Only by working hard he has prospered as a business consultant since he arrived in America 20 years ago.
(c) Only by working hard he had prospered as a business consultant since he arrived in America 20 years ago.
(d) Only by working hard had he prosper as a business consultant since he arrived in America 20 years ago.
(e) No error.
Q14.
(a) The actions of some statesman are like that great rivers whose course everyone beholds but their springs have been seen by few.
(b) The actions of some statesman are like those great rivers whose course everyone beholds but their springs have been seen by few.
(c) The actions of few statesmen are like those great rivers whose course everyone beholds but springs have been seen by few.
(d) The actions of some statesmen are like those great rivers whose course everyone beholds but whose springs have been seen by few.
(e) No error
Q15.
(a) The ruling party stood for implementation of the bill and was ready to stake their political existence.
(b) The ruling party stand for implementation of the bill and was ready to stake their political existence.
(c) The ruling party has stood for implementation of the bill and was ready to stake its political existence.
(d) The ruling party stood for implementation of the bill and was ready to stake its political existence.
(e) No error.
Practice More Questions of English for Competitive Exams:
Solutions
S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. Sentence (c) is correct.
In Sentence (a), in place of ‘was’, ‘were’ will be used as the subject of the sentence‘the issues’ is in plural form.
In sentence (b), ‘indicated’ is used in place of ‘indicates’ as the second half of the sentence is in past tense.
S2. Ans. (b)
Sol. Sentence (b) is correct.
In Sentence (a), ‘for’ is the correct use instead of ‘since’ as ‘for’ is used with Period of Time.
In sentence (c), ‘has’ will be used in place of ‘have’ as ‘has’ is used for singular subject.
In sentence (d), the use of ‘deteriorated’ is wrong as the sentence is in present perfect continuous tense. Hence ‘deteriorating’ is the correct word. Also ‘have’ should be replaced by ‘has’.
S3. Ans. (c)
Sol. Sentence (c) is correct.
In sentence (a), ‘start’ will be used in place of ‘started’ as the use of tense is wrong.
In sentence (b), the use of ‘in which’ is wrong as the preposition depends on the verb that takes a preposition.
In Sentence (d), the use of ‘at which’ is wrong as after the verb ‘reach’, prepositions ‘to’ or ‘at’ is not used.
S4. Ans. (d)
Sol. Sentence (d) is correct.
In sentence (a), the use of ‘lied’ is wrong as its meaning is not correct for making the sentence meaningful.
In sentence (b), the use of ‘it’ is wrong as ‘it’ is used for asingular subject or object.
In sentence (c), the use of ‘take’ is wrong as the sentence talks about the past.
S5. Ans. (a)
Sol. Sentence (a) is correct.
Sentence (c) is wrong as the sentence starting with ‘scarcely, hardly, rarely, seldom’, ‘auxiliary verb + subject’ is used. Hence ‘had we’ is used in place of ‘we had’.
In sentence (b), the use of preposition ‘at’ is wrong.
In sentence (d), the use of ‘are’ is incorrect.
S6. Ans.(c)
Sol.
Option(c) is correct
After the comma we need the name of the person. In answer (d), the use of which is incorrect. Answer (a) unnecessarily uses a passive construction.
S7. Ans.(c)
Sol.
Option(c) is correct
Whether is properly used instead of if as only two options exist; the singular pronoun it properly refers back to a singular noun (i.e., new administration)
S8. Ans.(c)
Sol.
Option (c) is correct
The singular pronoun it properly refers back to the singular noun National Security Agency; those calls is concise; to eavesdrop and [to] pass along are parallel
S9. Ans.(a)
Sol.
Option(a) is correct
the phrase the Board of Directors planned to fire…and replace is parallel; the plural pronoun them correctly references a plural noun (i.e., current executive managers)
S10. Ans.(b)
Sol.
Option (b) is correct
S11. Ans. (c)
Sol. Sentence (c) is grammatically correct as the sentence is in active voice.
Sentence (a) is incorrect as first half of the sentence is in past tense while second half is in present tense.
In Sentence (b), ‘by’ must be added after approached to make the sentence in passive form.
Sentence (d) is incorrect as the first half of the sentence is in active voice and second half of the sentence in passive voice.
S12. Ans. (c)
Sol. Sentence (c) is correct.
Here ‘attended upon’ is used which means ‘to take care of’ while ‘attended to’ means ‘to manage’. Hence sentence (a) is wrong.
In Sentences (b) and (d), wrong prepositions (at, of) are used.
S13. Ans. (b)
Sol. Sentence (b) is grammatically correct.
If ‘since’ is used in the form of conjunction then the main clause must be in present perfect tense while clause having ‘since’ in simple past tense.
Ex. He has not prospered as a business man since he arrived here.
Hence sentences (a), (c) and (d) are incorrect.
S14. Ans. (d)
Sol. Sentence (d) is grammatically correct.
In sentence (a), the use of ‘that’ is wrong as it is used for singular noun.
In sentence (b), the use of ‘few statesmen’ is wrong as ‘few’ is applicable for countable noun and it indicates a negative impression.
Sentence (c) is wrong as ‘whose course……………….whose springs’ should be balanced.
S15. Ans. (d)
Sol. In sentence (a), the use of ‘their’ is wrong as the subject of the sentence ‘the ruling party’ is in singular form.
In sentence (b), ‘stand’ is wrong as the sentence is in past tense.
In sentence (c), ‘has stood’ is wrong as the sentence is in simple past.
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