Grammar & Usage — Practice

Question 1

Each of the players (a)/ have submitted (b)/ their kit for inspection (c)/ No error (d).

Accepted Answer

'Each' is a singular indefinite pronoun and always takes a singular verb, no matter how many players follow it. 'Have submitted' should be 'HAS submitted'.

Answer: (b). The trap is agreeing the verb with the plural 'players' instead of the singular 'each'.

Question 2

The new recruit is quite different (a)/ than his elder brother (b)/ in temperament and discipline (c)/ No error (d).

Accepted Answer

The fixed idiomatic pairing is 'different FROM', not 'different than'. 'Than' is reserved for comparatives (taller than, faster than).

Answer: (b). Trap: 'than' is drawn in by analogy with ordinary comparative sentences, but 'different' does not take 'than' in standard usage.

Question 3

The instructor explained that the sun (a)/ rose in the east (b)/ before dismissing the class for the day (c)/ No error (d).

Accepted Answer

A universal/scientific truth keeps the simple present tense even inside a past-tense reporting sentence: 'the sun RISES in the east', not 'rose'.

Answer: (b). This is the standard exception to the sequence-of-tenses rule that NDA tests directly.

Question 4

When Vikram met Suresh at the training camp (a)/ he informed him that (b)/ he had been selected for the parachute course (c)/ No error (d).

Accepted Answer

The pronoun 'he' in part (b) and again in part (c) has two possible antecedents (Vikram and Suresh), so the sentence is genuinely ambiguous about who informed whom and who was selected.

Answer: (b). A correct version must name at least one person directly — e.g. 'Vikram informed Suresh that HE (Suresh) had been selected' — to remove the ambiguity.

Question 5

She is one of the cadets who is preparing rigorously for the final SSB round.
(a) is preparing (b) are preparing (c) prepares (d) No improvement

Accepted Answer

'One of the cadets WHO…' — the relative pronoun 'who' refers back to the plural 'cadets', not to 'one', so the relative-clause verb must be plural: 'cadets who ARE preparing'.

Answer: (b) are preparing. Trap (d) keeps the singular verb that wrongly agrees with 'one' instead of 'cadets'.

Question 6

Marching for hours in the sun, the camp finally came into view for the exhausted soldiers.
(a) No improvement (b) Having marched for hours in the sun, the exhausted soldiers finally saw the camp come into view (c) Marching for hours in the sun, the exhausted soldiers finally saw the camp come into view (d) The camp, marching for hours in the sun, finally came into view for the exhausted soldiers

Accepted Answer

The opening participial phrase 'Marching for hours in the sun' must describe the subject immediately after the comma. In the original, that subject is 'the camp' — but a camp cannot march. The fix must place 'the soldiers' right after the comma.

Answer: (c). Trap (b) is grammatically valid but needlessly changes 'marching' to 'having marched' when no such change is required; (c) is the more direct, minimal correction and the better answer under NDA's 'best version' convention. (d) still dangles the modifier onto 'camp'.

Question 7

The candidate was praised for his discipline, punctuality, and because he was courageous.
(a) No improvement (b) and for his courage (c) and being courageous (d) and he showed courage

Accepted Answer

The sentence lists three qualities the candidate was praised for; all three must share the same grammatical form. 'Discipline' and 'punctuality' are nouns, so the third item must also be a noun phrase: 'for his courage'.

Answer: (b) and for his courage. Trap (c) uses a gerund phrase that breaks the noun-list parallelism; (d) switches to a full clause, breaking it entirely.

Question 8

Convert to passive voice: 'The commanding officer is inspecting the parade.'
(a) The parade was being inspected by the commanding officer (b) The parade is being inspected by the commanding officer (c) The parade is inspected by the commanding officer (d) The parade has been inspected by the commanding officer

Accepted Answer

Present continuous active (is + V-ing) becomes 'is/am/are + being + V3' in the passive: 'The parade IS BEING INSPECTED by the commanding officer.'

Answer: (b). Trap (a) shifts to past continuous; (c) drops to simple present, losing the 'in-progress' meaning; (d) shifts to present perfect.

Question 9

Convert to passive voice: 'The Commandant must award the medal to the bravest cadet.'
(a) The medal must be awarded to the bravest cadet by the Commandant (b) The medal must awarded to the bravest cadet by the Commandant (c) The medal was awarded to the bravest cadet by the Commandant (d) The bravest cadet must be awarding the medal by the Commandant

Accepted Answer

Modal + V1 + O becomes 'modal + be + V3 + by + agent': 'must AWARD' → 'must BE AWARDED'. The modal 'must' is retained unchanged, and 'be' is inserted before the past participle.

Answer: (a). Trap (b) drops the auxiliary 'be' after the modal; (c) wrongly converts to simple past, losing the modal's meaning of obligation; (d) puts the wrong noun in the subject slot and uses an ungrammatical passive form.

Question 10

He said, 'I have completed my training and I am ready for the interview.' Choose the correct indirect form.
(a) He said that he has completed his training and he is ready for the interview (b) He said that he had completed his training and he was ready for the interview (c) He said that he completed his training and he was ready for the interview (d) He says that he had completed his training and he is ready for the interview

Accepted Answer

The reporting verb 'said' is past tense, so both verbs inside the quote shift back one step: present perfect ('have completed') → past perfect ('had completed'); simple present ('am') → simple past ('was'). The pronoun 'I' becomes 'he' throughout.

Answer: (b). Trap (a) fails to backshift at all; (c) backshifts the first verb too far (should be past perfect, not simple past); (d) mixes a present reporting verb with a backshifted quote, which is inconsistent.

Question 11

She said to him, 'Do you have the admit card with you?' Choose the correct indirect form.
(a) She asked him if he had the admit card with him (b) She asked him that did he have the admit card with him (c) She asked him if did he have the admit card with him (d) She told him if he had the admit card with him

Accepted Answer

A yes/no question in reported speech: the reporting verb becomes 'asked', the connector 'if/whether' replaces the quotation marks, and the clause reverts to STATEMENT word order (subject before verb, no auxiliary inversion): 'if he HAD the admit card'.

Answer: (a). Trap (b) and (c) both wrongly retain the inverted question word order ('did he have') inside the reported clause; (d) uses 'told' where a question requires 'asked'.

Question 12

The instructor said to the recruits, 'Do not leave the barracks after lights-out.' Choose the correct indirect form.
(a) The instructor told the recruits not to leave the barracks after lights-out (b) The instructor told the recruits to not leave the barracks after lights-out (c) The instructor ordered that the recruits should not left the barracks after lights-out (d) The instructor told the recruits do not leave the barracks after lights-out

Accepted Answer

A negative command in reported speech takes the form: reporting verb (told/ordered) + object + NOT TO + base verb: 'told the recruits NOT TO LEAVE'.

Answer: (a). Trap (b) splits the infinitive awkwardly and is not the standard tested form; (c) uses an ungrammatical 'should not left'; (d) fails to convert the command into infinitive form at all.

Question 13

The recruits succeeded ___ passing every stage of the selection process.
(a) at (b) in (c) on (d) with

Accepted Answer

The fixed idiomatic pairing is 'succeed IN' + gerund/task. ('Succeed TO' is reserved for inheriting a title, throne, or position.)

Answer: (b) in. Traps (a), (c) and (d) are all non-idiomatic pairings with 'succeed'.

Question 14

He is ___ honest and hard-working officer who has served in ___ Indian Army for over a decade.
(a) a; an (b) an; the (c) a; the (d) an; an

Accepted Answer

'Honest' begins with a silent 'h', so the spoken sound is a vowel — 'AN honest officer'. 'Indian Army' is a specific, unique institution, so it takes the definite article — 'THE Indian Army'.

Answer: (b) an; the. Trap (a) and (c) use 'a' before 'honest', judging by the written letter instead of the spoken sound.

Practice — Grammar & Usage

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