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Past Questions — 2024
What is a Dastak?
A)
Exemptions from payment of land revenue
B)
Exempting the English East India Company from paying customs duties
C)
Exemptions from payment of house tax
D)
All ofthe above
A 'Dastak' was a trade permit or pass issued by the Mughal Empire to the English East India Company. Under the Farman granted by Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1717, the Company was granted the right to trade duty-free in Bengal. The Dastak served as the official document to exempt the Company's goods from paying customs duties (transit duties) at various checkpoints. This privilege became a major point of contention between the Company and the Nawabs of Bengal, as Company officials began using Dastaks for their private trade, leading to significant revenue losses for the local treasury and eventually contributing to the conflict that led to the Battle of Plassey (1757). Options 'a' and 'c' are incorrect because Dastaks were specifically related to trade and customs duties, not land revenue or house taxes.
What is the key ingredient in Vinegar that you use in your diet?
A)
Acetic Acid
B)
Ascorbic Acid
C)
Benzoic Acid
D)
Nicotinic Acid
Vinegar is produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. The primary chemical component that gives vinegar its characteristic sour taste and pungent smell is acetic acid (CH3COOH), typically present in concentrations of 4% to 8% by volume.
Analysis of other options:
- b. Ascorbic Acid: This is Vitamin C, found primarily in citrus fruits; it is not the key ingredient of vinegar.
- c. Benzoic Acid: This is commonly used as a food preservative (often as sodium benzoate) to inhibit mold growth, but it is not the defining component of vinegar.
- d. Nicotinic Acid: Also known as Niacin (Vitamin B3), it is an essential nutrient but not an ingredient in vinegar.
What is the El Nino phenomenon?
A)
Periodic cooling of the ocean surface in the South China Sea
B)
A warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean
C)
Acooling of sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean
D)
None
El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by the abnormal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Under normal conditions, trade winds blow from east to west, pushing warm surface water toward Asia. During an El Niño event, these trade winds weaken or even reverse, allowing warm water to flow back toward the coast of South America. This shift disrupts global weather patterns, often leading to droughts in Southeast Asia and Australia and heavy rainfall/flooding in the Americas.
Analysis of options:
- Option (a) is incorrect because El Niño occurs in the Pacific Ocean, not the South China Sea, and it involves warming, not cooling.
- Option (c) is incorrect because it refers to the Indian Ocean; while the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a similar phenomenon, El Niño specifically refers to the Pacific.
- Option (d) is incorrect as option (b) is the scientifically accurate definition.
Through which one among the following materials does sound travel fastest?
A)
Air
B)
Solids
C)
Water
D)
Wood
Sound is a mechanical wave that propagates through the vibration of particles in a medium. The speed of sound depends primarily on the elasticity (stiffness) and the density of the medium.
1. **Elasticity and Density**: In solids, atoms and molecules are packed much more closely together and are held by stronger intermolecular bonds compared to liquids and gases. This high elasticity allows the vibrational energy to be transferred from one particle to the next much more rapidly.
2. **Comparison**:
- **Air (Gas)**: Particles are far apart; sound travels slowest (approx. 343 m/s).
- **Water (Liquid)**: Particles are closer than in air; sound travels faster than in air (approx. 1,480 m/s).
- **Solids**: Particles are most tightly packed; sound travels fastest (e.g., in steel, it is approx. 5,960 m/s).
While 'Wood' (option d) is a solid, 'Solids' (option b) is the more comprehensive and correct category, as sound travels fastest in the solid state of matter generally, and specifically in dense, elastic solids like metals.
The Iqta system, introduced in the Delhi Sultanate, was primarily related to:
A)
Religious matters
B)
Land revenue and military administration
C)
Temple management
D)
Maritime trade
The Iqta system was a grant of the right to collect land revenue from a specified territory (an 'Iqta') given by the Sultan to his officers or nobles (known as Iqtadars or Muqtis).
1. Why Option (b) is correct: The primary purpose of the Iqta system was twofold: first, to ensure the efficient collection of land revenue for the state, and second, to maintain a standing army. The Iqtadar used a portion of the revenue to pay themselves and their soldiers, thereby decentralizing military administration while keeping the nobility dependent on the Sultan.
2. Why other options are incorrect:
- Option (a): While the Sultanate was an Islamic state, the Iqta system was a fiscal and administrative tool, not a religious one.
- Option (c): Temple management was not the purpose of the Iqta system; in fact, the system focused on state revenue and military control.
- Option (d): Maritime trade was managed through ports and customs duties, not through the land-grant based Iqta system.
What is the correct name of a ‘Shooting star’?
A)
Moon
B)
Meteor
C)
Asteroid
D)
Little star
A 'shooting star' is a common name for a meteor. A meteor is a streak of light that occurs when a meteoroid (a small piece of rock or dust from space) enters Earth's atmosphere at high speed. The friction between the meteoroid and the atmospheric gases generates intense heat, causing the object to vaporize and create a glowing trail of ionized gas, which appears as a falling star to an observer on the ground.
Why other options are incorrect:
- a. Moon: The Moon is Earth's natural satellite, a large celestial body that orbits the Earth; it does not 'shoot' across the sky.
- c. Asteroid: Asteroids are large rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. While a piece of an asteroid can become a meteoroid, the 'shooting star' effect specifically refers to the atmospheric entry (the meteor).
- d. Little star: This is a descriptive term, not a scientific name. Shooting stars are not actually stars (which are massive balls of plasma), but small debris particles.
Which gas is the primary contributor to the greenhouse effect?
A)
Oxygen
B)
Carbon dioxide
C)
Neon
D)
Helium
The greenhouse effect is caused by gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary contributor among the options provided because it is emitted in large quantities through natural processes (respiration, volcanic eruptions) and human activities (burning fossil fuels, deforestation), and it remains in the atmosphere for a long time.
Analysis of other options:
- Oxygen (a): This is a diatomic gas that makes up about 21% of the atmosphere but does not trap infrared radiation and thus is not a greenhouse gas.
- Neon (c): This is a noble gas. Noble gases are chemically inert and do not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
- Helium (d): Like neon, helium is a noble gas and does not possess the molecular structure required to absorb and emit infrared radiation.
Which country is popularly known as ‘Coffee pot of the world’?
A)
Chile
B)
Brazil
C)
China
D)
Argentina
Brazil is popularly known as the 'Coffee pot of the world' because it has been the world's largest producer of coffee for over 150 years. The country possesses ideal climatic conditions (tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons) and vast areas of fertile land suitable for the cultivation of both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans.
Analysis of other options:
- Chile: While Chile is known for its copper production and wine, it is not a major global coffee producer.
- China: China is a leader in tea production and various industrial crops, but not coffee.
- Argentina: While Argentina produces coffee and other agricultural goods, its scale of production is negligible compared to Brazil.
Capt. T.H.Lewin wrote a famous book called-
A)
The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and The Dwellers Therein
B)
A Grammar of Lushai Language
C)
Progressive Colloquial Exercise in Lushai Dialect of the ‘Dzo’
D)
Mizo Chanchin
Captain T.H. Lewin was a British officer who served in the Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. He is widely recognized for his detailed ethnographic and geographical accounts of the region. His most famous work is 'The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and The Dwellers Therein', published in 1869, which provided early Western readers with insights into the culture and geography of the area.
Regarding the other options:
- Option (b) 'A Grammar of Lushai Language' and Option (c) 'Progressive Colloquial Exercise in Lushai Dialect' are typically associated with early missionaries (such as J.H. Lorrain and F.W. Savidge) who worked on the linguistic codification of the Mizo language.
- Option (d) 'Mizo Chanchin' refers to Mizo history/news in general and is not a specific book authored by Capt. Lewin.
The first Mizo Kristian song is-
A)
Tlang Thim chhak lam kei ka en ang
B)
Isua Vanahaawma
C)
Lal ber hmaah kan ding ang
D)
Lal ber sipai kan ni
In the history of Christianity in Mizoram, the first Mizo hymn (Kristian hla) was composed by the early missionaries and local converts. 'Tlang Thim chhak lam kei ka en ang' is recognized as the first Mizo Christian song. It was translated/composed during the early stages of the mission work by the Welsh Presbyterian Missionaries (such as J.H. Lorrain and F.W. Savidge) to introduce the gospel through music to the Mizo people. Options b, c, and d are later hymns or songs that became popular in the Mizo church but do not hold the distinction of being the first.
Complete the sentence with suitable pronoun: Between you and ___, this film is going to be a flop.
Answer: me
The sentence requires a pronoun to follow the preposition 'Between'. In English grammar, prepositions (such as 'between', 'for', 'with', 'to') must be followed by the objective case of a pronoun, not the nominative (subject) case.
1. Identify the preposition: The word 'Between' is a preposition.
2. Determine the case: Prepositions take the objective case (me, us, him, her, them, whom).
3. Evaluate common errors: Many speakers mistakenly use 'I' (the nominative case) because it sounds more formal or because they are confused by similar structures, but 'Between you and I' is grammatically incorrect.
4. Conclusion: The correct objective pronoun to pair with 'you' in this context is 'me'.
Complete the sentence with suitable pronoun: Each person in the room turned ___ head to see who it was.
Answer: his or her
1. **Analyze the Subject**: The subject of the sentence is 'Each person'.
2. **Determine Number**: The word 'Each' is a distributive pronoun/determiner that always takes a singular verb and requires a singular possessive pronoun.
3. **Gender Neutrality**: Since 'person' is of an unspecified gender, the grammatically precise singular possessive pronoun is 'his or her'.
4. **Usage Note**: In traditional formal grammar, 'his' was often used as a generic singular; however, in modern standard English and competitive examinations, 'his or her' is the most accurate way to maintain singular agreement while remaining gender-neutral. While 'their' is commonly used in spoken English (singular they), in strict formal grammar tests, 'his or her' is preferred to match the singular 'Each'.
Complete the sentence with the right preposition that goes with the adjective before it: We got bored___doing the same thing every day.
ABOUT)
about
FOR)
for
ON)
on
WITH)
with
The sentence requires a preposition that correctly collocates with the adjective 'bored'. In English grammar, the standard preposition used to indicate the cause of boredom or the thing that has become tedious is 'with'.
1. 'Bored with' is the idiomatic expression used when someone loses interest in a repetitive activity or a situation (e.g., 'bored with the routine').
2. 'Bored about' is grammatically incorrect in this context.
3. 'Bored for' is not used to describe the source of boredom.
4. 'Bored on' is incorrect.
Therefore, the completed sentence is: 'We got bored with doing the same thing every day.'
Put the words/ determiners in the correct order to complete the sentence meaningfully: didn’t the/few/buy/customer/first/anything.
Answer: The first few customers didn’t buy anything.
To arrange these words into a meaningful sentence, we must follow standard English syntax (Subject + Verb + Object).
1. **Identifying the Subject**: The words 'the', 'first', 'few', and 'customer' (which should be plural 'customers' for grammatical correctness with 'few', though we must use the provided words) form the noun phrase. The correct order for determiners is: Article (The) + Ordinal Number (first) + Quantifier (few) + Noun (customer). Thus, the subject is 'The first few customer'.
2. **Identifying the Verb**: The auxiliary 'didn't' (did not) combined with the main verb 'buy' forms the negative past tense verb phrase: 'didn't buy'.
3. **Identifying the Object**: The word 'anything' serves as the direct object of the verb 'buy'.
Putting it all together: 'The first few customer didn’t buy anything.' (Note: While 'customer' is singular in the prompt, in a real-world context it would be 'customers'; however, based strictly on the provided word bank, this is the only logical structural arrangement).
Complete the sentence with suitable pronoun: Be sure that everyone brings ___ own book.
Answer: their
1. Analysis of the Subject: The subject of the clause is 'everyone'. In English grammar, 'everyone' is an indefinite pronoun.
2. Grammatical Number: Formally, 'everyone' is singular and traditionally required a singular pronoun (such as 'his' or 'his or her').
3. Modern Usage and Standardized Testing: In contemporary English and most modern competitive examinations, the 'singular they' (their) is the accepted standard for indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'someone', or 'anybody'. This is used to maintain gender neutrality and reflect natural spoken English.
4. Application: 'Be sure that everyone brings their own book.' Here, 'their' acts as the possessive pronoun referring back to the gender-neutral singular subject 'everyone'.
5. Comparison: Using 'his' is now considered outdated or biased; using 'his or her' is grammatically correct but often considered clunky in modern prose. 'Their' is the most suitable and widely accepted answer in current GE (General English) contexts.
Complete the sentence with the right preposition that goes with the adjective before it: I am sorry ___ the noise last night. I hope it didn’t disturb your sleep.
ABOUT)
about
IN)
in
OF)
of
WITH)
with
The sentence requires a preposition that follows the adjective 'sorry' to indicate the cause of the apology.
1. 'Sorry about' is the standard idiomatic expression used when apologizing for a situation, a mistake, or an event (e.g., 'I am sorry about the noise').
2. 'Sorry for' is also commonly used, but it is not provided as an option here.
3. 'Sorry in' is grammatically incorrect in this context.
4. 'Sorry of' is not a standard English construction for expressing apology.
5. 'Sorry with' is incorrect; 'with' usually denotes accompaniment or instrument, not the cause of regret.
Therefore, 'about' is the only grammatically correct and contextually appropriate preposition among the choices provided.
Answer the following question: Sania thought, ‘There is no hope of winning the match now’. (Change into reported speech)
Answer: Sania thought that there was no hope of winning the match then.
To convert the sentence from direct speech to reported (indirect) speech, the following grammatical rules must be applied:
1. **Reporting Verb**: The reporting verb 'thought' is in the past tense, which necessitates a change in the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks (backshifting).
2. **Conjunction**: The comma and quotation marks are replaced by the conjunction 'that' to introduce the reported clause.
3. **Tense Change**: The present simple 'is' changes to the past simple 'was' because the reporting verb is in the past.
4. **Time Expression**: The word 'now' is a temporal adverb that must be changed to 'then' in reported speech to reflect the shift in time perspective from the speaker's original moment to the moment of reporting.
Applying these steps: 'There is no hope of winning the match now' becomes 'that there was no hope of winning the match then'.
Answer the following question: A party was held to celebrate their victory. (Change into active voice)
Answer: They held a party to celebrate their victory.
Step-by-step conversion from Passive to Active Voice:
1. **Identify the Voice**: The original sentence 'A party was held to celebrate their victory' is in the Passive Voice. We know this because the subject ('A party') is receiving the action, and the verb phrase 'was held' consists of a form of 'to be' (was) + a past participle (held).
2. **Identify the Agent**: In the passive sentence, the agent (the person or group performing the action) is omitted. However, the possessive pronoun 'their' in 'their victory' provides a strong clue that the agent is 'They'.
3. **Determine the Tense**: The verb 'was held' is in the Simple Past tense. Therefore, the active verb must also be in the Simple Past tense ('held').
4. **Rearrange the Sentence**:
- Subject (Agent): They
- Verb (Simple Past): held
- Object: a party
- Purpose/Modifier: to celebrate their victory.
Result: 'They held a party to celebrate their victory.'
Complete the sentence with the right preposition that goes with the adjective before it: It was foolish___ her to go out without a coat in this weather.
FOR)
for
OF)
of
ON)
on
WITH)
with
In English grammar, when an adjective describes a person's character, behavior, or a specific action they took (such as being 'foolish', 'kind', 'generous', 'stupid', or 'brave'), the preposition 'of' is used to link that adjective to the person. The structure is: [It + be + adjective + of + person + to-infinitive]. In this sentence, 'foolish' describes the nature of the action taken by 'her', making 'of' the grammatically correct choice.
Comparison with other options:
- 'For' is used when the adjective describes a situation or a quality relative to someone (e.g., 'It was difficult for her to go out'), but not when judging the person's character/behavior.
- 'On' and 'With' are not used in this specific syntactic construction to attribute a character trait to a person.
Put the words/ determiners in the correct order to complete the sentence meaningfully: too/that/late/last/was/one.
Answer: That last one was too late.
To arrange these words into a meaningful sentence, we must identify the grammatical roles of each word:
1. 'That' and 'last' act as determiners modifying the noun 'one'.
2. 'One' serves as the subject of the sentence.
3. 'Was' is the linking verb.
4. 'Too' is an adverb of degree modifying the adjective 'late'.
5. 'Late' is the subject complement (adjective).
Following the standard English sentence structure (Subject + Verb + Complement), the arrangement is:
Subject ('That last one') + Verb ('was') + Complement ('too late').
Put the words/ determiners in the correct order to complete the sentence meaningfully: to/free/go/be/such/shouldn’t/allowed/people.
Answer: Such people shouldn’t be allowed to go free.
To solve this sentence structure question, we must arrange the words according to standard English syntax (Subject + Modal Verb + Passive Voice Construction + Infinitive Phrase).
1. **Identify the Subject**: 'Such people' acts as the subject of the sentence.
2. **Identify the Verb/Modal**: 'shouldn’t' (should not) is the modal verb indicating a lack of permission or propriety.
3. **Passive Voice Construction**: The phrase 'be allowed' follows the modal verb to indicate that the action is being imposed upon the subject.
4. **The Complement/Infinitive**: 'to go free' is the infinitive phrase that completes the meaning of what they should not be allowed to do.
Putting it all together: [Such people] (Subject) + [shouldn’t] (Modal) + [be allowed] (Passive Verb) + [to go free] (Infinitive phrase).
Answer the following question: To whom was the story told by you? (Change into active voice)
Answer: Whom did you tell the story to?
To convert the sentence from passive voice to active voice, we follow these steps:
1. **Identify the components of the passive sentence**:
- Object of the action (receiver): 'whom' (the person the story was told to).
- Verb phrase: 'was told' (Past Simple Passive).
- Agent (doer): 'by you'.
- Direct object: 'the story'.
2. **Determine the tense**: The phrase 'was told' indicates the Simple Past tense. In active voice, the Simple Past interrogative requires the auxiliary verb 'did' + base form of the verb ('tell').
3. **Rearrange for active voice**:
- The agent 'you' becomes the subject.
- The verb 'was told' becomes 'did tell'.
- The receiver 'whom' remains the object of the preposition 'to'.
4. **Construct the sentence**:
- Passive: 'To whom was the story told by you?'
- Active: 'Whom did you tell the story to?' (or 'To whom did you tell the story?').
In modern English, 'Whom did you tell the story to?' is the most natural active construction, while 'To whom did you tell the story?' is the formal equivalent.
Answer the following question: Liani lived outside her home for 5 years. (Is the underlined words phrase or clause)
Answer: phrase
To determine whether the underlined part of the sentence is a phrase or a clause, we must look at its grammatical structure.
1. **Definition of a Clause**: A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a finite verb (e.g., 'because she lived outside').
2. **Definition of a Phrase**: A phrase is a group of words that acts as a single unit of speech but does not contain a subject-verb pair (e.g., 'for 5 years').
In the sentence 'Liani lived outside her home for 5 years', the underlined part is 'for 5 years'.
- It contains a preposition ('for') and a noun phrase ('5 years').
- It does not have a subject performing an action (no subject-verb relationship).
- It functions as an adverbial of duration, modifying the verb 'lived'.
Since it lacks a subject and a finite verb, it is a **phrase** (specifically, a prepositional phrase).
Answer the following question: You have made a big mess. (Change the sentence to exclamatory)
Answer: What a big mess you have made!
To transform an assertive sentence into an exclamatory sentence, we typically follow these grammatical rules: 1. Identify the adjective or noun phrase that expresses the intensity (in this case, 'big mess'). 2. Start the sentence with 'What' (used for nouns/noun phrases) or 'How' (used for adjectives/adverbs). Since 'big mess' is a noun phrase, 'What' is the appropriate choice. 3. Move the subject and verb to the end of the sentence. 4. Replace the full stop with an exclamation mark. Therefore, 'You have made a big mess' becomes 'What a big mess you have made!'
Answer the following question: I have finished my assignment. (Rewrite in past perfect tense)
Answer: I had finished my assignment.
Step-by-step conversion:
1. Identify the original tense: 'I have finished my assignment' is in the Present Perfect Tense (Subject + have/has + past participle).
2. Identify the target tense: The question asks for the Past Perfect Tense.
3. Apply the Past Perfect formula: The structure for Past Perfect is 'Subject + had + past participle of the verb'.
4. Transformation:
- Subject: 'I'
- Auxiliary verb for Past Perfect: 'had'
- Past participle of 'finish': 'finished'
- Object: 'my assignment'
5. Result: 'I had finished my assignment.'