General English / Hindi Language
General English / Hindi Language is a 20-question Phase I section and 25 in Phase II; candidates answer in English or Hindi as per the option exercised. English tests reading comprehension, grammar (subject-verb agreement, tense, articles, prepositions), vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, idioms), error spotting, sentence improvement and cloze fill-ins. Hindi tests गद्यांश, व्याकरण - संधि, समास, उपसर्ग-प्रत्यय, कारक, वाच्य, काल - और शब्द-भंडार, मुहावरे तथा वर्तनी.
Core rules
- Find the grammatical subject before choosing the verb. Phrases between subject and verb do not change number.
- In 'one of the + plural noun', the verb agrees with 'one': 'One of the officers is on leave.'
- Articles: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds; 'the' for unique or previously specified nouns.
- Hindi संधि: identify the final vowel of the first word and initial vowel of the second. विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय (आ + आ = आ, दीर्घ संधि).
- Hindi समास: classify by relation, e.g. राजपुत्र = राजा का पुत्र (तत्पुरुष), not by literal word order alone.
Worked example
Choose the correct verb: 'One of the officers ___ (be) on leave.' The subject is 'one', singular; 'of the officers' is a prepositional phrase. Hence 'is': 'One of the officers is on leave.' The trap is matching the verb to the nearby plural 'officers'.
Traps
- its/it's, affect/effect, principal/principle.
- Hindi मुहावरे का शब्दशः अर्थ न लें; उनका लाक्षणिक अर्थ चुनें.
- In comprehension, choose the option supported by the passage, not by outside knowledge.