Mixed English Questions for Mains Exam — Set 332

Directions(1-4): The given questions carries a statement with 3 blanks. Each is followed by5 options. Choose the word which aptly fits in all the 3 blanks.

1. China has offered its full support to Hong Kong’s embattled leader and its police force and said that ______ protesters must be swiftly punished, in rare remarks by the government office that oversees policy towards the territory. According to China the most dangerous situation in Hong Kong is that _______ crimes have not been effectively stopped. The most important task of Hong Kong at present is to resolutely punish _____ crimes according to law, restore social stability as soon as possible, and safeguard Hong Kong’s good legal system.
   Nefarious
   Agitated
   Peaceful
   Violent
   Rebelling
   Option D
   ‘Nefarious’ means wicked or criminal and is typically used to describe an action or activity. ‘Agitated’ means feeling or appearing troubled or nervous. ‘Peaceful’ means free from disturbance. ‘Violent’ means using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. ‘Rebelling’ means rise in opposition or armed resistance to an established government or leader.
   From the passage it is clear that an adjective is required to describe the ‘protestors’ as well as crimes. Thus, options B and E which are verbs are negated. Option C is negated as it is out of context. Option A cannot be used to describe the ‘protestors.’ Thus, option D is the correct answer as it can be used to fill all three blanks.

    

2. Planting billions of trees across the world is by far the biggest and cheapest way to tackle the climate crisis, according to scientists, who have made the first calculation of how many more trees could be planted without ______ on crop land or urban areas. Finally, we have an authoritative assessment of how much land we can and should cover with trees without ____ on food production or living areas. It presents an ambitious but essential vision for climate and biodiversity but many of the reforestation areas identified
   currently have livestock ______ on them including, for example, large parts of Ireland.
   Encroaching
   Engaging
   Erecting
   Eloping
   Disturbing
   Option A
   ‘Encroaching’ means advance gradually beyond usual or acceptable limits. ‘Engaging’ means occupy or attract (someone’s interest or attention).
   ‘Erecting’ means put together and set upright (a building, wall, or other structure). ‘Eloping’ means run away secretly in order to get married.
   ‘Disturbing’ means interfere with the normal arrangement or functioning of.
   In context of the given passage, options B, C and D can be negated. A few verbs do not require a preposition before an expression of place and ‘disturbing’ is one such verb. Since all the blanks are followed by the preposition ‘on’, option A is the best fit word for the given blanks.

    

3. When you read a children’s book, you are given the space to read again as a child: to find your way back, back to the time when new discoveries came daily and when the world was colossal, before your _______ was trimmed and neatened, as if it were an optional extra. But _______ is not and never has been optional. It’s at the heart of everything, _______ allows us to experience the world from the perspectives of others, the condition precedent of love itself.
   Wit
   Obsession
   Imagination
   Fetish
   Neurosis
   Option C
   ‘Wit’ means keen intelligence. ‘Obsession’ means the state of being obsessed with someone or something. ‘Imagination’ means the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful. ‘Fetish’ means an excessive and irrational devotion or commitment to a particular thing. ‘Neurosis’ means a relatively mild mental illness that is not caused by organic disease, involving symptoms of stress (depression, anxiety, obsessive behaviour, hypochondria) but not a radical loss of touch with reality.
   Thus, from the given meanings, it is evident that only option C fits the given blanks correctly.

    

4. At least 52 people have been killed in a gruesome _____ battle that broke out in an prison in the Brazilian Amazon on Monday morning. Officials said a local drug _______ had invaded the wing controlled by its rivals in the city of Altamira in the state of Pará. Security specialists blamed a ______ war across the Amazon region for control of the lucrative drug trade.
   Allied
   Band
   Squad
   Troop
   Gang
   Option E
   ‘Allied’ means combine or unite a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit. ‘Band’ means a small group of musicians and vocalists.
   ‘Squad’ means a small group of people having a particular task. ‘Troop’ means soldiers or armed forces. ‘Gang’ means an organized group of criminals.
   In context of the given sentence, we need a word associated with criminal matters to fill the given blanks. Off the given options, only option E fulfils this criterion, making it the correct answer.

    

Directions(5-7): In the given question, a sentence is divided into five parts out of which the last part is correct. Out of the remaining four, there is an error in one of the parts. Choose the part which has an error. If there is no error, mark E i.e. ‘All are correct’ as the answer.

5. In 1766, the German philosopher (A)/ Immanuel Kant declared that people (B)/ who claim to see spirits, such as (C)/ his contemporary, the Swedish (D)/ scientist Emanuel Swedenborg, are mad.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option E
   

    

6. A yawn, or an oscitation, is technically (A)/ a reflexive action for which (B)/ one simultaneously breath (C)/ in, stretch their eardrums (D)/ and then exhales the breath.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option A
   Part B: Replace ‘for’ with ‘in’. The sentence attempts to imply what is involved when somebody yawns.
   Part C: Breath is a noun. There should be a third person present form of the verb (breathes) to agree with the noun (one).
   Part D: The verb ‘stretch’ is for the noun ‘action’. Action is a singular noun, so a singular verb will follow. So, it will be ‘stretches’.

    

7. China appreciates Nepal firm adherence (A)/ from the one-China policy, respects Nepal’s independent (B)/ choice of social system and development (C)/ path, and support Nepal in safeguarding its national (D)/ independence, sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, he said.
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option C
   The error in A is the incorrect use of ‘Nepal’ and needs to be replaced with ‘Nepal’s’ to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. This is because the possession is being made and in order to show possession apostrophe (‘s) is used.
   The error in part B of the sentence is the incorrect use of ‘from’ and needs to be replaced with ‘to’ to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. This is because; ‘to’ suggest the noun to which the previously mentioned noun is compiled. ‘Adherence’ is the fact of someone behaving exactly according to rules, beliefs, etc., thus, ‘to’ should be used in the case and not ‘from’.
   The error in D is ‘support’ which must be replaced with ‘supports’. This is because to the noun ‘China’ is a single noun and thus should be followed by a singular verb i.e. ‘supports’, to describe that China supports Nepal in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests.

    

Directions(8-10): Which of the following phrases (i), (ii), and (iii) given below each sentence should replace the phrase in brackets to make the sentence grammatically correct? Choose the best option among the five given alternatives that reflect the correct use of phrase in the context of a grammatically correct sentence. If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (E) i.e., “No correction required” as the answer.

8. India’s Mars Orbiter, (which is poised to slip into orbit about) the red planet on Wednesday, is the world’s lowest-budget mission to the red planet.
   i. which is poised to slip into orbit around
   ii. which is about to slip into orbit about
   iii. which is posed to slip into orbit around
   Only i
   Only ii
   Only iii
   ii and iii
   No correction required
   Option A
   ‘About’ is used in situations where approximations are being made. It can be related to time or space. But in the given sentence, we are talking about a scientific endeavour that involves millions of calculations and relies on their accuracy. There is no place for approximation here. So, the Orbital has to be in a fixed orbit around mars.
   To pose means to sit or stand in a particular position in order to be painted, drawn or photographed. To poise means to be or keep something balanced or suspended. The Orbital has to be in perfect position in order to enter the orbit around mars.

    

9. The business looks at this new country and decides to move there because, from their standpoint, (they can make costs and be more efficient).

   i. it would benefit their CEO’s personal life
   ii. they can save costs and be more efficient
   iii. but to be cost efficient and tax exemptions.

   Only i
   Only ii
   Only iii
   ii and iii
   No correction required
   Option B
   The highlighted part is wrong because we can be more efficient and save money, not make them. ‘Make’ is not the suitable verb in this case.
   Option i is wrong, as no company would change their base country for such a reason, or at least not openly.
   Option iii uses ‘but’ which is used to state contradictions. But the phrase following ‘but’ doesn’t contradict anything from the given statement.

    

10. The company should insure its workers because (if uninsured workers end up into the ER), the burden falls on society, not the company.
    i. when these uninsured workers end in ER
    ii. when the uninsured workers fall ill
    iii. if these uninsured workers suffer injury
    Only i
    Only ii
    Only iii
    ii and iii
    No correction required
    Option D
    We use ‘into’ to talk about the movement of something, usually with a verb that expresses movement (e.g. go,come). It shows where something is or was going. But in the given sentence, there is no such movement. The sentence is stating the position of the workers. In such cases, we use the preposition ‘in’.
    The verb ‘end’ is a synonym of the verb ‘finish’. The verb ‘end’ is used more often as an intransitive verb. The phrasal verb “end up” communicates, not termination, but an eventual circumstance. Here, the workers may have to visit the ER if/when they are injured or sick.