Language Proficiency: English and Hindi
What this domain tests
The language section checks accurate use of English and Hindi: grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, sentence improvement, idioms, and error detection. English items typically test subject–verb agreement, tense sequence, articles, prepositions, active–passive, direct–indirect speech, and confusable words. Hindi items test संधि, समास, मुहावरे, लोकोक्तियाँ, तत्सम–तद्भव, वाक्य-शुद्धि, and gender–number agreement. The aim is editorial control, not literary history alone.
Core rules
- Find the grammatical subject before choosing the verb. Prepositional phrases between subject and verb do not change agreement.
- In tense sequence, keep the time frame consistent unless the sentence signals a genuine shift.
- For vocabulary, use the sentence context: a synonym must fit the register and collocation, not just carry a similar dictionary meaning.
- In Hindi, check लिंग, वचन, and कारक before choosing a verb form; मुहावरे are used figuratively, not literally.
Worked example (English)
“One of the boys ___ submitted the project.” The subject is “one”, singular; “of the boys” is a prepositional phrase. Therefore the verb is “has”, not “have”. The trap is proximity agreement: the plural noun “boys” sits next to the blank, but it is not the subject.
Traps that cost marks
Proximity agreement; shifting tense without a time signal; choosing an idiom by literal meaning; and in Hindi, matching the verb to the nearest noun rather than the actual subject. In comprehension, an option may be true in general but unsupported by the passage.