MPSC LDA Exam PART – A : GENERAL ENGLISH

Marks : 100
Each Question carries 1 mark

Section – I

A. Choose the correct option to fill in the blanks:

Q1. ___ elephant eating sugar cane is Rani.
a) the
b) an
c) a
d) zero article
Answer: a) the ✅

Q2. This ring is made of ___ platinum.
a) the
b) an
c) a
d) zero article
Answer: d) zero article ✅

Q3. That man over there is ___ European.
a) the
b) an
c) a
d) zero article
Answer: c) a ✅ (because European begins with a consonant sound /juː/)

Q4. The chairman welcomed James and ___
a) I
b) myself
c) me
d) self
Answer: c) me ✅

Q5. That picnic basket is ___
a) theirs
b) their’s
c) their
d) there’s
Answer: a) theirs ✅

Q6. That ___ carpet will fit the floor space.
a) rectangular enormous Persian
b) Persian enormous rectangular
c) enormous rectangular Persian
d) enormous Persian rectangular
Answer: d) enormous Persian rectangular ✅

Q7. I am not as ___ as you.
a) rich
b) richer
c) richest
d) most rich
Answer: a) rich ✅

Q8. Sue is ___ in our group about exam results.
a) the moreneryous (wrong spelling)
b) the most nervous
c) not as nervous as
d) as nervous as
Answer: b) the most nervous ✅

Q9. I am ___ that you didn’t like the play last night.
a) foolish
b) missing
c) entertained
d) surprised
Answer: d) surprised ✅

Q10. I have ___ things to do.
a) much
b) many
c) any
d) a little
Answer: b) many ✅

Q11. Doesn’t the cat want ___ milk?
a) some
b) many
c) a number of
d) a few
Answer: a) some ✅

Q12. Robin dances ___ than his sister.
a) badly
b) worst
c) worser
d) worse
Answer: d) worse ✅

Q13. The miners went ___ into the mine to look for gold deposits.

a) deeper
b) more deeper
c) longer
d) more longer

Answer: a) deeper ✅
Explanation: With short adjectives (like deep), we form the comparative by adding -er (deeper). “More deeper” is incorrect (double comparative).

Q14. The basket of flowers ___ for grandmother.

a) are
b) were
c) is
d) being

Answer: c) is ✅
Explanation: The subject is The basket (singular), so the verb must also be singular → is.

Q15. The Department of Public Accounts and Statistics ___ a meeting every Monday.
a) hold
b) holded
c) holds
d) is holding
Answer: c) holds ✅

Q16. Either Sue or Mary ___ your album.
a) has
b) have
c) having
d) is having
Answer: a) has ✅

Q17. Aerobics ___ an excellent way of keeping fit.
a) are
b) am
c) were
d) is
Answer: d) is ✅ (Aerobics looks plural but is singular in meaning)

Q18. The group of players ___ to meet the chairman of the Football Association.
a) are wanting
b) were wanting
c) want
d) wants
Answer: d) wants ✅

Q19. Neither the politician nor his opponent ___ for the discussion.
a) have come
b) has come
c) were coming
d) are coming
Answer: b) has come ✅

Q20. Bread and butter ___ my staple food.
a) is
b) are
c) were
d) is being
Answer: a) is ✅ (bread and butter = one idea)

Q21. In his new film, Tom Hanks ___ the role of a mafia boss.
a) play
b) plays
c) is playing
d) was playing
Answer: b) plays ✅

Q22. Ben was typing out his essay when I ___ him last night.
a) phone
b) phoned
c) am phoning
d) was phoning

Answer: b) phoned ✅
Explanation: Past continuous (was typing) is interrupted by simple past (phoned).

Q23. I ___ for a taxi since three o’clock and I still can’t get one.
a) waited
b) have waited
c) was waiting
d) did wait

Answer: b) have waited ✅ (or better: have been waiting)
Explanation: Present perfect is used with “since… and still”.

Q24. By the time we reached home last night, Mom ___ dinner.
a) cooked
b) has already cooked
c) had already cooked
d) already cooked

Answer: c) had already cooked ✅
Explanation: Past perfect is required before another past action (reached).

Q25. By the time I went to the airport yesterday, the plane ___
a) will take off
b) has already taken off
c) had already taken off
d) had already took off

Answer: c) had already taken off ✅
Explanation: Past perfect is correct; had already took off ❌ is grammatically wrong.

Q26. You have finished your painting, ___?
a) didn’t you?
b) hasn’t you?
c) haven’t you?
d) wasn’t it?

Answer: c) haven’t you? ✅
Explanation: Question tag → auxiliary (have) + subject (you).

Q27. Your brother is a pilot, ___?
a) isn’t it?
b) isn’t he?
c) wasn’t it?
d) wasn’t he?

Answer: b) isn’t he? ✅

Q28. Who ___ to apply for a new passport?
a) need
b) needs
c) is needing
d) are needing

Answer: b) needs ✅
Explanation: Who needs is correct (singular verb).

Q29. Who ___ Sue and Pam know at the party?
a) do
b) does
c) is
d) are

Answer: a) do ✅
Explanation: Plural subject (Sue and Pam) → Who do Sue and Pam know…?

Q30. Look ___ the diagram (page 3).
a) in
b) over
c) on
d) inside

Answer: c) on ✅
Explanation: We say look on the page.

Q31. Please don’t lean ___ the glass wall.
a) on
b) at
c) against
d) along

Answer: c) against ✅

Q32. Walk ___ Park Street till you come to a roundabout.
a) at
b) along
c) by
d) on

Answer: b) along ✅

Q33. The candidates stepped ___ the platform to address the audience.
a) on
b) into
c) onto
d) upto

Answer: c) onto ✅
Explanation: Step onto is correct. (upto ❌ is not a valid preposition here).

Q34. The robbery took place ___ 4 and 6 p.m.
a) from
b) since
c) for
d) between

Answer: d) between ✅
Explanation: Between 4 and 6 p.m. is the correct way to indicate a time range.

Q35. She has been studying ___ 4 p.m. for three hours.
a) for
b) since
c) between
d) until

Answer: b) since ✅
Explanation: Since is used with a specific point in time (4 p.m.). For is used with a duration.

Q36. The live telecast of the rocket launch will begin ___ 10 o’clock.
a) from
b) at
c) till
d) on

Answer: b) at ✅
Explanation: We use at with specific clock times.

Q37. Billie is a doctor ___ his brother is an engineer.
a) but
b) and
c) yet
d) however

Answer: a) but ✅
Explanation: Contrasting ideas → but.

Q38. We can eat at a restaurant ___ can have a barbecue at home.
a) and
b) either
c) or
d) but

Answer: c) or ✅
Explanation: Presents a choice → or.

Q39. In the zoo, there is a lioness ___ two cubs.
a) who
b) which
c) whom
d) what

Answer: a) who ✅
Explanation: Who refers to animals with names or personified; also common in English for animals in a descriptive context.

Q40. The teacher, along with the students, ___ on a mission.
a) was
b) were
c) are
d) have gone

Answer: a) was ✅
Explanation: The subject is The teacher (singular). Along with the students does not change the verb.

Q41. She succeeded ___ she was diligent.
a) although
b) though
c) if
d) because

Answer: d) because ✅
Explanation: Reason → because.

Q42. We cheered ___ he scored a goal.
a) when
b) while
c) although
d) yet

Answer: a) when ✅
Explanation: When is used to indicate the exact time an event happens.

Q43. I’m asking who ___.
a) you called
b) did you call
c) you call
d) did you called

Answer: a) you called ✅
Explanation: In indirect questions (I’m asking who…), we do not use auxiliary “did”.

Q44. Tell us what ___ brought.
a) she has
b) has she
c) they has
d) has they

Answer: a) she has ✅
Explanation: In indirect questions, the subject–verb order stays normal: what she has brought.

Q45. He couldn’t move the rock despite ___.
a) he was strong
b) he was stronger
c) his strength
d) being strengthtul

Answer: c) his strength ✅
Explanation: After despite, we use a noun or gerund, not a full clause.

Q46. He refused ___ my apology.
a) accepting
b) to accept
c) exception
d) acception

Answer: b) to accept ✅
Explanation: Refuse is followed by the infinitive → refused to accept.

Q47. Trying to swat a fly off his arm, Peter struck ___ hard.
a) itself
b) himself
c) myself
d) herself

Answer: b) himself ✅
Explanation: Reflexive pronoun himself is used because Peter is the subject acting on himself.

Q48. One of the passengers collapsed soon after boarding the aircraft, but luckily a doctor was ___ to attend to him.
a) uphand
b) in hand
c) on hand
d) at hand

Answer: c) on hand ✅
Explanation: The idiom on hand means available to help.

Q49. The job carries a salary which is good by Indian standards but hardly ___ preservation of the environment.
a) comparable with
b) comparing with
c) comparison of
d) comparing to

Answer: a) comparable with ✅
Explanation: Comparable with is the correct adjective + preposition form.

Q50. Fighter pilots have to be ___ split-second decisions.
a) expert in
b) expert at
c) expert on
d) expert of

Answer: b) expert at ✅
Explanation: The correct collocation is expert at making decisions.