Q1.
Please pass me … more sugar, dear.
Options:
(1) any
(2) some ✅
(3) few
(4) a few
Explanation: “Some” is used in polite requests and offers. Here, you’re asking for an unspecified quantity of sugar in a friendly tone.
Q2.
… grain they had was destroyed by the floods.
Options:
(1) Little
(2) A little
(3) The little ✅
(4) Any
Explanation: “The little” is used when referring to a small amount already known or previously mentioned. It implies all of it was destroyed.
Q3.
He said he was … employee of Pawan gas company.
Options:
(1) the; an
(2) the; the
(3) an; zero article ✅
(4) an; an
Explanation: “An employee” is correct because “employee” starts with a vowel sound. “Pawan Gas Company” is a proper noun, so no article is needed before it.
Q4.
I will not sanction you … loan this year.
Options:
(1) any ✅
(2) some
(3) little
(4) few
Explanation: “Any” is used in negative contexts when referring to indefinite amounts. “I will not sanction any loan” is correct.
Q5.
Words beginning with a silent “h” require –
Options:
(1) A
(2) An ✅
(3) The
(4) None of the above
Explanation: Use “an” before words that begin with a silent “h” (e.g., “hour”, “honest”) because the starting sound is a vowel sound.
Q6.
He … for five weeks when they had to summon the doctor.
Options:
(1) fasted
(2) had been fasting ✅
(3) has been fasting
(4) has fasted
Explanation: The past perfect continuous (“had been fasting”) shows a long ongoing action before something else happened in the past.
Q7.
How long … waiting for the officer now?
Options:
(1) have you been ✅
(2) had you been
(3) are you
(4) is you
Explanation: Present perfect continuous (“have you been waiting”) is used for actions that started in the past and are still happening.
Q8.
The last train … the station at 5.30 am.
Options:
(1) leaves ✅
(2) will leaving
(3) was left
(4) has been left
Explanation: For scheduled events like trains, the simple present tense (“leaves”) is used.
Q9.
He used to visit us every week, but he rarely … now.
Options:
(1) came
(2) come
(3) comes ✅
(4) is coming
Explanation: The present tense “comes” is used with the adverb “now.”
Q10.
If you … a little longer, you might have caught the last bus.
Options:
(1) been waiting
(2) had waited ✅
(3) have waited
(4) will have waited
Explanation: This is a third conditional sentence (unreal past). “Had waited” fits with “might have caught.”
Q11.
I never asked you to do it.
(Change to Interrogative)
Options:
(1) Have I asked you to do it?
(2) Do I ever ask you to do it?
(3) Did I ever ask you to do it? ✅
(4) Had I asked you to do it?
Explanation: “Did I ever ask you…?” is the correct past interrogative form matching the original sentence’s past tense.
Q12.
Nothing succeeds like success.
(Change to Interrogative)
Options:
(1) Is nothing succeeds like success?
(2) Do anything succeeds like success?
(3) Does anything succeed like success? ✅
(4) Does anything succeeds like success?
Explanation: “Does anything succeed…” is grammatically correct. ‘Succeed’ is the base verb after ‘does’.
Q13.
The stranger said to a passer-by, “Can you tell me how far is the station from here?” (Change to Indirect Speech)
Options:
(1) The stranger said to a passer-by if he could told him how far the station is from there.
(2) The stranger asked a passer-by if he could tell him how far the station was from there. ✅
(3) The stranger told the passer-by if he can tell him how far the station was from there.
(4) The stranger questioned the passer-by if he can tell me how far the station is from here.
Explanation: Correct indirect speech changes question format, tense, and pronouns appropriately.
Q14.
One cannot gather grapes from thistles.
(Passive Voice)
Options:
(1) Grapes could not be gathered from thistles.
(2) Thistles cannot be gathered from thorns.
(3) Grapes cannot be gathered from thistles. ✅
(4) Thistles could not be gathered from grapes by one.
Explanation: Passive structure: “Object + cannot be + past participle.” Subject is omitted as it is impersonal (“one”).
Q15.
Rishabh was punished for his disobedience.
(Make complex)
Options:
(1) Rishabh was punished, so he was disobedient.
(2) Rishabh was disobedient and he was punished.
(3) Rishabh was punished because he was disobedient. ✅
(4) When Rishabh was punished, he became disobedient.
Explanation: “Because” introduces a cause-effect relationship, creating a complex sentence.
Q16.
He … talk about nothing but films.
(Characteristic habit)
Options:
(1) may
(2) can
(3) might
(4) will ✅
Explanation: “Will” expresses habitual behavior in the present (often irritating or characteristic).
Q17.
You … carry out my instructions immediately.
(Command)
Options:
(1) will
(2) can
(3) must ✅
(4) may
Explanation: “Must” is used to express strong obligation or command.
Q18.
… not take such a risk.
(Take a challenge)
Options:
(1) will
(2) can
(3) dare ✅
(4) would
Explanation: “Dare not” is a semi-modal used in negative to express fear or boldness-related challenge.
Q19.
The tiger … be anywhere near the village habitation.
(Possibility)
Options:
(1) can ✅
(2) ought to be
(3) must be
(4) used to be
Explanation: “Can” is used to express possibility or ability in this context.
Q20.
There was a time, when I … swim for hours.
(Past ability)
Options:
(1) would
(2) can
(3) could ✅
(4) should
Explanation: “Could” is the correct modal for expressing past ability.
Q21.
Rina is desirous … visiting Switzerland.
Options:
(1) for
(2) over
(3) of ✅
(4) about
Explanation: The correct preposition after “desirous” is “of.” → desirous of doing something.
Q22.
The wounded soldier fell … the ditch.
Options:
(1) in
(2) at
(3) into ✅
(4) within
Explanation: “Into” is used when movement from outside to a point inside is involved. He fell into the ditch.
Q23.
The British conquered India because the Indian Princes quarrelled … themselves.
Options:
(1) between
(2) over
(3) with
(4) among ✅
Explanation: “Among” is used when more than two people or groups are involved. “Quarrelled among themselves” is correct for many princes.
Q24.
The environment in this school is conducive … learning.
Options:
(1) of
(2) for
(3) to ✅
(4) with
Explanation: The phrase is “conducive to.” It means something that helps or supports a result.
Q25.
The doctor advised him to abstain … smoking.
Options:
(1) of
(2) in
(3) from ✅
(4) about
Explanation: “Abstain from” is the correct verb-preposition combination.
Q26.
She was deceived by his sweet words.
(Choose the correct idiom)
Options:
(1) take up
(2) take to
(3) take after
(4) taken in ✅
Explanation: “Taken in” means to be deceived or fooled by someone or something.
Q27.
“Gift of the gab” means –
Options:
(1) a talent for acting
(2) a talent for talking ✅
(3) a talent for dancing
(4) a talent for singing
Explanation: The idiom “gift of the gab” means the natural ability to speak well or persuasively.
Q28.
The war has completely destroyed the countryside.
(Choose the right phrasal verb)
Options:
(1) phased out
(2) ruled out
(3) wiped out ✅
(4) pulled down
Explanation: “Wiped out” means to completely destroy or eliminate something.
Q29.
Everything was at sixes and sevens.
Options:
(1) Up-to-date
(2) In order, set properly
(3) In disorder or confusion ✅
(4) Full of aroma
Explanation: The idiom “at sixes and sevens” means a state of confusion or disarray.
Q30.
He … completely on hearing about his daughter’s death.
Options:
(1) broke down ✅
(2) broke up
(3) broke away
(4) broke off
Explanation: “Broke down” means to collapse emotionally or mentally. The other phrasal verbs don’t fit the context.
Q31.
How can one enjoy freedom in reading?
Options:
(1) By visiting a library
(2) By reading books of different genres
(3) By judicious selection of a topic ✅
(4) By acquaintance with great writers
Explanation: The passage suggests that self-discipline and focused choice in reading (“train them exactly and powerfully”) are key to enjoying reading freedom.
Q32.
According to the writer, the outside world is –
Options:
(1) tranquil and calm
(2) peaceful and quiet
(3) a multitudinous chaos ✅
(4) full of great classical masters
Explanation: The passage contrasts the order expected in a library with the noisy, chaotic outside world — “donkey brays,” “women gossip,” etc.
Q33.
What is the first difficulty one faces in a library?
Options:
(1) The place is over-crowded
(2) One is unable to find one’s way
(3) A suitable place to sit is not found
(4) Locating the exact shelf of the desired books ✅
Explanation: The passage directly mentions the difficulty of identifying “the very spot” among “a huddle of confusion.”
Q34.
The synonym of “squirting” is –
Options:
(1) oozing
(2) sprinkling
(3) dribbling
(4) gushing ✅
Explanation: “Squirting” suggests a sudden, forceful stream — closest in meaning to “gushing.”
Q35.
The antonym of “squander” is –
Options:
(1) fiddle away
(2) exhaust
(3) economize ✅
(4) impoverish
Explanation: “Squander” means to waste, so the opposite is “economize” — to use resources carefully and efficiently.
Q36.
What do the bad characters at Peter’s Finger decide to expose through Skimmity Ride?
(The Mayor of Casterbridge)
Options:
(1) The past love affair of Henchard and Lucetta ✅
(2) The secret of Elizabeth’s real father
(3) Elizabeth’s secret love for Farfrae
(4) The selling of Susan by Henchard in a village fair
Explanation: The “Skimmity Ride” is a public humiliation device used to mock Henchard and Lucetta’s past affair.
Q37.
Which one is incorrect for Precis writing?
Options:
(1) Reading the passage carefully
(2) Examining the passage in detail
(3) Supplying a short title
(4) Elaborating the given theme ✅
Explanation: A precis is supposed to compress, not elaborate. Hence, elaboration is incorrect.
Q38.
Match the following (from
Ode to the West Wind
):
- (A) West Wind – (2) Preserver and destroyer
- (B) Winged seeds – (1) Corpse
- (C) Spring – (4) Azure sister
- (D) Mediterranean – (3) Crystalline stream
Correct Option:
✅ (1) 4 1 2 3
Explanation: These are all symbolic references from Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind.”
Q39.
If the paradoxical utterance combines two terms that are contraries, it is called oxymoron. Which is
not
an example?
Options:
(1) old news
(2) burn and freeze
(3) loving hate
(4) keep silence ✅
Explanation: “Keep silence” is not an oxymoron. It’s a standard imperative phrase. Oxymorons are contradictions like “old news.”
Q40.
In
As You Like It
, Adam is –
Options:
(1) the Duke’s wrestler
(2) the old servant of the family (Oliver’s servant) ✅
(3) Oliver’s younger brother
(4) Celia’s lover
Explanation: Adam is an elderly, loyal servant of the de Boys family who follows Orlando to the forest.
Q41.
Which part of the computer performs arithmetic operations?
Options:
(1) CPU
(2) CU
(3) ALU ✅
(4) RAM
Explanation: The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) is responsible for all arithmetic and logical operations in a computer.
Q42.
The novel
Cry, the Peacock
is about –
Options:
(1) a practically, independent Maya
(2) a socially, strong Maya
(3) a successfully, balanced Maya
(4) a psychologically neurotic Maya ✅
Explanation: Anita Desai’s Cry, the Peacock explores Maya’s mental instability and psychological struggles, making her a neurotic character.
Q43.
For the story of
Macbeth
, Shakespeare went to –
Options:
(1) Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland & Ireland (1578) ✅
(2) Reginald Scott’s Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584)
(3) James’ Essay on Demonology (1597)
(4) William Warner’s Albion’s England (1607)
Explanation: Shakespeare based Macbeth on historical accounts found in Holinshed’s Chronicles, a major source for many of his history plays.
Q44.
What hurts Jagan about Mali and Grace’s relationship in
The Vendor of Sweets
?
Options:
(1) They are not married
(2) They have contaminated his ancestral home
(3) His son’s ethical negligence
(4) All of the above ✅
Explanation: Jagan is disturbed by all three — their unmarried status, Grace’s presence in the house, and Mali’s neglect of values.
Q45.
According to Bacon’s essay
Of Studies
, … makes a full man; … a ready man; … an exact man.
Options:
(1) reading; conference; writing ✅
(2) conference; writing; reading
(3) writing; conference; reading
(4) reading; writing; conference
Explanation: As per Bacon: “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”
Q46.
In Keats’ poem
Ode on a Grecian Urn
, which line conveys the ‘silent repose’ and ‘ancient undisturbed glory’?
Options:
(1) “Who are these coming to the sacrifice?”
(2) “Heard melodies are sweet”
(3) “But those unheard are sweeter”
(4) “Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness!” ✅
Explanation: This famous opening line symbolizes the silent, eternal beauty of the urn.
Q47.
Which statement is
incorrect
with regard to cybernetics?
Options:
(1) It is the science of control & communication in animals & machines.
(2) It emphasizes group teaching in place of individual teaching. ✅
(3) It is also known as feedback psychology.
(4) This approach is effective for self-learning.
Explanation: Cybernetics doesn’t emphasize group teaching; it focuses on control systems, feedback, and communication.
Q48.
Which figure of speech is used in: “Can Flattery soothe the dull cold ear of Death?”
Options:
(1) Personification ✅
(2) Synecdoche
(3) Simile
(4) Irony
Explanation: Death is given human qualities (like having an ear that can be soothed), which is personification.
Q49.
Code-mixing is used –
Options:
(1) when the whole group speaks the same language.
(2) when a person speaks a language not understood by others.
(3) when the group has a common vernacular.
(4) when all the members of the group speak two or more of the same languages. ✅
Explanation: Code-mixing occurs when speakers share more than one language and switch between them during conversation.
Q50.
The precis should be written in –
Options:
(1) Third person ✅
(2) In the form of a dialogue
(3) First person
(4) Tête-à-tête
Explanation: A precis must be impersonal and concise, typically written in the third person and indirect form.
Q51.
In Lamb’s essay In Praise of Chimney Sweepers, which phrase is not used for chimney sweepers?
Options:
(1) dim specks
(2) poor blots
(3) dark labourers ✅
(4) innocent blackness
💡 Explanation: “Dark labourers” is not used in the essay. Lamb uses affectionate and poetic terms like “dim specks” and “innocent blackness” for child chimney sweepers.
Q52.
“Here’s no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road.”
These lines are from which section of The Waste Land?
Options:
(1) The Burial of the Dead
(2) A Game of Chess
(3) Death by Water
(4) What the Thunder Said ✅
💡 Explanation: These lines depict spiritual desolation, found in the fifth and final section of Eliot’s poem.
Q53.
The murder of Banquo is not merely due to the prophecy, but because Macbeth fears –
Options:
(1) The promise that Banquo’s descendants would inherit the throne ✅
(2) Dauntless temper of Banquo’s mind
(3) The nobility of Banquo’s character
(4) Banquo’s wisdom
💡 Explanation: Macbeth fears Banquo’s descendants becoming kings as prophesied by the witches.
Q54.
How does Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane in
Macbeth
?
Options:
(1) Malcolm’s army hides behind the cut-off branches ✅
(2) Because of the approaching storm
(3) Heavy winds are blowing
(4) By the charm of the witches
💡 Explanation: Soldiers camouflage themselves with branches from Birnam Wood to disguise their numbers.
Q55.
How did Gautama die in
Cry, the Peacock
?
Options:
(1) He got seriously ill
(2) He was shot dead by Maya
(3) He met an accident on road
(4) He was hurled from roof to floor by Maya ✅
💡 Explanation: Maya, in a fit of psychological breakdown, pushes Gautama from the terrace.
Q56.
How does Stanley take revenge on Meg in
The Birthday Party
?
Options:
(1) He fabricated a story about some men, who would take away a dead body ✅
(2) He threatened to kill Meg
(3) He hired some people to kill her
(4) He injured her husband Petey
💡 Explanation: Stanley psychologically disturbs Meg by telling a bizarre story involving dead bodies.
Q57.
Who instituted the annual feast of chimney sweepers in
Smithfield
?
Options:
(1) Charles Lamb
(2) Jem White ✅
(3) Bigod
(4) William Blake
💡 Explanation: Lamb credits Jem White, a close friend, for the kind gesture toward chimney sweepers.
Q58.
Which is
not
a characteristic of a good report?
Options:
(1) Factual description
(2) Clarity
(3) Relevant and purposeful presentation
(4) Personal opinions and impressions ✅
💡 Explanation: A report should be objective and free from personal bias or subjective opinions.
Q59.
The phonetic transcription of “absolute” is –
Answer: ❌ *Deleted question (Answer marked with asterisk )
💡 Explanation: This question was deleted and not considered in the official result.
Q60.
The Waste Land
does not refer to –
Options:
(1) Sexual perversion
(2) Rich cultural heritage of the Western world ✅
(3) Spiritual decay
(4) Socio-cultural malaise after World War I
💡 Explanation: While the poem references various cultures, its focus is not on celebrating heritage but on exposing cultural and spiritual decline.
Q61.
In
The Waste Land
, who is Phlebas the Phoenician in Section IV “Death by Water”?
Options:
(1) A drowned sailor ✅
(2) A politician
(3) A soothsayer
(4) A clerk
💡 Explanation: Phlebas is a drowned sailor used as a symbol of the inevitability of death and the transience of life.
Q62.
“Adjustment is a function of the behavioural norms of one’s culture and society.” It belongs to –
Options:
(1) Psychoanalytic model
(2) Moral model
(3) Behaviouristic model
(4) Sociogenic model ✅
💡 Explanation: The sociogenic model emphasizes the influence of social norms and culture on personal adjustment and development.
Q63.
In the theory of psychosocial development, adolescents experience delay in commitment to personal and occupational choices. This is called –
Options:
(1) Stagnation
(2) Inferiority
(3) Moratorium ✅
(4) Integrity
💡 Explanation: In Erikson’s theory, moratorium refers to a period of exploration without commitment, typical in adolescence.
Q64.
Choose the correct sequence of a letter’s structure:
- Writer’s name
- The body of the letter
- Writer’s address and date
- The subscription
- The superscription
- The salutation
Options:
(1) 1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 5
(2) 6, 5, 3, 4, 1, 2
(3) 3, 6, 4, 2, 1, 5 ✅
(4) 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 6
💡 Explanation: The logical sequence of a formal or informal letter starts with the address and date (3), followed by salutation (6), then the body (2), subscription (4), writer’s name (1), and finally the superscription (5, if present).
Q65.
Choose the correctly stressed pronunciation of the word “Inferiority”:
Options:
(1) **’Inferiority
(2) In’feriority
(3) Inferi’ority ✅
(4) Inferiori’**ty
💡 Explanation: The stress falls on the syllable “or” in in-fe-ri-OR-i-ty.
Q66.
Match the following elegy writers with their works:
(A) Shelley – Adonais
(B) Milton – Lycidas
(C) Arnold – Thyrsis
(D) Auden – In Memory of W. B. Yeats
Correct match:
✅ (2) A–I, B–IV, C–II, D–III
💡 Explanation:
- Shelley – Adonais (on Keats)
- Milton – Lycidas (on Edward King)
- Arnold – Thyrsis (on Clough)
- Auden – In Memory of W. B. Yeats
Q67.
T. S. Eliot was a –
Options:
(1) Romantic poet
(2) Neoclassical poet
(3) Modernist poet ✅
(4) Victorian poet
💡 Explanation: Eliot is one of the key figures of the Modernist movement in 20th-century literature.
Q68.
Ravi, a senior secondary student, thinks logically to solve problems. According to Reciprocal Determinism, this is an example of –
Options:
(1) Behaviour influences cognition
(2) Cognition influences behaviour ✅
(3) Cognition influences environment
(4) Environment influences behaviour
💡 Explanation: Bandura’s Reciprocal Determinism emphasizes mutual influence among behavior, personal factors (cognition), and environment. Here, cognition shapes behavior.
Q69.
Which of the following statements is
false
?
Options:
(1) Milton’s poem “On His Blindness” is a Petrarchan sonnet.
(2) Petrarchan sonnet is also known as the English sonnet. ✅
(3) It has two main parts – the octave and the sestet.
(4) “On His Blindness” reflects Milton’s firm faith in God.
💡 Explanation: Petrarchan sonnet is not the English sonnet. It’s the Italian form. The English (or Shakespearean) sonnet has a different structure.
Q70.
“Go and Catch a Falling Star” is a poem about –
Options:
(1) Feminine Inconstancy ✅
(2) Golden Daffodils
(3) A frenzied Maenad
(4) Supernatural elements
💡 Explanation: John Donne’s poem satirically deals with the inconstancy of women, using impossible tasks to reflect the rarity of a faithful woman.
Q71.
The approach that emphasizes the active role of the learner in understanding and making sense of information is –
Options:
(1) Gestalt
(2) Social learning
(3) Constructivism ✅
(4) Individualism
💡 Explanation: Constructivism focuses on learners actively constructing their own understanding based on experiences and reflection.
Q72.
Code-switching is a process of shifting from one linguistic code to another depending on –
Options:
(1) Political context
(2) Historical context
(3) Economic context
(4) Social context ✅
💡 Explanation: Code-switching happens due to changes in social context like the person spoken to, setting, or topic.
Q73.
Which one of the following statements is not true about teaching models in higher classrooms?
Options:
(1) Help students learn how to learn
(2) Students become passive learners through information processing strategies ✅
(3) Help students to take responsibility for their learning
(4) Students reach toward new knowledge, skills, and self-understanding
💡 Explanation: Teaching models encourage active, not passive, learning. Option 2 contradicts that and is false.
Q74.
Which kind of science best reflects the nature of Educational Psychology?
Options:
(1) Normative Science
(2) Positive Science ✅
(3) Regulatory Science
(4) Natural Science
💡 Explanation: Educational Psychology is a Positive Science, as it studies behaviors and processes based on observation and experimentation.
Q75.
Which one of the following is not prophesied by the witches in Macbeth?
Options:
(1) Macbeth shall be the King
(2) Macbeth shall be the Lord of Cawdor
(3) Macbeth shall be the Lord of Glamis
(4) Macbeth shall be the father of Kings ✅
💡 Explanation: The witches predict Macbeth’s rise to power but do not say he’ll father kings—that prophecy is for Banquo.
Q76.
The ideal way to apply for a job is to submit a resume that is –
Options:
(1) Full of personal details
(2) Self-recommending
(3) Applicable for general selection
(4) Specifically written for that particular job ✅
💡 Explanation: A targeted resume, written specifically for the job applied for, is the most effective.
Q77.
In Educational Psychology, Crow and Crow’s definition focused on –
Options:
(1) Learning experiences of an individual ✅
(2) Teaching process
(3) Subject area of curriculum
(4) Prediction of behavior
💡 Explanation: Crow and Crow define Educational Psychology as the study of the individual’s learning experiences.
Q78.
What is meant by “Comedy of Menace” in The Birthday Party?
Options:
(1) A comedy which is purely humorous
(2) A comedy with a tragic end
(3) A play where laughter is mixed with threat or fear ✅
(4) A comedy that is a threat to society
💡 Explanation: Comedy of Menace (a term often associated with Harold Pinter) refers to plays that combine humor with a threatening atmosphere.
Q79.
Irony occurs when –
Options:
(1) The speaker’s attitude is opposite to what is stated
(2) A situation turns out opposite of what is expected
(3) There is a sudden reversal of identity
(4) The protagonist has a tragic flaw
✅ Correct Answer: *(Deleted Question — marked with )
💡 Explanation: Although the correct option is likely (2), this question was deleted from scoring as per the official answer key.
Q80.
Lulu’s remark that Stanley is “a bit of a washout” refers to –
Options:
(1) His untimely appearance
(2) His inadvertent behavior
(3) His uninterested attitude ✅
(4) His unconventional lifestyle
💡 Explanation: Calling someone “a washout” implies failure or ineffectiveness, reflecting Stanley’s passive, disinterested behavior.
Q81.
Why did Mali cut the coupon from the magazine in The Vendor of Sweets?
Options:
(1) He was offered the magazine by the librarian
(2) He had no time to go to the market
(3) He wanted to teach a lesson to the librarian
(4) He could not spare money on that ✅
💡 Explanation: Mali wanted to send a coupon but couldn’t afford to buy the magazine, so he cut it out from the library copy—an act of careless entitlement.
Q82.
The title page of a report must include –
Options:
(1) Title and date of the report ✅
(2) Description of the project
(3) Reporter bio note
(4) Editorial
💡 Explanation: The title page typically includes the title of the report and the date of submission/publication.
Q83.
“Conquer taste, and you will have conquered the self.” Who says this in The Vendor of Sweets?
Options:
(1) Mali
(2) Jagan ✅
(3) The Listener
(4) Grace
💡 Explanation: This is a philosophical line spoken by Jagan, reflecting his Gandhian ideals and belief in self-control.
Q84.
In Bacon’s Of Studies, “schoolmen” and “cymini sectores” refer to –
Options:
(1) Men going to school; Chief Secretary
(2) Philosophers of the Middle Ages; hair splitters ✅
(3) Owners of a school; divider of cumin seeds
(4) Men working in school; secretary of the office
💡 Explanation: Bacon criticizes over-analytical scholars of the Middle Ages as “cumin-seed splitters”, meaning overly focused on trivial distinctions.
Q85.
Match the learning concepts and their proponents:
- a. Classical Conditioning → Pavlov
- b. Law of Readiness → Thorndike
- c. Operant Behaviour → Skinner
- d. Contiguous Conditioning → Guthrie
- e. Reaction Potential → Hull
✅ Correct Pairing: (4) (b – z), (a – x), (c – v), (d – w), (e – y)
💡 Explanation: This option correctly pairs foundational learning theories with their founders.
Q86.
Act I of The Birthday Party is set –
Options:
(1) In a banquet hall
(2) In a big hotel
(3) In the living-room of a house in a seaside town ✅
(4) By the side of a sea
💡 Explanation: Pinter’s play is set in a boarding house’s living room in a seaside town, creating a domestic yet tense atmosphere.
Q87.
What was the attitude of the speaker’s father in the poem Night of the Scorpion?
Options:
(1) Skeptic and rationalist ✅
(2) Superstitious
(3) Doubtful
(4) Fearful
💡 Explanation: The father represents rationalism, using powders and scientific methods, in contrast to the superstitious villagers.
Q88.
When students obey a rule made by the principal against bringing mobile phones to school, which stage of Kohlberg’s theory applies?
Options:
(1) Stage 2
(2) Stage 1
(3) Stage 3
(4) Stage 4 ✅
💡 Explanation: Stage 4 of Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory refers to law and order—obeying rules to maintain social order.
Q89.
Which one of the following is NOT a trait of Meg in The Birthday Party?
Options:
(1) She is sixty years old and married to Petey
(2) She is childless
(3) She is simple and absent-minded
(4) She hates Stanley ✅
💡 Explanation: Meg doesn’t hate Stanley—she’s actually fond of him in a childlike, delusional way.
Q90.
The emotion of fear is associated with which basic instinct?
Options:
(1) Appeal
(2) Escape ✅
(3) Repulsion
(4) Pugnacity
💡 Explanation: According to psychological theory, escape is the instinctive response linked to fear.
Q91.
In The Birthday Party, Stanley’s leaving with Goldberg and McCann suggests –
Options:
(1) His final submission to the enemy when escape is impossible ✅
(2) He has gone out to take revenge
(3) He has no affection for Meg and Petey
(4) He has made friendship with them
💡 Explanation: Stanley is forced to leave by Goldberg and McCann, symbolizing his powerlessness and defeat in the face of authoritarian control.
Q92.
What does the word stress mean in phonetics?
Options:
(1) Giving more importance to some particular word
(2) The relative degree of prominence with which different syllables of a word are pronounced ✅
(3) Laying emphasis on the word ‘history’
(4) Difficult words that cause stress in the mind
💡 Explanation: In phonetics, stress refers to the greater force or prominence with which one syllable is pronounced compared to others.
Q93.
The main cause of the failure of Maya and Gautama’s marriage in Cry, the Peacock is –
Options:
(1) Their worlds are sharply contrasted ✅
(2) Their parents do not play a positive role
(3) The customs of society affect their ties
(4) Maya is mentally ill
💡 Explanation: The psychological and emotional disconnect between Maya and Gautama is the central cause, highlighting their opposing worldviews.
Q94.
Pastoral comedies are usually characterized by –
Options:
(1) Place in which the protagonist belongs to a royal family
(2) Characters from the rustic class, especially shepherds and shepherdesses ✅
(3) Inner conflict and hamartia
(4) A tragic plot structure
💡 Explanation: Pastoral comedies feature rural, simple characters like shepherds and are often set in an idealized countryside.
Q95.
In Kamala Das’s The Dance of the Eunuchs, eunuchs are compared to “Half burnt logs”. This reveals their –
Options:
(1) Anguish, helplessness, and sterility ✅
(2) Children left unborn
(3) Joyous state as they sing and dance
(4) Contentment
💡 Explanation: The simile “half burnt logs” conveys emotional emptiness, loss, and barrenness, matching the eunuchs’ societal alienation.
Q96.
Which of the following is not an advantage of computer-assisted learning?
Options:
(1) Receives instruction at own pace
(2) Responds continuously
(3) Receives rapid feedback
(4) Cannot test their own learning ✅
💡 Explanation: Computer-based learning allows testing and evaluation; saying it “cannot test” is incorrect.
Q97.
In As You Like It, Rosalind and Celia are disguised as –
Options:
(1) Ganymede; Aliena ✅
(2) Aliena; Ganymede
(3) Silvius; Phoebe
(4) Touchstone; Audrey
💡 Explanation: Rosalind disguises herself as Ganymede, and Celia as Aliena while escaping into the Forest of Arden.
Q98.
Letters to relatives are called –
Options:
(1) Business letters
(2) Personal letters ✅
(3) Official letters
(4) Political letters
💡 Explanation: Letters to friends and family are categorized as personal letters.
Q99.
“…refers to the embedding of linguistic units (words, morphemes) from one language into another.”
Options:
(1) Lingua phoning
(2) Code-mixing ✅
(3) Code-switching
(4) Creolism
💡 Explanation: Code-mixing is the insertion of words or elements from one language into another within the same utterance.
Q100.
Which word is not mentioned in The Burial of the Dead (Section I of The Waste Land)?
Options:
(1) Starbergersee
(2) Germany ✅
(3) Hofgarten
(4) King William Street
💡 Explanation: While “Hofgarten”, “Starbergersee” and “King William Street” are present, the word “Germany” itself is not explicitly used.
Q101.
The final scene of the life of Christ—his betrayal, trial, and crucifixion—is described in which part of The Waste Land?
Options:
(1) Part V ✅
(2) Part IV
(3) Part III
(4) Part II
💡 Explanation: These Christian images appear in Part V (“What the Thunder Said”), which contains symbolic references to sacrifice and spiritual redemption.
Q102.
In Cry, the Peacock, Maya’s description of her father (“like a silver oak…”) reflects her –
Options:
(1) Neurotic behaviour
(2) Psychological trauma
(3) Love for husband
(4) Father-fixation ✅
💡 Explanation: Maya’s attachment and idealization of her father reveal her father-fixation, which influences her emotional issues in adulthood.
Q103.
“O Lord Thou pluckest me out…” – These lines in The Waste Land are borrowed from:
Options:
(1) Part I; Dante’s Inferno
(2) Part V; Purgatorio
(3) Part I; Hess’ Blick ins Chaos
(4) Part III; St. Augustine’s Confessions ✅
💡 Explanation: These lines in Part III (“The Fire Sermon”) echo St. Augustine’s Confessions, showing spiritual crisis and longing for salvation.
Q104.
What should a news reporter avoid?
Options:
(1) Mentioning date and place
(2) Accurate presentation
(3) Avoiding long sentences
(4) Using imaginative faculties ✅
💡 Explanation: News writing must be factual and objective, not imaginative or fictional.
Q105.
Which one is not part of emotional intelligence?
Options:
(1) Could not sense own feelings ✅
(2) Identify emotions in others
(3) Incorporate emotions in thought
(4) Understand emotions and outcomes
💡 Explanation: The inability to recognize one’s own emotions reflects low emotional intelligence, not a characteristic of it.
Q106.
Which is not an example of simile?
Options:
(1) I wandered lonely as a cloud
(2) Full of strange oaths and bearded like a pard
(3) The ship of life ✅
(4) Winds howling and upgathered like sleeping flowers
💡 Explanation: “The ship of life” is a metaphor, not a simile. Similes use “like” or “as”.
Q107.
In “O my Luve is like a red, red rose”, the figure of speech is –
Options:
(1) Simile ✅
(2) Personification
(3) Oxymoron
(4) Hyperbole
💡 Explanation: The comparison using “like” makes it a simile.
Q108.
“Tis as true as the light…” – What does Henchard confirm in The Mayor of Casterbridge?
Options:
(1) The furmity woman is guilty
(2) He has committed a nuisance
(3) He has exploited Lucetta
(4) He sold his wife to a sailor ✅
💡 Explanation: This is Henchard’s moment of public confession about selling his wife in his youth.
Q109.
The principal aim of Gothic writing is to instill –
Options:
(1) Chilling terror ✅
(2) Erotic fantasy
(3) Dystopian imagery
(4) Satiric displeasure
💡 Explanation: Gothic fiction is characterized by supernatural elements and psychological or atmospheric horror.
Q110.
In Donne’s Go and Catch a Falling Star, the speaker advises one to travel –
Options:
(1) To the garden of Eden
(2) For ten hundred days and nights
(3) To the North and South Pole
(4) For ten thousand days and nights ✅
💡 Explanation: Donne uses hyperbole to emphasize that even after traveling 10,000 days, a faithful woman may not be found.
Q111.
In Part I of The Waste Land, the “shadow of this red rock” refers to –
Options:
(1) Darkness and dreariness all around
(2) Shadow of rock exposed to air
(3) Eternal shelter offered by religion (Christianity) ✅
(4) Shadow of rock immersed in the blood of modern men
💡 Explanation: The “red rock” and its shadow are symbolic of the spiritual refuge or divine protection that religion (Christianity) offers in a spiritually barren modern world.
Q112.
In which of the following words does the stress fall on the second syllable?
Options:
(1) baggage
(2) captain
(3) dentist
(4) about ✅
💡 Explanation: In “about”, the stress is on the second syllable: a-BOUT. All the others have first-syllable stress.
Q113.
Onomatopoeia is often used in poetry to create –
Options:
(1) Dramatic effect
(2) Pictorial effect
(3) Aural effect ✅
(4) Musical effect
💡 Explanation: Onomatopoeia involves words that imitate sounds (e.g., buzz, hiss) and therefore creates aural (sound-related) imagery.
(Note: Official key has this question marked with “*” — likely discarded.)
Q114.
Which of the following are examples of academic self-concept?
a. Verbal
b. Appearance
c. Spiritual value
d. Problem solving
e. Intellectual
f. Physical ability
Options:
(1) b, c, d
(2) a, d, e ✅
(3) c, f, b
(4) d, e, f
💡 Explanation: Academic self-concept is related to school-based abilities: verbal, problem solving, and intellectual.
Q115.
Which one of the following is incorrect about an Ode?
Options:
(1) A long lyric poem
(2) Solemn and serious in tone
(3) An address to a person or object
(4) A poem of fourteen lines ✅
💡 Explanation: An ode is not a sonnet. It is not restricted to 14 lines. That applies to sonnets, not odes.
Q116.
Which is not a theme of The Vendor of Sweets?
Options:
(1) Father–son relationship
(2) Clash between Indian and Western cultures
(3) Generation gap
(4) Clash between farmers and shopkeepers ✅
💡 Explanation: The novel explores family conflict, East-West cultural differences, and generational differences—not economic class conflict between farmers and shopkeepers.
Q117.
The phonetic transcription of the word “chasm” is –
Options:
(1) /kæzam/
(2) /tʃæzm/
(3) /tɑːzm/
(4) /kaːsm/
✅ *Answer not evaluated (marked with )
💡 Explanation: The correct phonetic form is /ˈkæzəm/ — beginning with a k sound, not ch.
Q118.
A sonnet contains –
Options:
(1) Iambic pentameter lines ✅
(2) Spondaic tetrameter
(3) Anapestic dimeter
(4) Trochaic trimeter
💡 Explanation: A sonnet (whether Shakespearean or Petrarchan) is typically written in iambic pentameter—five pairs of alternating unstressed-stressed syllables per line.
Q119.
A report is a piece of writing that describes –
Options:
(1) Emotions and feelings of everyday life
(2) An elaborate life story of great people
(3) In-depth information about a topic using facts ✅
(4) A story ending with scope for query
💡 Explanation: A report is a factual, concise, and objective document that explains information about an event or topic.
Q120.
In Macbeth, who says: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”?
Also, identify the figure of speech.
Options:
(1) Macbeth, Act IV, Sc. ii; Hyperbole
(2) Lady Macbeth, Act V, Sc. i; Hyperbole ✅
(3) Banquo, Act III, Sc. ii; Euphemism
(4) Lady Macbeth, Act II, Sc. ii; Epithet
💡 Explanation: Spoken by Lady Macbeth, this line uses hyperbole to express her intense guilt. It occurs during her sleepwalking scene in Act V, Scene I.
Q121.
In As You Like It, the “whining school-boy” in The Seven Ages of Man –
Options:
(1) Creeps like a snail ✅
(2) Jumps like a rabbit
(3) Quarrels with everyone
(4) Sings and dances
💡 Explanation: According to Jaques’ speech in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the schoolboy “creeps like snail / Unwillingly to school.”
Q122.
Name the game played in Act II of The Birthday Party. Who suggested it?
Options:
(1) Badminton; Meg
(2) Blind man’s buff; Lulu ✅
(3) Blind man’s buff; McCann
(4) Snakes and ladders; Goldberg
💡 Explanation: In Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, Lulu suggests Blind Man’s Buff, a party game later used for psychological tension.
Q123.
The van with a wheelbarrow in The Birthday Party symbolizes –
Options:
(1) A hearse with a coffin
(2) The fear associated with death
(3) Power transporting a human being into the kingdom of death
(4) All of the above ✅
💡 Explanation: The van acts as a symbol of death, control, and final departure, suggesting Stanley’s doom—thus, all of the above are valid.
Q124.
What does Stanley’s changed appearance at the end of The Birthday Party signify?
Options:
(1) Symbol of the artist’s surrender to society ✅
(2) A birthday gift
(3) An attempt to overpower Goldberg and McCann
(4) He wants to impress Lulu
💡 Explanation: Stanley’s transformation reflects the silencing and destruction of the individual, especially the artist, by external control (society).
Q125.
Choose the correct match for types of letters and closing expressions:
Options:
(1) Official letters – Yours faithfully ✅
(2) Friendly letters – Yours truly
(3) Business letters – Yours affectionately
(4) Very intimate letters – Your only
💡 Explanation: “Yours faithfully” is the standard closing for formal and official letters when the recipient’s name is unknown.
Q126.
Which of the following is not a correct method for writing a precis?
Options:
(1) Write in third person
(2) Use your own words
(3) Give critical comments ✅
(4) Add a suitable title
💡 Explanation: A precis should be neutral and concise. Criticism or opinion must be avoided—it’s a summary, not an analysis.
Q127.
What oath did Henchard take after selling his wife in The Mayor of Casterbridge?
Options:
(1) Not to touch liquor for 21 years ✅
(2) To give up liquor forever
(3) To find his wife before traveling again
(4) Not to live a life of luxury
💡 Explanation: Henchard swears to abstain from alcohol for 21 years as penance for his shameful deed.
Q128.
Which of the following is not a significant element of cooperative learning?
Options:
(1) Positive interdependence
(2) Individual accountability
(3) Collaborative and social skills
(4) Social loafing ✅
💡 Explanation: Social loafing is when individuals exert less effort in a group, which is contrary to the aims of cooperative learning.
Q129.
What happens when the lights go out during the game in The Birthday Party?
Options:
(1) Stanley tries to run away
(2) McCann tries to kill Stanley
(3) Goldberg tries to rape Lulu
(4) Stanley tries to strangle Meg and rape Lulu ✅
💡 Explanation: During the blackout, violence erupts. Stanley attacks Meg and is implied to attempt assault on Lulu, reflecting total breakdown of control.
Q130.
Who cares for Henchard during his final days?
Options:
(1) Abel Whittle ✅
(2) Dr. Chalkfield
(3) No one
(4) Elizabeth
💡 Explanation: In The Mayor of Casterbridge, Abel Whittle, a simple man, is the only one who cares for the disgraced Henchard in his last days.
Q131.
Which one is not a characteristic of a good precis?
Options:
(1) Gives the main points and general impression
(2) Reads like a continuous piece of prose
(3) Uses extensive vocabulary and figurative language ✅
(4) Is clear, precise, and brief
💡 Explanation: A good precis must be concise and avoid figurative language or ornamental vocabulary. It should be plain and straightforward.
Q132.
The dictionary meaning of “precis” is –
Options:
(1) Precious
(2) Precaution
(3) Precise ✅
(4) Preemptive
💡 Explanation: “Precis” is derived from the French word meaning concise or brief summary — closely related to “precise”.
Q133.
Which of the following are audio-visual aids?
a. Blackboard
b. Graph
c. Chart
d. OHP
e. Films
Options:
(1) a & b
(2) b & c
(3) d & e
(4) e & f ✅
💡 Explanation: Films and Overhead Projectors (OHP) are both audio-visual teaching aids, as they engage both sound and sight.
Q134.
Which critic said that As You Like It has no heroes, only heroines?
Options:
(1) G. Wilson Knight
(2) John Ruskin ✅
(3) Edward Dowden
(4) Albert Gilman
💡 Explanation: John Ruskin praised Shakespeare’s female characters, especially in As You Like It, noting their dominance over male characters.
Q135.
“Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata” from The Waste Land means –
Options:
(1) Expectation, Obsession, Greed
(2) Anger, Pride, Selfishness
(3) Giving, Compassion, Self-control ✅
(4) Taking, Ego, Self-indulgence
💡 Explanation: These Sanskrit words are from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, meaning give (Datta), sympathize (Dayadhvam), control (Damyata).
Q136.
Which of the following Keats poems is a ballad?
Options:
(1) Bright Star
(2) Lamia
(3) The Eve of St. Agnes
(4) La Belle Dame Sans Merci ✅
💡 Explanation: La Belle Dame Sans Merci is written in traditional ballad form, using quatrains and a lyrical, tragic tone.
Q137.
Which is not a characteristic of an epic?
Options:
(1) A long narrative poem
(2) Characters are heroic
(3) Style is dignified and sublime
(4) Addressed directly to its subject ✅
💡 Explanation: Epics are narrative, not addressed directly like odes or dramatic monologues. Hence, (4) is incorrect.
Q138.
The title “A Game of Chess” in The Waste Land is borrowed from –
Options:
(1) Middleton’s Women Beware Women ✅
(2) Ovid’s Metamorphoses
(3) Weston’s From Ritual to Romance
(4) Spenser’s Prothalamion
💡 Explanation: Eliot borrowed the title “A Game of Chess” from Thomas Middleton’s Jacobean play, reflecting deceit and manipulation.
Q139.
Which lines in My Last Duchess reveal the Duke as an art connoisseur?
Options:
(1) “She liked whate’er she looked on”
(2) “My favour at her breast”
(3) “Notice Neptune… Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!” ✅
(4) “Called that spot of joy into the Duchess’ cheek”
💡 Explanation: The reference to a commissioned sculpture by Claus of Innsbruck shows the Duke’s wealth and taste for rare art.
Q140.
Which are the instructional effects (not nurturant) of the Scientific Inquiry Model?
Options:
(1) a & c
(2) b & d
(3) c & e
(4) a & d ✅
- a. Scientific process
- b. Spirit of creativity
- c. Tolerance of ambiguity
- d. Strategies for creative enquiry
- e. Autonomy in learning
💡 Explanation: Instructional effects refer to skills directly taught, like understanding the scientific process and strategies for investigation.
Q141.
Choose the correct phonetic transcription of:
(a) stream (b) brands
Options:
(1) (a) /striːm/ (b) /brændz/ ✅
(2) (a) /stram/ (b) /bre:ndz/
(3) (a) /stænts/ (b) /brands/
(4) (a) /stram/ (b) /brenz/
💡 Explanation:
- “Stream” → /striːm/
- “Brands” → /brændz/ (the plural /z/ sound)
Q142.
Subjects like politics, commerce, industry, sports, science, and human interest are related to –
Options:
(1) Personal reports
(2) Newspaper reports ✅
(3) Laboratory reports
(4) Geological reports
💡 Explanation: These are typical themes of newspaper reports, which cover current events and public interest topics.
Q143.
The language used in personal letters is –
Options:
(1) Casual and conversational ✅
(2) Formal and dignified
(3) Accurate and precise
(4) Intimidating and informal
💡 Explanation: Personal letters use a friendly, informal tone, often conversational and emotionally expressive.
Q144.
“Ten thousand saw I at a glance” – which figure of speech is this?
Options:
(1) Simile
(2) Metaphor
(3) Conceit
(4) Hyperbole ✅
💡 Explanation: This line from Wordsworth’s Daffodils exaggerates for poetic effect, making it a hyperbole (intentional exaggeration).
Q145.
A teacher says to a student, “You are a loser,” after he fails to score grade A. This is an example of which barrier to communication?
Options:
(1) Labelling ✅
(2) Advising
(3) Ordering
(4) Threatening
💡 Explanation: Labelling assigns a negative identity to a person based on one instance—this hinders learning and confidence.
Q146.
Pidgin languages generally do not have –
Options:
(1) Foreign speakers
(2) Native speakers ✅
(3) Bilingual speakers
(4) Communication among people who share a common language
💡 Explanation: A pidgin is a simplified language created for communication between speakers of different native languages. It has no native speakers.
Q147.
The moral of Milton’s poem On His Blindness is –
Options:
(1) To express lament
(2) To register complaint
(3) To express gratitude
(4) To submit to God’s will ✅
💡 Explanation: The poem reflects Milton’s acceptance of his blindness and concludes with the idea that “They also serve who only stand and wait”—total submission to divine will.
Q148.
Creole languages developed in European plantation settlements through contact between –
Options:
(1) Speakers of standard varieties
(2) Speakers of European languages
(3) Groups that spoke mutually unintelligible languages ✅
(4) Groups that spoke mutually intelligible languages
💡 Explanation: Creole languages arise from pidgins and evolve among communities of speakers who originally had no common language.
Q149.
The novel Cry, the Peacock is recognized as a trendsetter of –
Options:
(1) Psychoanalytical realism ✅
(2) Absurd novel
(3) Experimental novel
(4) Melodrama
💡 Explanation: Anita Desai’s novel focuses on the psychological depth of Maya, a hallmark of psychoanalytical realism in Indian fiction.
Q150.
Focusing on a specific aspect of experience relevant to the task while filtering out others is called –
Options:
(1) Divided attention
(2) Sustained attention
(3) Executive attention
(4) Selective attention ✅
💡 Explanation: Selective attention allows us to concentrate on one input while ignoring irrelevant stimuli—essential in effective cognitive processing.