English language proficiency is a crucial skill for various competitive exams, including OSSC Excise SI. To excel in these exams, candidates must have a strong command of grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Let’s explore the top 30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) that cover essential English language topics, along with their answers.
Top 30 General English MCQs For OSSC Excise SI
- Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence:
“Our country ____ spiritual, theirs is religious.”
A. is
B. are
C. also
D. have
Answer: A. is
Explanation: The subject “country” is singular, so the verb must also be singular. Therefore, “is” is the correct choice to maintain subject-verb agreement. - Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence:
“Our sir teaches Mathematics ____ English.”
A. across
B. besides
C. beside
D. both
Answer: A. across
Explanation: “Across” is used to indicate covering a range or dealing with different subjects. - Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence:
“Please come ____ of the bathroom.”
A. out of
B. over
C. on
D. in
Answer: A. out of
Explanation: “Out of” means to get out of a place, which is appropriate for the context. - Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence:
“Please, don’t laugh ____ those beggars.”
A. for
B. against
C. at
D. from
Answer: C. at
Explanation: “Laugh at” means to find someone or something amusing or ridiculous. - Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence:
“You need to stop ____ noise.”
A. to make
B. make
C. making
D. makes
Answer: C. making
Explanation: A gerund follows “stop,” so “making” is the correct choice. - Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence:
“He ____ has been beating the drums for hours.”
A. is beating
B. has been beating
C. has been beaten
D. beats
Answer: B. has been beating
Explanation: The past perfect continuous tense indicates an action that started in the past and is still continuing. - Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence:
“The English ____ English.”
A. speak
B. spoke
C. spoken
D. is spoken
Answer: A. speak
Explanation: The sentence refers to English people, so “speak” is the correct verb form. - Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence:
“The rain comes ____ the clouds.”
A. in
B. near
C. from
D. under
Answer: C. from
Explanation: “From” is used to indicate the source of the rain. - Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence:
“The ship ____ broken, Robinson arrived on the Island.”
A. had been broken
B. having been broken
C. having broken
D. has broken
Answer: B. having been broken
Explanation: “Having been broken” indicates that the ship was already broken, leading to Robinson’s arrival on the island. - Choose the correct modal verb to complete the sentence:
“The stars ____ be counted.”
A. can
B. can be
C. cannot be
D. must
Answer: C. cannot be
Explanation: It is impossible to count the stars, so “cannot be” is the correct choice. - Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “terse”.
a) verbose
b) elaborate
c) laconic
d) wordy
Answer: c) laconic
Solution: “Terse” means brief and concise, similar to “laconic.” The other options (verbose, elaborate, wordy) imply lengthy or detailed. - Select the antonym of “avaricious”.
a) greedy
b) selfish
c) generous
d) materialistic
Answer: c) generous
Solution: “Avaricious” means extremely greedy, so its opposite is “generous,” which means willing to give more of something. - Identify the synonym for “sordid”.
a) pleasant
b) clean
c) miserable
d) cheerful
Answer: c) miserable
Solution: “Sordid” means dirty or squalid, similar to “miserable.” The other options (pleasant, clean, cheerful) do not match this meaning. - Find the antonym of “impound”.
a) collect
b) seize
c) capture
d) release
Answer: d) release
Solution: “Impound” means to collect and hold, so its opposite is “release,” which means to set free. - Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “conceive”.
a) assume
b) neglect
c) misunderstand
d) forget
Answer: a) assume
Solution: “Conceive” means to develop an idea or plan, similar to “assume.” The other options (neglect, misunderstand, forget) imply a lack of development or attention. - Select the antonym of “bout”.
a) period
b) stretch
c) stagnation
d) session
Answer: c) stagnation
Solution: “Bout” refers to a period of activity, often unpleasant, so its opposite is “stagnation,” which implies inactivity. - Find the synonym for “irrefutable”.
a) questionable
b) debatable
c) unquestionable
d) uncertain
Answer: c) unquestionable
Solution: “Irrefutable” means undeniable or unable to be disproved, similar to “unquestionable.” - Choose the antonym of “sordid”.
a) dirty
b) clean
c) squalid
d) miserable
Answer: b) clean
Solution: “Sordid” means dirty or squalid, so its opposite is “clean.” - Convert the following sentence into passive voice: “The chef prepares the meal.”
a) The meal prepared by the chef.
b) The meal is prepared by the chef.
c) The chef is preparing the meal.
d) The meal was preparing by the chef.
Answer: b) The meal is prepared by the chef.
Solution: The sentence in passive voice should correctly reflect the action and the doer. - Convert the following sentence into active voice: “The book was read by Sarah.”
a) Sarah reads the book.
b) Sarah has read the book.
c) Sarah read the book.
d) The book is read by Sarah.
Answer: c) Sarah read the book.
Solution: The subject “Sarah” performs the action on the object “the book.” - Change the following into reported speech: “He said, ‘I am leaving now.'”
a) He said that he is leaving now.
b) He said that he was leaving now.
c) He said that he had left now.
d) He said that he was leaving then.
Answer: d) He said that he was leaving then.
Solution: The present tense “am leaving” changes to past continuous “was leaving,” and “now” changes to “then.” - Change the following into direct speech: She told me that she would come to the party.
a) She said, “I will come to the party.”
b) She said, “I would come to the party.”
c) She told, “She will come to the party.”
d) She said, “I come to the party.”
nswer: a) She said, “I will come to the party.”
Solution: The reported speech is converted back to direct speech with appropriate tense. - Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentence: “He __ the job offer because it didn’t meet his expectations.”
a) turned down
b) turned up
c) turned in
d) turned on
Answer: a) turned down
Solution: “Turned down” means to reject. - Identify the correct meaning of the idiom: “Bite the bullet.”
a) To chew something hard
b) To make a difficult decision
c) To act quickly
d) To be aggressive
Answer: b) To make a difficult decision
Solution: “Bite the bullet” means to endure a painful experience or to make a tough decision. - Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentence: “The meeting was __ due to unforeseen circumstances.”
a) called off
b) called on
c) called up
d) called in
Answer: a) called off
Solution: “Called off” means to cancel. - Identify the correct meaning of the idiom: “Let the cat out of the bag.”
a) To free a pet
b) To reveal a secret
c) To create confusion
d) To take a risk
Answer: b) To reveal a secret
Solution: “Let the cat out of the bag” means to disclose something that was supposed to be kept secret. - Convert the following sentence into passive voice: “The students completed the project.”
a) The project is completed by the students.
b) The project has been completed by the students.
c) The project was completed by the students.
d) The project is being completed by the students.
Answer: c) The project was completed by the students.
Solution: The sentence in passive voice should reflect the correct tense. - Change the following into reported speech: “She said, ‘I can’t find my keys.'”
a) She said that she can’t find her keys.
b) She said that she couldn’t find her keys.
c) She said that she can’t found her keys.
d) She said that she couldn’t found her keys.
Answer: b) She said that she couldn’t find her keys.
Solution: The present tense “can’t find” changes to past tense “couldn’t find.” - Change the following into direct speech: He told me that he had finished his homework.
a) He said, “I finished my homework.”
b) He said, “I had finished my homework.”
c) He said, “I will finish my homework.”
d) He said, “I have finished my homework.”
Answer: a) He said, “I finished my homework.”
Solution: The reported speech is converted back to direct speech with appropriate tense. - Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentence: “She __ to the challenge and won the competition.”
a) rose up
b) rose above
c) rose against
d) rose through
Answer: b) rose above
Solution: “Rose above” means to overcome a challenge.
