CDS (I) 2017, English question paper

120 questions · 100 marks · 120 minutes · +0.83 per correct answer, -0.28 per wrong one

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Directions: rearrange jumbled parts P,Q,R,S into correct sentence
1 $P: he Q: almost R: planned the entire strategy of operation S: single-handed$
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2 $P: it is a fact that rice is one of the most prolific Q: than almost any other crop R: yielding a greater return per acre S: of food crops$
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3 $P: up to the end of the eighteenth century, not only because it was often fatal, Q: smallpox was a particularly dreaded disease, R: but also because those who recovered S: were permanently disfigured$
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4 $P: a person bitten by a rabid dog Q: would be seized by violent symptoms R: after an incubation period of a month or two S: and die an agonizing death$
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5 $The traveller, P: sat down Q: to rest R: by the roadside S: being weary,$
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6 $P: the house was Q: away R: with its liveliest member S: gloomy$
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7 $P: he was a tiny man Q: with a sprightly walk R: tall S: barely five feet$
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8 $P: rules and regulations Q: he cheerfully ignored its demands R: a life of S: unaccustomed to$
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9 $The man P: for a moment, Q: looked at me R: and thus emptied my pockets S: turned me upside down$
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10 $The lady P: today Q: is visiting R: us S: who composed this poem$
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11 $Animals P: are able to measure Q: the passing of the seasons R: changes in day-length S: by recognizing$
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12 $Many people P: inaudible to others Q: in the ears or head R: suffer persistent noises S: with hearing problems$
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13 $Researchers P: found that allergic reactions are brought about Q: in the bloodstream R: in the 1940s S: by the liberation of small quantities of a substance called histamine$
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14 $Attempts at transplanting other organs, P: but that which most caught the public fancy Q: was the heart transplant R: such as the lungs or the liver, S: have been made$
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15 $P: sports cars Q: appeal R: to some motorists only S: with noisy exhausts$
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16 $Friendship has its place P: in Q: truth and justice R: but it cannot override S: life,$
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17 $P: the workaholic often Q: becomes a prisoner of success R: inadvertently S: reaping greater and greater rewards$
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18 $P: the school masters and the professors tend to believe Q: that innate intelligence is a quality R: but that you can't do much about it except measure it S: which varies very greatly from one individual to another$
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19 $People P: do not realize Q: that modern society R: who object to driver education S: is built around the automobile$
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20 $P: with an idea to reach the deprived child Q: by the United Nations Organization R: the year 1979 has been declared as S: the International Year of the Child$
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Directions: find error in underlined part or No error
21 $I waited for her return with growing unease.$
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22 $I do not understand why in spite of my best efforts to please him my boss is so angry at me.$
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23 $Being a rainy day, we did not feel like going out or doing anything except playing chess in our room.$
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24 $It is not difficult to believe that a man who has lived in this city for a long time he will never feel at home anywhere else in the world.$
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25 $Although we reached his house on time he was left for the airport.$
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26 $If a thing is worth doing at all it is worth done well.$
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27 $All the boys returned back home well in time for lunch.$
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28 $Tell me the name of a country where every citizen is law-abiding and no trouble is there.$
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29 $Considering about these facts the principal has offered him a seat.$
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30 $His friends feel that he will be suspended unless he does not report for duty immediately.$
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31 $One of the most interesting feature of travel in Himachal Pradesh is the large number of travellers' lodges provided by the State Government.$
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32 $It was raining cats and dogs.$
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33 $I prefer this book than that one.$
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34 $Their belongings were lost in the fire.$
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35 $Tell him to take another photograph of the group.$
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36 $I courteously asked him where was he going but he did not reply.$
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37 $The memoranda are on the table.$
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38 $Nandita asked me if I was working hardly these days.$
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39 $He couldn't find an answer.$
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40 $Whom you think will be dismissed first?$
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41 $Of the many problems that confront the leaders of the world none are of grave consequence than the problem of saving the normal human race from extinction.$
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42 $All of them speak good English.$
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43 $The peon has not sweeped the floor today.$
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44 $Her parents has not permitted her to marry Sunil.$
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45 $Emperor Ashoka have conquered Kalinga before he embraced Buddhism.$
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46 $Every student should be asked to give their ideas on the subject.$
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Directions: order middle sentences P,Q,R,S between fixed S1 and S6
47 $S1: According to the legend it was during a famine in China many thousands of years ago that rice first came into the lives of the Asians. S6: And the little girl gathered a harvest of rice. P: The golden sunbeams dropped through the meshes and transformed themselves into golden grains. Q: A little girl went fishing. R: But instead of catching fish she netted the King of Frogs. S: The King told her to hold out the net to the sunbeams while he sang a magic song.$
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48 $S1: Ramu was in a great hurry. S6: Fortunately, it wasn't a very serious one. P: As a result of this carelessness, he met with an accident. Q: The examination was to begin in five minutes time. R: He just rushed across the road. S: So he forgot to look to the left or right as he always did.$
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49 $S1: Chandran was terribly angry. S6: Saro ran screaming. P: His pen was in her hand and Chandran rushed at her. Q: Just then his sister, Saro, appeared at the door-step. R: His pen was missing from the place where he had left it. S: He thought it was lost.$
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50 $S1: One fine morning, I heard a sound of fire engines with loud alarm bells. S6: It was a terrible scene, as huge flames of fire were coming out of the house. P: I thought, perhaps a house was on fire. Q: They were regulating the crowd. R: The policemen were standing around a big house. S: I immediately rushed out to see what was happening.$
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51 $S1: The sun-dried stalks of rice had caught fire and burst into flames. S6: Even those who were too feeble to keep up with the first rush were on their feet, eager to join the fire-fighters. P: Then came most of the older people, and mothers with babies at their backs. Q: And all the active women and girls followed them to assist them in fighting the fire. R: All the young men and boys were soon on the spot. S: Staring wildly at the blazing rice, the people of the village ran to extinguish the fire.$
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52 $S1: People's fear of snakes seems to be based on a series of misconceptions. S6: Yet people will insist that they cannot touch a snake because of its sliminess. P: The most common one is the conviction that all these creatures are poisonous. Q: Another very popular idea is that these reptiles are slimy to touch. R: Snakes are really dry and cold; not slimy like a wet cake of soap but rather like a crocodile-skin handbag to the touch. S: In fact, the non-poisonous ones outnumber the poisonous ones by about ten to one.$
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53 $S1: The first great discovery that man probably made was that of fire. S6: The animals were not clever enough to learn anything from this. P: Fires sometimes occur by themselves in the forests perhaps by rubbing together of flints or something else. Q: We light a fire now by a match. R: In olden times fires were made by striking two flints against each other till a spark came for setting fire to a dry thing. S: But matches are quite recent things.$
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54 $S1: A common disease of the eye is conjunctivitis or 'pink eye', which often occurs in school-children. S6: Students with this condition should be sent to the doctor. P: This disease spreads rapidly among school-children. Q: A white discharge also appears in the corners of the eyes. R: One or both eyeballs turn quite red and have a feeling of irritation. S: This discharge forms a crust which can often be seen in the morning after the eyes have been shut all night.$
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55 $S1: My office sent a message with a terrific urgency asking me to return. S6: It was the evening before I could sit and write to my parents that I would join them soon. P: I immediately sent a message requesting a few days of grace as I had to book the return ticket and attend sundry matters before winding up my establishment here. Q: On the way, I went to the laundry and made sure I would get my clothes in time. R: Then I rushed to the bank, collected all my money and made reservations for my return journey. S: From the shop next to it, I bought a strong box to dump my books and other odd articles so that I could send them away in advance.$
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56 $S1: Harsten's theory was that plants definitely react to music. S6: He found that this plant grew faster and 70 percent taller than the other plant. P: In his experiment, he used two banana plants. Q: The music was in fact a high-pitched humming sound. R: He gave both plants the same light, heat and water. S: But for about an hour a day, one of the plants 'listened' to some music.$
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57 $S1: Some students may feel that fast readers do not understand as much as slow readers. S6: This statement, however, needs to be made with caution. P: Some slow readers will have good comprehension and others poor. Q: A quick glance at the scores will show that fast readers sometimes have very good comprehension and sometimes poor. R: This fallacy can easily be disproved when you give the first reading test in a class. S: In short, there is little relation between reading speed and comprehension.$
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58 $S1: There isn't a cricketer worth his salt who does not aspire for captaincy. S6: It is against this background that any emotions surrounding the captaincy should be viewed. P: Even parents are proud when their sons become the captain. Q: At the lower levels, it is the best player who gets to lead the team. R: In cricket, the greatest honour any player can get is the captaincy. S: Right from their school days, boys dream of leading the team.$
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59 $S1: Systematic and ceaseless efforts are being made to tap scientifically the abundant solar energy available in the country. S6: Installation of solar thermal systems and devices has helped to save or generate energy to the extent of 350 kWh per annum. P: These include cooking, water heating, water desalination, space heating, etc. Q: A large number of applications in the area have already become commercial. R: Efforts are also afoot to develop economically viable solar collectors for high temperature applications. S: A simple and common mode in solar energy utilization is solar thermal conversion.$
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60 $S1: The houses in the Indus Valley were built of baked bricks. S6: They led outside into covered sewers which ran down the side of the streets. P: This staircase sometimes continued upwards on to the roof. Q: Access to the upstairs rooms was by a narrow stone staircase at the back of the house. R: The drains were built in the walls. S: The houses had bathrooms and water closets, rubbish chutes and excellent drainage systems.$
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61 $S1: I remember, some years ago, the library of a famous divine and literary critic, who had died, being sold. S6: Yet, he was a holy man and preached admirable sermons. P: Multitudes of the books had the marks of libraries all over the country. Q: It was a splendid library of rare books, chiefly concerned with seventeenth century writers. R: Evidently, he was very possessive about the books he borrowed. S: He had borrowed them and never found a convenient opportunity of returning them.$
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62 $S1: Of course, it is silly to try to overcome fears that keep us from destroying ourselves. S6: The only fears you need to avoid are silly fears which prevent you from doing what you should do. P: This is sensible. Q: You wait until it is out of the way before crossing. R: You need some fears to keep you from doing foolish things. S: You are afraid of an automobile coming rapidly down the street you wish to cross.$
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63 $S1: Nobody likes staying at home on a public holiday — especially if the weather is fine. S6: It was very peaceful in the cool grass — until we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. P: We had brought plenty of food with us and we got it out of the car. Q: The only difficulty was that millions of other people had the same idea. R: Now everything was ready so we sat down near a path at the foot of a hill. S: We moved out of the city slowly behind a long line of cars, but at last we came to a quiet country road and after some time, stopped at a lonely farm.$
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64 $S1: The teaching work for the term is over. S6: For this, weekend trips do not suffice, and a longer stay is necessary. P: That will end on October 13 and the Diwali vacation will begin from October 14. Q: After I complete the assessment of examination papers, I plan to go and stay at our house in Lonavla for at least a week. R: Next week the terminal examination begins. S: There is a lot of repair work that needs to be carried out in the house.$
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65 $S1: A proposal to remove from circulation 5 paise coins has been given up by the Centre on advice from the Reserve Bank of India. S6: It is, however, proposed to reduce the costs of minting these coins by changing their metallic content. P: The Government had been thinking of removing from circulation even the 10 paise coin. Q: The cost of minting a 5 paise coin is said to be 7 paise while the cost of minting a 10 paise coin is 10.5 paise. R: Moreover their removal would cause tremendous hardship to some people. S: The RBI had opposed this saying that they figure largely in public transactions.$
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66 $S1: It is common knowledge that people go after different objects in the world to get happiness. S6: He is conscious of the fact that happiness is within and not without. P: The wise man with a properly attuned mind is happy with them, in spite of them and without them too. Q: Can a condemned prisoner, awaiting execution on the morrow, relish food, however delicious? R: But a little reflection will prove that in reality these sense-objects, by themselves, can never make a person happy. S: It is a folly to equate objects with happiness.$
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Directions: improve underlined part or No improvement
67 $Go north-east across the mountains till you will reach an island.$
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68 $It is hard these days to cope with the rising prices.$
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69 $He took a loan of hundred rupees from me.$
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70 $From the last five days it has been raining torrentially.$
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71 $The teacher, along with her three children, were taken to hospital.$
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72 $The Prime Minister had wide-ranging discussions on the international situation.$
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73 $The man disappeared after he was rescuing a boy from drowning.$
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74 $I shall be obliged if you could grant me an interview.$
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75 $By 8.00 in the morning he wrote four letters to his friends.$
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76 $But for one witness the accused ought to have been sent to jail.$
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77 $He is now looking about a job.$
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78 $He did not abide with my decision.$
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79 $I was living in Chennai for ten years when I was a child.$
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80 $I didn't feel like going out yesterday, but on account of my son's illness I had to go to the doctor.$
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81 $Your services are dispensed for .$
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82 $I didn't go to office because I was ill.$
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83 $The angry neighbours never passed from each other without making rude remarks.$
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84 $The chairman with the other members of the board are touring Europe these days.$
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85 $Mahatma Gandhi is called as the Father of the Nation .$
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86 $Poor Tom laid in the shade of a tree before he could walk further.$
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87 $You must accustom yourself with new ideas.$
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88 $This telephone number is not existing .$
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Directions: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only. Passage – 1 When Jonathan (the seagull) came, it was well after dark, and he floated in moonlight on the surface of the ocean. His wings were ragged bars of lead, but the weight of failure was even heavier on his back. He wished, feebly, that the weight would be just enough to drag him gently down to the bottom, and end it all. But soon he came back to normal. He pushed wearily away from the dark water and flew towards the land, grateful for what he had learned about work-saving low-altitude flying.
89 $The word 'wearily' means$
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90 $The seagull suffered because$
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91 $'His wings were ragged bars of lead' means that$
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92 $The lesson that he had learnt that day was about$
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Directions: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only. Passage – 2 Vacationing on a motorcycle, you see things in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you do not realise that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You are a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a motorcycle, however, the frame is gone. You are completely in contact with it all. You are in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.
93 $The writer likes travelling on the motorcycle. What is the most likely reason for this?$
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94 $Which of the following statements is closest to the truth?$
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95 $"In a car you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you do not realise that ......... ." In this sentence, 'it' refers to$
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96 $In the last sentence, the writer talks of a 'sense of presence'. He is referring to the presence of$
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97 $The word 'overwhelming' means$
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Directions: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only. Passage – 3 I was lying down in a dark, lonely compartment of the speeding train, trying to sleep. But, quite unusually, sleep eluded me. A vague uneasiness gripped me. It was pitch dark outside. A few points of light flashed by as we sped through a small station and in the dim light I thought I saw a hand gripping the bars of my window. Once again the train was swallowed up by the impenetrable darkness. My heart pounded. My mouth was parched. I could not get up. I do not know how long I remained thus before the train began to slow down. The reassuring bright lights of the station we were entering revealed no intruder. I breathed again.
98 $The narrator could not sleep because$
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99 $In the dim light he saw$
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100 $Which of the following words best describes the condition of the traveller?$
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Directions: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only. Passage – 4 I was abruptly awakened by a noisy scuffle. The sun, a mere fringe over the horizon, immediately chased away the grey half-darkness. I was too sleepy to notice what was happening. Yuri was rolling over on the ground. I ran up to him but was struck dumb. With his right hand he was holding a cobra by the neck. Two sharp fangs showed from its jaws. The battle was over in a few minutes. A hollow hissing and convulsive jerks were then only reminders of a just-ended tussle. The catcher half-opened the lid of the box and calmly put the quarry in.
101 $When the writer saw Yuri holding a cobra by the neck, he was 'struck dumb'. This means that he was$
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102 $From the passage, Yuri appears to be a man who is$
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103 $With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The incident took place early in the morning. 2. Yuri threw the snake away. Which of these assumptions is/are correct?$
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Directions: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only. Passage – 5 Urbanization and industrialization have often resulted in whole areas of forests being cleared to gain new land and to obtain timber for the various building projects. Large areas of fields and forests have disappeared to make way for concrete jungles many of which are fitted with huge plants and chimney stacks. Industrial growth has necessitated the increased demand for fuel oil to run the machines and in doing so produces industrial gases and fumes which belch through the chimney and pollute the atmosphere. The most evident elements in the contamination of the atmosphere are dust, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide.
104 $The writer expresses the belief that$
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105 $The effect on forest areas produced by the activity described in the first sentence is called$
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106 $The results of industrial development, according to the writer, are$
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107 $The phrase 'concrete jungle' in the paragraph refers to the factories and houses built as a result of urbanization and industrialization. This phrase suggests that the author$
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Directions: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only. Passage – 6 I must say a word about the Eiffel Tower. I do not know what purpose it serves today. But I then heard it greatly disparaged as well as praised. I remember that Tolstoy was the chief among those who disparaged it. He said that the Eiffel Tower was a monument of man’s folly, not of his wisdom. Tobacco, he argued, was the worst of all intoxicants, inasmuch as a man addicted to it was tempted to commit crimes which a drunkard never dared to do; liquor made a man mad, but tobacco clouded his intellect and made him build castles in the air. The Eiffel Tower was one of the creations of a man under such influence. There is no art about the Eiffel Tower. In no way can it be said to have contributed to the real beauty of the Exhibition. Men flocked to see it and ascended it as it was a novelty and of unique dimensions. It was the toy of the Exhibition. So long as we are children we are attracted by toys, and the Tower was a good demonstration of the fact that we are children attracted by trinkets. That may be claimed to be the purpose served by the Eiffel Tower.
108 $Why did Tolstoy disparage Eiffel Tower? 1. Man was foolish to build it. 2. Huge man-made structures did not appeal to him. 3. Men flocked to see it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?$
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109 $Why did Tolstoy believe that tobacco was the worst of all intoxicants?$
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110 $Why did men flock to the Eiffel Tower?$
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Directions: select word or group to fill the blank
111 $In this University, there is no _______ for awarding scholarships on the basis of merit in examination alone.$
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112 $Can you pay _______ all these articles?$
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113 $He may not come, but we'll get ready in case he _______ .$
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114 $He is quite _______; you can never count on him in matters of secrecy.$
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115 $The Governor will _______ the oath of office to the thirty-five new ministers at 9.30 p.m. tomorrow.$
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116 $Most of the students have forgotten to bring their certificates; they will be _______ by the Principal for this reason.$
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117 $The consequences of economic growth have now _______ to the lowest level.$
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118 $Mrs. Ramsay did not know whether Miss Jane knew _______ .$
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119 $He _______ the role of the organization in creating environmental awareness among the people.$
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120 $We should give everyone training in citizenship but we have _______ this aspect till now.$
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