Grammar Based Questions - 5 | English for CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
No sooner had Villefort left the salon, than he assumed the grave air of a man who holds the balance of life and death in his hands. Now, in spite of the nobility of his countenance, the command of which, like a finished actor, he had carefully studied before the glass, it was by no means easy for him to assume an air of judicial severity. Except the recollection of the line of politics his father had adopted, and which might interfere, unless he acted with the greatest prudence, with his own career, Gerard de Villefort was as happy as a man could be. Already rich, he held a high official situation, though only twenty-seven. He was about to marry a young and charming woman, whom he loved, not passionately, but reasonably, as became a deputy attorney of the king; and besides her personal attractions, which were very great, Mademoiselle de Saint-Meran's family possessed considerable political influence, which they would, of course, exert in his favor. The dowry of his wife amounted to fifty thousand crowns, and he had, besides, the prospect of seeing her fortune increased to half a million at her father's death. These considerations naturally gave Villefort a feeling of such complete felicity that his mind was fairly dazzled in its contemplation. At the door he met the commissary of police, who was waiting for him. The sight of this officer recalled Villefort from the third heaven to earth; he composed his face, as we have before described, and said, "I have read the letter, sir, and you have acted rightly in arresting this man; now inform me what you have discovered concerning him and the conspiracy." "We know nothing as yet of the conspiracy, monsieur; all the papers found have been sealed up and placed on your desk. The prisoner himself is named Edmond Dantes, mate on board the three-master the Pharaon, trading in cotton with Alexandria and Smyrna, and belonging to Morrel & Son, of Marseilles."
"Before he entered the merchant service, had he ever served in the marines?"
"Oh, no, monsieur, he is very young."
"How old?"
"Nineteen or twenty at the most."
At this moment, and as Ville fort had arrived at the corner of the Rue des Conseils, a man, who seemed to have been waiting for him, approached; it was M. Morrel.
"Ah, M. de Villefort," cried he, "I am delighted to see you. Some of your people have committed the strangest mistake--they have just arrested Edmond Dantes, mate of my vessel."
"I know it, monsieur," replied Villefort, "and I am now going to examine him."
"Oh," said Morrel, carried away by his friendship, "you do not know him, and I do.
[Extracted from The Count Of Monte Cristo By  Alexandre Dumas, Pere]
Q1: Identify the type of clause in the sentence: "Now, in spite of the nobility of his countenance, the command of which, like a finished actor, he had carefully studied before the glass..."
(a) Independent Clause
(b) Dependent Clause
(c) Relative Clause
(d) Noun Clause
Ans: (c)
Sol: The clause "the command of which, like a finished actor, he had carefully studied before the glass" is a relative clause. It provides additional information about the noun "countenance" using the relative pronoun "which."

Q2: Choose the correct form of tense for the sentence: "Gerard de Villefort ___ (to be) as happy as a man could be."
(a) is
(b) was
(c) has been
(d) had been
Ans: (b)
Sol: The correct tense is the simple past 'was' because the sentence is describing a state in the past.

Q3: Identify the type of adjective in the phrase: "a young and charming woman"
(a) Demonstrative Adjective
(b) Possessive Adjective
(c) Descriptive Adjective
(d) Quantitative Adjective
Ans: (c)
Sol: "Young" and "charming" are descriptive adjectives as they describe the qualities of the noun 'woman'.

Q4: Which of the following is a correct example of direct speech from the paragraph?
(a) Villefort thought that he had acted rightly in arresting the man.
(b) Morrel was aware that Villefort knew about the arrest of Edmond Dantes.
(c) "I know it, monsieur," replied Villefort.
(d) The commissary of police informed Villefort about the conspiracy.
Ans: (c)
Sol: This option is a direct quote from Villefort, making it an example of direct speech.

Q5: Find the sentence with incorrect subject-verb agreement.
(a) Gerard de Villefort was as happy as a man could be.
(b) The dowry of his wife amounted to fifty thousand crowns.
(c) The sight of this officer recall Villefort from the third heaven to earth.
(d) The prisoner himself is named Edmond Dantes.
Ans: (c)
Sol: The correct form should be 'recalls' as the subject 'the sight of this officer' is singular.