English Language
What this domain tests
The English section (30 questions in the prelims) tests reading comprehension, cloze test, error spotting, sentence improvement, para jumbles, fillers, synonyms and antonyms. The paper rewards grammar accuracy and quick reading, not vocabulary depth.
Core rules
- Subject-verb agreement - the verb agrees with the head noun: "the number of policyholders has risen", but "a number of policyholders have complained". Collective nouns take a singular verb when acting as one unit.
- Prepositions and articles - learn verb-plus-preposition pairs (comply with, insist on, deprived of, capable of) instead of guessing from sound.
- Tenses - past perfect needs an earlier past event; "since" and "for" signal present perfect.
- Para jumbles - find the opening sentence (no pronoun or definite article referring backwards) and the mandatory pairs linked by a pronoun or connective.
- Reading comprehension - answer from the passage, not general knowledge, and re-read the line around the keyword.
- Cloze test - read the whole paragraph first for tone, then fit collocations.
Worked example
"The number of lapsed policies (a) have increased (b) sharply last year." The head noun is "number", which is singular, so the verb must be "has". The correct sentence is: "The number of lapsed policies has increased sharply last year." Had the sentence begun "A number of policies", the plural verb "have" would be correct.
Traps
Judging a sentence by how it sounds; missing the "the number of" versus "a number of" distinction; choosing a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the passage's tone; ignoring the instruction to pick the grammatically correct option and picking a meaning-based answer instead.