NDA Sentence completion previous year questions with solutions

Answer: (c) is under

Method. Subject-verb agreement: 'the manner … is under scrutiny'

'The manner' is singular and the sentence needs a finite verb: 'is under scrutiny' (present, continuing). 'Was' conflicts with 'have been carried out', which sets a present-perfect frame.

Answer: (c) will

Method. Modal will for promise or intention

'I will consider …' states a resolve about the process, which is the force of 'will' in the first person (Swan, will: decisions and promises). 'Will not' contradicts the sense and 'have' needs 'to'.

'Shall' (d) is the traditional first-person future and is also acceptable in formal British usage; 'will' is kept as the stronger commitment here.

Answer: (d) that I ask your advice

Method. Subjunctive after suggest

'Suggests that I ask your advice' - base form (subjunctive) after 'suggest' (Swan, suggest); 'ask to your advice' is wrong since 'ask' takes the advice directly.

Answer: (a) you must be tired

Method. Modal must for logical deduction

Touring all day, so 'you must be tired' - strong inference about the present (Swan, must). 'Ought to have been' and 'could had' are malformed.

Answer: (c) it could be worse

Method. Modal could: 'it could be worse'

Fixed idiom: 'it could be worse' = things are not as bad as they might be. 'Should/⁠ought to be worse' would say it is expected to worsen.

Answer: (b) we have been waiting for half an hour

Method. Present perfect continuous with 'for' + duration

'I hope the bus comes soon because we have been waiting for half an hour' - action continuing up to now.

Answer: (a) has spilt juice on the sofa

Method. Subject-verb agreement and tense

'Someone' is singular and the sense is a completed event with present result: 'has spilt'. 'Have spilt' disagrees; 'should have'/⁠'would' change the meaning.

Answer: (a) if you found your lost toy?

Method. Second conditional

'What would you do if you found …' - would in the main clause, past simple in the if clause (Swan, conditionals).

Answer: (b) I wouldn’t buy that dress

Method. Second conditional with 'If I were you'

'If I were you, I wouldn't buy …' is the standard advice form. 'I weren't buying' and 'mustn't buying' are malformed.

'I shouldn't buy' (a) is dated but acceptable first-person British usage; 'wouldn't' is the standard modern form, so b is kept.

Answer: (a) I could help you

Method. Wish + past simple/⁠could for a present wish

'I wish I could help you' - 'wish' about the present takes 'could' or past tense (Swan, wish). 'Ought to', 'must' do not follow wish.

Answer: (b) stealing the money.

Method. Verb pattern: deny + -ing

'Deny' takes a gerund: 'denied stealing'. 'Having stealing' is ill-formed and 'denied had stolen' breaks the pattern.

Answer: (b) meet her?

Method. Verb pattern: would like + to-infinitive

'Would like to meet her' - base form after 'to'. 'Meet with' means to encounter/⁠experience, not to see a person.

No correct option. This question is defective as printed in UPSC's paper.

Method. Wish about the past takes the past perfect (had known)

'Before we met' places the wish in past time, so the rule (Swan, wish) needs 'I wish I had known her'. No option has 'had known'; 'have known' and 'known' are ungrammatical, and 'knew' expresses a present wish.

The time clause 'before we met' makes this a wish about the past, which takes the past perfect: 'I wish I had known her before we met' (Swan, wish). That form is not offered. 'Knew' (c) is the nearest and the evident intended key, but it expresses a present wish and does not fit a past time clause; 'know', 'have known' and 'known' are ungrammatical after 'wish'.

Answer: (b) for

Method. for + period of time

'For a long time' = duration; 'since' needs a point in time (Swan, for and since).

Answer: (c) I would travel

Method. second conditional

'If I were rich' (unreal present) takes 'would + infinitive' in the main clause (Swan, if).

Answer: (b) hardly

Method. hardly … when

'Hardly had/⁠He had hardly spoken … when' = no sooner; 'even', 'often', 'little' do not make this pattern.

Answer: (b) standing

Method. be used to + -ing

'Be used to' (accustomed to) takes a gerund: 'used to standing in queues' (Swan, used to).

Answer: (d) were

Method. subjunctive after 'as if'

'As if' for an unreal or hypothetical comparison takes 'were' (Swan, as if/⁠as though); 'is' would suit a likely fact.

Answer: (b) to have been born

Method. perfect infinitive after adjective of feeling

'Lucky to have been born' refers to an earlier completed event; 'by/⁠for being born' are ungrammatical here and 'to have born' lacks 'been'.

Answer: (a) have passed

Method. present perfect with 'since'

'Since I saw her last' (simple past) goes with present perfect in the main clause: 'Years have passed'. 'Pass' is not normally in the continuous (Swan, since).

Answer: (c) expect

Method. verb pattern: expect + object + to-infinitive

'Expect sb to do' = anticipate/⁠require; 'hope' cannot take an object + to-infinitive (hope that …), 'look forward to' needs -ing, 'think' does not fit the pattern (Swan, expect/⁠hope).

Answer: (c) had seen

Method. past perfect after 'the first time' in a past narrative

The main clause is past ('it was the first time'), so the earlier event takes the past perfect: 'had seen' (Swan, 'it is the first time').

Answer: (d) refused

Method. collocation: refuse + to-infinitive

'Refused to listen' = would not listen; 'denied' takes -ing/⁠that, 'prevented' needs an object, 'disliked to listen … and walked away' does not give the sense of rejection.

Answer: (b) act up; come down

Method. Phrasal verbs: act up; come down (of rain)

'Act up' = malfunction; 'rain comes down' = falls heavily. 'Act out' = perform; 'come in' does not describe rain falling.

Answer: (c) move on; hold off

Method. Phrasal verbs: move on; hold off

'Move on' = go forward to something new after resigning; 'hold off' = delay (a move). 'Hold on' = wait/⁠grip and 'move off' = depart.

No correct option. This question is defective as printed in UPSC's paper.

Method. Amid and amidst are interchangeable

'Amid all the confusion' (before an abstract noun) is correct, and 'amidst' is only the variant of 'amid' (OED); 'among/⁠amongst' take countable plurals. Options c and d are both correct.

Both 'Amidst' (c) and 'Amid' (d) are correct: 'amidst' is only a variant form of 'amid' (OED; Fowler), and 'confusion' is the kind of uncountable noun both take. 'Among/⁠amongst' need a plural or collective noun. No rule separates c from d, so no single answer prints.

Answer: (b) for a few moments.

Method. Preposition of duration: 'for' + period

'Paused for a few moments' - 'for' marks how long (Swan, for).

Answer: (a) broke down on the highway.

Method. Phrasal verb: break down = fail mechanically

A car that stops working 'broke down'. 'Broke up' = end/⁠split; 'broke into' = enter by force; 'broke out' = start suddenly.

Answer: (b) except Germany and France.

Method. Preposition: except = excluding

'Signed the treaty except Germany and France' = all others signed. 'Among/⁠beneath/⁠during' do not fit.

Answer: (a) to turn off the lights at night.

Method. Phrasal verb: turn off a light

One 'turns off' lights. 'Call off', 'drop off' and 'break off' do not take 'lights' in this sense.

Answer: (a) at the end of February.

Method. Preposition: at the end of + period

'At the end of February' is the fixed form (Swan, at/⁠in/⁠on).

Answer: (b) drop in to see Sunita on your way home?

Method. Phrasal verb: drop in = visit casually

'Drop in to see Sunita on your way home' = call on her briefly. 'Drop out' = quit; 'drop behind' = lag; 'drop away' = decline.

Answer: (b) in

Method. preposition: increase in

'An increase in' a quantity (greenhouse gases); 'of' follows the thing increased only after 'the increase of X to Y′ (Oxford, increase).

Answer: (d) at

Method. preposition with age: at

'At a young age' is the fixed phrase.

Answer: (a) to

Method. preposition: averse to

'Averse to' + noun/⁠gerund (Oxford, averse).

Answer: (a) on

Method. preposition: on conditions

'On certain conditions' is the fixed phrase (also 'on condition that').

Answer: (b) of

Method. of + quality/⁠origin

'A woman of humble origin' - 'of' expresses quality or descent; off/⁠within do not.

Answer: (a) for

Method. preposition: cure for

'A cure for' a disease (Oxford, cure).

Answer: (d) into

Method. phrasal verb: run into = meet by chance

'Ran into John' = met him unexpectedly, hence the pleasant surprise; 'ran by/⁠off/⁠beside' do not give this sense.

Answer: (b) on

Method. preposition: on the lake

One boats 'on' a lake (the surface); 'in' is for swimming in the water, 'within' is wrong.

Answer: (c) of

Method. Collocation: relieve someone of something

'Relieve (a person) of' = free from a burden or pain; 'relieve them of their sufferings'. 'From' is used with 'relief' (relief from), not the verb's object pattern (Oxford dictionary, relieve).

Answer: (a) drove off

Method. phrasal verb: drive off

'Got into the car and drove off' = left; 'broke down' needs a subject car, 'rode in'/⁠'drove in' do not fit after getting into the car.

Answer: (c) dozed off

Method. phrasal verb: doze off

'Dozed off' = fell asleep lightly, because the lecture was boring; 'showed off' = boasted, 'put off' = postponed, 'plugged off' is not English.

Answer: (a) called off

Method. phrasal verb: call off = cancel

A match stopped because of weather is 'called off' (cancelled); 'put off' = postponed, 'continued' contradicts 'has to be', 'turned off' is for appliances.

Answer: (a) to

Method. preposition: apologize to sb for sth

One apologizes 'to' a person 'for' a thing (Oxford, apologize).

Answer: (b) to

Method. preposition: commit oneself to

'Commit oneself to' a course of action (Oxford, commit).

Answer: (b) against

Method. preposition: insured against

One is insured 'against' theft/⁠fire (risk), 'for' a sum (Oxford sense of insure against).

Answer: (d) going

Method. phrasal verb: what is going on

'What was going on' = what was happening; 'happening on', 'being on', 'getting on' do not take this sense.

Answer: (a) by

Method. phrase: by the side of

'By the side of the statue' = beside it; 'at the side of' would need 'the side of' differently, 'in' and 'beyond' do not fit.

Answer: (a) I—the least, II—the fewest

Method. Superlative with 'in the whole family'; 'fewest' with countable mistakes

I: comparison with everyone 'in the whole family' needs the superlative: 'the least money'. II: 'the people who work the hardest make the fewest mistakes' - superlative, countable plural; 'a few' means some.

Answer: (a) any further

Method. Further (degree) with 'any' in a negative comparison

'Go further' is figurative progress (farther is for physical distance); in a negative sentence with 'than', 'any further' is the standard collocation (Swan, any with comparatives).

'Not going further' (b) is also grammatical; 'any further' is chosen as the idiomatic negative-comparison form.

Answer: (c) specialist

Method. Word form: specialist as attributive noun

'A specialist surgeon' is the standard collocation. 'Special' = unusual; 'especial' = notable; 'specialised' describes things or training, not the surgeon.

Answer: (b) fewer than

Method. Fewer than with countable nouns

'Students' are countable, so 'fewer than thirty'. 'Less than' is for uncountables; 'then' is a spelling error for 'than' (Swan, less/⁠fewer).

Answer: (a) one way

Method. Determiner: 'more than one' takes a singular noun

'More than one way' (singular, as in 'there's more than one way to skin a cat'). 'Any ways' is non-standard and 'more than any way' alters the sense.

Answer: (b) a picnic

Method. Article: a with a singular countable noun

'Organise a picnic' - a picnic is countable and first mentioned. The bare noun and 'the' fail.

Answer: (c) the oldest monument in the city

Method. Superlative with 'the … in'

'The oldest monument in the city' - a superlative takes 'the', a singular noun, and 'in'. 'Older' is comparative of two; 'an oldest' is wrong.

Answer: (c) who lived next door.

Method. Relative pronoun: who as subject for people

'The woman who lived next door' - subject relative for a person. 'Whom' is the object form, 'which' is for things, 'whose' shows possession.

Answer: (b) that have sad endings.

Method. Relative pronoun: that for things

Films are things, so 'that' (or 'which') is used; 'who/⁠whom' are for persons and 'whose' needs a noun after it.

Answer: (a) disappointed

Method. Participial adjective: feelings of a person take -ed

'I was disappointed with the film' - the subject feels the emotion, so the -ed form; 'disappointing' describes the film. 'Disappointed with' is the standard collocation (Swan, -ed/⁠-ing adjectives).

Answer: (c) terrifying

Method. -ing adjective describing the cause of a feeling

The experience caused the shock, so 'terrifying' (an experience is terrifying). 'Terrified'/⁠'horrified' describe the people who feel it; 'denouncing' means condemning.

Answer: (b) disappointing

Method. predicate adjective: -ing form

'The result was disappointing' (it causes disappointment); 'disappointed' describes a person's feeling; the noun 'disappointment' does not give an adjective sense of the result.

Answer: (c) as soon as

Method. conjunction of time: as soon as

'As soon as I heard the dinner bell' = the moment I heard; the other 'as … as' phrases do not form a time clause.

Answer: (d) enough

Method. quantifier + sense: enough

'I have had enough' = I want no more; 'few/⁠little/⁠too little' mean not much, contradicting 'don't give me any more'.

Answer: (a) lashed

Method. Word sense: lash (of rain/⁠monsoon) = beat down violently

The monsoon 'lashed' through July and caused flash floods. 'Flourished' and 'occupied' do not suit rain; 'dried' contradicts floods.

Answer: (c) confronts

Method. verb 'confront' = face a problem

Challenges 'confront' us; the relative clause can refer to 'the scale' (singular), so 'confronts'. 'Conflict' is intransitive, 'supports' and 'convince' are wrong in sense.

Answer: (d) explores

Method. Word sense: explore = examine in detail

An essay that 'explores and examines' systems. 'Confuses', 'enhances' and 'controls' do not pair with 'examines'.

Answer: (b) stabilise

Method. Word sense: stabilise a population

Family planning helps 'stabilise' (hold steady) population. 'Sterilise' is to make infertile; 'stratify' to arrange in layers; 'establish' does not fit.

Answer: (c) exploit

Method. Word sense: exploit = use selfishly

The British ruled to 'exploit' India's resources (use for their own gain). 'Spoil' and 'drill' do not fit the sense; 'implore' = beg.

Answer: (d) transformed

Method. Word sense: transform from one form into another

Energy is 'transformed' from one form into another, as the law states. 'Reduced' and 'induced' do not take 'into another form'.

Answer: (a) trumpet

Method. Word sense: trumpet = (of an elephant) make a loud cry

Elephants trumpet when alarmed (dictionary sense of 'trumpet', verb). 'Frolic' is play, 'whine' belongs to dogs, 'sing' to birds.

Answer: (d) declared

Method. Collocation: declare a year as …

'Declare 2020 as the International Year of …' = announce officially. 'Ruled', 'ordered' and 'foretold' do not take this 'declare X as Y′ pattern.

Answer: (b) announced

Method. vocabulary: announce

An Election Commission 'announces' the poll schedule; pronounce, promulgate (laws) and issue (a document) do not collocate with 'that …' clause here.

Answer: (b) removed

Method. vocabulary: remove

Doctors 'removed' a tumour from a kidney, giving the child a new lease of life; rejuvenated, displaced, replaced do not fit.

Answer: (d) busted

Method. vocabulary: bust (raid and break up)

An illegal unit 'busted' by police in a raid = broken up; revealed/⁠searched/⁠discovered do not give the raid-and-close sense.

Answer: (a) suspect

Method. vocabulary: suspect

Police 'suspect' murder by relatives; afford, manage, administer do not fit.

Answer: (c) leaving

Method. collocation: leaving college without completing the degree

One leaves a college without completing a degree; attending/⁠joining do not fit 'without completing', 'refusing' is wrong in sense.

Answer: (b) conserved

Method. vocabulary: conserve energy

'Conserved her energy' = saved it until needed; 'checked'/⁠'controlled' do not fit 'started shouting only when'.

Answer: (c) float

Method. vocabulary: float

When tired of swimming one can 'float' (rest on the water); struggle, stroke, streak do not mean this.

Answer: (d) plodded

Method. vocabulary: plod

'Plodded on' = walked heavily and slowly, fitting a tired traveller; strolled/⁠paraded suggest ease or show, scurried is quick.

Answer: (d) desert

Method. vocabulary: desert = abandon

True friends do not 'desert' (abandon) loved ones in adversity; abuse, criticize, befool are not the contrast to 'true friends in adversity'.

Answer: (b) told

Method. verb pattern: tell + person + about

'Told me about your experiences' takes a direct person object; 'said' cannot, and 'explained'/⁠'spoken' need 'to me' (Swan, say/⁠tell).

Answer: (c) avoid

Method. collocation: avoid an accident

Despite precautions they could not 'avoid' (escape) it; 'defer' = postpone, 'allow' and 'block' do not fit.

Answer: (c) stranded

Method. Word sense: stranded = left stuck

Vehicles held up by a landslide are 'stranded'. 'Stationery' is writing materials, 'stationed' means posted, 'straggle' is a verb.

Answer: (a) extent

Method. Collocation: the extent of advancement

'The extent of the advancement … has been remarkable' = how far it has gone. 'Context' and 'syntax' do not measure advancement.

Answer: (d) period

Method. Noun sense: period of time + 'wherein'

'Wherein' = in which, and adolescence is the period (stage of life) in which a child becomes an adult. A 'threshold' is a point of entry, not something one enters 'wherein'.

Answer: (b) extinction

Method. Noun after preposition: probability of extinction

Endangered species face the probability of 'extinction' (dying out). The other nouns do not make sense.

Answer: (b) polity

Method. Word sense: polity = a form of political organisation

'A distinct polity' = a separate political state/⁠entity, as West Germany was. 'Policy' is a course of action, 'abstract' and 'hierarchy' do not name a state.

Answer: (c) sequel

Method. Word sense: sequel = a work continuing an earlier one

A successful first film is followed by a sequel. A 'serial' is a story in instalments; 'sequence' is an order or series; 'sequential' is an adjective.

Answer: (c) normally

Method. Word sense: normally = as a rule, usually

'Normally punctual, but late today' contrasts the usual habit with today's exception. 'Normatively' refers to norms/⁠standards; 'primarily' and 'basically' do not express habit.

Answer: (b) gullible

Method. Word sense: gullible = easily deceived

He trusts everyone, so he is gullible. 'Fallible' = liable to err; 'sensible' and 'credible' contradict or do not fit.

Answer: (a) staunch

Method. Collocation: staunch believer

'Staunch' = firmly loyal and committed; 'a staunch believer' is the fixed collocation. 'Powerful', 'cheerful', 'hopeful' do not collocate with 'believer' in this sense.

Answer: (b) Dense

Method. collocation: dense forests

Dense forests (thick growth) bind soil and prevent erosion; lean, sparse and tidy do not.

Answer: (a) hegemony

Method. vocabulary: hegemony

'British hegemony' = dominance over Africa and Asia that collapsed; domicile, residence, inheritance do not fit 'all over Africa and Asia'.

Answer: (a) apprehension

Method. vocabulary: apprehension

Soldiers facing battle for the first time feel fear/⁠anxiety = apprehension; frivolity and consideration do not fit, anticipation lacks the dread.

No correct option. This question is defective as printed in UPSC's paper.

Method. collocation: ghastly accident

Both 'ghastly' (b) and 'nasty' (c) are standard collocations with 'accident' (Oxford Collocations Dictionary; LDOCE 'a nasty accident'; Collins 'a ghastly accident') and both suit a car damaged beyond repair. 'Heinous' is used of crimes and 'outrageous' of conduct. No rule in the sentence separates b from c, so no single answer prints.

Both 'ghastly' (b) and 'nasty' (c) are standard collocations with 'accident' (Oxford Collocations Dictionary; LDOCE 'a nasty accident'; Collins 'a ghastly accident') and both suit a car damaged beyond repair. 'Heinous' is used of crimes and 'outrageous' of conduct. No rule in the sentence separates b from c, so no single answer prints.

Answer: (c) sumptuous

Method. vocabulary: sumptuous

'Sumptuous dinner' = lavish, which impresses guests; austere = plain, summary = brief.

Answer: (c) complete

Method. vocabulary: complete manuscript

The 'complete' (whole, finished) manuscript is what a publisher receives; 'total' is for amounts and 'filled' is wrong.

Answer: (c) profuse

Method. collocation: profuse bleeding

'Profuse' = abundant, copious, used of bleeding/⁠sweating; 'adequate' is wrong in sense, 'intense' and 'extensive' do not collocate with a flow of blood.

Answer: (c) aspired

Method. aspire to

'Aspire to' = have a strong ambition for; transpire = happen, perspire = sweat, expire = die/⁠end; only 'aspired' suits 'ambitious … to marry'.

Answer: (c) lust

Method. collocation: lust for

'Lust for blood and plunder' = craving; 'insatiable' goes with 'lust'; idea, vision, intention do not take 'insatiable … for'.

Answer: (d) stood trial

Method. Collocation: stand trial

'Stand trial' = be tried in court; 'the accused stood trial before the judge'. 'Sat trial' and 'was trial' are not English.

Answer: (d) upto the mark

Method. Idiom: up to the mark = of the required standard

'Not quite up to the mark' = below the standard expected. The other options are non-words.

Answer: (b) distance

Method. Idiom: go the distance = last or endure to the end

'Go the distance' = complete the course; 'I am worried I won't be able to go the distance' fits a tough course.

Answer: (a) met with

Method. collocation: meet with an accident

'Meet with an accident' is the standard idiom; one 'runs into' a person or vehicle, not an accident.

Answer: (c) staging

Method. collocation: stage a protest

Villagers 'stage' a sit-in protest (organise it); 'perform' is for acts/⁠plays, 'sitting' repeats 'sit-in', 'standing' is wrong.

Answer: (d) taking

Method. collocation: take medicine

One 'takes' medicine; eating/⁠gulping/⁠swallowing do not fit the general sense of regular dosing.

Answer: (b) her words

Method. idiom: true to one's word(s)

The idiom needs a possessive; 'word', 'words' bare or 'the words' are ungrammatical/⁠unidiomatic, so 'her words' is the only workable option (standard idiom is 'true to her word').

Answer: (c) short

Method. collocation: short of

'Short of cash' = lacking money; 'low' takes 'on', 'down' and 'scarce' do not take 'of cash' this way.