RAS Mains Paper 4: General English: 80 Marks
Part - A GRAMMAR (Marks: 30)
Note: Attempt all the questions. Each question carries marks indicated against the question.
1. Fill in the blanks with the correct articles :
(a) Did you get______ ticket for the show?
(b) There was ______ earthquake in Srinagar last year.
(c) ________exhibition will be open until tomorrow.
2. Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions.
(a) That is a good way ______ trying to solve the problem.
(b) We had decided that we would meet ________the way to the office.
(c) They succeeded _________ escaping from the prison.
3. Change the Voice and rewrite the sentences:
(a) The applications should be filled by non-collegiate students only. (Change into Active)
(b) You must submit your assignments by Monday. (Change into Passive)
(c) People speak English all over the world. (Change into Passive)
4. Change the narration in the following sentences:
(a) He said, "Has the train been delayed ?" (Change into Indirect)
(b) The teacher said, "The earth moves round the Sun". (Change into Indirect)
(c) The officer ordered the cadets not to stop. (Change into Direct)
5. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate Determiners
(a) Not ______students can attempt this question.
(b) _______books are as interesting as this one.
(c) I don't have _______money to buy a huge house.
6. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given in the brackets.
(a) They have _____(wait) for hours outside the ticket window.
(b) I wish he ______(be) more sincere as far as his work is concerned.
(c) She often ________ (rest) after a day's hard work.
7. Fill in the blanks with the correct modals.
(a) They _______ have stopped at the traffic lights. (advisability)
(b) You ______ wipe your feet when you come in. (compulsion)
(c) She _______ play the sitar as well as the veena. (ability)
8. Do as directed:
(a) transparent (write the antonym)
(b) fragmented (write the antonym)
(c) indignant (write the synonym)
9. Make sentences with
Put off, break in; to be in a fix.
10. Write one word for:
(a) That which cannot be corrected
(b) A thing fit to eat
(c) Properties inherited from one's father
Part - B
COMPREHENSION AND TRANSLATION Marks: 20
11. Read the unseen passage and answer questions given below. Each answer carries 2 marks.
From NASA's Langley Research Centre (LRC) in Hampton, Virginia, I went to the Goddard Space Flight Centre (GSFC) at Greenbelt, Maryland. This Centre develops and manages most of NASA's earth-orbiting science and applications satellites. It operates NASA's tracking networks for all space missions. Towards the end of my visit, I went to the Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island in East Coast, Virginia. This place was the base for NASA's sounding rocket programme. Here, I saw a painting prominently displayed in the reception lobby. It depicted a battle scene with a few rockets flying in the background. A painting with this theme should be the most commonplace thing at a Flight Facility, but the painting caught my eye because the soldiers on the side launching the rockets were not white, but dark-skinned, with the racial features of people found in South Asia. One day, my curiosity got the better of me, drawing me towards the painting. It turned out to be Tipu Sultan's army fighting the British. The painting depicted a fact forgotten in Tipu's own country but commemorated here on the other side of the planet. I was happy to see an Indian glorified by NASA as a hero of warfare rocketry.
My impression of the American people can be summarized by a quotation from Benjamin Franklin, "Those things that hurt instruct!" I realised that people in this part of the world meet their problems head on. They attempt to get out of them rather than suffer them.
(1) Which place is the base for NASA's rocket programme ?
(2) What is Kalam's observation about American people?
(3) Why was Kalam attracted towards the painting in the reception lobby?
(4) What is the irony being referred to by Kalam in the passage?
(5) What does the word 'prominently' mean in the passage?
12. Translate the following sentences in English. Each sentence carries 2 marks.
(a) क्या तुम यह कहानी पढ़ चुकी हो ?
(b) बहुत धुन्ध है, तुमको संभल कर चलना पडेगा ।
(c) बारिश होने वाली है, अपना छाता मत भूलना ।
(d ) शायद वह अपने माता-पिता से मिलने गई होगी ।
(e) छात्र संघ की कार्यकारिणी की बैठक चल रही है ।
Part - C Marks: 30
13. Write a paragraph in about 200 words on any one of the following: (Marks 15)
(a) Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan
(b) The World is No Longer a Peaceful Place
(c) Tourism in Rajasthan
14. Write a report in about 150 words on the steps being taken to implement "Make in India" programme in your State.
OR
Write a cover letter (in about 150 words) in support of your qualifications for the post of Assistant Professor. Address the letter to the Registrar, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
OR
Write a précis of the extract given below in about 80 words:
Why do you lock the door of your house? For safety, and also to keep out unwanted people. You do not admit bad and unfit people.
But how about the door of your mind? It is open to all the different thoughts that attack it from every side? Are you as careful here as you are with the door of your house?
Since good, bad and doubtful thoughts come constantly to your mind you must. learn to know how to see at once what kind of thoughts they are.
Of course you should receive the best thoughts, but how about wicked and evil thoughts that often unexpectedly come to you.
You have the power to drive away such thoughts and your best way will be to do this at once. Don't play with a bad thought but get rid of it immediately.
It is not easy to keep the mind pure, but if you can do it even a little, you will improve yourself.
Begin today to ask yourself what kind of thought you have. Look into yourself to see what your thought have been for the past hour. Were they, on the whole, good or bad? Frankly examine them and decide to stand sentry at the door of your mind.
In daily life, our thinking is constantly being changed and influenced by the things happening to us, often without our knowing it. But we can learn to control our thinking through watchfulness if we wish. (246 words)
Part - A
Note :Attempt all questions. Each question carries 1 mark.
Identify the error/errors if any and rewrite the following sentences :(Ques. No. 1-10) Marks 20
1. My child does not like to go to the school.
2. There are a little errors in the draft; you need to correct them.
3. He was happy to part from all his assets.
4. The phone was badly damaged from lightning.
5. The injured player was been carried off the field.
6. I write the letter before he arrived.
7. Ought I come in, Sir? (asking for formal permission)
8. Must you please pass the salt? (polite request)
9. The thief arrested by the police yesterday.
10. He told me if I won the match.
11. Identify the correct antonym of the word given:
Apathy - coolness / inactivity/ enthusiasm / lethargy
12. Choose the appropriate synonym:
Courage - Bravery / Boldness / Victory / Power
(Q. No. 13 & 14) Correct the phrasal verb :
13. The police is looking through the case. (correct the phrasal verb)
14. I came by an old friend in the mall. (correct the phrasal verb)
15. Choose the correct one word substitute for the given expression :
Undue favour shown to one's own relatives
Favouritism / Jingoism / Nepotism / Chauvinism
16. Use the following idiom in your sentence:
Make hue and cry
17. Point out the difference between the following two words:
Heal - Heel
(Q. No. 18-20) Use the words in your own sentences to clearly distinguish their meanings.
18. descend, dissent
19. career, carrier
20. conscious, conscience
Part - B Marks :30
(A) Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow it: (Q. No. 21-25) Marks 5 x 2 = 10
Nature is our mother and if it is so be commanded, it must be obeyed. But man's ignorance of this is the main source of his unhappiness. Since beginning, man has been using the priceless gifts of nature without restraint. He has rather taken them for granted. Seldom did he think that the supplies of air, water and food and the industrial raw materials that he extracted from the bowels of the earth might disappear one day. Nature has been suffering because of thoughtless human intervention in its recycling process for hundreds of years.
They say it truly that we have not inherited this earth from our ancestors, but have borrowed it from our children. We are obliged to preserve Nature for the benefit of future generations. But what has man been doing to mother Nature? The forests have become concrete jungles. The marvellous creatures and plants dependant on the rich.
Nature are finding it difficult to survive in the face of man's cruelty. The ozone layer protecting the earth's atmosphere is gradually getting depleted. So desperate are we to enjoy our today that tomorrow does not seem all that important. It is now that man has started realizing that he has to work with Nature and cannot allow its destruction. Man has begun to understand that Nature and its resources are vast but limited. Nature's gifts are to be conserved. Let's all make a joint venture to make nature as pure as before and try to maintain the immortal relationship of mother and son between Nature and man.
21. What is causing unhappiness to man?
22. Why is it important to be careful in our use of the resources of the earth?
23. What do we owe to our future generations?
24. What recent change has taken place in man's attitude to Nature?
25. Pick out words from the text that mean.
(a) to limit, control
(b) slowly, over a long period of time.
(B) Translation: (Q. No. 26-30) Marks 5 x 2 = 10
26. यह इतना भी आसान नहीं है जितना आप समझते हैं ।
27. आप क्या करेंगे यदि आपको पता चले के सात दिन में दुनियाँ खत्म होने वाली है ।
28. गरीबी उन्मूलन विश्व के सामने हमेशा से एक बड़ा मुद्दा रहा है ।
29. आशावादी वृत्ति वह है जिसमें हरेक वस्तु हमें सुन्दर और अच्छी प्रतीत होती है ।
30. कुटीर उद्योगों के विकास के लिए अपने गाँव बहुत उपयुक्त हैं ।
(C) Attempt a prècis of the following passage and give a suitable title: Marks 10
In India working women lead a life of dual responsibilities if they are married and have a family. In the West many women are hard-headed careerists and are committed to their jobs. Here in India women still have traditional roles to fulfil and prefer a career to avoid domestic drudgery.
There are four categories of working women in India. Some work while they are waiting for matrimony. A majority work because they are qualified, want a second income and a different kind of life for part of the day. A small number consists of career-women. A sizeable section of women are bread-winners.
It is quite apparent that with a majority of working women, the family takes precedence over the job. They prefer to stay in joint families where their children can be taken care of while they are at work. When they come back in the evening from the relatively modern surroundings of their work-places their personalities have to undergo a change to accommodate the demands of their time and attention by different family members whose predominant feelings are of having been neglected. These women often do their shopping on the way from office. They reserve their
weekends for heavy housework which will help them to cope with the rest of the week with relatively less tension. Weekends are also reserved for spending time with their spouses and children, for entertainment, family duties and other choices.
Actually speaking, they hardly have time for person needs. (Words: 249)
Part - C Marks :30
32. Write a paragraph on any one of the following in about two hundred words: Marks 10
(i) Swachchh Bharat Movement
(ii) Global Warming
(iii) Digital India
33. Elaborate one of the following themes in approximately 150words : Marks 10
(i) It is better to light one little candle than to curse the darkness.
(ii) Still waters run deep.
(iii) Frustration leads to aggression
34.Write a letter to the Municipal Commissioner of your city informing him about the state of the roads in your locality and the urgent need to repair them. (150 Words) Marks 10
OR
You are a journalist. Write a report on the incidents of chain snatching in the town you live in.
Part: A (1*20 = 20 Marks)
(A) Identify the error and rewrite the correct form of the following sentences : (Q. No. 1-10)
Q1. What is in danger of becoming extinct ?
Q2. He was pained to realise that he had a little leisure left.
Q3. His news channel aspires to have a million viewers until the weekend.
Q4. He is taking tea every morning.
Q5. My aunt walked in the garden when I met her.
Q6. Let me show you how to do it, can I ?
Q7. What they steal ?
Q8. Did this picture painted by Raja Ravi Verma ?
Q9. He asked that, "Why have you cancelled the meeting ?"
Q10. He said that he would be there again tomorrow.
(B) Choose the word similar in meaning. (Q. No. 11-12)
Q11. Perceive - understand/amiable
Q12.Impeccable - perfect/mature
(C) Choose the word opposite in meaning. (Q. No. 13-14)
Q13. Urbane - impolite/rural
Q14. Rare - opaque/common
(D) Rewrite choosing the appropriate expression to form a meaningful sentence. (Q. No.15-16)
Q15. She looked so courteous and kind that I was completely taken over/taken in.
Q16. We are still at odds and ends/at daggers drawn with the Education Minister over the changes in the syllabus
(E) Selecting the correct word/phrase, rewrite the following sentences : (Q. No. 17-18)
Q17. It took the bomb squad many hours to diffuse/defuse the time bomb lying in the market place.
Q18. Her resilience and spirit has always shown her mettle/metal during difficult times.
(F) Write a one word substitute for the following expressions : (Q. No. 19-20)
Q19. A person who is primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics
Q20. A critical judge of any art or craft
Part: B ( 10*3 = 30 Marks)
(A) Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :(Q. No. 21 - 25) (2*5=10 marks)
Conversation is indeed the most easily teachable of all arts. All you need to do in order to become a good conversationalist is to find a subject that interests you and your listeners. There are, for example, numberless hobbies to talk about. But the important thing is that you must talk about the other fellow's hobby rather than your own. Therein lies the secret of your popularity. Talk to your friends about things that interest them and you will make your reputation for good fellowship, charming wit and a brilliant mind. There is nothing that pleases people more than your interest in their interest.
It is as important to know what subject to avoid as what subjects to select for good conversation. If you don't want to be set down as a wet blanket or a bore, be careful to avoid unpleasant topics. Avoid talking about yourself, unless you are asked to do so. People are interested in their problems not in yours. Sickness and death bore everybody. The only one who willingly listens to such talk is a doctor, but he gets paid for it. To be a good conversationalist you must know not only what to say but how to say it. Be civil and modest. Don't ever emphasize your own happiness. Be mentally quick and witty, but don't hurt others by your wit. Finally try to avoid mannerisms in your conversation. Don't bite your lips, or click your tongue, or roll your eyes, or use hands excessively as you speak. Such gestures detract from the conversation.
Q21. What subjects of conversation make one popular ?
Q22. What topics must one avoid in a good conversation ?
Q23. What are the two things a good conversationalist must know ?
Q24. How should a good conversationalist treat others ?
Q25. Find the word/words in the passage that have the same meaning as the following:
(A) A person who discourages enjoyment
(B) Translate the following sentences into English : (Q. No. 26 – 30) (2*5 = 10 marks)
Q26. हल्दी में बहुत से औषधीय गुण होते हैं।
Q27. अब समय आ गया है कि अज्ञानता और निरक्षरता को जड़ से उखाड़ दें।
Q28. क्या सितार बजाने में आपको आनन्द आता है ?
Q29. भारतीय उपमहाद्वीप अनेक सभ्यताओं व संस्कृतियों का जनक है।
Q30. राजा ने कैदी को अपने राज्य से निष्कासित कर दिया।
(C) Make a precis of the following passage in about one third of its length: (10*1= 10 marks)
Q31. It is never easy to see why one hobby should be more popular than another; as the old writer said, there is no disputing about tastes. One of the most mysterious illustrations of this saying is surely to be found in the love of maps. Mankind may be roughly divided into those who find a fascinating world within the covers of an atlas and those to whom an atlas is no more than a book of reference. What is it that decides to which category a particular person may belong?
It is not, for example, a matter of travel. There are those whose work or recreation has sent them journeying around the world from one exciting country to another but who seldom consult a map unless forced to do so by the sheer necessity of discovering how to get most quickly from one place to another. On the other hand there are those who have never travelled outside their own immediate neighbourhood and yet find great amusement in studying maps of all kinds.
Perhaps it is mainly a matter of imagination. The genuine map-lover, merely by looking at his maps, is transported beyond the walls of his room. If his map is of some familiar territory, he is in his imagination is admiring this view. If it is some distant unvisited land, he is peopling it with creatures he has read about or admiring the charming scenery. Whatever tricks his imagination is up to, it is the map which has set him dreaming. It has furnished him with means of recreation and delight.
Part C (10*3 = 30 Marks)
Q32. Write a paragraph on any one of the following in approximately 200 words :
(i) The future of English in India
(ii) The effects of present-day credit culture
(iii) Travelling helps build personality
Q33. Elaborate any one of the following themes in approximately 150 words :
(i) Your enemies are your best friends.
(ii) All's well that ends well.
(iii) Justice delayed is justice denied.
Q34. Write a letter to the Zonal Manager, North-Western Railway, Delhi, describing the discomforts you experienced during a recent journey.(150 Words)
OR
Write a report on the pathetic condition of the public zoos in Rajasthan.
Part - A
Note: Attempt all questions. Each question carries 1 mark. Marks: 20
(A) Identify the error and rewrite the correct form of the following sentences: (Q. No. 1-10) Marks: 10
1. Italy is an European country.
2. Ramesh Gupta is a M.B.B.S.
3. The island was uninhabited except of sheep.
4. Divide the money between you all.
5. Did Sohan scratched your card?
6. 120 miles are too far to travel.
7. May it snow this far South?
8. Let her told to wait here.
9. I asked her as to whether she would have a cup of tea.
10. What you would like to drink?
(B) Choose the word similar in meaning (Q. No. 11-12) Marks 2x1
11. Insolent -rude/polite
12. Endorse -discredit/approve
(C) Choose the word opposite in meaning (Q. No. 13-14) Marks 2x1
13. Discreet - prudent/obtrusive
14. Deft - expert/amateur
(D) Rewrite choosing the appropriate expression to form a meaningful sentence (Q. No. 15-16) Marks 2×1
15. The army got discouraged and gave in/gave upon before the opponents.
16. I am going to have a catnap/dognap while you are cooking lunch.
(E) Selecting the correct phrase/word, rewrite the following sentences (Q. No. 17-18) Marks 2x1
17. He was sitting besides/beside me when I was eating the cake.
18. He was confidant/confident that he would clear his exam.
(F) Write a one-word substitute for the following expressions (Q. No. 19-20) Marks 2x1
19. A diplomatic representative of a country to another country.
20. Showing independence in thoughts or actions.
Part - B Marks: 30
(A) Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow – (Q. No. 21-25) Mark : 5x2=10
The thoughtless, the ignorant and the indolent seeing only the apparent effect of things and not the things themselves talk of luck of fortunes and chance.
Seeing a man grow rich they say "How lucky he is!" Observing another become intellectual they exclaim, “How highly favoured he is!" And noting the saintly character and wide influence of someone else they remark, "How chance aids him at every turn!" They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience, have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable and realise the vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness and the heartaches, they only see the light and joy; do not see the long and arduous journey but only behold the pleasant goal and call it "good fortune"; do not understand the process but only perceive the results and call it "chance".
In all human affairs there are efforts and there are results and the strength of effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort - they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.
21. Which people, seeing the apparent effect of things, talk of luck, fortune and chance?
22. When do such people consider luck and chance to favour an individual?
23. What is needed to realize the vision of the heart?
24. What is the connection between efforts and results as stated in the passage?
25. Find a word in the passage that has the same meaning as the following:
Not intimidated or discouraged by difficulty, danger or disappointed.
(B) Translate the following sentences into English (Q. No. 26-30) Marks 5×2=10
26. बाल अपचारियों के पुनर्वसन के लिए सक्रिय न्यायिक एवं सामाजिक प्रयासों की आवश्यकता है ।
27. मैं अब भी तुम्हारे साथ होने से ज्यादा खुश होना नहीं जानता ।
28. उत्तर पुस्तिका में यथासंभव संक्षिप्ताक्षर का प्रयोग ना करें व पूर्णरूप लिखें ।
29. कवि ने उर्मिला के चरित्र में एक स्त्री के दर्द एवं विरह की वेदना को बहुत सुन्दरता से उकेरा है ।
30. विद्यार्थियों के असंतोष से उत्पन्न अनुशासनहीनता का कारण उनकी यह भावना है कि उनके विचारों और आकांक्षाओं की बहुधा उपेक्षा की जाती है ।
(C) Make a precis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Marks 10
31. We have heard about the term 'Cryptocurrency' which is blooming in the investment market today. This digital currency is taking the world to a new direction. According to a market research company more than 13,000 different cryptocurrencies exist in the world - to mention a few names - Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, Tether and the likes of them. Different countries have their different opinions on cryptocurrency. What exactly is cryptocurrency? It is a virtual currency which means it does not exist physically like other currencies. The word crypto currency is actually derived from the technique which is used to encrypt the network. One needs a 'wallet' an online app to hold the currency. There are two ways to gain it - by online investing or by mining cryptocurrency. Various countries have accepted cryptocurrency as legal tender, others have banned it. The rules for cryptocurrency are not very clear in India but talks are underway to recognize it.
Part - C Marks: 30
32. Write a paragraph on any one of the following in approximately 200 words. Marks 10
1. The 'Work-from-Home' culture
2. Freedom of Speech and Democracy
3. Impact of Modern Technology on Farming
33. Elaborate any one of the following themes in approximately 150 words. Marks 10
1. Child is the father of man.
2. Sweet are the uses of adversity.
3. No man should be condemned unheard.
34. Write a letter to the Joint Secretary, Department of Labour Welfare drawing attention to the govt. policy regarding 'no work no pay' complaining about the bank employees who went on strike on 20th, 21st & 22nd, January. (150 words)
OR
Write a report on the research'you have done on ‘Industrial Waste Disposal' in your city in about 150 words.