OSSSC MEMORY BASED-5 ENGLISH

1. There are a number of people of every class and nationality who doubts the truth of his statement.
(Spot the error in the part of the sentence)
(a) There are a number of people
(b) of every class and nationality
(c) who doubts the truth of his statement
(d) No error
2. As an officer (A)/ he not only was competent (B)/ but also honest.(Spot the error in the part of the
sentence)
(a) As an officer
(b) he not only was competent
(c) but also honest
(d)No error
3. She is very weak in the subject and does not understand things though the teacher explains her
repeatedly. (Spot the error in the part of the sentence)
(a) She is very weak in the subject
(b) and does not understand things
(c) though the teacher explains her repeatedly
(d)No error
4. If he _________ a good education, he _____ this position. (fill in the blanks with the correct option)
(a) hasn’t had; wouldn’t reach
(b) hadn’t have; wouldn’t have reached
(c) hadn’t had; wouldn’t have reached
(d) didn’t have, hadn’t have reached
5. Will you answer ____ phone? I’m busy with ____ computer. (fill in the blanks with the correct
articles)
(a) the; the (b) a; a (c) the; a (d) a; the
6. ______ hen laid some eggs just now. Now I can have ____ egg for breakfast. (fill in the blanks with
the correct option)
(a) the; an (b) the; the (c) a; the (d) the; a
7. Find out the correct sentence.
(a) There is a museum about I told you.
(b) There is a museum I told you about.
(c) There is a museum I told you for.
(d) There is a museum I told you of.
8. Find out the incorrect sentence.
(a) This fence is to be finishing painted by you by Friday.
(b) This fence has to be finished painting by you by Friday.
(c) This fence need to be finish painting by you by Friday.
(d) This Painting has to be finishing painting by you by Friday.
9. Find out the correct sentence.
(a) Classical songs are not sung by her.
(b) Singing of classical songs is not done by her.
(c) She never does singing of classical songs.
(d) Classical songs were not sang by her.
10. The passive voice of…… Did everybody miss the first bus?
(a)The first bus was missed by everybody?
(b)Was the first bus missed by everybody?
Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015
Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :, E-mail : vanikbbsr@gmail.com 1
 OSSSC MEMORY BASED-5 ENGLISH

(c) Everybody missed the first bus?

(d)Had the first bus been missed by everybody?
11. The indirect speech of…… She said to me, "It has been raining heavily and you cannot go".
(a)She told me that it had been raining heavily and I could not go.
(b)She told me that it was raining heavily and I could not go.
(c) She told me that it has been raining heavily and I could not go.
(d)She told me that it is raining heavily and I could not go.
12. The passive voice of…. We will not allow them to run away.
(a) They will not be allowed to run away by us
(b)They would not be allowed to run away
(c) They are not allowed to run away
(d)They were not allowed to run away
13. The indirect speech of…… Nisha told Monica, "What a beautiful dress you are wearing ".
(a)Nisha exclaimed that Monica was wearing a very beautiful dress.
(b)Nisha exclaimed that It is a very beautiful dress.
(c) Nisha exclaimed that Monica is wearing a very beautiful dress.
(d)Nisha told Monica that was a very beautiful dress.
14. The indirect speech of…… John said to me, "Where have you been last night ?"
(a) John asked me where had I been the previous night.
(b) John asked me where I have been the previous night.
(c) John asked me where I am the previous night.
(d) John asked me where I had been the previous night.
15. His younger son is in the US. He is a professor at a prestigious university. (Combine the following
simple sentences into complex sentences.)
(a)His younger son, who is in the US, is a professor at a prestigious university.
(b)His younger son, who was in the US, was a professor at a prestigious university.
(c) The younger son, who is a professor at a prestigious university is in USA.
(d)His younger son is a professor at a prestigious university in USA.
16. The project will be abandoned. That is certain. (Combine the following simple sentences into
complex sentences.)
(a) It is certain for sure that the project will be abandoned.
(b) It is certain that the project would be abandoned.
(c) It is certain that the project will be abandoned.
(d) That’s certain that the project will have to be abandoned.
17. He wanted that I left immediately. Which of the following shall replace the bold part?
(a)I may leave
(b)me to leave
(c) I leave
(d)No improvement needed
Directions (18 – 22) : Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it by selecting
the most appropriate option.
A long time ago, on a big tree in the lap of the mountain, lived a bird named Sindhuka. It was a
rather special bird because its droppings turned into gold as soon as they hit the ground. One day, a
hunter came to the tree in search of prey and he saw Sindhuka's droppings hit the ground and turn into
gold. The hunter was struck with wonder. He though, "I have been hunting birds and small animals since
I was a boy, but in all my 80 years, I have never seen such a miraculous creature. He decided that he had
to catch the bird somehow. He climbed the tree and skillfully set a trap for the bird. The bird, quite
Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015
Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :, E-mail : vanikbbsr@gmail.com 2
 OSSSC MEMORY BASED-5 ENGLISH

unaware of the danger it was in, stayed on the tree and sang merrily. But it was soon caught in the
hunter's trap. The hunter immediately seized it and shoved it into a cage. The hunter took the bird home
joyfully. But as he had time to think over his good fortune later, he suddenly realised, "If the king comes
to know of this wonder, he will certainly take away the bird from me and he might even punish me for
keeping such a rare treasure all to myself. So it would be safer and more honourable if I were to go to
the king and present the unique bird to him," The next day, the hunter took the bird to the king and
presented it to him in court with great reverence. The king was delighted t o receive such an unusual
and rare gift. He told his courtiers to keep the bird safe and feed it with the best bird food available. The
king's prime minister though, was reluctant to accept the bird. He said "O Rajah, how can you believe
the word of a foolish hunter accept this bird? Has anyone in our kingdom ever seen abird dropping gold?
The hunter must be either crazy or telling lies. I think it is best that you release the bird from the cage."
After a little thought, the king felt that his prime minister's words were correct. So he ordered the bird
to be released. But as soon as the door of the cage was thrown open, the bird flew out, perched itself on
a nearby doorway and defecated. To everyone's surprise, the dropping immediately turned into gold.
The king mourned his loss.
18. Which of the following is possible the most appropriate title for the story?
(a)The Skilled Hunter
(b)The King’s Prime Minister
(c) The King’s Defeat
(d) The Bird with the Gold Dropping
19. Which of the following emotions made the hunter gift the bird to the king?
(a)Respect (b)Joy (c) Pride (d)Fear
20. Which of the following is true according to the story?
(a)Birds like Sindhuka were very common in the area near the mountain
(b)Sindhuka was unaware of the trap laid by the hunter
(c) The King, when told to not accept the bird, did not listen to his Prime Minister
(d)All are true
21. Why was the king’s Prime Minister reluctant to accept the bird?
(a)He believed that the bird would die if caged
(b)He believed that the bird would bring bad luck to the king
(c) His sources had informed him that the hunter was crazy
(d)None of these
22. How did the hunter find Sindhuka?
(a)He had read stories about the bird and had set traps at various locations in the city
(b)He followed the bird’s droppings
(c) He was on the lookout for a prey when he chanced upon it
(d)People from the city had informed him about the bird’s whereabouts
23. “Everyone knows the Missile Man Kalam.” Change into an interrogative sentence without changing
its meaning.
(a) Who knows the Missile Man Kalam?
(b) Everyone knows whom?
(c) Who does not know the Missile Man Kalam?
(d) Who is known by everyone?
24. You won a lottery. You bought a bike. Which of the following sentence represents the same meaning
of the above two premises?
(a) Winning a lottery a bike bought by you.
(b) Being won a lottery you bought a bike.
Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015
Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :, E-mail : vanikbbsr@gmail.com 3
 OSSSC MEMORY BASED-5 ENGLISH

(c) You having bought a bike won a lottery.

(d) Having won a lottery you bought a bike.
25. She could not get ________ her disappointment ______having been rejected in the interview. (Pick
out the most suitable pair of words to make the sentence grammatically correct).
(a) of, in (b) on, with (c) over, at (d) over, on
26. Find out the correct sentence.
(a) The teacher asked the student why he had not done his homework.
(b) The teacher asked the student that why he had not done his homework.
(c) The teacher asked the student why he did not do his homework.
(d) The teacher asked the student that why he did not do his homework.
27. You must _________ hard work if you want a promotion. (Supply with suitable phrasal verb).
(a) put in (b) put out (c) put away (d) put off
28. She was standing laughing _______ a crowd of journalists. Choose the correct preposition.
(a) among (b) between (c) in (d) with
29. The tire of a moving car presses ______ the road. (Choose the correct preposition)
(a) at (b) on (c) against (d) beside
30. Another friend told me that he ________ me move, but he never showed up. (Fill in the blank with
correct option)
(a) Would help (b) Would have helped (c) Would helped (d) Will help
Direction (31-35) : Below is given a passage followed by five questions. Read the passage carefully and
choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Language, they say, is the lens through which human beings perceive the world. If so, English is
perhaps the most distorting lens through which to see animals. It has perpetuated a cross-eyed view of
birds, beasts, fish and fowl. The very word ‘animal’ connotes the brutish and the sensual. Animal instinct
implies baseness and vulgarity. The language transfers negative human traits to animals, making the
former appear as characteristics of the latter. Thus, the chicken is cowardly. Frightened, faint hearted;
the goat lustful and foolish; the bear rough and ill-bred. Butterflies are flighty, seals slippery and foxes
notorious for craftiness and cunning. Much the worst are the reptiles particularly the snake, creeping,
base, malignant, abject, ungrateful and treacherous, always the snake in the grass. Each species carries
its denigration forever embedded in its English name giving the language as many unpleasant adjectives
as it could possibly want. To be bull-headed is to be impetuous and obstinate; the cattish woman is
spiteful and back-biting. An elephant’s walk is ungainly, bird-brains are to be ridiculed and the herd
mentality draws only contempt. You can be as blind as a bat and batty, if you are crazy as well.
31. According to the passage, English language is the lens.
(a) through which people see the beautiful animal world.
(b) through which people see a distorted animal world.
(c) through which people see a correct picture of the world.
(d) that does not permit one to see a correct picture of the world.
32. According to the passage, the chicken is
(a) faint-hearted, the goat lustful and ill-bred and the bear crafty.
(b) simple, the goat foolish and the bear rough.
(c) cowardly, the goat cunning and the bear ill-bread.
(d) cowardly, the goat lustful and foolish and the bear rough and ill-bread.
33. The phrase “Always the snake in the grass” implies.
(a) a harmless person.
(b) the snake hiding in the grass for its victims.
(c) a dangerous person.
Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015
Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :, E-mail : vanikbbsr@gmail.com 4
 OSSSC MEMORY BASED-5 ENGLISH

(d) a person secretly working against you.

34. According to the passage, elephant’s walk is
(a) ugly, bird brains beautiful and herd mentality good.
(b) ungainly, bird brains ridiculous and herd mentality contemptible.
(c) ugly, bird brains ridiculous and herd mentality good.
(d) beautiful, bird brains ridiculous and herd mentality contemptible.
35. In English language, the animals are
(a) not used for any comparisons
(b) used for pleasant comparisons
(c) used for unpleasant comparisons
(d) used for uninteresting comparisons
36. He added, “I _______ help earlier in the morning than later in the afternoon”. (Fill in the blank with
a suitable option).
(a) would better (b) would like (c) would have (d) would rather
37. I know that everyone ______ save a little extra money, but it is hard with so many bills to pay. (Fill in
the blank with a suitable option).
(a) must (b) is supposed to (c) has to (d) was able to
38. I made a few purchases. The first thing that I _________ was furniture. (Fill in the blank with a
suitable option).
(a) must have (b) had to have (c) must have had (d) have to have
39. By this time next year, I __________ a lot about living independently. (Fill in the blank with a
suitable option).
(a) must learn (b) will learn (c) would learn (d) will have learned
40. We make cake with _________flour ______ milk and _____ eggs. (Use the best articles to fill in the
blanks)
(a) a, the, no article
(b) the, no article, the
(c) no article, no article, no article
(d) the, no article, no article

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015

Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :, E-mail : vanikbbsr@gmail.com 5
 OSSSC MEMORY BASED-5 ENGLISH

Answer key
1 c 21 d
2 b 22 c
3 c 23 c
4 c 24 d
5 a 25 c
6 a 26 a
7 b 27 a
8 b 28 a
9 a 29 c
10 b 30 a
11 a 31 b
12 a 32 d
13 a 33 d
14 d 34 b
15 a 35 c
16 c 36 d
17 b 37 b
18 d 38 b
19 d 39 d
20 b 40 c

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015

Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :, E-mail : vanikbbsr@gmail.com 6