I85PREP
⌘ K
Odisha CHSE +2 Compulsory English study materials
Odisha CHSE +2 Compulsory English study resources

Odisha CHSE +2 Compulsory English practice questions

One question at a time. Build your Odisha CHSE +2 Compulsory English understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Reading Comprehension

In a CHSE +2 English unseen passage, the sentence 'The tribal artisans of Mayurbhanj weave baskets that travellers seldom pass by without admiring' mainly tells the reader that the baskets are

  1. made only during festival seasons
  2. widely appreciated by visitors Correct answer.
  3. exported to distant countries
  4. priced very low in local markets

Explanation

The phrase 'seldom pass by without admiring' means almost every traveller stops to admire the baskets, so the sentence stresses how much visitors value them. No price, season or export detail appears in the sentence, so those readings go beyond the text.

Question 2Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'Odisha's coastline is lashed by cyclones almost every year, yet its farmers have learnt to time their sowing around these storms.' The word 'yet' in this sentence signals

  1. a cause-and-effect relationship
  2. a sequence of two events in time
  3. a contrast between hardship and adaptation Correct answer.
  4. an additional similar point

Explanation

'Yet' is a coordinating conjunction of contrast: it sets the destructive storms against the farmers' ability to adapt. Cause-and-effect would need words like 'therefore', sequence would need 'then', and addition would need 'moreover'.

Question 3Reading Comprehension

Read this extract: 'The river Mahanadi, once choked with silt, now runs clearer because of watershed plantations upstream.' Which word in the extract carries the meaning 'blocked or clogged'?

  1. choked Correct answer.
  2. silt
  3. upstream
  4. watershed

Explanation

'Choked' literally means blocked or clogged, and here it describes the silt-filled river. 'Silt' is the sediment itself, 'watershed' is the catchment area, and 'upstream' is a direction, so none of them means 'blocked'.

Question 4Reading Comprehension

A notice in a +2 English passage reads: 'Candidates are advised to reach the examination hall half an hour before the scheduled time.' The main purpose of this sentence is to

  1. announce the results schedule
  2. warn candidates about unfair means
  3. instruct candidates about reporting time Correct answer.
  4. describe the layout of the hall

Explanation

'Are advised to reach ... half an hour before' is an instruction about when to report. The sentence says nothing about hall layout, malpractice or results, so those options misread its function.

Question 5Reading Comprehension

Which of these sentences from a passage uses a word in a figurative, not literal, sense?

  1. The old temple is a beacon of hope for the village. Correct answer.
  2. The temple stands at the end of the lane.
  3. The temple has two wooden doors.
  4. The temple roof was repaired last summer.

Explanation

A 'beacon' literally is a light on a tower; applied to a temple, it figuratively means a source of inspiration. The other three sentences report plain physical facts about the building.

Question 6Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Having finished the essay, Meera submitted it to her teacher', the underlined opening phrase functions as

  1. an infinitive phrase expressing purpose
  2. an absolute phrase with its own subject
  3. a noun clause acting as subject
  4. a participial phrase modifying Meera Correct answer.

Explanation

'Having finished the essay' is a participial phrase, and the doer of the finishing is Meera, the subject of the main clause. It is not a clause, not an infinitive, and has no separate subject of its own.

Question 7Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage ends: 'Unless our schools teach children to question, democracy will remain a ritual without meaning.' The writer's tone here is best described as

  1. neutral and detached
  2. amused and playful
  3. celebratory and proud
  4. concerned and cautionary Correct answer.

Explanation

The warning word 'unless' plus the bleak image of a 'ritual without meaning' show anxiety about the future. There is no humour, no celebration, and the strong evaluative language rules out detachment.

Question 8Reading Comprehension

Which reference word correctly completes the passage? 'Odisha has many folk dances, ___ Dalkhai and Ghumura are among the best known.'

  1. which
  2. whose
  3. that
  4. of which Correct answer.

Explanation

The relative clause needs a partitive structure: 'of which ... are among the best known' means 'among the folk dances'. Plain 'which' or 'that' would leave the clause without the required preposition, and 'whose' marks possession, which does not fit.

Question 9Reading Comprehension

Read the passage: 'Sambalpuri weavers tie-dye the yarn before weaving, so the patterns appear on both faces of the cloth. Because the process is slow, a single saree may take weeks.' Which statement is supported by the passage?

  1. The patterns appear on only one side of the cloth
  2. A saree is completed within a few days
  3. The weavers dye the finished cloth after weaving
  4. The double-faced patterns result from dyeing the yarn first Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage explicitly links tie-dyeing the yarn before weaving with patterns on both faces, and states that a saree may take weeks. Dyeing after weaving, single-sided patterns and quick completion all contradict the text.

Question 10Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'The report, which the committee had prepared hurriedly, was rejected by the assembly', the commas are used to

  1. separate items in a list
  2. join two independent clauses
  3. introduce a direct quotation
  4. mark off a non-defining relative clause Correct answer.

Explanation

The clause 'which the committee had prepared hurriedly' adds extra information about an already identified report, so it is non-defining and is enclosed in commas. There is no list, no quotation and no second main clause.

Question 11Reading Comprehension

A passage says: 'Tourism in Puri brings income to thousands of families; it also strains water supply and crowds the narrow lanes.' The writer's approach is best described as

  1. purely promotional about tourism
  2. one-sidedly hostile to tourism
  3. indifferent to any consequence
  4. balanced, presenting both benefits and costs Correct answer.

Explanation

The writer sets income for families against water strain and crowding, giving both sides. That is balance, not hostility, promotion or indifference.

Question 12Reading Comprehension

Choose the option that best restates the sentence: 'No sooner had the bell rung than the students rushed out.'

  1. The bell rang while the students were rushing out
  2. The students rushed out before the bell rang
  3. The students waited long after the bell rang
  4. The students rushed out immediately after the bell rang Correct answer.

Explanation

'No sooner ... than' means one action followed the other instantly, so the rushing came right after the ringing. It cannot mean before the bell, simultaneous lingering, or a long wait.

Question 13Reading Comprehension

In the passage sentence 'The mangrove forests shield the coast from storm surges; without them, the villages would be defenceless', the pronoun 'them' refers to

  1. the mangrove forests Correct answer.
  2. the coasts
  3. the storm surges
  4. the villages

Explanation

'Them' stands for the plural noun that provides protection, namely the mangrove forests. Removing the forests is what would leave the villages exposed, so surges, villages and coasts are the things protected or threatening, not the shield.

Question 14Reading Comprehension

A passage describes a village headman: 'He spoke little, but when he spoke, the whole courtyard fell silent.' This characterisation suggests that the headman

  1. commands respect through quiet authority Correct answer.
  2. talks constantly to the crowd
  3. is feared for his loud temper
  4. is unpopular with the villagers

Explanation

The silence that follows his rare speech shows the weight his words carry, which is quiet authority. The extract shows neither temper, unpopularity nor constant talking.

Question 15Reading Comprehension

Which sentence from a passage contains a dangling modifier?

  1. Walking through the museum, the ancient coins caught Rina's eye. Correct answer.
  2. Rina, walking through the museum, noticed the ancient coins.
  3. Walking through the museum, Rina noticed the ancient coins.
  4. While Rina walked through the museum, the coins caught her eye.

Explanation

In the first sentence the opening participle 'Walking through the museum' is left without a logical subject, since it is the coins, not Rina, that seem to be walking. The other three sentences attach the walking clearly to Rina.

Question 16Reading Comprehension

Read the extract: 'Literacy alone does not empower; it must be paired with skills that earn a living.' The writer implies that

  1. schools should stop teaching reading
  2. education should be linked with livelihood skills Correct answer.
  3. earning money is impossible without schooling
  4. literacy has no value at all

Explanation

The second clause states the condition for empowerment: literacy must be joined to income-earning skills. The writer values literacy but finds it insufficient alone, so the other options exaggerate or reverse the claim.

Question 17Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Hardly had the monsoon set in when the paddy fields turned green', the inverted word order after 'Hardly' shows that the sentence is

  1. formal and emphatic in style Correct answer.
  2. a question in disguise
  3. a command to the reader
  4. an incomplete fragment

Explanation

Negative adverbs like 'hardly' at the start trigger subject-verb inversion ('had the monsoon'), a formal, emphatic construction. The sentence is a complete statement, not a question, command or fragment.

Question 18Reading Comprehension

A passage reports: 'According to the 2011 Census, nearly a quarter of Odisha's population belongs to Scheduled Tribes.' In a comprehension answer, this detail is best used as

  1. statistical evidence supporting a claim Correct answer.
  2. the writer's personal opinion
  3. a humorous aside
  4. a rhetorical question

Explanation

A census figure is factual data offered to support a point, so it functions as statistical evidence. It is not opinion, humour or a question, since it is a plain declarative statement with a source.

Question 19Reading Comprehension

The sentence 'The teacher asked the student whether he had completed the assignment' is the correct reported form of which direct sentence?

  1. The teacher asked the student, "He has completed the assignment."
  2. The teacher asked the student, "Did I complete the assignment?"
  3. The teacher asked the student, "Complete the assignment."
  4. The teacher asked the student, "Have you completed the assignment?" Correct answer.

Explanation

Reported yes/no questions use 'whether' or 'if' plus statement order, so the direct form must be a question about the student's completion. The other options are a statement, a command and a question about the teacher, which would not convert this way.

Question 20Reading Comprehension

In a passage about the Jagannath Rath Yatra, the writer says: 'The massive chariots are pulled by lakhs of hands, yet no one knows exactly who pulls which rope.' The second clause mainly adds

  1. a description of the chariots' size
  2. a historical origin of the festival
  3. a note of collective, anonymous participation Correct answer.
  4. a criticism of crowd mismanagement

Explanation

'No one knows exactly who pulls which rope' conveys that participation is shared and anonymous, matching the idea of lakhs of hands. It is not a complaint, nor a size description, nor a historical account.

Question 21Reading Comprehension

Read the passage: 'The poet's early verses overflow with imagery of rain and rivers; his later work, in contrast, is spare, almost bare of adjectives.' Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. His style shifted from ornate to restrained over time Correct answer.
  2. His later work is longer than his early work
  3. His early verses were written in prose
  4. His later work repeats the imagery of his early verse

Explanation

The contrast between overflowing imagery and spare, adjective-free later work supports a movement from ornate to restrained writing. Repetition, prose form and length are not mentioned and conflict with or exceed the text.

Question 22Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'What the villagers needed most was a reliable bridge', the clause 'What the villagers needed most' is

  1. a non-defining relative clause
  2. an adverbial clause of reason
  3. a nominal relative clause acting as subject Correct answer.
  4. a conditional clause

Explanation

'What the villagers needed most' is a nominal relative clause: it contains its own antecedent within 'what' and serves as the subject of 'was'. It gives no reason, adds no non-defining comment, and states no condition.

Question 23Reading Comprehension

A passage argues: 'Every year we plant thousands of saplings, yet the green cover shrinks. Planting is easy; keeping alive is the harder duty.' Which assumption underlies the argument?

  1. Green cover is unrelated to tree survival
  2. Saplings are too expensive for the state to afford
  3. Survival of planted saplings, not planting alone, determines green cover Correct answer.
  4. Planting drives away the monsoon rains

Explanation

The argument contrasts easy planting with the harder task of keeping trees alive, which only makes sense if survival is what actually sustains green cover. Cost, rainfall and the denial of any link to survival are not assumed and in the last case contradict the argument.

Question 24Reading Comprehension

Consider: 'The museum guide, who had spent thirty years cataloguing palm-leaf manuscripts, spoke of them as old friends.' Which reading of 'spoke of them as old friends' is most defensible?

  1. It shows the guide disliked the manuscripts
  2. It suggests the guide had forgotten their contents
  3. It states that the manuscripts were literally his friends
  4. It conveys deep familiarity and affection for the manuscripts Correct answer.

Explanation

The simile 'as old friends' suggests intimacy and fondness built over thirty years of cataloguing. The manuscripts are objects, so the phrase cannot be literal; nor does it imply forgetfulness or dislike.

Question 25Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'It is not that our universities lack talent; it is that they lack the freedom to fail.' The rhetorical structure of this sentence works mainly by

  1. listing two equally valid causes
  2. quoting an unnamed authority
  3. correcting a likely misreading before stating the real cause Correct answer.
  4. asking the reader a direct question

Explanation

The 'not that ... it is that ...' frame first rejects a probable explanation (lack of talent) and then supplies the writer's real cause (lack of freedom to fail). It is not a list of equal causes, a question or a quotation.

Question 26Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage on Odisha's coastline begins: 'The casuarina belt along the Puri shore is not a decorative fringe; it is a working wall of sand and root.' In this context, the phrase 'a working wall' is best understood as

  1. a boundary marking private property
  2. a decorative structure admired by tourists
  3. a wall built by labourers for wages
  4. a barrier that performs a protective function Correct answer.

Explanation

The colon after 'fringe' sets up a contrast between appearance and function, and the words 'sand and root' show the belt does active work as a shield. A metaphor of this kind must be read against the surrounding claim that the belt is not merely ornamental.

Question 27Reading Comprehension

Read this extract: 'The bus from Bhubaneswar to Koraput broke down twice; the passengers, however, reached the hill town before dusk.' The word 'however' in the sentence mainly signals

  1. a contrast between the delay and the outcome Correct answer.
  2. a sequence of events in time order
  3. an addition of a further problem
  4. a cause linking the breakdown to the arrival

Explanation

'However' is a concessive connector: it sets the two breakdowns against the unexpectedly good outcome of arriving before dusk. The reader is meant to feel the contrast, not a cause or a list.

Question 28Reading Comprehension

A passage on Odisha's handloom sector states: 'The weaver's loom is in the home, so the loom and the hearth share the same room and often the same hours.' The sentence suggests that

  1. the hearth is used to dye the yarn
  2. weaving is carried out only at night
  3. domestic life and weaving are closely interwoven Correct answer.
  4. the home is too small for a separate workshop

Explanation

Sharing 'the same room and often the same hours' links the working day of the loom with household routine, implying that the two activities are entangled. The point is social and economic, not a comment on house size or timing alone.

Question 29Reading Comprehension

Read the passage: 'The village reading room has three shelves, a broken ceiling fan and a register that few sign. Yet the librarian arrives at nine every morning and dusts each volume.' The final sentence chiefly conveys the librarian's

  1. desire for higher pay
  2. doubt about the value of books
  3. hope of a transfer
  4. sense of duty despite neglect Correct answer.

Explanation

The contrast word 'Yet' opposes the neglected room to the librarian's punctual, careful routine, so the detail reveals conscientiousness rather than complaint. Character is shown through habitual action, not stated directly.

Question 30Reading Comprehension

A passage argues: 'Odisha's temples are often described as monuments. A monument is something we look at; a place of worship is something people use. The distinction matters when we plan conservation.' The writer's purpose in drawing this distinction is to

  1. argue that temples should be closed to visitors
  2. suggest that worship and tourism cannot coexist
  3. prove that monuments are unimportant
  4. urge that conservation respect living religious use Correct answer.

Explanation

The last sentence says the distinction 'matters when we plan conservation', so the contrast is offered as a guide for policy. The writer wants preservation to take account of continued ritual use.

Question 31Reading Comprehension

Read the extract: 'Rainfed farming in Kalahandi has always been a gamble; the farmer sows in June and then waits for a sky that does not always answer.' The expression 'a sky that does not always answer' works because it

  1. personifies the sky as an unreliable responder Correct answer.
  2. states a scientific fact about rainfall
  3. compares the sky to a government office
  4. exaggerates the farmer's wealth

Explanation

The verb 'answer' is normally used of a person replying, so giving it to the sky turns the weather into an unpredictable partner. This personification supports the idea of farming as a gamble.

Question 32Reading Comprehension

A passage on migration says: 'When the men leave for the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh, the paddy does not wait. The women take up the transplanting, the cattle and the loan.' The arrangement of the final sentence implies that

  1. the loan is the least of the family's worries
  2. rural women absorb several roles at once Correct answer.
  3. the men return before the sowing season
  4. women prefer work in the fields

Explanation

The list places field labour, animal care and debt side by side without ranking, showing that women carry all these burdens together. The rhythm of the list conveys accumulation.

Question 33Reading Comprehension

Read the sentence from a passage: 'The new bridge over the Mahanadi, which took eleven years to build, now carries more traffic than the old ferry ever did.' Which element does the clause 'which took eleven years to build' modify?

  1. The Mahanadi
  2. The new bridge Correct answer.
  3. The traffic
  4. The old ferry

Explanation

A non-defining relative clause attaches to the nearest suitable noun before it, here 'the new bridge'. The eleven years of construction belong to the bridge, not to the river, the ferry or the traffic.

Question 34Reading Comprehension

A passage reports: 'The tribal museum at Koraput does not merely display objects; it trains young people to document them.' The second clause is used to

  1. compare the museum with a university
  2. extend the museum's role beyond exhibition Correct answer.
  3. describe the visitors to the museum
  4. criticise the quality of the displays

Explanation

The 'not merely... but' pattern corrects a limited view by adding a further function. The training of documenters is presented as an additional activity, not a criticism or a comparison.

Question 35Reading Comprehension

Read the extract: 'The Konark wheel is carved so finely that a finger can trace the spokes. But what the visitor remembers is not the stone; it is the patience.' The writer shifts attention from the object to

  1. the number of visitors each year
  2. the human quality the object reveals Correct answer.
  3. the history of the temple's ruin
  4. the material used by the sculptor

Explanation

The 'not... but' contrast moves the reader from the carved stone to 'patience', an attribute of the makers. The sentence makes a claim about what art discloses of its creators.

Question 36Reading Comprehension

Which sentence uses the semicolon correctly in a passage about coastal Odisha?

  1. The cyclone warning was issued at noon; returning boats.
  2. The cyclone warning was issued at noon; and the boats returned.
  3. The cyclone warning was issued at noon; by evening the fishing boats had all returned. Correct answer.
  4. The cyclone warning was issued; at noon by the boats.

Explanation

A semicolon joins two independent clauses that are closely related and not already linked by a conjunction. Only the first option places a complete clause on each side of the mark.

Question 37Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'Odissi was once danced in the temple courtyard by maharis; today it is performed on proscenium stages under electric light.' The sentence's structure chiefly serves to

  1. argue that temples should stage dance again
  2. prove that the dance has improved
  3. set a former setting against a present one Correct answer.
  4. describe a single performance in detail

Explanation

The semicolon balances two clauses, each with its own time marker ('once', 'today') and place, producing a contrast of settings. The writer observes a change without judging it better or worse.

Question 38Reading Comprehension

Read the passage: 'The government announced a scheme to supply solar pumps to farmers. Within a year, the pumps were installed, but the maintenance contracts were not signed, and many units now stand idle.' The writer's point is that

  1. implementation lagged behind provision Correct answer.
  2. solar pumps are unsuitable for farms
  3. the scheme was never announced publicly
  4. farmers refused to accept the pumps

Explanation

The 'but' clause reveals that installation ran ahead of the support arrangements, leaving equipment unused. The criticism concerns follow-through, not the technology or the farmers' willingness.

Question 39Reading Comprehension

Read the extract: 'Ask any weaver in Bargarh what the loom means, and the answer will not be about cloth. It will be about a grandfather's hands, a marriage gift, a debt repaid.' The writer's use of a list of three items chiefly

  1. suggests the weaver cannot answer clearly
  2. broadens 'meaning' from product to personal history Correct answer.
  3. proves that looms are inherited property
  4. shows that weaving is unprofitable

Explanation

Each item in the list belongs to memory or relationship rather than to cloth, so the accumulation widens the sense of what the loom signifies. The triad builds weight through concrete detail.

Question 40Reading Comprehension

A passage concludes: 'We measure a school by its pass percentage, a hospital by its bed count, a forest by its acreage. None of these numbers tells us whether a child has learnt to think, a patient has been healed, or a grove still holds its birds.' The argument proceeds by

  1. questioning whether measurable proxies capture real ends Correct answer.
  2. showing that schools are worse than hospitals
  3. proving that forests are shrinking
  4. rejecting the use of statistics altogether

Explanation

The parallel list of metrics is set against a second list of purposes that those metrics cannot register, so the reasoning exposes the gap between proxy and goal. The writer does not abandon measurement but doubts its sufficiency.

Question 41Writing Skills

In the writing section of the Odisha CHSE +2 English paper, a formal letter to the editor of a newspaper should begin with which salutation?

  1. Hi there
  2. Hello editor
  3. Dear Sir/Madam Correct answer.
  4. Respected friend

Explanation

Formal letters follow a fixed convention in which the writer does not know the recipient personally, so the neutral salutation 'Dear Sir/Madam' is used. Informal greetings such as 'Hi' or 'Hello' belong to personal letters, not to correspondence addressed to a newspaper office.

Question 42Writing Skills

Which closing is appropriate for a letter of complaint written to a municipal authority in the CHSE writing task?

  1. Yours faithfully Correct answer.
  2. Take care
  3. See you soon
  4. Yours lovingly

Explanation

When a formal letter opens with 'Dear Sir/Madam' and the receiver's name is unknown, the accepted subscription is 'Yours faithfully'. 'Yours sincerely' is reserved for letters that name the recipient, and affectionate or casual closings are out of place in official correspondence.

Question 43Writing Skills

A notice for the school notice board should primarily convey which of the following?

  1. A brief factual announcement with date, time and venue Correct answer.
  2. A comparison of two literary poems
  3. A detailed story with characters and dialogue
  4. A long personal opinion on a social issue

Explanation

A notice is a short, factual piece of communication pinned on a board to inform a specific group about an event or instruction. It must state the essential details such as what, when, where and whom to contact, and it is always enclosed in a box.

Question 44Writing Skills

Which element is essential in the opening line of a press report for the CHSE examination?

  1. The headline and a dateline with place and date Correct answer.
  2. A quotation from a neighbour
  3. A list of the reporter's qualifications
  4. The reporter's home address

Explanation

A news report opens with a headline that captures the event, followed by a dateline giving the place and date of filing. This convention tells the reader immediately where and when the reported event occurred, after which the body supplies details.

Question 45Writing Skills

In an argumentative essay for the CHSE paper, the thesis statement is best placed where?

  1. In the introduction, stating the writer's position Correct answer.
  2. Scattered across every paragraph without a fixed place
  3. At the very end of the conclusion
  4. In a footnote below the essay

Explanation

The thesis statement declares the central claim the essay will defend, so it normally appears at the close of the introductory paragraph. Placing it early guides the reader and gives the body paragraphs a clear purpose to develop.

Question 46Writing Skills

Which sentence is written in the passive voice as required by a CHSE grammar-and-writing item asking for a passive transformation?

  1. The committee has been approving budgets for years.
  2. The committee approved the annual budget yesterday.
  3. The annual budget was approved by the committee yesterday. Correct answer.
  4. The committee will approve the annual budget tomorrow.

Explanation

The passive voice places the object of the action in the subject position and uses a form of 'be' with the past participle, here 'was approved by the committee'. The other sentences keep the doer as subject and remain in the active voice.

Question 47Writing Skills

Which pair of words is correctly used to fill the blanks: 'The teacher asked the students to ___ their homework, and they submitted it ___ time'?

  1. completes, in
  2. completed, at
  3. completing, by
  4. complete, on Correct answer.

Explanation

After the infinitive marker 'to', the base form of the verb 'complete' is required, and the fixed expression for punctuality is 'on time'. The second blank therefore takes the preposition 'on' rather than 'in', 'at' or 'by'.

Question 48Writing Skills

Which of these is the most suitable opening for a formal application for the post of a school librarian?

  1. I am writing this letter because I have nothing better to do.
  2. You must be needing a librarian, so here I am.
  3. Hey, I saw your ad and thought I'd give it a shot.
  4. With reference to your advertisement in The Samaja dated 5 March, I wish to apply for the post of librarian. Correct answer.

Explanation

A formal application opens by citing the source and date of the advertisement before stating the post applied for. This gives the reader immediate context and maintains the impersonal, courteous register expected in CHSE formal writing.

Question 49Writing Skills

Read the sentence: 'Having finished the experiment, the results were recorded by the students.' What is the grammatical problem in this CHSE editing item?

  1. The verb 'recorded' should be in the present tense
  2. The introductory participle 'Having finished' does not agree with the subject 'the results' Correct answer.
  3. The tense of 'finished' is wrong
  4. The word 'experiment' should be plural

Explanation

A participial phrase at the start of a sentence must describe the subject that follows. Here 'the results' did not finish the experiment, so the participle is left dangling and the sentence needs recasting, for example 'Having finished the experiment, the students recorded the results.'

Question 50Writing Skills

A student writes: 'The principal, along with the teachers, were present at the function.' Which correction makes the sentence grammatically acceptable?

  1. Change 'the principal' to 'the principals'
  2. Change 'present' to 'presents'
  3. Change 'along with' to 'and'
  4. Change 'were' to 'was' Correct answer.

Explanation

When a singular subject is followed by a phrase introduced by 'along with', the verb agrees with the first subject alone. Since 'the principal' is singular, the verb must be 'was'; the intervening phrase does not make the subject plural.