English
What the domain tests
The English portion is a functional test: grammar and usage, vocabulary, sentence correction, comprehension and precis writing, pitched at the level needed to read a revenue record and draft official correspondence without ambiguity.
Rules that carry the most marks
- Subject-verb agreement: the verb follows the head noun, not the nearest noun. 'The number of cases has risen' (singular head) against 'A number of cases have risen' (plural).
- One of + plural noun + singular verb: 'One of the patwaris who were absent has been suspended.'
- Fixed prepositions: married to, capable of, senior/junior to, prefer X to Y, consist of, comply with, depend on; deal in goods but deal with people.
- Reported speech: shift the tense one step back, adjust pronouns by the speaker-listener relation, and change time words (today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day).
- Passive voice: only transitive verbs transform, and the tense of the auxiliary must stay exact.
- Precis: about one-third of the original, third person, one paragraph, no illustrative detail retained unless it is essential to the argument.
Worked example
Sentence: 'The number of mutations sanctioned by the Tehsildar this year have fallen sharply.' Step 1: locate the subject, 'The number', which is singular. Step 2: 'of mutations' is a prepositional phrase and cannot govern the verb. Step 3: 'this year' is adverbial. Step 4: the correct verb is 'has'. If the sentence had opened with 'A number of mutations', the verb would be 'have'.
Traps that cost marks
Pairing none, either, each and everyone with plural verbs; accepting Pakistani-English habits such as 'discuss about', 'return back', 'cope up with' and 'married with'; confusing effect/affect and principal/principle; and writing a summary that merely paraphrases the opening sentence rather than compressing the whole passage.