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BPSC TRE · English

Grammar Previous Year Questions

41 Grammar (English) questions asked in BPSC TRE previous year papers, each with the correct answer and explanation. Read them free on UTpaper, or attempt the full papers as timed online tests.

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Reading Comprehension 310Fill in the Blanks 196Literature 63Active/Passive & Narration 48Error Spotting 37Idioms & Phrases 23Vocabulary 20Synonyms & Antonyms 12Spelling 8
Q1BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) Language (Hindi & English) Class 6-8 (Re-exam)
Shonias friends call her versatile as she can dance sing paint and act (Insert punctuation mark in the sentence)
  1. AShonia’s friends call her versatile as she can dance, sing, paint and even act.
  2. BShonia’s friends call her versatile as she can dance, sing, paint, and even act.
  3. CShonia’s friends call her versatile, as she can dance, sing, paint and even act.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (E) None of the above

Explanation

The sentence needs an apostrophe (Shonia's), commas in the list and a full stop; none of the options is exactly right (the word 'even' is also added), so the key marks None of the above.

Q2BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) Language (Hindi & English) Class 6-8 (Re-exam)
He is too shy. He cannot come in front of the guests. (Use infinitive to form one complete sentence)
  1. AHe cannot come in front of the guests as he is too shy.
  2. BBecause he is shy, he cannot come in front of the guests.
  3. CHe is too shy to come in front of the guests.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) He is too shy to come in front of the guests.

Explanation

'Too ... to' joins the two sentences with an infinitive: 'He is too shy to come in front of the guests.'

Q3BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) Language (Hindi & English) Class 6-8 (Re-exam)
‘Cheesecake’ is a compound word formed by
  1. Anoun + gerund
  2. Bnoun + noun
  3. Cadjective + noun
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) noun + noun

Explanation

Cheesecake is formed from two nouns, cheese + cake.

Q4BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) Language (Hindi & English) Class 6-8 (Re-exam)
A complex sentence is made up of
  1. Aone independent clause
  2. Bone independent and at least one dependent clause
  3. Cat least two dependent clauses and one independent clause
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) one independent and at least one dependent clause

Explanation

A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Q5BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 6-8
Directions (Q. Nos. 136 – 140): In the following questions, choose the correct preposition from the given alternatives. I am proud ________ the way in which my students have performed.
  1. Ain
  2. Bby
  3. Cto
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (E) None of the above

Explanation

'Proud of' is the correct preposition; none of in, by or to fits.

Q6BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 6-8
Directions (Q. Nos. 136 – 140): In the following questions, choose the correct preposition from the given alternatives. The train was travelling from Howrah __________ New Delhi.
  1. Ain
  2. Bto
  3. Cinto
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) to

Explanation

'From Howrah to New Delhi' is the correct pairing.

Q7BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 6-8
Directions (Q. Nos. 136 – 140): In the following questions, choose the correct preposition from the given alternatives. Beware _____ pickpockets in crowded trains.
  1. Afrom
  2. Bto
  3. Cof
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) of

Explanation

We say 'beware of'.

Q8BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 6-8
Directions (Q. Nos. 136 – 140): In the following questions, choose the correct preposition from the given alternatives. Raju killed the snake ________ a stick.
  1. Aby
  2. Bin
  3. Cwith
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) with

Explanation

'With a stick' shows the instrument used.

Q9BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 6-8
Directions (Q. Nos. 136 – 140): In the following questions, choose the correct preposition from the given alternatives. The doctor had asked him to abstain ___________sweets because he had diabetes.
  1. Aof
  2. Bfrom
  3. Cin
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) from

Explanation

We say 'abstain from'.

Q10BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
I have some duties. I must perform them. (Use an infinitive to join the sentences)
  1. AI must perform the duties that I have.
  2. BI must perform some of the duties that I have.
  3. CI have some duties to perform.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) I have some duties to perform.

Explanation

Using an infinitive: 'I have some duties to perform', so (C).

Q11BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
Her husband died. She heard the news. She fainted. (Use a preposition with a noun or gerund to join the sentences)
  1. AShe fainted when she heard the news of her husband’s death.
  2. BOn hearing the news of her husband’s death she fainted.
  3. CAs soon as she heard the news of her husband’s death she fainted.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) On hearing the news of her husband’s death she fainted.

Explanation

Preposition + noun/gerund: 'On hearing the news of her husband's death she fainted', option (B).

Q12BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
He jumped up. He ran away. (Use a participle to join the sentences)
  1. AJumping up he ran away.
  2. BHe jumped up and ran away.
  3. CHe ran away after jumping up.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Jumping up he ran away.

Explanation

A participle joins them as 'Jumping up, he ran away', so (A).

Q13BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
Insert the punctuation marks in the following : She read the short story Kafan and adapted it to a radio play
  1. AShe read the short story ‘‘Kafan’’ and adapted it to a radio play.
  2. BShe read the short story ‘Kafan’ and adapted it to a radio play
  3. CShe read the short story ‘Kafan’ and adapted it to a radio play.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) She read the short story ‘Kafan’ and adapted it to a radio play.

Explanation

The title Kafan needs single quotation marks and the sentence needs a full stop, so (C).

Q14BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
Directions (Q. Nos. 86 to 95) : Choose the correct option of the following questions. ‘‘I left that house.’’ What is the underlined word ‘that’, according to the English grammar?
  1. ADemonstrative pronoun
  2. BAdverb
  3. CNoun
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (E) None of the above

Explanation

In 'I left that house' 'that' modifies the noun, so it is a demonstrative adjective, which is not among the options: (E).

Q15BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
Directions (Q. Nos. 86 to 95) : Choose the correct option of the following questions. A compound sentence consists of
  1. Atwo principal clauses
  2. Bone principal clause
  3. Cone principal clause and one subordinate clause
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) two principal clauses

Explanation

A compound sentence consists of two (or more) principal clauses: (A).

Q16BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
dot your is and cross your ts then add two 5s and four 2s (Use punctuation marks)
  1. ADot your is and cross your t’s; then add two 5’s and four 2’s.
  2. BDot your is and cross your t’s; then add two 5’s and four 2’s
  3. CDot your i’s and cross your t’s; then add two 5’s and four 2’s.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) Dot your i’s and cross your t’s; then add two 5’s and four 2’s.

Explanation

Correct punctuation is 'Dot your i's and cross your t's; then add two 5's and four 2's.', option (C).

Q17BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
‘Moonlight’ is a compound word that is formed by
  1. Anoun + noun
  2. Badjective + noun
  3. Cnoun + gerund
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) noun + noun

Explanation

'Moonlight' is moon + light, both nouns: (A).

Q18BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
‘Red-hot’ is a compound word that is formed by
  1. Anoun + noun
  2. Badjective + adjective
  3. Cnoun + gerund
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) adjective + adjective

Explanation

'Red-hot' is formed from the adjective red + the adjective hot: (B).

Q19BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
What a terrible fire this is (Use punctuation mark)
  1. AFull stop
  2. BExclamation mark
  3. CQuestion mark
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) Exclamation mark

Explanation

A sentence expressing strong emotion ends with an exclamation mark: (B).

Q20BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
He broke the glass. (Change the underlined word into intransitive verb)
  1. AThe glass was broken.
  2. BThe glass breaked.
  3. CThe glass broke.
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) The glass broke.

Explanation

The intransitive form is 'The glass broke': (C).

Q21BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 9-10
I am reading David Copperfield. (Point out the tense used in the underlined part)
  1. APast continuous
  2. BPresent continuous
  3. CFuture continuous
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) Present continuous

Explanation

'am reading' is the present continuous tense: (B).

Q22BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
What is the past tense (underlined) of ‘ring’?
  1. ARung
  2. BRang
  3. CRanged
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) Rang

Explanation

The past tense of ring is rang (rung is the past participle).

Q23BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
What is the present tense (underlined) of ‘strung’?
  1. AString
  2. BStrung
  3. CStringed
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) String

Explanation

Strung is the past form of string, so the present is 'string'.

Q24BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
The verb form of ‘prophecy’ is
  1. Aprophecy
  2. Bprophase
  3. Cprophesize
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) prophesize

Explanation

The verb form of the noun 'prophecy' is 'prophesy'; of the options, prophesize is the one the key accepts.

Q25BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
Which ‘part of speech’ is the underlined word? Kolkata is on the Hooghly. (underlined: Hooghly)
  1. AInterjection
  2. BPronoun
  3. CAdjective
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (E) None of the above

Explanation

'Hooghly' is a proper noun, not interjection, pronoun or adjective, so none of the options applies.

Q26BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
What is the past tense of ‘sleep’ ?
  1. ASleeped
  2. BSlept
  3. CSleeps
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) Slept

Explanation

The past tense of sleep is slept.

Q27BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
What is the past participle of ‘forgive’?
  1. AForgave
  2. BForgive
  3. CForgiven
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) Forgiven

Explanation

The past participle of forgive is forgiven.

Q28BPSC TRE 2.0 (2023) English Class 6-8
Choose the correct punctuation mark for the following sentence : What a lovely view you have here _____
  1. A!
  2. B.
  3. C?
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) !

Explanation

An exclamatory sentence ('What a lovely view...') ends with '!'.

Q29BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 9-10
The questions 126 - 150 are based on English Grammar. The utterance, ‘He became his own cook’ is an example of which one of the following grammatical categories?
  1. ADistributive adjective
  2. BInterrogative adjective
  3. CEmphasizing adjective
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) Emphasizing adjective

Explanation

In 'He became his own cook', 'own' emphasises the noun, so it is an emphasizing adjective.

Q30BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 9-10
The questions 126 - 150 are based on English Grammar. ‘A triangle whose three sides are equal is called an equilateral triangle’ is an example of which one of the following classes?
  1. ARelative pronoun
  2. BInterrogative pronoun
  3. CExclamatory pronoun
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Relative pronoun

Explanation

'whose' joins the clause to its antecedent 'triangle', so it is a relative pronoun.

Q31BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 9-10
The questions 126 - 150 are based on English Grammar. ‘He laughed a hearty laugh’ is an example of which one of the following?
  1. APrepositional verb
  2. BRetained object
  3. CCognate noun
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (C) Cognate noun

Explanation

'Laugh' is a noun of the same origin as the verb 'laughed', so it is a cognate (cognate object) noun.

Q32BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 9-10
The questions 126 - 150 are based on English Grammar. ‘I had rather take this than that’ is an example of which one of the following classes?
  1. AInfinitive
  2. BGerund
  3. CParticiple
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Infinitive

Explanation

After 'had rather' the bare infinitive 'take' is used, so the category is infinitive.

Q33BPSC TRE 3.0 (2024) English Class 9-10
The questions 126 - 150 are based on English Grammar. ‘I rely on the wall being built immediately’ In the above utterance, which one of the following grammatical categories is at work?
  1. ANoun in the genitive case
  2. BGerundive use of participle
  3. CParticiple
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (B) Gerundive use of participle

Explanation

'The wall being built' is a participle used as a verbal noun (gerundive use) governed by the preposition 'on'.

Q34BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
Pick out the named part of speech from the sentence. The cake was delivered in time and was delicious. (Adjective)
  1. ADelicious
  2. BDelivered
  3. CIn time
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Delicious

Explanation

‘Delicious’ describes the cake, so it is the adjective. ‘Delivered’ is part of the verb and ‘in time’ is an adverbial phrase.

Q35BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
Pick out the named part of speech from the sentence. The puppy was hiding under the bed while we were looking behind all the doors. (Preposition)
  1. ABehind
  2. BUnder
  3. CLooking
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (D) More than one of the above

Explanation

‘Under’ (under the bed) and ‘behind’ (behind all the doors) are both prepositions; ‘looking’ is a verb. So more than one option is correct.

Q36BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
Pick out the named part of speech from the sentence. Since the police had to move swiftly, it was difficult to document everything extensively. (Adverb)
  1. ASince
  2. BMove
  3. CDocument
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (E) None of the above

Explanation

The adverbs in the sentence are ‘swiftly’ and ‘extensively’. ‘Since’ is a conjunction here, and ‘move’ and ‘document’ are verbs, so none of the options is an adverb.

Q37BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
Let bygones be bygones. We cannot undo the past. The above sentence has which one of the following grammatical classes?
  1. AParticiple as adjective
  2. BParticiple as verb
  3. CParticiple as noun
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Participle as adjective

Explanation

‘Bygone’ is formed from the participle ‘gone’ (by + gone) and is basically a participial adjective meaning ‘past’. The official key classes it as a participle used as an adjective.

Q38BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
I employed the man who came yesterday. The above sentence is an example of which one of the following classes?
  1. ARelative pronoun in accusative case
  2. BRelative pronoun in nominative case
  3. CRelative pronoun in genitive case
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Relative pronoun in accusative case

Explanation

Note: the official key gives (A). Inside its own clause ‘who’ is the subject of ‘came’, so by the usual rule it is in the nominative case (B). Its antecedent ‘the man’ is the object (accusative) of ‘employed’, which seems to be the basis of the key.

Q39BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
Which one of the following is a plural form of ‘bandit’?
  1. ABandits
  2. BBandites
  3. CBanditti
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Bandits

Explanation

Note: the official key gives (A). ‘Bandits’ is the regular plural; standard grammars (e.g. Wren & Martin) also list the older Italian plural ‘banditti’, so (D) could be argued.

Q40BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
What a piece of work is man! The above sentence is an example of which one of the following classes?
  1. AExclamatory adjective
  2. BPossessive adjective
  3. CEmphasizing adjective
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) Exclamatory adjective

Explanation

‘What’ used before a noun in an exclamation (‘What a piece of work ...!’) is an exclamatory adjective.

Q41BPSC TRE 1.0 (2023) English Class 11-12
The bird flew exactly over the sleeper’s head. Which one of the following explanations is correct for the above sentence?
  1. AAn adverb qualifies a preposition
  2. BAn adverb qualifies a verb
  3. CAn adverb qualifies an adjective
  4. DMore than one of the above
  5. ENone of the above
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Correct answer: (A) An adverb qualifies a preposition

Explanation

‘Exactly’ modifies the preposition ‘over’, telling how precisely the bird was over the head - an adverb qualifying a preposition.

How to use these BPSC TRE English questions

Every question here was asked in a real BPSC TRE paper; the paper and shift are shown on the card, and the number opens the question on its own page. Try each one before tapping Show answer, then attempt the full BPSC TRE papers as timed tests to check your speed under exam conditions.

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