Hindi and English Language
Hindi and English Language tests grammar, comprehension, vocabulary, translation and error correction. Questions are set in both languages, so candidates must handle formal Hindi and standard English.
Core rules
- Hindi: संधि (स्वर, व्यंजन, विसर्ग), समास, उपसर्ग–प्रत्यय, कारक, वाच्य, काल, मुहावरे–लोकोक्तियाँ and पारिभाषिक शब्दावली.
- English: parts of speech, tense, subject–verb agreement, articles, prepositions, active/passive, direct/indirect speech, idioms, synonyms and antonyms.
- Comprehension: locate the main idea, supporting detail, inference and tone; answers must follow the passage.
- Translation: preserve meaning, register and technical terms rather than substituting word for word.
Worked example
Choose the correct verb: 'The number of students ___ increasing.' Reasoning: the head noun is 'number' (singular), so the verb is 'is'; 'a number of students are' takes a plural verb because 'a number of' means 'many'. Answer: is.
Traps
- Matching the verb to the nearest plural noun instead of the head noun.
- Translating idioms literally, such as 'to beat about the bush'.
- In Hindi, writing विद्यालय as विद्याआलय instead of applying आ + आ = आ.
- Over-reading a comprehension passage and importing outside facts.