English Language Quiz for ECGC PO 2021- 17th January

Directions (1-5): In each of the following
sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence there are five pairs
of words/phrases. You have to choose a pair of words that fits into the blanks
to give a meaningful sentence.

Q1. The battle was now over it remained
only to _________ the wounded and __________ the dead.

(a) fend; exhume (b)
look after; disinter

(e) serve; cremate

Q2. The Japanese say they can ___________
Delhi’s stance on a nuclear ___________ following Indian PM’s explanation.

(a) understand; arsenal (b)
appreciate; moratorium

(e) grasp; law

Q3. That has left Petroleum Minister in
the _________ position of deciding, when exactly to _________ the news to the
country that oil prices will go up.

(a) unenviable; break (b)
sound; broad cast

(e) buoyant; disclose

Q4. But of the __________ in the wake of
the EFC recommendations are any indications we must be prepared for more
__________ tax debates.

(a) quarrels; filthy (b)
brawls; unfriendly

(e) discussions; affable

Q5. Its functioning has been __________
in secrecy and for the first time our magazine lifts the __________.

(a) covered; secret (b)
hidden; truth

(e) cloaked; veil

Directions (6 to 10): There are two gaps in each of the following sentences. From the
pairs of words given, choose the one that fills the gaps most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first gap.

Q6. Early _____ of maladjustment to college culture is _____ by the
tendency to develop friendship

networks outside college which mask signals of maladjustment.

(a) treatment, compounded

(b) detection, facilitated

(d) prevention, helped

(e) perception, disturbed

Q7. The British retailer, M&S, today formally _____ defeat in
its attempt to _____ King’s, its US

subsidiary, since no potential purchasers were ready to cough up
the necessary cash.

(a) admitted, acquire

(b) conceded, offload

(d) ratified, auction

(e) denied, advance

Q8. Companies that try to improve employees’ performance by _____
rewards encourage negative

kinds of behaviour instead of _____ a genuine interest in doing the
work well.

(a) giving, seeking

(b) bestowing, discouraging

(d) withholding, fostering

(e) curbing, sponsoring

Q9. A growing number of these expert professionals ________ having
to train foreigners as the

students end up _____ the teachers who have to then unhappily
contend with no jobs at all or new

jobs with drastically reduced pay packets.

(a) resent, replacing

(b) resist, challenging

(d) are, supplanting

(e) allow, abetting

Q10. The _____ regions of Spain all have unique cultures, but the
_____ views within each region make

the issue of an acceptable common language of instruction an even
more contentious one.

(a) different, discrete

(b) distinct, disparate

(d) different, competing

(e) definite, comparing

Directions (11-15): Rearrange the following sentences (A), (B),
(C), (D), (E), (F), (G) and (H) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful
paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.

A.
The quality of our minds is comparable to the
best anywhere in the world

B.
People are the greatest resources of any
country.

C.
It, therefore, becomes imperative that
we harness our manpower properly.

D.
Unfortunately, adequate attention has
not been paid to these essentials.

E.
If the economic efficiency of our people
is to be improved, they must have the three basic necessities of life.

F.
With their talent and genius, Indians
have made a mark in various fields throughout the world.

G.
And so is the case with India.

H.
However, we are handicapped by a
burgeoning population.

Q11. Which of the following should be
the FIRST sentence after
rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) D

(d) C

(e) G

Q12. Which of the following should be
the THIRD sentence after
rearrangement?

(a) H

(b) A

(d) F

(e) E

Q13. Which of the following should be
the SECOND sentence after
rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) F

(d) G

(e) E

Q14. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement?

(a) E

(b) H

(d) C

(e) G

Q15. Which of the following should be
the EIGTH (LAST) sentence after rearrangement?

(a) G

(b) F

(d) D

(e) B

SOLUTIONS:

S1. Ans. (d)

Sol.
‘succor; bury’ is the correct use.

Succor– to look after; help given to somebody in need or danger

Bury– put or hide underground.

S2.
Ans. (b)

Sol.
‘appreciate; moratorium’ is the correct use.

Appreciate– recognize the full worth of.

Moratorium- temporary stopping of an activity, especially by official
agreement.

S3.
Ans. (a)

Sol.
‘unenviable; break’ is the correct use.

Unenviable– bad or unpleasant; not desirable.

S4.
Ans. (d)

Sol.
‘wrangles; acrimonious’ is the correct use.

Wrangles– long and complicated argument.

Acrimonious– angry and bitter.

S5.
Ans. (e)

Sol.
‘cloaked; veil’ is the correct use.

Cloaked– covered or hidden

Veil– a thing that hides or disguises something

S6. Ans (c)

Sol. ‘Identification, complicated’ is
the correct use.

If you have friends outside college,
they tend to mask adjustment problems with college colleagues.

S7. Ans. (b)

Sol. ‘Conceded and Offload’ is the
correct use.

Conceded
means admit or agree that
something is true after first denying or resisting it.

Offload means rid oneself
of (something) by selling or passing it on to someone else.

S8. Ans. (d)

Sol. ‘withholding, fostering’ is the correct use.

Withholding
– refuse to give
(something that is due to or is desired by another).

Fostering– encourage the
development of (something, especially something desirable).

Negative reinforcements foster negative
behavior.

S9. Ans. (a)

Sol.
‘Resent and replacing’ is the correct use.

Resent-
feel bitterness or
indignation at (a circumstance, action, or person).

S10. Ans. (a)

Sol.
In the first blank the confusion could be between “different” and
“distinct”. However once you know that certain regions of Spain are unique,
only then can you call them distinct, not before. Which is why the first blank
can’t be distinct. So the first blank should be different. Now between (a) and
(d) the correct answer is (a) because discrete means distinct and so we are
carrying forward the thought of difference between regions and then in the
regions themselves.

S11. Ans. (c)