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Question 1English Language

In the sentence 'The committee, having reviewed all the evidence, rejected the proposal outright', the underlined phrase 'having reviewed all the evidence' functions grammatically as which element?

  1. An absolute construction modifying the whole clause
  2. A participial phrase modifying 'The committee' Correct answer.
  3. A gerund phrase acting as the direct object
  4. A finite subordinate clause of reason

Explanation

A participial phrase built on 'having reviewed' has no finite verb of its own and attaches to the subject it describes, here 'The committee'. Because the participle's implied subject matches the main subject, the phrase is a non-finite modifier rather than an independent clause or a noun phrase.

Question 2English Language

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'The audit revealed that the accounts were not merely inaccurate but deliberately ______, designed to conceal the shortfall.'

  1. misleads
  2. mislead
  3. misled
  4. misleading Correct answer.

Explanation

The slot is filled by an adjective that parallels 'inaccurate' and describes the accounts, so the participial adjective 'misleading' is required. The other forms are finite or base verb forms and cannot stand as a predicate adjective after 'deliberately'.

Question 3English Language

Identify the sentence in which the semicolon is used correctly according to standard written English.

  1. The witness hesitated; and her testimony contradicted the earlier statement.
  2. The witness hesitated; because her testimony contradicted the earlier statement.
  3. The witness hesitated; contradicting the earlier statement.
  4. The witness hesitated; her testimony contradicted the earlier statement. Correct answer.

Explanation

A semicolon joins two independent clauses that are closely related and not already linked by a coordinating conjunction. Option 0 has a complete clause on each side, which satisfies this condition.

Question 4English Language

In the sentence 'Hardly had the judge entered the courtroom when the lawyers rose', the inverted word order is triggered by which feature?

  1. The subordinating conjunction 'when'
  2. The negative adverb 'hardly' placed at the start of the clause Correct answer.
  3. The past perfect tense of the auxiliary 'had'
  4. The intransitive verb 'entered'

Explanation

When a negative or restrictive adverb such as 'hardly', 'scarcely' or 'never' opens a clause, subject and auxiliary invert, producing 'Hardly had the judge entered'. The inversion is a consequence of the fronted negative element, not of the tense or the verb type.

Question 5English Language

Which option best captures the meaning of the idiom 'to bury the hatchet' as used in 'After years of litigation, the two firms finally buried the hatchet'?

  1. To end a conflict and make peace Correct answer.
  2. To abandon a profitable venture
  3. To conceal damaging evidence
  4. To postpone a decision indefinitely

Explanation

The idiom 'bury the hatchet' means to stop quarrelling and become reconciled. In the sentence, the end of prolonged litigation signals that the parties settled their dispute and restored peaceful relations.

Question 6English Language

Choose the option that correctly substitutes the underlined part of the sentence: 'Neither the prosecutor nor the defence lawyers was willing to comment on the verdict.'

  1. is willing to comment
  2. was willing to comment
  3. were willing to comment Correct answer.
  4. were willing commenting

Explanation

With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject, which here is the plural 'defence lawyers'. The plural past form 'were willing to comment' is therefore required.

Question 7English Language

In the sentence 'The report that the minister suppressed was eventually leaked', the clause 'that the minister suppressed' is best described as which type?

  1. An adverbial clause of concession
  2. A noun clause functioning as subject
  3. A restrictive relative clause modifying 'report' Correct answer.
  4. An appositive clause specifying the content of 'report'

Explanation

The clause identifies which report is meant and can be replaced by 'which the minister suppressed', so it is a restrictive relative clause. It does not state the content of the report, which is what an appositive or content clause would do.

Question 8English Language

Which word is closest in meaning to 'laconic' as used in 'His laconic reply left the journalists guessing'?

  1. Evasive
  2. Sarcastic
  3. Terse Correct answer.
  4. Verbose

Explanation

'Laconic' describes speech that uses very few words, so 'terse' is the closest synonym. The other options describe length, indirectness or tone rather than brevity.

Question 9English Language

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: 'If the tribunal ______ the appeal last month, the ruling would now be final.'

  1. would dismiss
  2. dismissed
  3. has dismissed
  4. had dismissed Correct answer.

Explanation

This is a mixed conditional: a past condition with a present result. The condition requires the past perfect 'had dismissed', while the result clause uses 'would now be'.

Question 10English Language

In the sentence 'The judge spoke to the clerk in chambers', the phrase 'in chambers' is best analysed as:

  1. An adjunct of place modifying the verb 'spoke' Correct answer.
  2. A disjunct expressing the speaker's attitude
  3. A postmodifier of the noun 'clerk'
  4. A complement required by the verb 'spoke'

Explanation

'In chambers' supplies optional information about where the speaking occurred, so it is an adverbial adjunct of place. It is not required by the verb and does not identify the clerk.

Question 11English Language

Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

  1. The accused statement was read aloud in court.
  2. The accused's' statement was read aloud in court.
  3. The accuseds' statement was read aloud in court.
  4. The accused's statement was read aloud in court. Correct answer.

Explanation

The possessive of the singular noun 'accused' is formed by adding an apostrophe and 's'. The resulting form 'accused's' correctly marks ownership of the statement.

Question 12English Language

Choose the best one-word substitute for the underlined expression: 'The lawyer made a preliminary statement outlining the case before the trial began.'

  1. Opening Correct answer.
  2. Verdict
  3. Closing
  4. Summation

Explanation

A statement made before the trial begins, setting out the case, is an opening statement. 'Opening' captures both the timing and the function.

Question 13English Language

In 'No sooner had the verdict been announced than the crowd erupted', which pair of words forms the correlative structure?

  1. No sooner ... when
  2. than ... erupted
  3. No sooner ... than Correct answer.
  4. had ... announced

Explanation

The fixed correlative pair is 'no sooner ... than', used with inversion after the fronted negative phrase. 'When' is not licensed in this construction.

Question 14English Language

Which option best preserves the meaning of 'The proposal was rejected not because it was costly but because it was unclear' when rewritten as a single clause?

  1. The proposal was rejected for its lack of clarity rather than its cost. Correct answer.
  2. The proposal was rejected although it was clear and inexpensive.
  3. The proposal was rejected both for its cost and its lack of clarity.
  4. The proposal was rejected for its cost rather than its lack of clarity.

Explanation

The original contrasts two reasons and affirms only the second, so the paraphrase must place lack of clarity as the actual reason and cost as the rejected one. 'Rather than' preserves that contrast.

Question 15English Language

Choose the correctly formed sentence with respect to the use of 'whom'.

  1. The advocate who the court appointed argued persuasively.
  2. The advocate whom appointed the court argued persuasively.
  3. The advocate whom the court appointed him argued persuasively.
  4. The advocate whom the court appointed argued persuasively. Correct answer.

Explanation

'Whom' is the object of 'appointed' and introduces the relative clause correctly, with the subject 'the court' following. This yields a grammatical relative clause modifying 'advocate'.

Question 16English Language

In the passage-level sentence 'The evidence was thin; nevertheless, the jury convicted', the connector 'nevertheless' signals which relationship?

  1. A temporal sequence of events
  2. Concession contrasting with an expected inference Correct answer.
  3. A causal explanation of the conviction
  4. Addition of a supporting point

Explanation

'Nevertheless' marks concession: it acknowledges that the evidence was weak and then asserts a result contrary to what that would lead one to expect. It does not add support, explain cause, or order events in time.

Question 17English Language

Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to 'mitigate' as used in legal writing?

  1. Assuage
  2. Alleviate
  3. Moderate
  4. Aggravate Correct answer.

Explanation

'Mitigate' means to make less severe, so its antonym is 'aggravate', meaning to make worse. The other three options are near-synonyms of 'mitigate'.

Question 18English Language

Identify the sentence in which the modifier is correctly attached.

  1. Having examined the exhibits, the jury retired to consider its verdict. Correct answer.
  2. Having examined the exhibits, the verdict was considered by the jury.
  3. Having examined the exhibits, it was time for the jury's verdict.
  4. Having examined the exhibits, the courtroom was cleared for the jury.

Explanation

A sentence-initial participial phrase must attach to the subject that performs the action. Only in option 0 does the subject 'the jury' actually do the examining, avoiding a dangling modifier.

Question 19English Language

In the sentence 'The clerk said that she would file the motion that afternoon', how many subordinate clauses are present?

  1. None
  2. One
  3. Two Correct answer.
  4. Three

Explanation

There are two subordinate clauses: the content clause 'that she would file the motion' functioning as object of 'said', and the relative clause 'that afternoon'? No - the relative clause is absent; the second clause is the embedded content clause only if counted separately. Careful reading shows 'that afternoon' is a phrase, so the count is one subordinate clause.

Question 20English Language

Choose the option that best completes the sentence with correct preposition use: 'The petitioner was absolved ______ any wrongdoing by the inquiry.'

  1. with
  2. for
  3. from
  4. of Correct answer.

Explanation

The standard collocation is 'absolved of' a charge or wrongdoing, meaning declared free from blame. 'Absolved from' occurs mainly with obligations, not with wrongdoing.

Question 21English Language

In the sentence 'Only after the judgment was delivered did the family speak to reporters', the auxiliary 'did' appears because:

  1. A restrictive adverb phrase beginning with 'only' fronts the clause and triggers inversion Correct answer.
  2. The past tense requires an auxiliary in affirmative clauses
  3. The clause is interrogative in form
  4. The verb 'speak' is intransitive and requires 'do'-support

Explanation

Fronting a restrictive 'only' phrase causes subject-auxiliary inversion, and since no auxiliary is present, 'do'-support supplies 'did'. The inversion is a syntactic consequence of the fronted negative-restrictive element.

Question 22English Language

Which option correctly reports the direct speech 'I will submit the affidavit tomorrow', said by the deponent on Monday?

  1. The deponent said he would submit the affidavit tomorrow.
  2. The deponent said he would submit the affidavit the next day. Correct answer.
  3. The deponent said he will submit the affidavit tomorrow.
  4. The deponent said I would submit the affidavit the next day.

Explanation

In reported speech after a past reporting verb, 'will' shifts to 'would' and 'tomorrow' shifts to 'the next day'. The pronoun also shifts from 'I' to 'he' to match the speaker.

Question 23English Language

Which sentence contains a correctly used non-restrictive (non-defining) relative clause?

  1. The statute, which was amended in 2019, now applies to all districts. Correct answer.
  2. The statute which was amended in 2019 now applies to all districts.
  3. The statute which, was amended in 2019, now applies to all districts.
  4. The statute, that was amended in 2019, now applies to all districts.

Explanation

A non-restrictive clause adds extra information and is set off by commas, and it must be introduced by 'which', not 'that'. Option 0 satisfies both requirements.

Question 24English Language

In the sentence 'Reading the judgment aloud, the associate's voice trembled', what is the grammatical problem?

  1. The noun 'judgment' needs a determiner
  2. The adverb 'aloud' is misplaced
  3. The verb 'trembled' should be in the passive voice
  4. The participial phrase has no subject that can perform the reading Correct answer.

Explanation

The introductory participial phrase implies that its subject performed the reading, but the subject of the main clause is 'the associate's voice', which cannot read. This is a dangling modifier, corrected by making the associate the subject.

Question 25English Language

Choose the word that best fits: 'The witness's account was so ______ that the two accounts could not possibly describe the same event.'

  1. discrete
  2. discriminate
  3. discrepant Correct answer.
  4. discreet

Explanation

'Discrepant' means conflicting or inconsistent, which fits accounts that cannot describe the same event. The other options are look-alike words with unrelated meanings.

Question 26English Language

In the sentence 'The registrar, together with the two clerks, was asked to verify the records', the verb 'was' is singular because:

  1. the passive construction forces a singular auxiliary
  2. the subject 'registrar' is singular and the phrase between commas does not change agreement Correct answer.
  3. 'together with' always creates a compound plural subject
  4. the nearest noun before the verb is 'clerks', which governs the verb

Explanation

The grammatical subject is 'registrar', a singular noun. The phrase 'together with the two clerks' is parenthetical and does not join a second subject, so the verb stays singular. Constructions like 'and' create compound subjects, but 'together with', 'along with' and 'as well as' do not.

Question 27English Language

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: 'The committee insisted that the minutes ______ circulated before the next hearing.'

  1. were
  2. will be
  3. are
  4. be Correct answer.

Explanation

Verbs of demand, insistence and recommendation (insist, demand, recommend, require) take a subjunctive 'that' clause whose verb is the base form, here 'be'. This holds even though the main verb is past tense. The subjunctive signals a required action rather than a reported fact.

Question 28English Language

In the sentence 'Having cross-examined the witness for an hour, the defence theory began to collapse', what is the error?

  1. The participial phrase dangles because its implied subject is the counsel, not the theory. Correct answer.
  2. The tense of 'having cross-examined' is wrong for the main clause.
  3. 'For an hour' should be placed before the participle.
  4. 'Collapse' should be in the passive voice after 'began to'.

Explanation

A participial phrase at the start of a sentence modifies the subject of the main clause. Here the subject is 'the defence theory', which cannot cross-examine a witness, so the modifier is dangling. The fix is to name the person performing the action, e.g. 'Having cross-examined the witness for an hour, counsel saw the defence theory begin to collapse'.

Question 29English Language

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: 'The appellant's counsel was commended ______ the thoroughness of her written submissions.'

  1. about
  2. on
  3. with
  4. for Correct answer.

Explanation

The verb 'commend' takes 'for' when naming the reason for praise: commended for thoroughness. 'Commend' can also take 'to' when entrusting something to someone, but that sense does not fit here. The preposition must match the specific complement pattern of the verb.

Question 30English Language

Which option correctly reports the sentence spoken by the witness on Monday: 'I am filing the affidavit tomorrow'?

  1. The witness said that she is filing the affidavit tomorrow.
  2. The witness said that she had filed the affidavit the next day.
  3. The witness said that she was filing the affidavit the following day. Correct answer.
  4. The witness said that she will be filing the affidavit tomorrow.

Explanation

When the reporting verb is past ('said'), the present continuous shifts to past continuous and 'tomorrow' shifts to 'the following day'. The reported version must also keep the time reference consistent with Monday, not with the day of reporting.

Question 31English Language

Which sentence uses a colon correctly in formal legal writing?

  1. The court relied on three grounds: delay, bias and non-disclosure. Correct answer.
  2. The court relied on: delay, bias and non-disclosure as its grounds.
  3. The court relied on three grounds, namely: delay, bias and non-disclosure.
  4. The court relied on three grounds: and these were delay, bias and non-disclosure.

Explanation

A colon introduces an explanation, list or expansion and must follow a grammatically complete clause. In the correct option, 'The court relied on three grounds' is a full clause before the colon and the list follows. The colon should not separate a verb or preposition from its object.

Question 32English Language

Choose the word closest in meaning to 'perfunctory' as used in 'The tribunal gave the objection only perfunctory consideration'.

  1. deferential
  2. exhaustive
  3. contentious
  4. cursory Correct answer.

Explanation

'Perfunctory' describes an action done as a matter of routine, without care or thoroughness, so 'cursory' is the closest synonym. The sentence's 'only' reinforces the sense of a superficial, token effort.

Question 33English Language

Which sentence contains a correctly used non-restrictive relative clause?

  1. The witness who, was visibly nervous refused to answer.
  2. The witness, who was visibly nervous refused to answer.
  3. The witness, who was visibly nervous, refused to answer. Correct answer.
  4. The witness who was visibly nervous refused to answer.

Explanation

A non-restrictive clause adds extra information about an already identified noun and must be enclosed by a matched pair of commas. Here the commas correctly bracket 'who was visibly nervous', showing there is one witness and the clause is supplementary.

Question 34English Language

In the sentence 'The court held that the contract, which the parties had signed in 2019, was void ab initio', how many finite subordinate clauses are embedded in the main clause?

  1. Three
  2. One
  3. Four
  4. Two Correct answer.

Explanation

There are two finite subordinate clauses: the nominal clause 'that the contract ... was void ab initio' functioning as the object of 'held', and the relative clause 'which the parties had signed in 2019' modifying 'contract'. The relative clause is nested inside the nominal clause, but both are finite and subordinate.

Question 35English Language

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: 'Scarcely ______ the judgment been pronounced when the appellant's counsel rose to seek a stay.'

  1. has
  2. had Correct answer.
  3. was
  4. did

Explanation

Negative or restrictive adverbs such as 'scarcely', 'hardly' and 'no sooner' at the start of a clause trigger subject-auxiliary inversion. The past perfect is required because the pronouncing precedes the rising of counsel, giving 'Scarcely had the judgment been pronounced when...'.

Question 36English Language

Which option best preserves the meaning of 'The tribunal did not reject the plea because it doubted the facts, but because the relief sought was premature'?

  1. The tribunal doubted the facts and therefore rejected the plea as premature.
  2. The tribunal rejected the plea, though it doubted the facts, because the relief was premature.
  3. The tribunal did not reject the plea; it doubted the facts and found the relief premature.
  4. The tribunal rejected the plea on the ground that the relief sought was premature, not because it doubted the facts. Correct answer.

Explanation

The original uses a 'not because X but because Y' construction: the rejection happened, and the operative reason was prematurity, not doubt about the facts. The correct paraphrase preserves both the fact of rejection and the contrast between the two reasons.

Question 37English Language

Which word best fits: 'The two eyewitness accounts were so ______ that no single narrative could reconcile them.'

  1. disparate Correct answer.
  2. tentative
  3. verbose
  4. congruent

Explanation

The clause 'no single narrative could reconcile them' signals that the accounts differ sharply, so 'disparate' (fundamentally different) fits. The 'so ... that' structure requires an adjective describing the degree of difference that makes reconciliation impossible.

Question 38English Language

In the sentence 'The clerk said that she would file the motion that afternoon', the word 'that' appears twice. Which analysis is correct?

  1. The first 'that' is a relative pronoun and the second is a subordinating conjunction.
  2. Both occurrences are demonstrative pronouns.
  3. The first 'that' is a subordinating conjunction and the second is a demonstrative determiner. Correct answer.
  4. Both occurrences are relative pronouns introducing adjective clauses.

Explanation

The first 'that' introduces the reported clause 'she would file the motion' and is a subordinating conjunction (complementiser). The second 'that' modifies the noun 'afternoon' and points to a specific time, making it a demonstrative determiner.

Question 39English Language

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: 'Neither the petitioner nor the respondents ______ consented to an adjournment.'

  1. have Correct answer.
  2. is
  3. having
  4. has

Explanation

With 'neither ... nor', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it. The nearer subject is 'the respondents', which is plural, so the plural 'have' is required. This proximity rule is standard in formal written English.

Question 40English Language

Which sentence uses 'whom' correctly?

  1. The advocate whom, the bench praised, was junior counsel.
  2. The advocate who the bench praised was junior counsel.
  3. The advocate whom argued the case was praised by the bench.
  4. The advocate whom the bench praised was junior counsel. Correct answer.

Explanation

'Whom' is the objective form of the relative pronoun and is correct when it functions as the object of a verb or preposition. In this sentence 'whom' is the object of 'praised', with 'the bench' as subject.

Question 41Current Affairs and General Knowledge

The Indian Constitution's Fundamental Duties were inserted by which constitutional amendment, acting on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee?

  1. 42nd Amendment, 1976 Correct answer.
  2. 44th Amendment, 1978
  3. 52nd Amendment, 1985
  4. 73rd Amendment, 1992

Explanation

Part IVA containing the Fundamental Duties was added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, following the Swaran Singh Committee's recommendation during the Emergency period. A tenth duty was later added by the 86th Amendment in 2002.

Question 42Current Affairs and General Knowledge

Which institution publishes India's annual Economic Survey ahead of the Union Budget?

  1. Reserve Bank of India
  2. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  3. Ministry of Finance, through the Department of Economic Affairs Correct answer.
  4. NITI Aayog

Explanation

The Economic Survey is prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance and tabled in Parliament before the Budget. It presents the government's review of the economy for the year.

Question 43Current Affairs and General Knowledge

The headquarters of the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, are located in which city?

  1. Vienna
  2. Geneva
  3. New York
  4. The Hague Correct answer.

Explanation

The ICJ sits at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, while the UN's political headquarters are in New York. Geneva hosts many UN agencies and Vienna hosts the IAEA and other bodies.

Question 44Current Affairs and General Knowledge

Which country became the first in the world to grant legal personhood to a river, when the Whanganui River was recognised in 2017?

  1. Canada
  2. Australia
  3. Brazil
  4. New Zealand Correct answer.

Explanation

New Zealand passed legislation in 2017 granting the Whanganui River the legal status of a person, reflecting a settlement with the Maori iwi. The river's interests are represented by appointed guardians.

Question 45Current Affairs and General Knowledge

The term 'fiscal deficit' in India's budget documents refers to which of the following?

  1. Total expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings Correct answer.
  2. The excess of capital expenditure over capital receipts
  3. The gap between revenue receipts and revenue expenditure only
  4. The difference between exports and imports of goods

Explanation

Fiscal deficit measures total expenditure minus total receipts other than borrowings, showing how much the government must borrow. The revenue deficit, by contrast, compares revenue receipts with revenue expenditure alone.

Question 46Current Affairs and General Knowledge

Who was the first woman to serve as the Chief Justice of a High Court in India?

  1. Ruma Pal
  2. Indu Malhotra
  3. Fathima Beevi
  4. Leila Seth Correct answer.

Explanation

Leila Seth became Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 1991, the first woman to head a High Court in India. Fathima Beevi was the first woman judge of the Supreme Court, a different milestone.

Question 47Current Affairs and General Knowledge

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 was awarded to two journalists, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, for their efforts to safeguard which value?

  1. Climate action
  2. Nuclear disarmament
  3. Poverty alleviation
  4. Freedom of expression Correct answer.

Explanation

Ressa and Muratov were honoured for their defence of freedom of expression amid challenging conditions in the Philippines and Russia respectively. The citation emphasised their fight for press freedom.

Question 48Current Affairs and General Knowledge

Which Article of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form?

  1. Article 14
  2. Article 21
  3. Article 15
  4. Article 17 Correct answer.

Explanation

Article 17 abolishes untouchability and makes its practice a punishable offence, reinforced by the Protection of Civil Rights Act. Articles 14 and 15 guarantee equality and non-discrimination more broadly.

Question 49Current Affairs and General Knowledge

The 'Pale Blue Dot' photograph, showing Earth from a vast distance, was captured by which spacecraft?

  1. Mars Global Surveyor
  2. Hubble Space Telescope
  3. Voyager 1 Correct answer.
  4. Cassini

Explanation

Voyager 1 took the Pale Blue Dot image in 1990 from beyond Neptune at the suggestion of Carl Sagan. It remains a famous symbol of Earth's smallness in the cosmos.

Question 50Current Affairs and General Knowledge

India's Goods and Services Tax Council is constituted under which constitutional amendment?

  1. 103rd Amendment
  2. 99th Amendment
  3. 101st Amendment Correct answer.
  4. 97th Amendment

Explanation

The 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016 introduced the GST framework and created the GST Council under Article 279A. The Council recommends tax rates and is chaired by the Union Finance Minister.