BPSC AE Civil Paper 1 (General English) Mock Test - 1 - Civil Engineering (CE) MCQ

The correct answer is "Disgusting".

Key Points

• "Abhorrent" means something that is repugnant or detestable. It refers to something that invokes disgust or loathing.(घिनौना)
  • Example- His abhorrent behavior made everyone distance themselves from him.
• 'Disgusting' refers to something that is revolting or highly distasteful.(घिनौना)
  • Example -The sight of the trash heap was absolutely disgusting.
• Hence, the option that is similar in meaning to the given word is "Disgusting".

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 1’.

Additional Information

• Let’s have a look at the meaning of the remaining options-
• 'Friendly' signifies someone who is kind and approachable.(मित्रवत्)
• 'Beautiful' refers to something that pleases the senses or mind by its beauty or attractiveness.(सुंदर)
• 'Peaceful' means free from disturbance or without any argument.(शांत)

• Flexible (लचीला): Capable of bending or being bent without breaking.
  • Example: The gymnast demonstrated her flexibility by doing a backbend.
• Rigid (कठोर): Stiff and inflexible; not easily bent or changed.
  • Example: The metal rod was too rigid to bend.
• Hence, the correct antonym is ‘Rigid’.

• Supple (कोमल): Soft, pliable, and flexible.
  • Example: The dancer had supple muscles that allowed her to move gracefully.
• Liberal (उदार): Not strict or narrow-minded; tolerant of different ideas or beliefs.
  • Example: The liberal politician supported same-sex marriage and other progressive causes.
• Adaptable (अनुकूलनीय): Able to adjust to new or changing conditions.
  • Example: The company was able to adapt to the changing market conditions and remained successful.

The correct answer is 'turned down'.

Key Points

• Meanings of all the phrasal verbs given in the options:
  1. ​Turned down: to refuse to accept or agree to something, or to refuse someone's request (किसी बात को स्वीकार करने या मानने से इंकार करने या किसी के अनुरोध को अस्वीकार करने के लिए).
     • ​​Example: Harshal turned down the job because it involved too much traveling.
  2. ​Turned into: to change or develop from one thing to another (एक वस्तु से दूसरी वस्तु में बदलना या विकसित होना).
     • Example: Rain in the morning will turn into snow during the afternoon.
  3. ​Turned by: Turned by is not a phrasal verb.
  4. ​Turned off: to leave the path where one is travelling on and travel along another one (उस रास्ता को छोड़ना जहां एक यात्रा कर रहा है और दूसरे रास्ता पर यात्रा करना).
     • Example: We turned off the track and headed across the fields.
• Here, the appropriate phrasal verb is '​Turned down', as the above sentence refers to the bank that refused my application to hasten the home loan.

Therefore, Option 1 is the correct answer.

Complete Sentence: The bank turned down my application to expedite a home loan.

The correct answer is were.

Key Points

• Were is used for both the third person plural past tense (they and we) and the second person past tense (you).
• 'Were' is always correct in the past subjunctive:
  • I were
  • You were
  • He/she/it were
  • We were
  • You were
  • They were
• For example:- "They were at the store".

Hence the complete statement will be, "I know that you were twenty on your last birthday".

Additional Information

• Let us see the use of other verbs:
  • Was: Was is the singular past tense of to be.
    • For example:- I was at the movie yesterday.
  • Are/Is: Both 'is and are' are forms of the linking verb to be.
    • For example:- We are going to party.

The correct answer is Option 4 i.e. Fair and honest'.

Key Points

• The idiom "Above board" means to be open and honest about one's intentions or actions. (ईमानदार और निष्पक्ष)
  • Example: His dealings with the company have always been above board.
• "Fair and honest" correctly describes the idiom. (निष्पक्ष और ईमानदार)

Therefore, the correct answer is- Option 4.

Additional Information

• A very mild punishment (बहुत हल्की सज़ा) does not reflect the idiom's meaning.
• Very inexpensive, a bargain (बहुत सस्ता, एक सौदा) is unrelated to the idiom's emphasis on honesty.
• Ready to, just going to (तैयार है, बस जाने वाला है) also does not align with the concept of transparency implied by "Above board".

The correct answer is: Option 4 i.e. kleptomania.

Key Points

• The word "An irresistible urge to steal" describes a psychological condition where an individual feels a strong compulsion to steal items, often without any need or financial motive. (चोरी करने की अजेय इच्छा)
  • Example: Despite having no need for the items, she couldn't resist her kleptomania and ended up taking things from stores.
• "Kleptomania" is a condition characterized by an irresistible urge to steal items, even when they are not needed. (चोरी की लत)
  • Example: He was diagnosed with kleptomania after being caught stealing trivial items multiple times.

Therefore, the correct answer is: kleptomania.

Additional Information

Here are the other options explained along with their Hindi meanings and example sentences:

• Dipsomania (मद्यपान की लत): An uncontrollable craving for alcoholic liquors.
  • Example: His dipsomania led him to drink excessively every night.
• Megalomania (महत्त्वाकांक्षा): A delusional mental condition marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur.
  • Example: His megalomania made him believe he was destined to rule the world.
• Pyromania (आग लगाने की प्रवृत्ति): An obsessive desire to set fire to things.
  • Example: The fire was started by a person suffering from pyromania.

The correct answer is 'have I'.

Key Points

• The segment with the grammatical error is (B), "have I." The error lies in the word order, which should be rearranged for proper grammar.
• The corrected sentence would be: "Where do I have to deposit fees?"
• The original sentence has an incorrect inversion in the word order, which happens often in questions when formed in English. In interrogative sentences, the correct structure typically follows this pattern: auxiliary/modal verb + subject + main verb + object or complement.
• In this case, "do" is the auxiliary verb required to form the question in the present tense, placed before the subject "I," followed by the main verb "have" and then the rest of the sentence.

The erroneous part is 'The furnitures'.
Key Points

• "Furniture" is an uncountable noun, referring to items like chairs, tables, beds, etc. Even when discussing multiple pieces, the term remains unchanged.
• For instance:
  • Incorrect: He bought three furnitures for the living room.
  • Correct: He bought three pieces of furniture for the living room.
• "Furniture" doesn't change whether we're talking about one or many items; it stays singular and uncountable.

Correct Sentence: The furniture had become old and rusty.

The correct answer is 'a more bigger house'.

Key Points

• The error in the sentence "She bought a more bigger house after receiving her bonus" lies in the redundancy created by using both "more" and "bigger" together.
• In English grammar, when comparing two things using an adjective that has a comparative form, you generally use the comparative form itself without the additional "more" or "most."
• The correct comparative form of "big" is "bigger." Therefore, when using the comparative form, you do not need to add "more" before it. Using both "more" and the comparative form "bigger" together creates redundancy.
• The corrected sentence would be: "She bought a bigger house after receiving her bonus."
• This correction removes the redundancy by using the correct comparative form "bigger" without the unnecessary addition of "more."

• The error lies in option 4, "Tagore Gitanjali".
• The correct term is "Gitanjali by Tagore" or "Tagore's Gitanjali" as Gitanjali is a collection of poems written by Rabindranath Tagore. Using 'Tagore Gitanjali' inverts the order and constructs an incorrect phrase.
• It is customary to place the author's name before their work using an apostrophe to indicate possession or before the work they created.
• Hence, "Tagore Gitanjali" should be corrected as "Tagore's Gitanjali" or "Gitanjali by Tagore".

• Option 1 is "short poems." There's no error in this phrase as Gitanjali is indeed a collection of short poems.
• Option 2 is "collection of", which is also correct because the book 'Gitanjali' is a collection of poems.
• Option 3, "is a", is grammatically correct. It refers to what the subject of the sentence (Gitanjali) is.

The correct answer is "as it looked like it was going to rain".

Key Points

• The original sentence inappropriately mixes present and future tenses.
• The statement should use a past tense 'looked' to match with the past action 'took an umbrella'.
• Using 'was going to' instead of 'is' better conveys the future-in-the-past nature of the prediction about the rain.
• Thus, the correct phrase would be "as it looked like it was going to rain".

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• 'For it looked like it would rain' is also grammatically correct, though 'as' is a slightly more natural conjunction in this context.
• 'Since it seemed like it was going to rain' changes the verb unnecessarily, though the meaning remains similar.
• 'No improvement' is incorrect because the sentence as given includes mixed tenses.

The correct answer is 'Worsen'.

Key Points

• Exacerbated means 'Make a problem or situation worse (किसी समस्या या स्थिति को बदतर बनाना)'.
  • ​​Ex: The condition of his house has become exacerbated due to Corona epidemic.
• Marked option '​Worsen' means 'to become worse or something worse ( बदतर होना या खराब करना)'.
  • Ex: His situation was worsen in train due to crowd.
• It is clear that Exacerbated and Worsen are similar in meaning.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Additional Information

• Appease: Pacify or placate by acceding to their demands (उनकी मांगों को मानकर शांत करना).
• Allay: to make something less strong (कुछ कम मजबूत बनाना).
• Assuage: to make an unpleasant feeling less strong (अप्रिय भावना को कम मजबूत बनाना).

The correct answer is 'Soothing'.

Key Points

• Formidable means 'causing you to have fear or respect for something or someone because that thing or person is large, powerful, or difficult (जिससे आपको किसी चीज या किसी के लिए डर या सम्मान हो क्योंकि वह चीज या व्यक्ति बड़ा, शक्तिशाली या कठिन है)'.
  • Ex: She is a formidable figure who commands a great deal of respect .
• Marked option 'Soothing' means 'making you feel calm (आपको शांत महसूस करा रहा है)'.
  • Ex: I put on some nice soothing music.
• It's clear that 'Formidable' and 'Soothing' are opposite in meaning.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4).

Additional Information

• Appalling: shocking and very bad (चौंकाने वाला और बहुत बुरा)
• Terrifying: very frightening (बहुत डरावना)
• Awful: extremely bad or unpleasant (अत्यंत बुरा या अप्रिय)

The correct answer is "beside".

Key Points

• The preposition "beside" is used to mean "at the side of" or "next to."
• So, when we say "The cat sneaked in and sat beside the little girl," we mean that the cat sat next to the little girl.

Therefore, the correct answer is "Option 4".

Complete Sentence: The cat sneaked in and sat beside the little girl.

The Correct Answer is Option 2) 'if'.

Key Points

• The sentence indicates a condition for an event to happen in the future.
• In the first conditional sentence, the word 'if' is typically used to express such a condition.
• Therefore, option 2 "if" is the correct choice as it aligns with the requirements of a first conditional sentence.
• Other options - "when", "because", "even though" - do not appropriately express this conditional relationship in the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is - 'if'

Additional Information

• "When" (Option 1) is used to refer to a specific time or upon something happening, not to express a condition that might or might not be fulfilled.
• "Because" (Option 3) is used to provide a reason for something, not to present a conditional situation.
• "Even though" (Option 4) is used to express a contrast or contradiction, not a condition.

The correct answer is 'Option 4' i.e. 'Patricide'.

Key Points

• The word that can substitute the given group of words, "Killing one's father," is "Patricide".
• "Patricide" is derived from the Latin words 'pater' meaning 'father,' and '-cide' from 'caedere' meaning 'to cut or kill.'
• So, it specifically refers to the act of killing one's own father.(पितृहत्या).

Therefore, the correct answer is: 'Patricide'.

Additional Information

• Let's explain the other words:
  • "Insecticide" refers to a substance used for killing insects. (कीटनाशक)
  • "Suicide" refers to the act of intentionally causing one's own death. (आत्महत्या)
  • "Tyrannicide" refers to the act of killing a tyrant.(तानाशाह की हत्या)

Here, the erroneous part is "What does kangaroos."
Key Points

• The correct question should be "What do kangaroos eat?" as "kangaroos" is a plural noun and requires a plural verb.
• The segment contains a subject-verb agreement error.
• The verb "does" is singular and does not agree with the plural subject "kangaroos."
• The correct verb should be "do" to agree with the subject "kangaroos."
• The correct answer is Option 3.

Correct sentence: What do kangaroos eat? They are quite strong.

The correct answer is 'My brother and I enjoy'.

Key Points

• When using pronouns as the subject of a sentence, the correct form 'I' should be used, not 'me'.
• When you are referring to yourself and someone else, the other person should be referred to first. So, it's 'My brother and I', not 'I and my brother'.
• After correcting the pronoun to 'I', the verb also needs to be in the plural form 'enjoy' instead of the singular form 'enjoys' to match the compound subject 'My brother and I'.
• Correct Sentence: "My brother and I enjoy playing football."

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1 ‘I and my brother enjoys' is incorrect because it not only uses the wrong word order, putting 'I' before 'my brother', but it also does not correct the verb form to 'enjoy'.
• Option 2 ‘My brother and me enjoy' is incorrect because it uses the object pronoun 'me' instead of the subject pronoun 'I'.

The correct answer is ‘Neither of the twins is'.

Key Points

• The word 'neither', when used as the subject, takes a singular verb because it is referring to not one or the other of two people or things.
• So in this case, instead of using 'are', we should use 'is'.
• Therefore, the phrase "Neither of the twins are" should be replaced with "Neither of the twins is".
• Correct Sentence: Neither of the twins is able to solve the math problem.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 1’.

Additional Information

• Option 2, 'Neither of the twins was', is not correct in this context because the sentence is in the present tense while 'was' is a past tense verb.
• Option 3, 'No one of the twins is', doesn't sound as natural as 'neither' when referring to two subjects, and it alters the sentence more than necessary.
• The sentence needs improvement, therefore 'No improvement' is not the correct option.

• ​​​The word ‘mitigate’(verb) means- "to make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad". (कुछ कम हानिकारक, अप्रिय या बुरा बनाने के लिए)
  • E.g: It is unclear how to mitigate the effects of tourism on the island.
• ​Let’s have a look at the meaning of the words that are given in the options:
  • construe(verb)- “to understand the meaning of something in a particular way”. (किसी चीज़ का अर्थ किसी विशेष तरीके से समझना)
  • lessen(verb)- “to become less; to make something less”. (कम हो जाना; कुछ कम करने के लिए)
  • rectify(verb)- “to correct something or make something right”. (कुछ ठीक करना)
  • nullify(verb)- “to cause an agreement or result to be no longer effective or consider it as not existing”. (किसी समझौते या परिणाम को अब प्रभावी नहीं होने देना या इसे मौजूदा नहीं मानना)
• Therefore, as per the points mentioned above, we find that ‘lessen’ is the correct synonym of the given bold word.

Additional Information

• The synonyms of the given word 'mitigate' are- 'lessen', 'mollify', 'ease', 'soothe', 'assuage', etc.
• The antonyms of the given word 'mitigate' are- 'aggravate', 'provoke', 'incite', 'irritate', etc.
• Example of 'mitigate' in a sentence:
  • Getting a lot of sleep and drinking plenty of fluids can mitigate the effects of the flu.

The correct answer is 'Pride'.
Key Points

• The word 'Humility (विनम्रता, विनयशीलता)' is a noun that is used to denote the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance.
  • For eg.- He needs the humility to accept that their way may be better.
• Of the given options, the only word that is opposite in meaning is 'Pride (गर्व, अभिमान)' which is the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance.
  • For eg.- The worst sin in a ruler was pride.
• Therefore, from the above-given definition, we can say that both Humility and Pride are antonyms to each other.
• Hence, option 2 is the correct answer.

Additional Information
Let's look at the remaining options.

The correct answer is 'lack of decisiveness.'

Key Points

• "Sitting on the fence" is used to describe a person's lack of decisiveness, neutrality, or hesitance to choose between two sides in an argument or a competition, or inability to decide due to lack of courage.
• ("Sitting on the fence" किसी व्यक्ति की निर्णायकता, तटस्थता, या किसी तर्क या प्रतियोगिता में दो पक्षों के बीच चयन करने में हिचकिचाहट, या साहस की कमी के कारण निर्णय लेने में असमर्थता का वर्णन करने के लिए प्रयोग किया जाता है।)
  • Example- You can't sit on the fence any longer, you need to make up your mind. He did not want to say no to either of them, so he was just sitting on the fence.

Hence, the correct answer is 'lack of decisiveness.'
Additional Information
Let us see some phrases/idioms:-

The correct answer is- Daydream.
Key Points

• Let's look at the meaning of the given idiom:
• Castles in the air: Dreams, hopes, or plans that are impossible, unrealistic, or have very little chance of succeeding. (सपने, आशाएं, या योजनाएं जो असंभव, अवास्तविक हैं या सफल होने की बहुत कम संभावना है।)
  • Example: He keeps talking about how he'll move to Los Angeles to be a famous actor, but it's just castles in the air if you ask me.

Hence, the meaning of the given idiom is- Daydream
Additional Information

• Let's find out some synonym of Daydream:
• Reverie: A state of having pleasant dreamlike thoughts. (सुखद स्वप्न-सदृश विचार रखने की अवस्था।)
• Pipe dream: An idea or plan that is not practical or possible. (एक विचार या योजना जो व्यावहारिक या संभव नहीं है।)

The correct answer is 'Dictator'.
Key Points
Let us explore the given options:-

• 'Democrat' is an advocate or supporter of democracy. (प्रजातंत्रवादी)
  • Example: As a democrat, I accepted the outcome of the referendum.
• 'Dictator' is a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force. (तानाशाह)
  • Example: For years now, the people have been oppressed by a ruthless dictator.
• 'Protector' is a person or thing that protects someone or something. (रक्षा करनेवाला)
  • Example: Many mothers see their son as a potential protector and provider.
• 'Traitor' is a person who betrays someone or something, such as a friend, cause, or principle. (गद्दार)
  • Example: He was seen as a traitor to the socialist cause.

Hence, the correct answer is option 2.

The correct answer is: 'Between'.

Key Points

• The most appropriate option to correct the underlined part of the given sentence is 'Between'.
• Here, 'Beside' is a preposition used to suggest at the side of something.
  • Example: They live beside the sea.
• Here, 'Between' is a preposition used to suggest the division between two.
  • ​Example: There is a door between the two rooms.
• ​'Between' should be used in place of 'Beside' to make the sentence correct.

​​​Therefore, the correct answer is: 'Option 1'.
Correct sentence: The two friends shared chocolates between themselves.

Additional Information

• ​'Among' is also Preposition used to suggest division of something more than two people.
• 'To' is also Preposition used to suggest motion in the direction of a particular location.

• Linking Verb: The verb "feeling" in the sentence is used as a linking verb.
• Adjective vs. Adverb: Linking verbs like "feel" should be followed by an adjective rather than an adverb.
• Correct Usage: "Bad" is an adjective that correctly describes the subject's condition.
• The context of physical or emotional state generally requires the adjective form in such scenarios.

• "badly": "Badly" is an adverb and is used to modify verbs indicating actions, but since "feel" is a linking verb in this sentence, "badly" is incorrect.
• "bad": This option is correct as it uses "bad," an adjective, appropriately after the linking verb "feeling."
• "worse": "Worse" is a comparative adjective, which implies comparing two states. The sentence does not make a comparison between two states of feeling.

The correct answer is 'shake off'.

Key Points

• The most appropriate phrasal verb to fill in the blank is: shake off.
• Explanation of other phrasal verbs:
  • shakedown: To cause someone or something to settle or become established after a period of uncertainty or instability. Example: After a few initial setbacks, the new management team managed to shake down the company and improve its performance.
  • shake up: To cause someone or something to change significantly, especially by introducing new ideas or methods. Example: The new CEO shook up the company by implementing innovative strategies.
  • shake out: To remove something from a container or surface by shaking it. Example: After baking, the baker shook out the excess flour from the cake pan.
• In the given sentence, the most appropriate phrasal verb is "shake off," which means to get rid of or eliminate something unwanted or unpleasant, such as a migraine. Therefore, the correct sentence would be: "It took seven years for Harish to shake off his migraine."

The correct answer is 'through'.

Key Points

• Through means moving in one side and out of the other side of (an opening, channel, or location); continuing in time towards completion of (a process or period).
  • For example: He just walked through the door.
• From is indicating the point in space at which a journey, motion, or action starts; indicating the point in time at which a particular process, event, or activity starts.
• Across means from one side to the other of (a place, area, etc.).
• Into is expressing movement or action with the result that someone or something becomes enclosed or surrounded by something else.
• By referring to the above explanation, it can be concluded that through should be the appropriate option to be chosen for filling the blank.

Hence, the correct answer is option 3.

The correct answer is 'As soon as'.

Key Points

• As soon as means at the moment (that); when
  • For example:- She said that she alerted the police as soon as she realised what was happening.
• On the other hand is used to introduce a contrasting point of view, fact, or situation.
• Though means despite the fact that; although.
• Moreover means as a further matter; besides.
• By referring to the above explanation, it can be concluded that as soon as should be the appropriate option to be chosen for filling the blank.

Hence, the correct answer is option 2.

The correct answer is "though".

Key Points

• The complete sentence is:
  • His plans, though vast, were never visionary.
• ​Though is more frequently used than although both in everyday speech and in the wider sense.
• Even with though is frequently used for emphasis (but not with although).
• Ideas like "in spite of things" are expressed using the words although and through.
• These are subordinating conjunctions that are used.
• This indicates that the clause they present is a subordinate clause that requires a main clause to be complete.

Additional Information

• An independent clause and a dependent clause are joined together in a sentence by a subordinating conjunction.
• They assist in creating complicated statements.
• As long as, because, even if, if, unless, before, since, however, and other similar expressions are subordinating conjunctions in the English language.