UPSC CDS (II) 2019 — English (Full Question Paper)

Questions 1–10

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Accommodate
(b)Acomodate
(c)Accomdate
(d)Acomodait

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Recommand
(b)Reccommend
(c)Recommend
(d)Reccomand

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Argyument
(b)Argument
(c)Arguement
(d)Argyooment

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Decisive
(b)Desisive
(c)Descisive
(d)Desicive

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Aggressive
(b)Agresive
(c)Agressive
(d)Aggresive

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Assassination
(b)Asassination
(c)Asasination
(d)Assasination

Identify the correctly spelled word.

(a)Embarassment
(b)Embbarasment
(c)Embrasement
(d)Embarrassment

Dirt cheap

(a)Extremely cheap
(b)Extremely costly
(c)Very cheap person
(d)Very cheap item

A shrinking violet

(a)A lean person
(b)A shy person
(c)A happy person
(d)A sad person

10.

Gordian knot

(a)Undoable job
(b)A difficult problem
(c)A different problem
(d)Doable job

Questions 11–20

11.

Fall in a heap

(a)To be at the mercy of someone else
(b)To be thinking about someone
(c)To lose control of one's own feelings
(d)To be in control of one's own feelings

12.

Have a conniption fit

(a)To be very angry
(b)To be very happy
(c)To be very sad
(d)To be a jubilant person

13.

Be in seventh heaven

(a)To be extremely happy
(b)To be extremely upset
(c)To be extremely adventurous
(d)To be extremely silent

14.

Hand in glove

(a)Working separately
(b)Working together
(c)Working for someone
(d)Not willing to work

15.

Nip in the bud

(a)Prevent a small problem before it becomes severe
(b)Prevent the big problems
(c)Make it severe
(d)Beating the problem

16.

Like a shag on a rock

(a)Completely alone
(b)Completely idle
(c)Complete silence
(d)Complete happy

17.

A pearl of wisdom

(a)An important piece of news
(b)An important person
(c)An important thing for life
(d)An important piece of advice

Passage

The founders of the Indian Republic ___(18)___ the farsightedness and the courage to commit ___(19)___ to two major innovations of historical significance in nation-building and social engineering: first, to ___(20)___ a democratic and civil ___(21)___ society among illiterate people and, second, to undertake economic development ___(22)___ democratic political structure. Hitherto, in all societies in which an economic takeoff or an early industrial and agricultural ___(23)___ had occurred, effective democracy, especially from the working people, had been extremely limited. On the other hand, ___(24)___ the beginning, India was committed to ___(25)___ democratic and civil libertarian political order.

18.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (18) in the passage above.

(a)had
(b)has
(c)has had
(d)were

19.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (19) in the passage above.

(a)them
(b)themselves
(c)the people
(d)the course

20.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (20) in the passage above.

(a)build
(b)building
(c)constructing
(d)built

Questions 21–30

21.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (21) in the passage above.

(a)libertarian
(b)liberation
(c)liberating
(d)liberty

22.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (22) in the passage above.

(a)with a
(b)within a
(c)for the
(d)without a

23.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (23) in the passage above.

(a)breakthrough
(b)breakout
(c)breaking
(d)investment

24.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (24) in the passage above.

(a)with
(b)from
(c)within
(d)for

25.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (25) in the passage above.

(a)few
(b)some
(c)a
(d)an

Passage continued

…and a representative system of government ___(26)___ on free and fair elections to be conducted on the basis of universal adult franchise.

26.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (26) in the passage above.

(a)basing
(b)basis of
(c)based
(d)function

Passage

Ecology, in a very simple term, is a science that ___(27)___ the interdependent, mutually reactive and interconnected relationships ___(28)___ the organisms and ___(29)___ physical environment on the one hand and among the organisms on the other hand. ___(30)___ the term 'ecology' was first coined and used by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1869, a few conceptual terms ___(31)___ already proposed to reveal relationships ___(32)___ organisms and their environment. For example, French zoologist I. G. Hilaire used the term 'ethology' ___(33)___ the study of the relations of ___(34)___ organisms within the family and society in the aggregate and in the community. British naturalist St. George Jackson Mivart proposed the term 'hexicology' with regard to the study of the relations ___(35)___ living creatures to other organisms and their environment as regards the nature of the locality they frequent, the temperatures and the ___(36)___ of light which suit them, and their relations to other organisms as enemies, rivals, or accidental and involuntary benefactors.

27.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (27) in the passage above.

(a)studies
(b)study
(c)studying
(d)exploring

28.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (28) in the passage above.

(a)among
(b)between
(c)to
(d)for

29.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (29) in the passage above.

(a)their
(b)its
(c)theirs
(d)all

30.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (30) in the passage above.

(a)Through
(b)In spite of
(c)Though
(d)Because

Questions 31–40

31.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (31) in the passage above.

(a)are
(b)were
(c)have been
(d)have

32.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (32) in the passage above.

(a)among
(b)those
(c)of
(d)between

33.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (33) in the passage above.

(a)for
(b)to
(c)with
(d)in

34.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (34) in the passage above.

(a)the
(b)a
(c)live
(d)dead

35.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (35) in the passage above.

(a)for
(b)of
(c)within
(d)in

36.

Choose the word/phrase that best fits blank (36) in the passage above.

(a)amount
(b)focus
(c)share
(d)quality

37.

The properties of the family have been impounded by the order of the court.

(a)Confiscated
(b)Permitted
(c)Sold
(d)Put on hold

38.

The officer in charge of the operations has been impugned for the excesses.

(a)Expelled
(b)Rewarded
(c)Challenged
(d)Given allowance

39.

Cognitivist and linguists believe that every child is born with innate qualities.

(a)Biological
(b)Intrinsic
(c)Extrinsic
(d)Unnatural

40.

It was obligatory for the board to implement the rule.

(a)Compulsory
(b)Unnecessary
(c)By chance
(d)Problematic

Questions 41–50

41.

They describe the act as a blatant betrayal of faith.

(a)Loyal
(b)Faithfulness
(c)Treachery
(d)Honesty

42.

However, if it must decide, then it should do so on the narrowest ground possible.

(a)Widest
(b)Slightly
(c)Smallest
(d)Thick

43.

This is akin to a contractual relationship that places obligations on the entities entrusted with data.

(a)Removed
(b)Narrow
(c)Similar
(d)Unparallel

44.

Many communication problems can be attributed directly to misunderstandings and inaccuracies.

(a)Disapproved
(b)Unofficial
(c)Ascribed
(d)Tribute

45.

The exemptions granted to State institutions for acquiring informed consent from processing personal data in many cases appear to be too blanket.

(a)Obtain
(b)Lose
(c)Giving
(d)Thinking

46.

The manner in which this exercise has been undertaken leaves much to be desired.

(a)Disliked
(b)Unlikely
(c)Wish for
(d)Asked for

47.

S1: The master always says, "Refuse to be miserable". S6: This is the art of right contact in life. P: Before you fall into self-pity and blame games, remember that responsibility comes to only those who feel responsible. Q: Challenges are faced by the strong and courageous, and if life brings you such opportunities, then turn failures into success. R: Life can be painful, but it need not be sorrowful. S: If you want to be happy, find occasions to be cheerful.

(a)RSPQ
(b)SQPR
(c)QRSP
(d)RQSP

48.

S1: Gandhiji reached Newcastle and took charge of the agitation. S6: The treatment that was meted out to these brave men and women in jail included starvation and whipping, and being forced to work in the mines by mounted military police. P: During the course of the march, Gandhiji was arrested twice, released, arrested a third time and sent to jail. Q: The employers retaliated by cutting off water and electricity to the workers' quarters, thus forcing them to leave their homes. R: Gandhiji decided to march this army of over two thousand men, women and children over the border and thus see them lodged in Transvaal jails. S: The morale of the workers, however, was very high and they continued to march till they were prosecuted and sent to jail.

(a)QRPS
(b)SRQP
(c)QPSR
(d)RQSP

49.

S1: One of the most important forces in the modern world, socialism was a direct result of the Industrial Revolution. S6: This is how socialism as a theory and practice came into being. P: Socialism was a direct challenge to capitalism and sought to put an end to such an exploitative economic structure. Q: The gulf between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' continued to increase and out of this gap between the rich and poor sprang disputes. R: It generated new wealth but as this new wealth only went to a minority, it could not solve the question of distribution. S: The Industrial Revolution solved the question of production.

(a)PQRS
(b)SRQP
(c)SRPQ
(d)RQSP

50.

S1: Institutions define and play a regulatory role with regard to human behaviour. S6: It shows how important it is for a nation to build institutions for nurturing democracy. P: Once established, institutions set a dynamic relationship with the members constituting them and they mutually affect each other. Q: They shape preferences, power and privilege. R: At the same time, institutions themselves can be transformed by the politics they produce and such transformation can affect social norms and behaviours. S: They also provide a sense of order and predictability.

(a)RPQS
(b)QRSP
(c)PSRQ
(d)QSRP

Questions 51–60

51.

S1: Idioms are a colourful and fascinating aspect of language. S6: Idioms may also suggest a particular attitude of the person using them, for example, disapproval, humour, exasperation or admiration, so you must use them carefully. P: Your language skills will increase rapidly if you can understand idioms and use them confidently and correctly. Q: They are commonly used in all types of language, informal and formal, spoken and written. R: In addition, idioms often have a stronger meaning than non-idiomatic phrases. S: One of the main problems students have with idioms is that it is often impossible to guess the meaning of an idiom from the words it contains.

(a)RQPS
(b)RSPQ
(c)SRQP
(d)QPSR

52.

S1: Each organism is adapted to its environment. S6: What can be taken in and broken down depends on the body design and functioning. P: There is a range of strategies by which the food is taken in and used by the organism. Q: For example, whether the food source is stationary (such as grass) or mobile (such as deer), would allow for differences in how the food is accessed and what is nutritive apparatus used by a cow or a lion. R: The form of nutrition differs depending on the type and availability of food material as well as how it is obtained by an organism. S: Some organisms break down the food material outside the body and then absorb it and others take in the whole material and break it down inside their bodies.

(a)RQPS
(b)QPSR
(c)SQPR
(d)QPRS

53.

S1: "When I was alive and had a human heart," answered the statue, "I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci where sorrow is not allowed to enter. S6: And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep." P: So I lived, and so I died. Q: Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. R: My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. S: In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall.

(a)QSRP
(b)PQRS
(c)PRQS
(d)RPQS

54.

S1: One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her, "Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has been very ill. Take her a cake, and this little pot of butter." S6: "Does she live far off?" said the wolf. P: He asked her where she was going. Q: The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, "I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother." R: As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. S: She set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived in another village.

(a)PRQS
(b)SRPQ
(c)PRSQ
(d)RPQS

55.

S1: I had spent many nights in the jungle looking for game, but this was the first time I had ever spent a night looking for a man-eater. S6: It was in this position my men an hour later found me fast asleep; of the tiger I had neither heard nor seen anything. P: I bitterly regretted the impulse that had induced me to place myself at the man-eater's mercy. Q: The length of road immediately in front of me was brilliantly lit by the moon, but to right and left the overhanging trees cast dark shadows, and when the night wind agitated the branches and the shadows moved, I saw a dozen tigers advancing on me. R: As the grey dawn was lighting up the snowy range which I was facing, I rested my head on my drawn-up knees. S: I lacked the courage to return to the village and admit I was too frightened to carry out my self-imposed task, and with teeth chattering, as much from fear as from cold, I sat out the long night.

(a)QPSR
(b)SRPQ
(c)PRSQ
(d)RPQS

56.

Rita eats her dinner quickly.

(a)Verb
(b)Preposition
(c)Adjective
(d)Adverb

57.

He thought the movie ended abruptly.

(a)Noun
(b)Adverb
(c)Verb
(d)Adjective

58.

I will meet you in the third week of August.

(a)Pronoun
(b)Verb
(c)Preposition
(d)Noun

59.

Jasmines and roses are my favourite flowers.

(a)Verb
(b)Preposition
(c)Conjunction
(d)Interjection

60.

She truthfully answered the detective's questions.

(a)Verb
(b)Adjective
(c)Noun
(d)Adverb

Questions 61–70

61.

Hurrah! We won the game!

(a)Interjection
(b)Conjunction
(c)Noun
(d)Pronoun

62.

The son writes meaningless letters to his father.

(a)Adverb
(b)Verb
(c)Pronoun
(d)Adjective

63.

The secretary himself visited the affected families.

(a)Verb
(b)Noun
(c)Adverb
(d)Pronoun

64.

The children were walking through the forest.

(a)Verb
(b)Adverb
(c)Adjective
(d)Preposition

65.

The Presiding Officer walked slowly to the dais.

(a)Adverb
(b)Adjective
(c)Verb
(d)Noun

66.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

(a)Allure
(b)Charm
(c)Inelegance
(d)Ideal

67.

Reading details about suicide cases can push vulnerable people taking the extreme step.

(a)Imperious
(b)Impervious
(c)Helpless
(d)Defenseless

68.

Standing before a judge in a courtroom can be daunting for anyone.

(a)Uncomfortable
(b)Encouraging
(c)Demoralizing
(d)Off-putting

69.

He has been facing a kind of intimidation by his friends for last two years.

(a)Wiles
(b)Conviction
(c)Persuasion
(d)Support

70.

There are many factors that constrain the philosophy of job enrichment in practice.

(a)Oblige
(b)Pressure
(c)Restrict
(d)Support

Questions 71–80

71.

People look for plausible remedies to the problems which they do not know.

(a)Acceptable
(b)Unthinkable
(c)Solvable
(d)Believable

72.

The departing speech of the Chairperson ended with a plaintive note.

(a)Melancholic
(b)Gleeful
(c)Doleful
(d)Adventurous

73.

The members have taken a unanimous decision to discord some of the rulings of the Managing Committee on problems relating to maintenance.

(a)Accord
(b)Dissension
(c)Dispute
(d)Friction

74.

The insolent nature of the speaker had provoked the members of the house and this led to pandemonium.

(a)Respectful
(b)Autocratic
(c)Impudent
(d)Thought provoking

75.

Incessant rains have resulted in failure of crops during this season.

(a)Sporadic
(b)Persistent
(c)Continual
(d)Ceaseless

76.

P: the company are often asked Q: the formal or informal interviews R: employees who are leaving S: for their opinions during

(a)RPSQ
(b)RQPS
(c)PSQR
(d)PQSR

77.

P: a hailstorm activity in the evenings Q: there is a possibility of R: while there could be S: heavy rain towards the weekend

(a)SQPR
(b)QSRP
(c)QRPS
(d)SPRQ

78.

P: has been below normal since last week Q: the minimum temperature R: in some part of the city S: when rain and hailstorm activity recorded

(a)RSPQ
(b)SPRQ
(c)QPSR
(d)PSQR

79.

P: for guest teachers Q: in the department of Biotechnology R: was also held S: a Selection Committee meeting

(a)SPRQ
(b)QRSP
(c)PRQS
(d)RSPQ

80.

P: for contractual assignment at Cultural Centres abroad Q: as Teacher of Indian Culture for two years R: applications are invited in a prescribed format S: from Indian Nationals for deployment

(a)QPRS
(b)SRPQ
(c)PQRS
(d)RSQP

Questions 81–90

81.

P: while they are small Q: and do the great things R: while they are easy S: do the difficult things

(a)SRQP
(b)PSQR
(c)SRPQ
(d)QPSR

82.

P: then you sure Q: if you can't R: don't deserve me at my best S: handle me at my worst

(a)PRQS
(b)QSPR
(c)RQSP
(d)PSRQ

83.

P: you will be more disappointed Q: than by the ones you did do R: by the things you didn't do S: twenty years from now

(a)PRSQ
(b)PRQS
(c)PQSR
(d)SPRQ

84.

P: man is one who can lay Q: a firm foundation with the bricks R: a successful S: others have thrown at him

(a)PQSR
(b)RQSP
(c)RPQS
(d)QSPR

85.

P: what we may be Q: but we know not R: we know S: what we are

(a)RSQP
(b)QPRS
(c)QRPS
(d)RQPS

86.

P: for the ordinary Q: not willing to risk the unusual R: if you are S: you will have to settle

(a)PRQS
(b)SPQR
(c)RQSP
(d)QSRP

87.

P: as mere stepping stones Q: his major achievements R: for the next advance S: he regarded

(a)SPQR
(b)SQPR
(c)SPRQ
(d)RPQS

88.

P: have a great influence Q: and they often shape our personality R: on our adult lives S: events in our childhood

(a)SPRQ
(b)SQRP
(c)SRQP
(d)PQRS

89.