Directions (1-5): In each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each five pairs of words have been denoted by numbers (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5).Find out which pair of words can be filled up in the blanks in the sentences in the same sequence to make the sentence meaningfully complete.
Q1. Members of any one religious community ________ to a particular set of beliefs and in that sense they enjoy _________.
(a) devoted, immunity
(b) confine, serenity
(c) subscribe, commonality
(d) avail, privilege
(e) adhere, freedom
Q2.Indian constitution _______ ______ based on religion, race, caste or place of birth.
(a) prohibits, discrimination
(b) reprimands, favours
(c) debars, restrictions
(d) strikes, balance
(e) challenges, beliefs
Q3.The governments’s role of facilitator rather than administrator has _____ great results _____ many sectors.
(a) ushered, entering
(b) managed, revolving
(c) produced, initiating
(d) yielded, across
(e) facilitated, endorsing
Q4.In our vast country, the telecom revolution may have ________ the people to communicate, but physical _____ can only be reduced by fast travel modes.
(a) eased, barriers
(b) motivated, areas
(c) empowered, hurdles
(d) ensured, appearances
(e) enabled, distances
Q5.Governments in India seem to delight in arbitrary censorship under the ________ of _________ the public.
(a) garb, upholding
(b) pretext, protecting
(c) context, strengthening
(d) command, authorising
(e) guise, winning
Directions (6-10): In these questions, a sentence or a part of sentence is underlined. Below are given alternatives to the underlined part which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative.
Q6. Despite being tried his best to persuade people to give up smoking, he could not attain success.
(a) Despite his best trying
(b) Despite of his best
(c) Inspite of being tried his best
(d) Despite trying his best
(e) No improvement
Q7. His suggestions were so trivial and hence nobody took any cognisance of them.
(a) so trivial that and have
(b) very trivial and hence so
(c) too trivial to and hence
(d) very trivial and hence
(e) No improvement
Q8. But for your time of helping, we could not have accomplished our goal in such a small time span.
(a) But for your timely help
(b) Because of your timely helping
(c) Despite your time of helping
(d) But your time for helping
(e) No improvement.
Q9. He failed in his attempt to disperse the mob before the miscreants sets the fire on the bus.
(a) set the bus on fire
(b) setting fire on the bus
(c) set fire on the bus
(d) set the fire on to the bus
(e)No improvement
Q10. Even at most critical moments, he is calm, but today he appears very much disturbed.
(a) Appeared very much disturb
(b) Appears very much to disturb
(c) Appeared to be very much disturbing
(d) Appears disturbing
(e) No correction required
Directions (11-15): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is ‘No error’, the answer is e). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)
Q11. Neither (a)/ Rakesh nor (b)/ Shakti, presented their (c)/ papers before the deadline for doing so. (d)/. No error (e).
(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d
(e) e
Q12. A recent (a)/ poll has indicated (b)/ that Binny is considered (c)/ brighter than any student in the class (d)/. No error (e).
(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d
(e) e
Q13. The company is planning (a)/ a training (b)/ programme for their (c)/ senior officers sometime in December. (d)/ No error (e).
(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d
(e) e
Q14. There was only (a)/ a loaf of bread and two bottles of milk in the (b)/ refrigerator when (c)/ we came back after a weekend in Manali. (d)/ No error (e).
(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d
(e) e
Q15. Cookie Monster(a)/ was told(b)/ to eat(c)/ lesser cookies. (d)/ No error (e).
(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d
(e) e
Solutions
S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. ‘subscribe, commonality’ fits the sentence appropriately as ‘subscribe’ means to pay as a contribution to a charity or service and ‘commonality’ sharing of common attributes
S2. Ans. (a)
Sol. ‘prohibits, discrimination’ fits the sentence appropriately as ‘prohibits’ means command against and ‘discrimination’ means unfair treatment of a person or group based on prejudice
S3. Ans. (d)
Sol. ‘yielded, across’ fits the sentence appropriately.
S4. Ans. (e)
Sol. ‘enabled, distances’ fits the sentence appropriately.
S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. ‘pretext, protecting’ fits the sentence appropriately as ‘pretext’ means a reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason.
S6. Ans. (d)
S7. Ans. (d)
S8. Ans. (a)
S9. Ans. (a)
S10. Ans. (d)
S11. Ans. (c)
Sol. presented his papers before…’
Singular antecedent (Rakesh and Shakti) joined by or or nor are referred to by singular pronoun (his).
S12. Ans. (d)
Sol. ‘….brighter than any other student….’
In a comparative construction we must be sure that if A and B are compared, A is not included as a part of B.
S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. ‘…. training programme for its….’
A singular pronoun-adjective (its, not their) must be used to refer to a collective noun (company) when the members of the collective noun are considered a unit.
S14. Ans.(a)
Sol. ‘….there were only…..’
The subject of the sentence is plural (a bread and bottles). Therefore, the verb must be plural (were, not was). Here the word there is not the subject.
S15. Ans. (d)
Sol. ‘….fewer cookies…’
Less denotes amount or degree and fewer denotes number.
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English Language Notes for Competitive E...
