RBSE Praveshika English cheat sheet

Skimming answers the main-idea question: read the first and last sentence of each paragraph before reading the questions.

Scanning answers detail questions: locate the keyword from the stem, then read one line before and after it.

Vocabulary-in-context questions are answered by substituting each option into the original sentence and testing whether the sentence still makes sense.

A title must cover the whole passage; an option that names only one paragraph is a distractor.

Inference answers must be supported by the text; an option that is true in real life but unstated in the passage is wrong.

Tone words to classify: informative, persuasive, humorous, critical, nostalgic, sarcastic; tone is judged from adjectives and adverbs, not from the topic alone.

For 'true/false/not given' items, 'not given' means the passage is silent, not that the statement is false.

Sequence questions are solved by noting time markers (then, after, later, finally) and ordering events by them.

Present perfect (has/have + V3) is used with just, already, yet, ever, never, since, for; simple past is used with a definite past time (yesterday, in 2010, last week).

Past perfect (had + V3) marks the earlier of two past actions; the later action takes simple past.

A/an is chosen by sound, not spelling: a university, a European, an hour, an MLA, an honest man.

'The' is used for superlatives, unique things (the sun), rivers/seas/ranges (the Ganga, the Himalayas), and previously mentioned nouns.

Active to passive: object becomes subject, verb becomes be + V3, and the doer follows 'by'; tense of 'be' matches the original tense.

Reported speech shifts tense one step back (present to past, past to past perfect, will to would) and changes pronouns to the third person; time words shift (now to then, today to that day, tomorrow to the next day).

Yes/no questions in reported speech take 'if' or 'whether'; wh-questions keep the wh-word and use statement order.

Modals: can (ability), may (permission/possibility), must (obligation), should (advice), could/would (polite request); modal + V1, never modal + to + V1 except ought to.

Synonym items are tested by register as well as meaning: 'begin' fits a neutral sentence where 'commence' would sound formal.

Antonym items often hinge on prefixes: un-, in-, im-, dis-, il-, ir- reverse meaning (possible/impossible, legal/illegal).

One-word substitutions to memorise: a person who loves books = bibliophile; one who cannot read = illiterate; a speech to oneself = soliloquy; a place where bees are kept = apiary; that which cannot be avoided = inevitable.

Idioms are fixed: 'a piece of cake' = very easy; 'once in a blue moon' = very rarely; 'to let the cat out of the bag' = to reveal a secret; 'to beat about the bush' = to avoid the main point.

Do not guess an idiom from its literal words; substitute the idiomatic meaning into the sentence and check the sense.

Collective and group words: a herd of cattle, a flock of sheep, a fleet of ships, a swarm of bees, a bunch of grapes.

Homophone traps: affect (verb) / effect (noun), principal (head) / principle (rule), stationary (still) / stationery (paper).

Formation rules: noun to adjective by -ful, -less, -ous, -al (care, careful, careless); verb to noun by -ment, -tion, -ance (govern, government).

Formal letter layout in order: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation (Dear Sir/Madam), body, Yours faithfully, signature.

Informal letters use Yours lovingly / Yours affectionately and the writer's own address at the top; the date follows the address.

A letter of complaint must state the problem, give one or two concrete details, and end with a clear request for action.

Application for leave states the reason, the exact dates of absence, and a request for sanction; it never apologises for applying.

A paragraph carries one controlling idea; the topic sentence opens it and the concluding sentence closes it, with no new idea introduced at the end.

Report writing answers the five Ws (what, where, when, who, why) plus the outcome; it is written in the third person and past tense.

Word limits matter: exceeding the prescribed length by more than about 10 per cent loses marks in most marking schemes.

Linking words for cohesion: firstly, moreover, however, therefore, in addition, on the other hand, finally.

Prose questions are answered with the author's name, the character involved, and an event from the text, not with general opinion.

Poetry answers must name the poet, the central theme, and at least one poetic device (simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, rhyme).

A stanza-based question is answered from that stanza only; quoting a line from elsewhere in the poem does not earn the mark.

Character questions require a trait plus textual evidence: 'he was generous, as he gave away his last coin' rather than 'he was good'.

Central-idea questions on poems are answered in one sentence stating the message, followed by one supporting line.

Reference-to-context items need three parts: the speaker, the situation, and the explanation of the quoted line.

Moral or message questions are answered in the present tense and tied to the ending of the lesson.

Translate sentence by sentence, keeping tense, number, and gender consistent; do not translate word for word when idiom differs.

Hindi to English tense mapping: raha hai = is/are + V-ing; chuka hai = has/have + V3; raha tha = was/were + V-ing; ta tha = simple past.

Honorifics translate as he/she, not it: 'Pita ji aaye' becomes 'Father has come', not 'It came'.

Functional items: making a request (Could you please...?), giving directions (turn left, go straight, opposite the bank), and telephoning (May I speak to...?).

Filling a form requires block capitals for the name, date in DD/MM/YYYY, and the correct title (Mr/Mrs/Ms) before the name.

Notice and message writing: notice is impersonal and third person; message is addressed to one person and written in the first person.

Common functional phrases: 'I am writing to inform you...', 'Kindly grant me...', 'I look forward to hearing from you.', 'Please find enclosed...'.

Numbers, dates, and currency are converted to the target language's convention rather than transliterated.