CDS 2018 English Question Paper -1

SYNONYMS

Directions: Each item in this section consists of a sentence with an underlined word/words followed by four words. Select the option that is nearest in meaning to the Bold word/words and mark your response on your Answer Sheet accordingly.

A truly respectable old man is a ripe person.

(a) senior

(b) mature

(d) seasoned

The soldiers repulsed the enemy.

(a) defeated

(b) destroyed

(d) repelled

She deftly masked her feelings.

(a) hid

(b) flaunted

(d) obscured

Vendors must have licence.

(a) One who drives a car

(b) One who works in a hospital

(d) One engaged in selling

They will not admit children under fourteen.

(a) avow

(b) receive

(d) concede

The jewels have been stolen from her bedroom.

(a) embezzled

(b) asserted

(d) abdicated

The soldier showed an exemplary courage.

(a) flawed

(b) faulty

(d) boisterous

They served fruits after the dinner.

(a) assisted

(b) obliged

(d) offered

The committee should recommend his name to the government.

(a) praise

(b) advise

(d) suggest

Can medicines save us from death ?

(a) hide

(b) rescue

(d) liberate

ORDERING OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE

Directions: Each of the following items in this section consists of a sentence the parts of which have been jumbled. These parts have been labelled P, Q, R and S. Given below each sentence are four sequences namely (a), (b), (c) and (d). You are required to re-arrange the jumbled parts of the sentence and mark your response accordingly.

the British manufacturers(P)/ popularity of Indian textiles(Q)/ were jealous of the(R)/ from the very beginning(S).

The correct sequence should be

(a) P Q R S

(b) S P Q R

(d) Q R S P

dress fashions changed and light cotton(P)/ of the English(Q)/ textiles began to replace(R)/the coarse woollens(S).

The correct sequence should be

(a) P R S Q

(b) R S P Q

(d) S P R Q

put pressure on their government(P)/ Indian goods in England(Q)/ the British manufacturers(R)/ to restrict and prohibit(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) P Q R S

(b) S P R Q

(d) Q R S P

however(P)/ still held their own in foreign markets(Q)/ in spite of these laws(R)/Indian silk and cotton textiles(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) Q P R S

(b) S P R Q

(d) R P S Q

and it led to rapid economic development(P)/ the Industrial Revolution(Q)/ transformed the British(R)/ society in a fundamental manner(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) S P R Q

(b) QPRS

(d) S R P Q

Muhammad Iqbal(P) the philosophical and religious outlook of people through his poetry(Q)/ profoundly influenced(R)/ one of the greatest poets of modem India(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) Q R S P

(b) S R Q P

(d) S P R Q

to accept any of the important(P)/ disillusionment(Q)/ demands of the nationalists produced(R)/ the failure of the British government(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) S P R Q

(b) P Q R S

(d) Q R P S

showed that a backward(P)/ the rise of(Q)/ modem Japan after 1868(R)/ Asian country could develop itself without Western control(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) P Q R S

(b) S R Q P

(d) Q R P S

and the current Hindu emphasis(P)/ and urged the people to imbibe the spirit of free-thinking(Q)/ on rituals, ceremonies and superstitions(R)/ Vivekananda condemned the caste system(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) P Q R S

(b) S P R Q

(d) R P S Q

Mr. John who was hardly six months old(P)/ Charles(Q)/ as his son(R)/ adopted(S)

The correct sequence should be

(a) S Q R P

(b) P S Q R

(d) P R S Q

FILL IN THE BLANK

Directions: Each of the following sentences in this section has a blank space and four words or group of words given after the sentence. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.

In the face of the overwhelming mass of evidence against him, we cannot ___ him of the crime.

(a) punish

(b) absolve

(d) ignore

I hope that the rain will____ for our picnic tomorrow.

(a) keep off

(b) put off

(d) stay out

After the marathon, some of the competitors felt completely___.

(a) cut up

(b) done in

(d) run out

Scarcely ____ the teacher entered the class when he heard the noise.

(a) did

(b) has

(d) will have

I do not think he will ever____ the shock of his wife’s death.

(a) get by

(b) get off

(d) get over

It is no use in crying over____.

(a) spoiled milk

(b) spirited milk

(d) spilt milk

You must go to the station now, your brother_____ go just yet as his train leaves after three hours.

(a) shouldn’t

(b) mustn’t

(d) needn’t

Every rash driver becomes a ____ killer.

(a) sure

(b) reckless

(d) powerful

The country owes a deep debt of___ for the freedom fighters.

(a) patriotism

(b) sincerity

(d) gratitude

The whole lot of young men was very enthusiastic but your friend alone was ____.

(a) quarrelsome

(b) complaining

(d) sleepy

ANTONYMS

Directions: Each item in this section consists of a sentence with an underlined word/words followed by four words. Select the option that is opposite in meaning to the Bold word/words and mark your response on your Answer Sheet accordingly.

It was a mystery as to where the young girl had acquired such a naive belief.

(a) credulous

(b) childlike

(d) innocent

It’s the only treatment suitable for cancer.

(a) insufficient

(b) impertinent

(d) congenial

Some of the criticisms which they had to put up were very unfair.

(a) scold

(b) scorn

(d) censure

I would beg of all friends not to rush to Birla house nor try to dissuade me or be anxious about me.

(a) certain

(b) composed

(d) heedless

It could not have been expected that, with such a bent of mind of the people, there should have been much activity for the cultivation of the physical sciences in this part of the world.

(a) dull

(b) dormant

(d) idle

Indian culture has been, from time immemorial, of a peculiar cast and mould.

(a) common

(b) customary

(d) familiar

The princess charming was the centre of attraction today.

(a) enchanting

(b) hypnotic

(d) fascinating

Terrorists profess fanatical ideology.

(a) bigoted

(b) militant

(d) fervid

Macbeth is a/an abominable figure.

(a) abhorrent

(b) repugnant

(d) attractive

Rakesh is vulnerable to political pressure.

(a) weak

(b) unguarded

(d) resilient

ORDERING OF SENTENCES

Directions: In this section each item consists of six sentences of a passage. The first and sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been jumbled up and labelled P, Q, R and S. You are required to find the proper sequence of the four sentences and mark your response accordingly on the Answer Sheet.

SI : First and foremost, there are order and safety in our civilization.

S6: Nobody may come and break into my house and steal my goods.

P : Thus in disputes between man and man, right has taken the place of might.

Q : If today I have a quarrel with another man, I do not get beaten merely because I am physically weaker.

R : I go to law, and the law will decide fairly between the two of us.

S : Moreover, the law protects me from robbery and violence.

The correct sequence should be

(a) R Q P S

(b) S R Q P

(d) P R S Q

SI : In democratic countries, men are equal before the law.

S6: And they live like this not for fun, but because they are too poor to afford another room.

P : While some few people live in luxury, many have not enough to eat, drink and wear.

Q : There are many families of five or six persons who live in a single room.

R : But the sharing-out of money – which means the sharing-out of food and clothing and houses – is still very unfair.

S : In this room they sleep and dress and wash and eat, and in this same room they die.

The correct sequence should be

(a) R P Q S

(b) P R S Q

(d) S P R Q

SI : Tomorrow it will be a year since we lost our great leader.

S6: Though he is no more with us, the qualities he possessed and the ideals he cherished remain with us.

P : To these he added a feminine sensitiveness to atmosphere.

Q : He was involved in the major events of his time.

R : He participated in them all while maintaining the highest standards of public conduct.

S : He was incomparably the greatest figure in our history — a man of dynamic force, intellectual power and profound vision.

The correct sequence should be

(a) P S R Q

(b) R Q P S

(d) S P Q R

SI : It would be possible to adduce many examples showing what could be done with the limited means’ at our ancestor’s disposal in the way of making life comfortable.

S6: I hope, in this essay, to make that connection manifest.

P : What have comfort and cleanliness to do with politics, morals, and religion ?

Q : But look more closely and you will discover that there exists the closest connection between the recent growth of comfort and the recent history of ideas.

R : They show that if they lived in filth and discomfort, it was because filth and discomfort fitted in with their principles, political, moral and religious.

S : At a first glance one would say that there could be no causal connection between arm chairs and democracies, sofas and the family system, hot baths and religious orthodoxy.

The correct sequence should be

(a) P R Q S

(b) R P S Q

(d) Q S P R

SI : To most people, the term technology conjures up images of mills or machines.

S6: It includes ways to make chemical reactions occur, ways to breed fish, plant forests or teach history.

P : The classic symbol of technology is still the assembly line created by Henry Ford half a century ago.

Q : The invention of the horse collar in the Middle Ages led to changes in agricultural methods and was as such a technological advance.

R : Moreover, technology includes techniques, as well as the machines that may or may not be necessary to apply them.

S : This symbol, however, has always been inadequate, for technology has always been more than factories and machines.

The correct sequence should be

(a) S P R Q

(b) P S Q R

(d) Q S R P

SI : I was the secretary of the Philosophical Society of the Patna College.

S6: I have been to Kolkata many times since, but never has it been more pleasant than that first visit.

P : It was my first visit to the city and its impression on my mind was indelible.

Q : In that capacity, I once led a trip to Kolkata.

R : I felt I had landed in the midst of beautiful dream world of a fairy land.

S : I saw the roads, the trams, the skyscrapers and the magnificent shops at the Chowranghee lane.

The correct sequence should be

(a) Q P S R

(b) P S Q R

(d) S Q R P

SI : Union finance ministry announced a series of concessions to trade and industry last month.

S6: Manufacturers “feel that prices of certain components may not be brought down because of the imposition of a 30 per cent duty where there was none earlier.

P : Together, these will result in a loss of revenue of Rs. 100 crore to the exchequer.

Q : Earlier, these were attracting customs duty varying from zero to 100 per cent.

R : The chunk of the relief of Rs. 60 crore has gone to the electronics industry.

S : Raw materials and piece parts now carry customs duty of 30 per cent and 40 per cent ad valorem respectively.

The correct sequence should be

(a) R S Q P

(b) P R S Q

(d) Q P R S

SI : At four O’clock this morning, Hitler attacked and invaded Russia.

S6 : Under its cloak of false confidence, the German armies drew up in immense strength along a line which stretches from the White Sea to the Black Sea.

P : No complaint had been made by Germany of its non-fulfilment.

Q : All his usual formalities of perfidy were observed with scrupulous technique.

R : No one could have expected that Hitler would do it.

S : A non-aggression treaty had been solemnly signed and was in force between the two countries.

The correct sequence should be

(a) RQSP

(b) R S Q P

(d) Q P S R

SI : Roderick Usher has always been a quiet person who talked little of himself.

S6: In the part of the country where he lived, the “House of Usher” had come to mean both the family and its ancestral mansion.

P : Many of his ancestors had been famous for their artistic and musical abilities.

Q : Others were known for their exceptional generosity and charity.

R : Yet I did know that his family was an old one.

S : So I did not know too much about him.

The correct sequence should be

(a) P Q R S

(b) S R Q P

(d) S R P Q

SI : Mass production has increased the tendency to view things as useful rather than delightful.

S6 : Indeed a lowering of quality usually results when mass production is substituted for more primitive methods.

P : These various things share nothing with the buttons except money value.

Q : All the rest you wish to exchange for food, shelter, and many other things.

R : Suppose you are a manufacturer of buttons : however excellent your buttons may be, you do not want more than a few for your own use.

S : And it is not even the money value of the buttons that is important to you : what is important is profit which may be increased by lowering their quality.

The correct sequence should be

(a) P Q R S

(b) R Q P S

(d) Q R P S

Directions: In this section you have few short passages. After each passage, you will find some items based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the items based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only.

Passage

Over-population is the most pressing of India’s numerous and multi-faceted problems. In fact it has caused equally complex problems such as poverty, under-nourishment, unemployment and excessive fragmentation of land. Indisputably, this country has been facing a population explosion of crisis dimensions. It has largely diluted the fruits of the remarkable economic progress that the nation has made during the last four decades or so. The entire battle against poverty is thwarted by the rapid increase in the population. The tragedy is that while over-population accentuates poverty, the country’s stark poverty itself is in many areas a major cause of over-population.

What is the irony behind the over-population of India ?

(a) Over-population gives birth to poverty, which (poverty) itself is the cause of over-population

(b) Under nourishment and unemployment are outcomes of flawed economic progress

(d) Fruits of the remarkable economic progress are trickling down to the poor

What is the general tone of the passage ?

(a) funny / humorous

(b) sombre

(d) tragic

What, in the author’s view, severely affects the economic growth of our country ?

(a) poverty

(b) illiteracy

(d) None of the above

What, according to the author, is the biggest reason behind over-population ?

(a) under-nourishment

(b) unemployment

(d) poverty

“It has largely diluted the fruits of the remarkable economic progress”. Find antonym of the underlined word

(a) coalesced

(b) compounded

(d) consolidated

Passage

To eat and not be eaten – that’s the imperative of a caterpillar’s existence. The leaf roller reduces its risks of being picked off by predators by silking together a temporary shelter in which to feed and rest. Adopting a different line of defense, the jelly slug extrudes a sticky translucent coating that may foul the mouth-parts of marauding ants. For its part, the aquatic larva, by its watery element, fashions a portable hideout from fragments of aquatic leaves. Cutting a serpentine trail as it feeds on tender young leaves, the minute citrus leaf miner spends its entire larval life inside its host plant, thus keeping its appetizing body safely under wraps
.

Which varieties of caterpillars ‘build’ shelters to protect themselves ?

(a) Leaf roller and aquatic larva

(b) Leaf roller and jelly slug

(d) Jelly slug and citrus leaf miner

Which one of the following caterpillars produces a sticky covering ?

(a) Leaf roller

(b) Jelly slug

(d) Citrus leaf miner

Which one of the following pairs of words in the passage describes enemies of the caterpillar ?

(a) Serpentine and host

(b) Predator and marauding

(d) Predator and host

Which one of the following makes itself unpalatable ?

(a) Leaf roller

(b) Jelly slug

(d) Leaf miner

The main idea of the passage is that caterpillars

(a) like to eat a lot

(b) have to protect themselves while feeding

(d) are not good to eat

Passage

I have always opposed the idea of dividing the world into the Orient and the Occident. It is, however, the tremendous industrial growth that has made the West what it is. I think the difference, say, between India and Europe in the 12th or 13th century would not have been very great. Differences have been intensified by this process of industrialization which has promoted material well-being tremendously and which is destroying the life of the mind, which is in a process of deterioration, chiefly because the environment that has been created by it does not give time or opportunity to individuals to think. If the life of the mind is not encouraged, then inevitably civilization collapses.

The words “the Orient and the Occident” mean

(a) the West and the East respectively

(b) the East and the West respectively

(d) the South and the North respectively

The author believes that the difference between India and Europe in the 12th or 13th century was not very great because

(a) Indians and Europeans mixed freely

(b) Indians imitated the European way of living

(d) Industrialization had not yet taken place

In the opinion of the author, Industrialization is

(a) an absolute blessing

(b) an absolute curse

(d) more of a curse than a blessing

The author says that the mental life of the world is in a process of deterioration because the modem generation is

(a) endowed with low mental powers

(b) too lazy to exert its mental powers

(d) brought up in an environment unfavourable to the growth of the mental life

The title that best expresses the central idea of the passage is

(a) difference between the Occident and the Orient

(b) impact of Industrialization on our civilization

(d) disadvantages of Industrialization

Passage

In Delhi, it was forbidden by the law, at one time, to take a Dog into a public vehicle. One day a lady, accompanied by a pet dog, entered a bus. Wishing to evade the law, she placed her tiny dog in her dress pocket. It so happened that the person next to this lady was a pickpocket; and during the journey he carefully placed his hand into her pocket in search of her purse. Great was the horror to find instead a pair of sharp teeth inserted into his fingers. His exclamation of pain and surprise drew the attention of other passengers to him.

Once the law in Delhi did not permit the people to

(a) carry dogs into private vehicles

(b) board a bus without ticket

(d) carry animals with them

In order to evade the law, the lady

(a) hid the dog under the seat

(b) got off the bus

(d) put the dog in her pocket

The pick-pocket travelling with the lady

(a) reported the matter to the conductor

(b) put his hand in her pocket

(d) asked the lady to get off

Which one of the following correctly expresses the meaning of “wishing to evade the law” ?

(a) Wish to avoid following the law

(b) Desire to follow the law blindly

(d) Wish to change the law

Why did the pick-pocket exclaim with pain ?

(a) He was hit by the lady

(b) He was caught by the fellow- passengers

(d) He fell of the bus

SPOTTING ERRORS

Directions: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response on the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

71.

(a) The best way in which you can

(b) open the bottle is

(d) No error, (d)

72.

(a) Somebody

(b) who I enjoy reading

(d) No error.

Electricity companies are(a)/ working throughout(b) days and nights to repair the damage.(c)/ No error.(d)

The students’(a)/ test results(b)/ were pleasant.(c)/ No error.(d)
Two thirds of the book(a)/ were(b)/ rubbish.(c)/ No error.(d)
You will be(a)/ answerable for the court with(b)/ any lies you have told.(c)/ No error.(d)
She felt(a)/ terribly anxious for have to sing(b)/ in front of such a large audience.(c)/ No error.(d)
I don’t agree(a)/ with smacking children(b)/ if they do something wrong.(c)/ No error.(d)
The fruit(a)/ can be made(b)/ to jam.(c)/ No error.(d)
I asked him(a)/ what he(b)/ has done.(c)/ No error.(d)
There have been a tornado watch(a)/ issued for Texas country(b)/ until eleven O’clock tonight.(c)/ No error.(d)
Although the Red Cross accepts blood from the donors(a)/ the nurses will not leave you give blood,(b)/ if you have just had cold.(c)/ No error.(d)
A prism is used to refract white light(a)/ so it spreads out(b)/ in a continuous spectrum.(c)/ No error.(d)
Because of the movement of a glacier, (a)/the form(b)/ of the Great Lakes was very slow.(c)/ No error.(d)
The new model costs(a)/ twice more than(b)/ last year’s model.(c)/ No error.(d)
Gandhi ji always regretted for the fact(a)/ that people gave him adulation while what he wanted(b)/was acceptance of his way of life.(c)/ No error.
The party(a)/ was ousted in power(b)/ after twelve years.(c)/ No error.
He was(a)/ held in(b)/ the prevention of Terrorism act.(c)/ No error.
He has great fascination(a)/ for each and every thing(b)/ that are connected with drama.(c)/ No error.(d)
It’s no secret(a)/ that the President wants(b)/ to have a second term of office.(c)/ No error.(d)

Directions: Each of the following sentences in this section has a blank space with four words or group of words given. Select whichever word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.

One of India’s greatest musicians is M.S. Subbulakshmi, affectionately known to most people as M.S. Her singing has brought

91. to millions of people not only

(a) sorrow

(b) joy

(d) pain

all parts of India, but in

(a) over

(b) on

(d) with

countries around the world as well.

(a) strange

(b) unknown

(d) familiar

October 1966 Subbulakshmi was invited to

(a) Within

(b) On

(d) By

in New York, where people of

(a) dance

(b) sing

(d) enjoy

foreign countries listened to her music

(a) many

(b) few

(d) all

This was one of the greatest

(a) attentively.

(b) quietly.

(d) boldly.

ever given to any musician. For

(a) awards

(b) honours

(d) recognitions

together M.S. kept that international

(a) seconds

(b) minutes

(d) days

spell-bound with the beauty of her voice and her style of singing.

(a) spectator

(b) audience

(d) businessmen

The Second Anglo-Maratha War had shattered the

(a) power

(b) dignity

(d) patience

of the Maratha chiefs, but not their spirit. The

(a) disappearance

(b) empowerment

(d) disappointment

of their freedom rankled in their hearts. They made a last

(a) horrible

(b) desperate

(d) strong

attempt to regain their independence and old

(a) prestige

(b) army

(d) infantry

in 1817. The lead in organizing a united front of the Maratha chiefs was taken by the Peshwa who was smarting under the control exercised by the British Resident.

(a) pleasant

(b) satisfying

(d) orthodox

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Directions: Given below are some idioms / phrases followed by four alternative meanings to each. Choose the response (a), (b), (c) or (d) which is the most appropriate expression.

A hot potato.

(a) A dish to relish when it is hot

(b) A very important person in a gathering

(d) A way of thinking what someone is thinking

You snooze, you lose.

(a) Don’t take it lightly

(b) Don’t be over-enthusiastic

(d) Don’t be pessimistic

I don’t buy it.

(a) I don’t believe it

(b) I have no money

(d) I don’t need it

My two cents.

(a) My money

(b) My opinion

(d) My explanation

Out of the blue.

(a) Undoubtedly

(b) Unexpectedly

(d) Unconcerned

What a small world.

(a) What a coincidence

(b) What a challenging task

(d) What a beautiful place

Down the road.

(a) In future

(b) In the past

(d) No particular time

Raising eyebrows.

(a) To show surprise

(b) Criticize

(d) Instruct

Step up the plate.

(a) Take control

(b) Take a job

(d) Take an opportunity

The Holy Grail.

(a) The pious place of worship

(b) An important object or goal

(d) Someone’s destination of life

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

(a) Mutual favour

(b) Mutual understanding

(d) Mutual disliking

At the drop of a hat.

(a) Without any hesitation

(b) When attempt fails and it’s time to start all over

(d) Judging other’s intentions too much

Ball is in your court.

(a) Be happy at the dance / ball room

(b) It’s up to you to make the decision

(d) Not speaking directly about an issue

Best of both worlds.

(a) A happy person who is the best with all

(b) All the advantages

(d) Someone whom everybody likes

Costs an arm and a leg.

(a) Severe punishment to someone

(b) Too much consciousness about one’s body

(d) Something very expensive