Mixed English Questions for Mains Exam — Set 380

Directions(1-6): In the given question, 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. Aside by his solemn expression, (A)/ there were nothing in the way he acted (B)/ with the children that might indicate (C)/ anything was wrong among them. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option C
   In part A, note that the sentence mentions that except for his formal expression there was indication that something was wrong.
   Hence, ‘apart from’ should replace ‘aside by’ to make the part meaningfully correct.
   In part B, the plural be verb ‘were’ is used for singular subject ‘expression’ to make the part incorrect. Thus, ‘was’ should be used in place of ‘were’.
   In part D, the statement tells that there was something unspecified was wrong among them. Hence, the pronoun used here must be ‘something’ which means ‘a thing that is unspecified or unknown’. Whereas ‘anything’ is used to refer to a thing, no matter what.

    

2. Although middle adulthood present (A)/ the opportunity to more leisure activities,(B)/most people report that (C)/ in their lives do not seem to slow down. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option C
   In part A, the plural form ‘present’ is used instead of the singular form ‘presents’ which is against the Subject-Verb Agreement rule.
   In part B, the erroneous use of preposition ‘to’ instead of the appropriate preposition ‘for’ makes this part incorrect.
   Part D is wrong since ‘in’ should not be used here. ‘In’ should be completely omitted to make the sentence both grammatically and contextually correct.

    

3. As the soldiers had been starved, (A)/ their ammunition were expanded, (B)/ their clothes were through rags (C)/ and their leaders were dead, it was easier for the enemies to defeat them. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option D
   In part A, the part suggests a time when the soldiers were for a continued period of time starving. Hence, the correct tense should have been past continuous tense i.e The soldiers were starving.
   In part B, ‘ammunition’ is a singular word. The verb after ammunition should be singular ‘was’ and not ‘were’.
   In part C, the preposition ‘through’ is wrong. The correct preposition should have been ‘in’ and must replace through.

    

4. The number of acres (A)/ destroyed by wildfires (B)/ has increased dramatically (C)/ over the past several years. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option E
   

    

5. Stress is a part of near (A)/ everyone’s existence, and our (B)/ lives are crowd with (C)/ circumstantial that produce threats to our well-being. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option B
   Part A is wrong because ‘nearly’ means ‘at or to a short distance away; nearby’; the appropriate adverb is ‘nearly’ which means ‘almost’.
   Part C is wrong since ‘crowd’ is used instead of the appropriate verb is ‘crowded’.
   Part D is wrong since the adjective ‘circumstantial: pointing indirectly towards someone’s guilt but not conclusively proving it’ used instead of the plural noun ‘circumstances’.

    

6. There is a new Cold War in a world (A)/ and it is not between the United States and Russia; (B)/ that is a diplomatic war among a presumptuous ‘sole super power’ (C)/ and a chastened or proud country that has lost its pole position. (D)
   A
   B
   C
   D
   All are correct
   Option B
   In part A, the noun ‘world’ needs a definite article ‘the’ preceding it instead of the indefinite article ‘a’.
   In part C, the preposition ‘among’ has been incorrectly used. ‘Among’ is used when the items are part of a group, or are not specifically named. The correct preposition to be used here is ‘between’.
   In part D, the conjunction ‘or’ is used incorrectly as it suggests that only one possibility can be realized. Since we need to highlight a contrast (chastened/proud) the correct preposition to be used here is ‘but’.

    

Directions(7-10): Two statements with one blank in each are given. These statements are followed by five alternatives. Choose the one which fits into the set of statements.

7. A. Society generally tends to ____ creativity since it does not fit into the uniform standard of behavior.
   B. This need of the people to ____ a unique idea leads to the suppression of progress.
   Implement
   Destruct
   Stifle
   Produce
   Create
   Option C
   The word ‘stifle’ fits in both the blanks. Stifle means:
   1. restrain (a reaction) or stop oneself acting on (an emotion).
   2. prevent or constrain (an activity or idea)

    

8. A. Malleable metals are necessary for the ____ of greater and more useful finished products.
   B. The mass _____ and distribution of goods and services is the foundation upon which a successful organization is built.
   Division
   Perfecting
   Inviting
   Destruction
   Production
   Option E
   

    

9. A. Millennials are a group of _____ young people who have revolutionized the work-from-home job market.
   B. It is this _____ nature that is the driving force behind their progressive and creative work ethic.
   Ambitious
   Demanding
   Subordinate
   Intense
   Disgusting
   Option A
   

    

10. A. The main objective of UNESCO is to _____ any differences that arise between its member countries and to stop these differences from arising again.
    B. It is very important to _____ the problems that could arise from differences in fundamental ideas and policies.
    Create
    Resolve
    Underlying
    Integrate
    Oppose
    Option B