SSC CGL (Prelims) English: English Grammar questions with solutions

Q1. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5. Children, (5) basic, core learning ... was weak to begin with ...

1. which
2. whose
3. whom
4. who

Answer: whose

The sentence needs a possessive relative pronoun because the blank refers to something belonging to the children. 'Whose' correctly shows possession, while 'who', 'whom', and 'which' do not fit this structure.

Q2. Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: I have been waiting ______ you for an hour.

1. to
2. for
3. on
4. at

Answer: for

The correct phrase is 'waiting for someone.' Therefore, the sentence should read: 'I have been waiting for you for an hour.'

Q3. Choose the correct passive form: They will complete the project by tomorrow.

1. The project will have been completed by tomorrow.
2. The project will be completed by tomorrow.
3. The project is completed by tomorrow.
4. The project is being completed by tomorrow.

Answer: The project will be completed by tomorrow.

The sentence is in simple future tense, so its passive form uses 'will be' plus the past participle. The object 'the project' becomes the subject. Hence, the correct passive sentence is 'The project will be completed by tomorrow.'

Q4. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

1. He don't like pizza.
2. I enjoys reading novels.
3. She go to school every day.
4. They play football on Sundays.

Answer: They play football on Sundays.

The sentence 'They play football on Sundays.' is grammatically correct because 'they' is a plural subject and 'play' is the correct plural verb form. The other options have subject-verb agreement errors.

Q5. Choose the correct sentence:

1. Each of the students have a book.
2. Each of the student have a book.
3. Each of the students has a book.
4. Each student have a book.

Answer: Each of the students has a book.

In sentences with 'each of', the subject is treated as singular, so the verb must be singular. Therefore, 'has' is correct, not 'have'.

Q6. Choose the correct option to complete the sentence: The book, as well as the pen, ______ on the table.

1. are
2. were
3. is
4. have been

Answer: is

In sentences with 'as well as', the verb agrees with the first subject, not the added phrase. Here, 'The book' is singular, so the correct verb is 'is'.

Q7. Choose the correct form of the verb: Neither of the boys ______ to blame.

1. is
2. are
3. have
4. were

Answer: is

In the phrase "Neither of the boys," the subject is considered singular for verb agreement. Therefore, the singular verb "is" is correct.

Q8. Which of the following sentences is grammatically incorrect?

1. She speaks English fluently.
2. He don’t like apples.
3. They are going to the park.
4. I have completed my homework.

Answer: He don’t like apples.

The sentence "He don’t like apples" is incorrect because "he" is singular and requires "does not" or "doesn't." The correct sentence is "He doesn't like apples."

Q9. Which is the correct passive voice of: “They painted the walls last week.”

1. The walls are painted last week.
2. The walls were painted last week.
3. The walls had painted last week.
4. The walls are being painted last week.

Answer: The walls were painted last week.

The sentence is in the simple past tense (“painted last week”), so its passive voice should also be in the simple past passive form. The correct structure is: object + was/were + past participle.

Q10. Which of the following is a verb?

1. Happy
2. Run
3. Quick
4. Blue

Answer: Run

A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. 'Run' is an action word, while 'happy', 'quick', and 'blue' are adjectives.

Q11. Identify the incorrect sentence:

1. He go to school every day.
2. She likes to read books.
3. They are playing in the garden.
4. I am learning English.

Answer: He go to school every day.

In the sentence 'He go to school every day,' the verb should be 'goes' because 'he' is third-person singular. The other sentences are grammatically correct.

Q12. What part of speech is the word 'quickly'?

1. Adjective
2. Verb
3. Noun
4. Adverb

Answer: Adverb

'Quickly' tells us how something is done, so it functions as an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Q13. Choose the correct sentence:

1. He have gone to market.
2. He has gone to market.
3. He gone to market.
4. He is go to market.

Answer: He has gone to market.

With the singular subject 'He', the correct auxiliary verb is 'has', not 'have'. The present perfect form is 'has gone'.

Q14. Identify the part of speech of the word ‘although’ in the sentence: ‘Although he was late, he finished the exam on time.’

1. Preposition
2. Conjunction
3. Adverb
4. Pronoun

Answer: Conjunction

Although is used to connect two clauses and show contrast. Therefore, it functions as a conjunction.

Q15. Choose the correct passive voice sentence for: ‘They completed the work on time.’

1. The work has completed on time.
2. The work was completed on time.
3. The work is completed on time.
4. The work was being completed on time.

Answer: The work was completed on time.

The active sentence is in simple past tense: “They completed the work on time.” In passive voice, the object “the work” becomes the subject and the verb changes to “was completed.”

Q16. Identify the noun in the sentence: “Laughter is the best medicine.”

1. is
2. best
3. laughter
4. medicine

Answer: laughter

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. Here, “laughter” is the noun because it names the idea/act in the sentence. “Is” is a verb, while “best” is an adjective.

Q17. Choose the correct plural form of “crisis”.

1. crisises
2. crisii
3. crises
4. crisis'

Answer: crises

The plural of “crisis” is “crises.” This follows the common pattern for nouns ending in -is, such as “analysis” → “analyses.”

Q18. Fill in the blank: She has been living here ______ five years.

1. for
2. since
3. from
4. at

Answer: for

The phrase 'five years' shows a duration, so 'for' is used. 'Since' is used with a point of time, such as 'since 2019' or 'since Monday'.

Q19. What type of noun is the word 'crowd'?

1. Proper noun
2. Collective noun
3. Abstract noun
4. Common noun

Answer: Collective noun

'Crowd' names a collection of people taken together as one group. Such words are called collective nouns.

Q20. Choose the correct form of the adjective: This is the ______ day of my life.

1. bad
2. worse
3. worst
4. baddest

Answer: worst

The phrase 'of my life' indicates comparison with all days, so the superlative form is needed. 'Worst' is the correct superlative of 'bad'.

Q21. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:

1. Its raining outside.
2. It’s raining outside
3. It's raining outside.
4. Its' raining outside.

Answer: It's raining outside.

The contraction of ‘it is’ is written as ‘it's’. The sentence also needs a full stop at the end, making ‘It's raining outside.’ correct.

Q22. Which of the following is an interjection?

1. Wow
2. Run
3. Quickly
4. He

Answer: Wow

An interjection is a word used to express sudden emotion. ‘Wow’ is an interjection, while the other options are not.

Q23. Choose the appropriate article: She adopted ______ European style of dressing.

1. a
2. an
3. the
4. no article

Answer: a

The word "European" begins with the consonant sound /yoo/, so we use "a" rather than "an". The sentence becomes: "She adopted a European style of dressing."

Q24. Choose the correct sentence:

1. The sceneries are very beautiful.
2. The scenery is very beautiful.
3. The scenery are very beautiful.
4. The sceneries is very beautiful.

Answer: The scenery is very beautiful.

"Scenery" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb. Therefore, the correct sentence is "The scenery is very beautiful."

Q25. Which of the following is a preposition?

1. Quickly
2. Above
3. Nice
4. Grow

Answer: Above

A preposition is a word used to show the relation of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence. "Above" is a preposition because it shows position. The other options are an adverb, adjective, and verb.

Q26. Identify the correct passive voice: "He wrote a letter."

1. A letter is written by him.
2. A letter has been written by him.
3. A letter was written by him.
4. A letter is being written by him.

Answer: A letter was written by him.

The active sentence is in the simple past tense, so the passive voice should also be in the simple past tense. The correct structure is "was/were + past participle." Hence, "A letter was written by him" is correct.

Q27. Choose the appropriate preposition: The cat is hiding ______ the sofa.

1. on
2. under
3. between
4. into

Answer: under

The sentence needs a preposition showing location. "Under" correctly indicates that the cat is beneath the sofa. The other options do not fit the meaning of the sentence.

Q28. Choose the correct conjunction: He tried hard, ______ he failed.

1. and
2. so
3. but
4. because

Answer: but

The sentence expresses contrast: despite trying hard, he failed. The conjunction ‘but’ correctly joins two contrasting ideas.

Q29. Choose the correct question tag: She sings well, ______?

1. doesn’t she
2. isn’t she
3. hasn’t she
4. won’t she

Answer: doesn’t she

The sentence is in the simple present tense with the verb 'sings'. For a positive statement, the question tag is negative and uses the auxiliary 'does'. Hence, 'doesn’t she' is correct.

Q30. What is the correct plural of 'analysis'?

1. Analysises
2. Analysii
3. Analyses
4. Analysis

Answer: Analyses

'Analysis' is a singular noun of Greek origin. Its correct plural form is 'analyses', not 'analysises' or 'analysii'.

Q31. Choose the sentence in future tense:

1. He will arrive tomorrow.
2. He arrived yesterday.
3. He is arriving now.
4. He was arriving soon.

Answer: He will arrive tomorrow.

'He will arrive tomorrow' is in the simple future tense because it uses 'will' with the base verb 'arrive'. The other options are past or present forms.

Q32. Choose the correct option to complete the sentence: They ______ to the market when it started raining.

1. go
2. gone
3. were going
4. goes

Answer: were going

The sentence describes an action that was happening at a specific time in the past and was interrupted by another event. Past continuous tense is used here, so "were going" is correct.

Q33. Choose the correct sentence:

1. There is five apples in the basket.
2. There are five apples in the basket.
3. There be five apples in the basket.
4. There am five apples in the basket.

Answer: There are five apples in the basket.

The subject is "five apples," which is plural, so the correct verb is "are." The other options are grammatically incorrect.

Q34. Choose the correct sentence:

1. He don’t speaks English.
2. He doesn't speaks English.
3. He doesn’t speak English.
4. He not speaks English.

Answer: He doesn’t speak English.

With the auxiliary verb 'doesn't', the main verb should be in its base form. So 'speak' is correct, not 'speaks'.

Q35. Pick the correct form of the verb: They ______ their homework before dinner.

1. do
2. did
3. done
4. had done

Answer: had done

The sentence refers to homework being completed before dinner, which is a past reference point. Past perfect tense 'had done' correctly shows an earlier completed action.

Q36. Identify the correct sentence:

1. She can sings well.
2. She can sing well.
3. She can singing well.
4. She can sang well.

Answer: She can sing well.

Modal verbs like 'can' are followed by the base form of the verb. Therefore, 'sing' is correct, not 'sings', 'singing', or 'sang'.

Q37. Identify the correct sentence in reported speech: She said, “I will come tomorrow.”

1. She said she would come tomorrow.
2. She said she will come the next day.
3. She said she would come the next day.
4. She told she would come tomorrow.

Answer: She said she would come the next day.

In indirect speech, 'will' changes to 'would' and 'tomorrow' changes to 'the next day'. The reporting verb remains 'said' because no object is needed.

Q38. Choose the correct preposition: He ran ______ the classroom.

1. into
2. onto
3. up
4. by

Answer: into

The correct preposition is "into" because it shows movement from outside to inside a place. The sentence means he entered the classroom running.

Q39. Choose the correct passive form: "They eat mangoes."

1. Mangoes is eaten by them.
2. Mangoes are eat by them.
3. Mangoes are eaten by them.
4. Mangoes were eaten by them.

Answer: Mangoes are eaten by them.

The sentence is in the simple present tense and the subject "they" becomes the agent in passive voice. Since "mangoes" is plural, the correct passive form is "Mangoes are eaten by them."

Q40. Identify the adverb in the sentence: ‘He completed the task quickly.’

1. He
2. completed
3. task
4. quickly

Answer: quickly

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. In the sentence, ‘quickly’ tells how he completed the task, so it is the adverb.

Q41. Identify the conjunction in the sentence: He worked hard but failed the test.

1. worked
2. but
3. hard
4. failed

Answer: but

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. In the sentence, ‘but’ connects the two clauses and shows contrast.

Q42. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:

1. Wow what a beautiful view!
2. Wow! what a beautiful view.
3. Wow what a beautiful view.
4. Wow! What a beautiful view!

Answer: Wow! What a beautiful view!

The correct sentence uses an exclamation mark after ‘Wow’ and starts the next part with a capital letter. The option ‘Wow! What a beautiful view!’ is correctly punctuated.

Q43. Which part of speech is the word "quickly" in the sentence: "She ran quickly."?

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Adjective
4. Adverb

Answer: Adverb

The word "quickly" tells how she ran, so it modifies the verb "ran". Such words are adverbs.

Q44. Pick the correctly spelled word:

1. Adress
2. Address
3. Addres
4. Adrees

Answer: Address

"Address" is the correct spelling. The other options are misspellings with missing or incorrect letters.

Q45. Identify the conjunction: She was tired yet continued working.

1. was
2. yet
3. continued
4. working

Answer: yet

The word 'yet' connects two clauses and expresses contrast. Therefore, it is the conjunction in the sentence.

Q46. Choose the correct sentence:

1. She don’t like mangoes.
2. She doesn’t likes mangoes.
3. She doesn’t like mangoes.
4. She does not likes mangoes.

Answer: She doesn’t like mangoes.

After 'doesn't', the verb should be in its base form, so 'like' is correct. The other options contain subject-verb agreement errors.

Q47. Identify the part of speech of the word "suddenly" in the sentence: He suddenly stood up.

1. Verb
2. Adjective
3. Adverb
4. Noun

Answer: Adverb

The word "suddenly" modifies the verb "stood up" by telling how the action happened. Words that modify verbs are adverbs.

Q48. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:

1. He said Lets go out.
2. He said, lets go out.
3. He said, “Let's go out.”
4. He said “Let's go out”.

Answer: He said, “Let's go out.”

In direct speech, a comma is used after the reporting verb, and the spoken words are enclosed in quotation marks. The apostrophe in "Let's" is also correctly placed.

Q49. Identify the adjective in the sentence: The blue car is very fast.

1. blue
2. car
3. very
4. fast

Answer: blue

An adjective describes a noun or pronoun. In the sentence, 'blue' describes the noun 'car'.

Q50. Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

1. He don't likes to swim.
2. He doesn't like to swim.
3. He doesn't likes to swim.
4. He don’t like to swim.

Answer: He doesn't like to swim.

With the third-person singular subject 'He', the correct negative form is 'doesn't'. After 'doesn't', the main verb should be 'like', not 'likes'.