English Composition

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English Composition — solved practice questions

8 WBCS English questions with step-by-step solutions. Attempt each, then reveal the answer.

1. Q1easy

   Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence: 'The list of approved candidates ___ on the notice board.'

   • Ais
   • Bare
   • Cwere
   • Dhave been
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   Correct answer: (A) is

   The subject is 'the list' (singular); the phrase 'of approved candidates' does not change the number, so the singular verb 'is' is correct.

2. Q2easy

   Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: 'She has been living in Kolkata ___ 2010.'

   • Asince
   • Bfor
   • Cfrom
   • Dby
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   Correct answer: (A) since

   'Since' is used with a fixed point in time (2010) to mark the start of an action that continues to the present; 'for' would need a duration.

3. Q3easy

   Fill in the blank with the correct article: 'He is ___ honest and hard-working man.'

   • Aan
   • Ba
   • Cthe
   • Dno article is needed
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   Correct answer: (A) an

   'Honest' begins with a silent 'h' and therefore a vowel sound, so the article 'an' is used, not 'a'.

4. Q4easy

   Choose the word most similar in meaning to 'BENEVOLENT'.

   • AKind
   • BCruel
   • CWealthy
   • DTimid
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   Correct answer: (A) Kind

   'Benevolent' means well-meaning and kindly, so 'kind' is the closest synonym; 'cruel' is its antonym.

5. Q5medium

   Choose the grammatically correct option: 'By the time we reached the station, the train ___.'

   • Ahad left
   • Bhas left
   • Cleft
   • Dhas been leaving
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   Correct answer: (A) had left

   The past perfect 'had left' is needed because the train's departure happened before the later past action of reaching the station.

6. Q6medium

   Fill in the blank with the correct article: '___ Ganga is one of the longest rivers in India.'

   • AThe
   • BA
   • CAn
   • DNo article is needed
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   Correct answer: (A) The

   Names of rivers always take the definite article 'the', as in 'the Ganga', 'the Hooghly', or 'the Brahmaputra'.

7. Q7medium

   Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: 'One of the boys / who came late / to the meeting / were my neighbour.'

   • Awere my neighbour
   • BOne of the boys
   • Cwho came late
   • Dto the meeting
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   Correct answer: (A) were my neighbour

   The subject of the main clause is 'One' (singular), so the verb must be 'was', not 'were'.

8. Q8medium

   Choose the option that best corrects the sentence: 'No sooner I had reached home than it started raining.'

   • ANo sooner had I reached home than it started raining.
   • BNo sooner I reached home than it started raining.
   • CNo sooner had I reached home when it started raining.
   • DNo sooner I had reached home then it started raining.
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (A) No sooner had I reached home than it started raining.

   After the negative opener 'No sooner', the auxiliary is inverted with the subject, giving 'No sooner had I reached', correctly followed by 'than'.

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