UKPSC AE 2023: Uttarakhand Combined State Engineering Service Examination, General English
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1. Choose correct word for the following :
“Study of sound and sound waves.”
(a) Alchemy (b) Genetics (c) Acoustics (d) Philology
2. What is the synonym of the word – ‘Cantankerous’ ?
(a) Quarrelsome (b) Calm and quiet (c) Faithful (d) Irritating
3. Choose the correct synonym for the following word :
‘Profuse’
(a) Preface (b) Abundant (c) Temporary (d) Sufficient
4. What is the antonym of ‘Valiant’ ?
(a) Courageous (b) Massy (c) Timid (d) Opaque
5. Choose the correct homonym for the following word :
‘Fare’
(a) Fear (b) Fair (c) Fearsome (d) Ferocious
6. Which is the synonym for the following word ?
‘Voyage’
(a) Run (b) Destination (c) Journey (d) Walk
7. Fill in the blank with suitable preposition :
He has eaten nothing ________ yesterday.
(a) from (b) with (c) then (d) since
8. Use the correct preposition in the following sentence :
I am indebted to you ________ your help.
(a) to (b) for (c) beside (d) above
9. Fill in the blank with the most appropriate preposition :
India is a noble, gorgeous land, teeming ________ natural wealth.
(a) in (b) with (c) at (d) for
10. Fill in the blank with appropriate preposition :
He was so absorbed ________ his business, that he did not notice me.
(a) on (b) into (c) to (d) in
11. Choose the correct form of the underlined part :
His friends prevailed to him to withdraw his resignation.
(a) prevailed at him (b) prevailed upon him
(c) prevailed against him (d) prevailed from him
12. Apply correct preposition in the following sentence :
The whole town was plunged ________ sorrow after the massacre of the students.
(a) in (b) to (c) into (d) with
13. What is the correct substitution for the following ?
A person who feels pleasure in hurting others.
(a) Masochist (b) Pessimist (c) Optimist (d) Sadist
GEN 2 Series-A
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14. Fill in the blank with correct verb form :
Many a man ________ not know his own good deeds.
(a) do (b) does (c) must (d) should
15. Choose the correct verb from the given below :
Ten kilometers ________ a long distance.
(a) are (b) were (c) have (d) is
16. Choose the correct form of the verb and fill in the blank in the following sentence :
The earth ________ round the sun.
(a) moved (b) moves (c) move (d) have moved
17. Choose grammatically correct sentence with perfect subject-verb agreement.
(a) You, he and I am students. (b) You, he and I are students.
(c) You, he and I was students. (d) You, he and I will be students.
18. Fill in the blank with the correct form of verb :
If I ________ you, I would go on to the next exercise.
(a) was (b) are (c) were (d) is
19. Choose the correct form of the given sentence :
No student is as intelligent as my son.
(a) My son is intelligent than other students.
(b) All other students are dull compared to my son.
(c) No student is more intelligent than my son.
(d) No other student is as intelligent as my son.
20. Choose the correct option to complete the given sentence :
The minister was requested to write the ________ to the book.
(a) forworded (b) forward (c) foreword (d) foreworded
21. Correct the following sentence :
My brother works for insurance company.
(a) My brother is working for insurance company.
(b) My brother works for an insurance company.
(c) My brother has worked for insurance company.
(d) My brother will work for insurance company.
22. Correct the following sentence :
The decision appears unjustly.
(a) The decision appear unjustly. (b) The decision appears unjust.
(c) The decision will appear unjustly. (d) The decision appearing unjustly.
23. Choose correct verb from the following options for the following sentence :
It ________ for two hours.
(a) rain (b) had rain (c) have rained (d) has been raining
GEN 3 Series-A
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24. Identify the error in the given sentence :
My mother asked me / where was I going / in such a hurry. / No error
1 2 3 4
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4
25. Choose correct cluster of verbs to fill in the blanks :
It is years since I ________ him. He has ________ his last days.
(a) see, saw (b) seen, see (c) saw, seen (d) seen, saw
26. Choose correct verb to fill in the given blank :
It is said of Akbar that he rarely ________ more than three hours at a time.
(a) slept (b) sleeps (c) sleeping (d) sleep
27. Fill in the blank with correct form of the given verb :
His path was ________ with flowers.
(a) strowed (b) strew (c) strewn (d) strow
28. Choose the cluster of verbs to complete the sentence :
Cuckoos ________ nests. They ________ the nests of other birds.
(a) don’t build, use (b) are not building, use
(c) have built, use (d) built, use
29. Choose correct verb form to complete the sentence :
You should not argue with your father. You ________ obey him.
(a) should (b) would (c) will (d) can
30. Fill in the blank using a suitable verb :
The firemen ________ all the people who were caught in a burning house.
(a) protected (b) sheltered (c) rescued (d) defended
31. Change the following sentence from simple to compound :
Don’t be a borrower, don’t be a lender.
(a) Let not be a borrower, not a lender.
(b) Neither be a borrower nor be a lender.
(c) Don’t be a borrower as well as a lender.
(d) Because of borrower, cannot be a lender.
32. Change the following sentence from compound to simple :
She is unhappy but she blames none for it.
(a) She blames none her unhappy.
(b) She blames none that she is unhappy.
(c) Inspite of being unhappy, she blames none for it.
(d) She is unhappy so she blames none for it.
33. Correct the following sentence :
The population of London is greater than any city in England.
(a) The population of London is great than any British city.
(b) The population of London is the greater than British city.
(c) The population of London is greater than any other city in England.
(d) No change
GEN 4 Series-A
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34. Change the following sentence from superlative to positive degree :
The sun is the biggest star.
(a) The sun is bigger than any other star. (b) The sun is big than star.
(c) No other star is so big as the sun. (d) The sun is big star.
35. Change the following sentence from complex to compound :
When she arrived at home, she found her son missing.
(a) She arrived at home but she found her son missing.
(b) As she arrived home, she found her son missing.
(c) She arrived at home and found her son missing.
(d) After arriving her home, she found her son missing.
36. Change the following sentence from affirmative to negative :
He is an honest person.
(a) He is not an honest person. (b) He is the most honest person.
(c) He is not a dishonest person. (d) He is not so honest.
37. Change the following sentence from exclamatory to the assertive form :
What a pretty girl she is !
(a) She is not a pretty girl. (b) She is a very pretty girl.
(c) She is a pretty girl not at all. (d) She is a pretty girl.
38. Complete the following sentence with the correct option :
________ the rod and spoil the child.
(a) Using (b) Hit (c) Broken (d) Spare
39. Transform the following sentence into simple sentence :
He was so tired that he could not stand.
(a) He was too tired that he stands.
(b) He was very tired that he could not stand.
(c) He could not stand because he was tired.
(d) He was too tired to stand.
40. Transform the following sentence from Active to Passive Voice :
Prem Chand wrote this novel.
(a) Prem Chand had written this novel. (b) This novel was written by Prem Chand.
(c) This novel is written by Prem Chand. (d) This novel is wrote by Prem Chand.
41. Choose the correct meaning of the underlined idiom :
‘It will be wise on your part to let the bygone be bygone.’
(a) Resist the past. (b) Ignore the past.
(c) Recollect the past. (d) Revive the past.
42. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom :
‘A gala day’
(a) A day of success (b) A day of merry-making and celebrations
(c) An eventual day (d) A day of significant battle
43. Change the following from comparative to positive degree :
‘A donkey is not duller than he.’
(a) He is as dull as a donkey. (b) A donkey is as dullest than he.
(c) He is as duller as donkey. (d) A donkey is one of the dullest animal.
GEN 5 Series-A
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44. Choose the correct meaning of the verbal phrase :
‘The put up with.’
(a) To tolerate (b) To live together (c) To amend (d) To understand
45. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom :
Hold water
(a) does not deserve appreciation (b) cannot be valued
(c) does not fulfill the requirement (d) cannot be believed
46. Choose the correct word which best expresses the meaning of the underlined idiom :
We should do away with the present examination system.
(a) Prohibit (b) Demolish (c) Extend (d) Abolish
47. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom underlined in the sentence :
If someone fights tooth and nails, what is he doing ?
(a) Fight for saving tooth and nail (b) Not fighting at all
(c) Fight fiercely with great determination (d) None of these
48. What is the meaning of the phrase ‘put out’ ?
(a) Evade (b) Disconcerted (c) Made (d) Give
49. Choose the correct meaning of the following idiom/phrase :
‘To smell a cat.’
(a) To suspect foul dealings (b) Bad smell
(c) To be in a bad mood (d) To cat a rat
50. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom –
‘Utopian idea’
(a) classic idea (b) bad idea (c) imaginary idea (d) good idea
51. Rearrange the jumbled parts of the sentence to bring out the meaning :
(P) The little girl said, that (Q) for the mother to leave little children on their own (R) it was
not quite right (S) and go to work.
(a) PRQS (b) RPQS (c) QRPS (d) RQSP
52. Rearrange the jumbled parts of the sentence to bring out the meaning :
(P) I watched the elephant (Q) grass against his knee (R) beating (S) in grand motherly air.
(a) PRQS (b) PQRS (c) QPRS (d) PRSQ
53. Arrange the sentences to make a meaningful sentence :
(P) So the mother asked him to find work (Q) They were very poor (R) He lived with his
mother (S) but he refused to work.
(a) RQPS (b) PQRS (c) QPRS (d) RPSQ
54. Rearrange the sentence to make it meaningful :
(P) There are about 400 odd bridges connecting the Islands of Venice (Q) Venice is a strange
city (R) The small islands are close to one another (S) There are no motor-cars, no horses
and no buses here.
(a) RPQS (b) SRQP (c) QPRS (d) PRQS
55. Choose the correct meaning of the following idiomatic phrase :
‘Much ado about nothing.’
(a) To make a noise (b) A play by show
(c) To make a fuss over small matters (d) A serious talk
GEN 6 Series-A
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56. Arrange the following sentences to make it meaningful :
(P) The early computers were huge and heavy (Q) It was only with the introduction of
electronics that the computers really came of age (R) But computers were in use long before
that (S) They had several rotating shafts and years which almost always doomed them to
slow operation.
(a) RPQS (b) PRQS (c) QPSR (d) SRQP
57. Give the most appropriate meaning of the term ‘Subscription’ in context of letter-writing.
(a) To recommend (b) Prescribe
(c) Prohibit (d) Courteous leave-taking
58. Give the most appropriate meaning of ‘Salutation’ in the context of letter-writing.
(a) Bending with respect (b) Courteous greeting
(c) Salute your higher officers (d) Bid good bye
59. Give the most appropriate meaning of ‘Addendum’.
(a) A section of extra information added to specially a book
(b) Compliment
(c) Praiseworthy
(d) Detachment
60. Give the most appropriate meaning of the word ‘Jurisdiction’.
(a) Conformity
(b) Authority
(c) Judge
(d) An authority that an official organization has, to make legal decision.
61. Give the correct meaning of the word ‘Lapse’.
(a) Error (b) Rise (c) Improve (d) Hesitate
62. Choose the correct order of the given sentence :
(P) We rushed out of the tea stall (Q) We helped the passengers to get out of the bus (R) We
found the tourist bus which had just rammed into a tree (S) We were taking tea at the tea
stall on the road side.
(a) RQPS (b) SQRP (c) PRQS (d) SRPQ
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow : (for Q. Nos. 63 to 72)
It is true that it is the function of the army to maintain law and order in abnormal times
but in normal times, there is another force that compels citizens to obey the laws and to act
with due regard to the rights of others. The force also protects the lives and the properties of
law-abiding men. Laws are made to protect the lives and the properties, to secure the
personal safety of its subjects and to prevent murder and crimes. They are made to secure
the property of the citizens against theft and damage, to protect the rights of communities
and castes to carryout their customs and ceremonies, so long as they do not conflict with the
rights of others. Now the good citizen of his own free will obey these laws and he takes care
that everything he does is done with due regard to the rights and well-being of others. But
the bad citizen is only restrained from breaking these laws by fear of the consequences of
his actions. The supreme control of law and order in a state is in the hands of a Minister who
is responsible to the State Assembly and acts through the Inspector General of Police.
63. ‘Customs and ceremonies’ means
(a) fairs and festivals (b) usual practices and religious rites
(c) habits and traditions (d) superstitions and formalities
GEN 7 Series-A
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64. Which of the following is not indicated/implied in the passage ?
(a) Law protects those who respect it.
(b) The forces of law help to transform irresponsible citizens into responsible ones.
(c) A criminal is deferred from committing crimes.
(d) Law ensured people’s religious and social rights absolutely and unconditionally.
65. According to the passage which one of the following is not the responsibility of the police ?
(a) To maintain peace in extraordinary circumstances
(b) To protect the privileges of all citizens
(c) To check violent activities of citizens
(d) To ensure peace among citizens
66. Which of the following reflects the main thrust of the passage ?
(a) It deals with importance of the army in maintaining law and order.
(b) It highlights the role of police.
(c) It discusses the roles of army and the police in different circumstances.
(d) It points to the responsibility of the Minister and the Inspector General of Police.
67. Choose the appropriate meaning of the following sentence :
“They are made to secure the property of citizens against theft and damage.”
(a) Safeguard people’s possessions against being stolen or lost.
(b) Help in recovering stolen property.
(c) Assist the people whose property is stolen.
(d) Initiate process against offenders of law.
68. Which is the opposite of the word ‘restrained’ ?
(a) Promoted (b) Intruded (c) Accelerated (d) Inhibited
69. Which is the common noun of ‘personal’ ?
(a) Person (b) Personality (c) Personification (d) Impersonal
70. Which is the comparative degree of the word ‘good’ ?
(a) more good (b) much good (c) better (d) best
71. Which one is not the adjective of the word ‘fear’ ?
(a) fearful (b) fearsome (c) fearless (d) afraid
72. Give a suitable title for the passage.
(a) The functions of the police
(b) The functions of the Army
(c) Laws and the people’s rights
(d) The fear of the law and citizen’s security
GEN 8 Series-A
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Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow : (for Q. Nos. 73 to 82)
It is often argued that war has given a great incentive to scientific advancement,
particularly in the sphere of medicine. Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. And
war creates not only necessity but urgency. If there exist bombers, there must be invented
anti-craft guns. The production of an invulnerable tank must lead to the discovery of mightier
explosive to smash it. Large scale use will rapidly consume and exhaust natural resources.
This has led to the manufacture of synthetic products. Synthetic yarns are today more
popular than natural cotton and silk. For want of external food supplies during war, some
countries are faced with the threat of starvation. This has led them to make efforts to attain
self-sufficiency in food. They try to raise the productivity of soil by controlling land
temperature, by using scientifically prepared fertilizers, by speeding up the maturing
process. A large number of soldiers used to be fatally wounded in war. Their wounds would
soon turn septic and would painfully creep to a wretched death.
Though war stimulates scientific progress, it would be wrong to think that for war, there
would have been no progress at all. War creates urgency but it also creates insecurity. And
nothing very creative can be achieved when a scientist’s mind is not at peace with himself.
If the scientists had been given peace and the requisites to facilitate work, their achievements
would have been more miraculous, more laudable.
73. How is the productivity of soil raised ?
(a) By controlling land temperature (b) By scientifically prepared fertilizers
(c) By speeding up the maturing process (d) By all of these
74. Which is the synonym of word ‘attain’ ?
(a) gain (b) lose (c) miss (d) produce
75. Fill in the blank with appropriate word in the following sentence :
For want of external food supplies during war, some countries are faced with _____.
(a) hunger (b) money (c) starvation (d) poverty
76. Which of the following is not an invention of science ?
(a) Medicines (b) Bombs (c) Anti-craft guns (d) Mental peace
77. Who is most wounded in war ?
(a) Birds (b) Animals (c) Soldiers (d) Trees
78. Which is the correct noun of the word ‘Consume’ ?
(a) Consumption (b) Consumed (c) Inconsumer (d) Unconsumed
79. Choose the correct meaning of ‘miraculous’ :
(a) Strange (b) Supernatural (c) Astounding (d) Amazing
80. Which is an adjective of ‘fatally’ ?
(a) Fatal (b) By fate (c) Factual (d) Factually
81. Choose the message of the passage from the options.
(a) War must be stopped otherwise it would bring unbearable sufferings, pains and diseases
along destruction and devastation on the land.
(b) Science is must for the advancement and progress of a country but it must not be given
priority to peace of mind.
(c) Science and war must go hand in hand for advancement not for destruction.
(d) Peace of mind is very essential for scientific researches.
82. Choose the appropriate title of the passage.
(a) Science and War (b) War and Peace
(c) Science and Progress (d) Disasters of War
GEN 9 Series-A
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83. Change the sentence into indirect speech and pick out the correct option :
He said to me, “What are you doing ?”
(a) He said to me what are you doing. (b) He asked me what he was doing.
(c) He said to me what I was doing. (d) He asked me what I was doing.
84. Choose the correct indirect speech of the following sentence :
He said, “Please pay at the desk.”
(a) He requested to pay at the desk.
(b) He was paying at the desk.
(c) He said that he should pay at the desk.
(d) He said why should he pay at the desk.
85. Which is the correct indirect speech of the following sentence ?
He said, “Don’t walk on the ice.”
(a) He asked me to walk on the ice.
(b) He said walk on the ice.
(c) He advised me not to walk on the ice.
(d) He said let us walk on the ice.
86. Change the following sentence into indirect speech :
The teacher said, “The earth moves round the sun.”
(a) The teacher said that the earth went round.
(b) The teacher said that the earth will go round the sun.
(c) The teacher said that the earth goes round the sun.
(d) The teacher said that the earth would go round the sun.
87. Correct the following sentence :
If I will like it, I shall buy it.
(a) If I liked it, I shall buy it. (b) If I like it, I shall buy it.
(c) If I would like it, I will buy it. (d) If I shall like it, I shall buy it.
88. Correct the following sentence :
Unless you do not work harder you will fail.
(a) Unless you work harder, you will fail.
(b) Unless you will work harder, you will fail.
(c) Unless you will not work harder, you will fail.
(d) Unless you work harder, you will not fail.
89. Change the sentence into indirect speech and pick out the correct option :
He said, “I dropped it while I was running.”
(a) He said that I was dropped it while I was running.
(b) He said that it was dropped it while running.
(c) He said that he had dropped it while he was running.
(d) He said he was dropped when running.
GEN 10 Series-A
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90. Fill in the blank with correct modal :
I ________ go there if I were you.
(a) would not (b) might not (c) should not (d) cannot
91. Put the verb in bracket into the correct tense :
If he had known that the river was dangerous, he (not try) to swim across it.
(a) would not have tried (b) would not try
(c) would have tried (d) might have tried
92. Fill in the blank with correct form of the verb :
The steamer ________ yesterday.
(a) sail (b) sailed (c) had sailed (d) has sailed
93. Fill in the blank with correct form of the verb :
I had done my exercise when Hari ________ to see me.
(a) come (b) comes (c) came (d) had come
94. Find out the correct sentence.
(a) I shall not go there until you do not come.
(b) I shall not go there until you come.
(c) I shall going there until you come.
(d) You come then I will go confirm.
95. Find out the correct tense for the given sentence :
The child has been sleeping for two hours.
(a) Present indefinite tense (b) Past perfect continuous tense
(c) Present perfect tense (d) Present perfect continuous tense
96. Choose the correct option to complete the sentence given below :
Newton discovered that force of gravitation ________.
(a) makes apples fall (b) made apples fall
(c) was making apples fall (d) is making apples fall
97. Choose the correct alternative for the sentence :
A place where birds are kept
(a) Aquarium (b) Aviary (c) Apiary (d) Archive
98. Give one word for the following group of words :
“Operation of the body after death.”
(a) Post-mortem (b) Obituary (c) Homage (d) Mortuary
99. Give an appropriate word for the following :
“A short story with a moral.”
(a) Parole (b) Fable (c) Pedantic (d) Lunar
100. Choose the correct option to fill in the blank :
If Sudhir ________ to my advice, he would have been a doctor now.
(a) listened (b) have listened (c) had listened (d) would listen
_________
GEN 11 Series-A
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Space For Rough Work / GEN 12 Series-A
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Source: Uttarakhand Public Service Commission. Question paper published by Uttarakhand Public Service Commission.