GENERAL ENGLISH

1. The winter session of the Rajya Sabha began on a stormy note on Wednesday (1)/ with a united opposition demanding the constitution (2)/ of a joint parliamentary committee in probing the alleged leak (3)/ of the news of the government's demonetization move. (4)/ No error (5)

2. The town woke up to a normal morning (1)/ on Saturday as businesses (2)/ lifted shutters and educational institutions (3)/ re-opened to starting their next session.(4)/ No error (5)

3. After the death of her first husband at a rather young age, (1)/ and a young daughter to care for, (2)/ she decided to marry with Martin (3)/, an old businessman and father to a son, from his own previous marriage. 

(4)/ No error (5)

4. Forgetting the pain and violence Raghav suffered (1)/ is not going to be easy for him, (2)/but with counselling,(3)/ he is slowly recovering and daring to dream of a brighter future.(4)/ No error (5)

5. Anthony tried to give the clients directions orally, (1)/ but they couldn't understand him,(2)/so he pointed out of (3)/ the turning they were supposed to take.(4)/ No error (5)

Directions:  (Questions 6 - 10) Which of the phrases (1), (2), (3), and (4) given below each sentence should replace the phrase underlined in the sentence to make it grammatically correct? If there is no error mark (5) No correction required as your answer.

6. Owing to sub zero temperatures, drivers of the public transport vehicles started their day early. 

1) Despite 2) Inspiring

3) In spite to 4) According to

5) No correction required

7. By and large, migrants in South Asia have been tolerated if not actually welcomed.

1) Has tolerated

2) Are tolerated

3) Tolerating

4) Always tolerated

5) No correction required

8. Internet services of pre-paid users remained barred in all the sensitive areas. 

1) Remains 2) Remain

3) Remaining 4) Remain to

5) No correction required

9. One of the great boon of bringing such archives to light would be to spur discussions over their stories. 

1) Boon off 2) Boon at

3) Boons of 4) Boons to

5) No correction required

10. It took them two days to put off place a makeshift system to deal with changed needs.

1) Put down 2) Put up

3) Put in 4) Put of

5) No correction required

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

A) The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of its daily rotation mean that the two opposite points in the sky to which the Earth's axis of rotation points change very slowly making a complete circle approximately every 26,000 years. 

B) This is because the two hemispheres face opposite directions along Earth's axis, and so as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer. 

C) The winter solstice is considered by some to mark the end of autumn and the start of winter. 

D) In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere this is the June solstice. 

E) Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. 

F) As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the polar hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. 

11. What is the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement?

1) A 2) B

3) C 4) D 5) F

12. What is the THIRD sentence after rearrangement?

1) A 2) B 3) C 4) F 5) E

13. What is the SECOND sentence after rearrangement?

1) A 2) B 3) D 4) E 5) F

14. What is the FIRST sentence after rearrangement?

1) B 2) A 3) C 4) D 5) E

15. What is the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement?

1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) F

Directions (Q. 16-20): Each question below has a blank/ two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the word/ set of words from the five options for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

16. Nothing is so --------- to a nation as an extreme of self partiality, and the total want of ------ of what others will naturally hope or fear.

1) Detrimental … concern

2) Repugnant … sense

3) Harmful… discussion

4) Unethical … discretion

5) Fatal … consideration

17. Let us ---------- with due ---------- that ancient India was more civilized than modern India with its satellites in space. 

1) admit, humility

2) adopt, certainty

3) suppose, timidness

4) oblige… humble

5) presume, meekness

18. The workers were not ------------ with their low wages and non-payment of wages for last three months ---------- fuel to the fire.

1) Satisfied …. Added

2) Paid… joined

3) Overwhelmed… bounced

4) Jubilant … justified

5) Renounced … impressed

19. There are attempts being made to try to ------------ languages through specific ------------ but the result is that some tongues become conserved as if they were a museum piece.

1) Conserve …. Systems

2) Preserve … measures

3) Generate … attempts

4) Protect … symbols

5) Maintain … defend

20. The educational ------------- of our people is far below what is necessary for effective individual living or for the --------------- of society.

1) Procurement… upliftment

2) Advancement…upkeep

3) Maintenance… attainment

4) Achievement…advancement

5) Accomplishment…regeneration

Directions (Q.21-25) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

We hunted during a couple of hours, not because the old straw hat was valuable but out of curiosity to find out how such a thing could manage to conceal itself in open ground where there was nothing left for it to hide behind. When one is reading in bed and lays his paper-knife down, he cannot find it again if it is smaller than a saber. That hat was as stubborn as any paper-knife could have been, and we finally had to give it up, but we found a fragment that had once belonged to an opera-glass, and by digging around and turning over the rocks we gradually collected all the lenses and the cylinders and the various odds and ends that go to making up a complete opera-glass. We afterward had the thing reconstructed, and the owner can have his adventurous lost property by submitting proofs and paying costs of rehabilitation.

21. Why would someone have a paper-knife in bed?

1) It is as useful as a weapon

2) it is difficult to move around without it

3) to cut the uncut pages of books

4) to search for a lost object

22. Why would someone have an opera-glass in the mountains?

1) it is a precious item of great value

2) it helps to find way out 

3) an opera-glass is a type of binoculars

4) it is used for reconstruction

23. Is Twain serious about returning the opera-glass to its owner? How do we know?

1) if proofs are submitted reveals the truth

2) he wants documentary evidence

3) serious - as he looks forward for anyone who claims it

4) Not serious. No one would be able to submit proofs

24. Why is "rehabilitation" a funny word in this context?

1) nothing related to the seriousness of the lost property

2) it is used for reconstruction

3) it refers to living beings or their affairs

4) it doesn't help in reconstruction

25. The synonym of stubborn is?

1) bolshie 2) floppy

3) flaccid 4) droopy

 

KEY

1) 3 2) 4 3) 3 4) 5

5) 3 6) 1 7) 5 8) 2

9) 3 10) 3 11) 5 12) 1

13) 3 14) 5 15) 2 16) 1

17) 1 18) 1 19) 3 20) 1

21) 3 22) 3 23) 4 24) 3

25) 1