Mixed English Questions for Mains Exam — Set 207

Directions(1-5): In the given questions, a sentence is divided into four parts. There are errors in three parts. Choose the part which doesn’t have an error. If all the four parts are correct, mark E, i.e. ‘All are correct’ as the answer.

1. One hundred and fifteen acres for (A)/ hiking and cycling trails, along by fishing and kayaking (B)/ opportunities is available (C)/ at this outdoor attraction year-round. (D)
   
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option D
   Part A is incorrect because of the preposition ‘for’. ‘Of’ should be used instead.
   Part B is incorrect because of the preposition ‘by’ after ‘along’. ‘With’ should be used after ‘along’ to render the correct meaning.
   Part C is incorrect because subject-verb agreement is violated. When the connector ‘along with’ is used to combine two subjects, the verb agrees with the subject mentioned first. The subject in the sentence is hiking and cycling trails, which is plural, hence, verb must be plural i.e. ‘are’.

    

2. We could have (A)/ had the longer holiday, (B)/ if we didn’t spend so (C)/ many money on the house. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option A
   Part B is incorrect due to wrong determiner ‘the’. It should be replaced with the article ‘a’ to make the segment correct.
   Part C is incorrect because of the incorrect usage of the tense. The sentence is a type 3 conditional sentence. In Type 3 sentences, the speaker looks back from the present to a past time and event. The speaker talks about what might have happened but did not, either because the wrong thing was done or because nothing was done. The main clause uses would, could, or might + have + the past participle of a main verb. The ‘if-clause’ uses the past perfect tense. Therefore, ‘didn’t spend’ must be replaced with ‘hadn’t spent’.
   Part D is incorrect because of the usage of ‘many’. We use much if the noun is non-countable (e.g., water, sand) and ‘many’ if the noun is countable (e.g., oranges, children). Therefore, ‘much’ must be used instead of ‘many’.

    

3. After receiving a considerably (A)/ number of calls each day (B), the district attorney’s office have (C)/ decided to reopen an investigation. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option B
   Part A requires an adjective while an adverb is used. ‘Considerably’ must be replaced with ‘considerable’ to render the correct meaning.
   Part C violates subject-verb agreement. Here the subject is ‘district attorney’s office’ which is singular and hence the verb must be singular. Therefore, ‘have’ must be replaced with ‘has’ to make it correct.
   Part D is incorrect because of incorrect determiner ‘an’. The sentence talks about a particular investigation, therefore, the definite article ‘the’ must be used instead of ‘an’.

    

4. I have (A)/ to feed the animals (B)/ as well as looking (C)/ after the children. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option E
   

    

5. We only have people doing (A)/ these work because we (B)/ have not until developed the (C)/ technology to got machines to do it. (D)
   
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option A
   Part B: ‘These’ is erroneous. ‘Work’ is singular hence, ‘this’ must be used.
   Part C: ‘Until’ must be replaced with ‘yet’ as the time frame according to the sentence is up until the present time.
   Part D: We always use infinitive or gerund form after ‘to’. However, past tense of the verb is used after ‘to’. Therefore, it must be replaced with ‘get’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.

    

Directions(6-10): Two sentences with one blank in each, followed by five alternatives, are given. Choose that option as the answer which can fill both the blanks of both the sentences appropriately.

6. a) The notion that money makes you happy is a __________ because happiness has nothing to do with wealth.
   b) While the business plan sounds good on paper, it is built on the __________ that people will pay thirty dollars to see a movie.
   Blunder
   Fallacy
   Mishap
   Failure
   Debacle
   Option B
   ‘Fallacy’ means ‘a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound arguments’.
   Debacle means a sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco.
   

    

7. I. Soon the committee will decide if the politician committed an __________ when he accepted money from the lobbyist.
   II. As the head of the internal affairs unit, John was asked to investigate the police chief for an act of __________.
   Impropriety
   Error
   Anecdotal
   Overthrow
   Oust
   Option A
   ‘Impropriety’ means ‘failure to observe standards of honesty or modesty; improper behaviour or character’.

    

8. I. A surgeon cannot afford to have a __________ in his skills, as it could cost a patient’s life.
   II. Letting off the accused murderer, the citizens felt there was a huge __________ in justice.
   Felony
   Hokum
   Privilege
   Lapse
   Situation
   Option D
   Lapse means ‘a brief or temporary failure of concentration, memory, or judgement’.
   Felony: a crime regarded in the US and many other judicial systems as more serious than a misdemeanour
   Hokum: nonsense

    

9. I. Because the police were waiting for him to try and sell the diamond, the jewel thief had no idea his __________ behaviour had been discovered.
   II. The king took it upon himself to personally execute the __________ soldier who led the enemy into the castle.
   Garrulous
   Perfidious
   Gregarious
   Loquacious
   Tenacious
   Option B
   Perfidious means ‘deceitful and untrustworthy’.
   Garrulous: excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters
   Gregarious: (of a person) fond of company; sociable
   Loquacious: tending to talk a great deal; talkative
   Tenacious: tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely

    

10. I. The accountant refused to __________ the numbers even when his boss insisted that he should try and cheat the system.
    II. Because she wanted to get into the club, the seventeen-year-old decided to __________ and said she was eighteen.
    Contrive
    Formulate
    Fudge
    Procure
    Wrangle
    Option C
    Fudge means to ‘present or deal with (something) in a vague or inadequate way, especially, so as to conceal the truth or mislead’.
    Contrive: create or bring about (an object or a situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice.
    Wrangle: have a long, complicated dispute or argument