Mixed English Questions for Mains Exam — Set 246

Directions(1-6): In the given questions, a sentence is divided into five parts out of which the last part is correct. Out of the remaining four, 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. Kohli’s 153-run knock earned the (A)/ praise of Proteas speedstar Morne Morkel (B)/ who admit that the opposing (C)/ team has the potential of beat (D)/ South Africa in their own home. (E)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option A
   Part B: The word ‘speedstar’ is wrong. The correct word is ‘speedster’. It means a person or thing that operates well at high speed, eg: a fast car.
   Part C: The entire sentence is in past tense, so we must use ‘admitted’.
   Part D: Either we must use ‘potential to beat’ or potential of ‘beating’.

    

2. One of those days in Birmingham when (A)/ England swung from deliriousness to (B)/worry before they smiled, India (C)/went from worry to relief and to a (D)/brief phase of joy before they gave up trying. (E)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option E
   

    

3. Triggering massive fears against a health crisis (A)/ in East Africa, a nine-years-old girl in central Uganda (B)/ died after showing symptoms of (C)/ an extreme contagious disease (D)/ called Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. (E)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option C
   Part A: One doesn’t fear against something but about something. Hence, against is incorrect.
   Part B: The correct way of writing the age in the given format is age-year-old and not age-years-old.
   Part D: Extreme defines the adjective contagious; hence it must be qualified by an adverb. Hence, extreme should be replaced by extremely.

    

4. The Centre had pleaded with an apex (A)/ court to put in place a mechanism to monitor (B)/ crimes against woman by khap panchayats, (C)/ as the police was not unable to protect (D)/ women facing ordeal at their hands. (E)
   
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option B
   Part A is wrong because there is only one apex court which means the ‘highest court’ in India i.e. The Supreme Court of India. So we must use ‘The’ instead of ‘an’.
   Part C is wrong because ‘woman’ is used for a single woman. But here the sentence intends to talk about all ‘women’ in general. So we must use the plural form.
   Part D is wrong because unable itself is a negative word. We can’t have two negatives in the same sentence. So either was not ‘able’ to or only ‘unable to’ is correct.

    

5. An unaccounted income of above (A)/ Rs 1,400 crore has unearthed (B)/ while raids on VK Sasikala’s family members (C)/ and premises of Jaya TV at Chennai, (D)/ Income Tax officials said on Monday(E).
   
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option A
   Part B is wrong because money will not unearth itself. It has been unearthed by the IT department. So we must use ‘been’.
   Part C is wrong because, ‘while’ means ‘whereas’ indicating a contrast. The correct word that fits here well is ‘during’ IT raids.
   Part D is wrong because ‘Chennai’ is a big state. We can’t use ‘at‘ with Chennai. ‘At’ should be used to give exact location. E.g. ‘At the Chennai station, or At the bus stop’ etc. For larger places like countries, continents or cities, we must use ‘in’.

    

6. The Indian media is largely controlled by extremely (A)/ corrupt politicians and industrialists that play a (B)/ major role by misleading the public from incorrect information (C)/ and use the media through mud-slinging (D)/ at political and business opponents(E).
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option A
   The error in B is the incorrect usage of the pronoun ‘that’ as it is only used when referring to things. The more appropriate pronoun here will be ‘who’ which is used when referring to people.
   The error in part C of the sentence is the use of the preposition ‘from’. The correct preposition here will be ‘with’.
   The error in D is ‘through’ which must be replaced with ‘for’, as the media is used by the politicians and industrialists to defame others.

    

Directions(7-10): In the given questions, one statement with a blank is given along with four words. Two of the given words can fit into the given blank. Five options with various combinations of these words are given. Pick up the combination of the words that fit into the blank.

7. She opposed, almost violently, Sir John’s intention of going out into the drive one frostily sunny morning in _____ defiance of his physician.
   a) Gruff
   b) Curt
   c) Tactful
   d) Benign
   a-b
   c-d
   a-c
   b-d
   b-c
   Option A
   Option a: Gruff means a voice which is rough and low in pitch. It also means abrupt or taciturn in manner.
   Option b: Curt means ‘rudely brief.’
   Option c: Tactful means having or showing skill and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues.
   Option d: Benign means gentle and kind.

    

8. Organized differently in rural areas from urban ones, that state was Janus-faced, _____.
   a) Malignant
   b) Bifurcated
   c) Forked
   d) Allied
   a-b
   b-c
   c-d
   d-a
   a-c
   Option B
   Option a: Malignant is an adjective which means something/someone evil in nature or effect.
   Option b: Bifurcated is a verb which means divided into two parts or branches.
   Option c: Forked is an adjective which means having a divided or pronged end or branches
   Option d: Allied is an adjective which means joined by or relating to members of an alliance.

    

9. The world today is absorbed in the prosecution of the war, but when the battle-flags are _____ the thoughts of men will be engaged upon the best means of establishing and safeguarding a permanent and worldwide peace.
   a) Furled
   b) Uncoiled
   c) Bolted
   d) Released
   
   a-c
   b-d
   c-d
   a-d
   b-c
   Option A
   Option a: Furled means to roll or fold up something neatly and securely.
   Option b: Uncoil means to straighten or cause to straighten from a coiled or curled position.
   Option c: Bolted means to fasten something to something else with a long pin that screws into a nut.
   Option d: Released means to allow something to move, act, or flow freely.

    

10. The Soviet-inspired style has become _____ in recent years as it incorporates emblems of the Russian designers.
    a) Questionable
    b) Fashionable
    c) Trend
    d) Success
    a-c
    c-d
    b-d
    b-c
    a-b
    Option E
    Trend and success are nouns, whereas questionable and fashionable are adjectives. Questionable means ‘doubtful as regards truth or validity.’ Fashionable means ‘characteristic of, influenced by, or representing a current, popular style.’