The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination (I) on 5 February 2017. The exam consisted of three papers - Elementary Mathematics, English and General Knowledge.
For the benefit of CDS (II) 2017 Exam aspirants, we are providing the English Question Paper (Series A) in the word format. It helps the aspirants in understanding the difficulty level and the section wise analysis of questions asked in the exam.
Directions: In each of the items in this section, there is a sentence of which some parts have been jumbled up. You are required to rearrange these parts which are labelled P, Q, R and S to produce the correct sentence. Choose the proper sequence and mark in your Answer Sheet accordingly.
Directions: Each question in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
Directions: In this section each item consists of six sentences of a passage. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as Si and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been jumbled up and labelled P, Q, R and S. You are required to find the proper sequence of the four sentences and mark your response accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
47. S1: According to the legend it was during a famine in China many thousands of years ago that rice first came into the lives of the Asians.
S6: And the little girl gathered a harvest of rice.
P: The golden sunbeams dropped through the meshes and transformed themselves into goldengrains.
Q: A little girl went fishing.
R: But instead of catching fish she netted the King of Frogs.
S: The King told her to hold out the net to the sunbeams while he sang a magic song.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PSQR
(b) RPSQ
(c) QRSP
(d) PQSR
48. S1: Ramu was in a great hurry.
S6: Fortunately, it wasn't a very serious one.
P: 4s a result of this carelessness, he met with an accident.
Q: The examination was to begin in five minutes time.
R: He just rushed across the road.
S: So he forgot to look to the left or right as he always did.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RQSP
(b) SRPQ
(c) RSPQ
(d) QSRP
49. S1: Chandran was terribly angry.
S6: Saro ran screaming.
P: His pen was in her hand and Chandran rushed at her.
Q: Just then his sister, Saro, appeared at the door-step.
R: His pen was missing from the place where he had left it.
S.: He thought it was lost.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PRSQ
(b) RSQP
(c) PSQR
(d) SQPR
50. S1: One fine morning, I heard a sound of fire engines with loud alarm bells.
S6: It was a terrible scene, as huge flames of fire were coming out of the house.
P: I thought, perhaps a house was on fire.
Q: They were regulating the crowd.
R: The policemen were standing around a big house,
S: I immediately rushed out to see what was happening.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PQRS
(b) RSQP
(c) SRPQ
(d) PSRQ
51. S1: The sun-dried str1k of rice had caught fire and burst into flames.
S6: Even those who were too feeble to keep up with the first rush were on their feet, eager to join the fire-fighters.
P: Then came most of the older people, and mothers with babies at their backs.
Q: And all the active women and girls followed them to assist them in fighting the fire.
R: All the young men and boys were soon on the spot.
S: Staring wildly at the blazing rice, the people of the village ran to extinguish the fire.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PSQR
(b) QPRS
(c) SRPQ
(d) SRQP
52. S1: People's fear of snakes seems to be based on a series of misconceptions.
S6: Yet people will insist that they cannot touch a snake because of its sliminess.
P: The moat common one i the conviction that all these creatures are poisonous.
Q: Another very popular idea is that these reptiles are slimy to touch.
R: Snakes are really dry and cold; not slimy like a wet cake of soap but rather like a Crocodile-skin handbag to the touch.
S: In fact, the non-poisonous ones outnumber the poisonous ones by about ten to one.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RQPS
(b) PRQS
(c) PSQR
(d) RQSP
53. S1: The first great discovery that man probably made was that of fire.
S6: The animals were not clever enough to learn anything from this.
P: Fires sometimes occur by themselves in the forests perhaps by rubbing together of flints or something else.
Q: we light a fire now by a match.
R: In olden times fires were made by striking two flints against each other till a spark came for setting fire to a dry thing.
S: But matches are quite recent things.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PRSQ
(b) QSPR
(c) PQSR
(d) RPQS
54. S1: A common disease of the eye is conjunctivitis or ‘pink eye’, which often occurs in school-children.
S6: Students with this condition should be sent to the doctor.
P: This disease spreads rapidly among school-children.
Q: A white discharge also appears in the corners of the eyes.
R: One or both eyeballs turn quite red and have a feeling of imtation.
S: This discharge forms a crust which can often be seen in the morning after the eyes have been shut all night.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PSQR
(b) RSQP
(c) RQSP
(d) QSRP
55. S1: My office sent a message with a terrific urgency asking me to return.
S6: It was the evening before I could sit and write to my parents that I would join them soon.
P: I immediately sent a message requesting a few days of grace as I had to book the return ticket and attend sundry matters before winding up my establishment here.
Q: On the way, I wont to the laundry and made sure I would get my clothes in time,
R: Then I rushed to the bank, collected all my money and made reservations for my return journey.
S: From the shop next to it, I bought a strong box to dump my books and other odd articles so that I could send them away in advance.
The proper sequence should be
(a) QRSP
(b) RQPS
(c) SPQR
(d) PRQS
56. S1: Harsten's theory was that plants definitely react to music.
S6: He found that this plant grew faster and 70 percent taller than the other plant.
P: In his experiment, he used two banana plants.
Q: The music was in fact a high-pitched humming sound.
R: He gave both plants the same light, heat and water.
S: But for about an hour a day, one of the plants ‘listened’ to some music.
The proper sequence should be
(a) QSRP
(b) PQRS
(c) PRSQ
(d) QRPS
57. S1: Some students may feel that fast readers do not understand as much as slow readers.
S6: This statement, however, needs to be made with caution.
P: Some slow readers will have good comprehension and others poor.
Q: A quick glance at the scores will show that fast readers sometimes have very good comprehension and sometimes poor.
R: This fallacy can easily be disproved when you give the first reading test in a class.
S: In short, there is little relation between reading speed and comprehension.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RQPS
(b) SQRP
(c) PQRS
(d) QSRP
58. S1: There isn't a cricketer worth his salt who does not aspire for captaincy.
S6: It is against this background that any emotions surrounding the captaincy should be viewed.
P: Even parents are proud when their sons become the captain.
Q: At the lower levels, it is the best player who gets to lead the team.
R: In cricket, the greatest honour any player can get is the captaincy.
S: Right from their school days, boys dream of leading the team.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PQRS
(b) SRQP
(c) PQSR
(d) SQPR
59. S1: Systematic and ceaseless efforts are being made to tap scientifically the abundant solar energy available in the country.
S6: Installation of solar thermal systems and devices has helped to save or generate energy to the extent of 350 kWh per annum.
P: These include cooking, water heating, water desalination, space heating, etc.
Q: A large number or applications in the area have already become commercial.
R.: Efforts are also afoot to develop economically viable solar collector for high temperature applications,
S: A simple and common mode in solar energy utilization is solar thermal conversion.
The proper sequence should be
(a) QSRP
(b) QPRS
(c) SQPR
(d) RQSP
60. S1: The houses in the Indus valley were built of baked bricks.
S6: They led outside into covered sewers which ran down the side of the streets.
P: This staircase sometimes continued upwards on to the roof.
Q: Accese to the upstaire rooms was by a narrow stone staircase at the back of the house.
R: The drains were built in the walls.
S: The houses had bathrooms and water closets, rubbish chutes and excellent drainage systems.
The proper sequence should be
(a) SPQR
(b) PSQR
(c) QRPS
(d) QPSR
61. S1: I remember, some years ago, the library of a famous divine and literary critie, who had died, being sold.
S6: Yet, he was a holy man and preached admirable sermons.
P: Multitudes of the books had the marks or libraries all over the country.
Q: It was a splendid library of rare books, chiefly concerned with seventeenth century writers.
R: Evidently, he was very possessive about the books he borrowed.
S: He had borrowed them and never found a convenient opportunity of returning them.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RPQS
(b) QPSR
(c) SPQR
(d) PSRQ
62. S1: Of course, it is silly to try to overcome fears that keep us from destroying ourselves.
S6. The only fears you need to avoid are silly fears which prevent you from doing what you should do.
P: This is sensible.
Q: You wait until it is out of the way before crossing.
R: You need some rears to keep you from doing foolish things.
S: You are afraid of an automobile coming rapidly down the street you wish to cross.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PRSQ
(b) RSQP
(c) RPSQ
(d) PQRS
63. S1: Nobody likes staying at home on a public holiday — especially if the weather is fine.
S6: It was very peaceful in the cool grass — until we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill.
P: We had brought plenty of food with us and we got it out of the ear.
Q: The only difficulty was that millions of other people had the same idea.
R: Now everything was ready so we sat down near a path at the foot of a hill.
S: We moved out of the city slowly behind a long 1ine of cars, but at last we came to a quiet country road and after some time, stopped at a lonely farm.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PSQR
(b) QSPR
(c) PQRS
(d) SPQR
64. S1: The teaching work for the term is over.
S6: For this, weekend trips do not suffice, and a longer stay is necessary.
P: That will end on October 13 and the Diwali vacation will begin from October 14.
Q: After I complete the assessment of examination papers, I plan to go and stay at our house in Lonavla for at least a week.
R: Next week the terminal examination begins.
S: There is a lot of repair work that needs to be carried out in the house.
The proper sequence should be
(a) SQRP
(b) QSPR
(c) RPSQ
(d) RPQS
65. S1: A proposal to remove from circulation 5 paise coins has been given up by the Centre onadvice from the Reserve Bank of India.
S6: It is, however, proposed to reduce the costs of minting these coins by changing their metallic content.
P: The Government had been thinking of removing from circulation even the 1o paise coin.
Q: The cost of minting a 5 paise coin is said to be 7 paise while the cost of minting a 10 paise coin is 105 paise,
R: Moreover their removal would cause tremendous hardship to some people.
S: The RBI had opposed this saying that they figure largely in public transactions.
The proper sequence should be
(a) SRQP
(b) QPSR
(c) PSRQ
(d) PQSR
68. S1: It is common knowledge that people go after different objects in the world to get happiness.
S6: He is conscious of the fact that happiness is within and not without.
P: The wise man with a properly attuned mind is happy with them, in spite of them and without them too.
Q: Can a condemned prisoner, awaiting execution on the morrow, relish food, however delicious?
R: But a little reflection will prove that in reality these sense-objects, by themselves, can never make a person happy.
S: It is a folly to equate objects with happiness.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RQSP
(b) SQRI
(c) SPQR
(d) RSQP
Directions : Look at the underlined part of each sentence. Below each sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them (a), (b) or (c) is better than the underlined part, indicate your response on the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (d) a your response on the Answer Sheet.
67. Go north-east across the mountains till you will reach an island.
(a) reached
(b) reach
(c) have reached
(d) No improvement
68. It is hard these days to cope with the rising prices.
(a) cope by
(b) cope up with
(c) to be coped with
(d) No improvement
69. He took a loan of hundred rupees from me.
(a) debt
(b) demand
(c) advance
(d) No improvement
70. From the last five days it has been raining torrentially.
(a) Since the last
(b) For the Iast
(c) Since last
(d) No improvement
71. The teacher, along with her three children, were taken to hospital.
(a) was taken
(b) had taken
(c) had being taken
(d) No improvement
72. The Prime Minister had wide-ranging discussions on the international situation.
(a) widely-ranged
(b) wide-ranged
(c) wide-range
(d) No improvement
73. The man disappeared after he was rescuing a boy from drowning.
(a) was rescued
(b) has been rescued
(c) had rescued
(d) No improvement
74. I shall be obliged ir you could grant me an interview.
(a) give
(b) allow
(c) permit
(d) No improvement
75. By 8.00 in the morning he wrote four letters to his friends.
(a) had written
(b) had been writing
(c) was writing
(d) No improvement
76. But for one witness the accused ought to have been sent to jail.
(a) would have
(b) had
(c) should have
(d) No improvement
77. He is now looking about a job
(a) for
(b) after
(c) into
(d) No improvement
78. He did not abide with my decision.
(a) to
(b) by
(c) for
(d) No improvement
79. I was living in Chennai for ten years when I was a child.
(a) had lived
(b) lived
(c) had been living
(d) No improvement
80. I didn't feel like going out yesterday, but on account of my son's illness I had to go to the doctor.
(a) have
(b) might have
(c) ought
(d) No improvement
81. Your services are dispensed for.
(a) from
(b) with
(c) off
(d) No improvement
82. I didn't go to office because I was ill.
(a) felt
(b) had become
(c) had felt
(d) No improvement
83. The angry neighbours never passed from each other without making rude remarks.
(a) passed on
(b) passed against
(c) passed
(d) No improvement
84. The chairman with the other members of the board are touring Europe these days.
(a) have been on touring
(b) is touring
(c) have toured
(d) No improvement
85. Mahatma Gandhi is called as the Father of the Nation.
(a) called Father of the Nation
(b) called the Father of the Nation
(c) Father of the Nation
(d) No improvement
86. Poor Tom laid in the shade of a tree before he could walk further.
(a) lied
(b) lam
(c) lay
(d) No improvement
87. You must accustom yourself with new ideas.
(a) accustomed with
(b) accustom to
(c) accustom yourself to
(d) No improvement
88. This telephone number is not existing.
(a) does not exist
(b) has not been existing
(c) has had no existence
(d) No improvement
COMPREHENSION
Direction: In this section, you have six short passages. After each passage, you will find some questions based on the passage. First, read a passage and answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only.
Passage – 1
When Jonathan (the seagull) came, it was well after dark, and he floated in moonlight on the surface of the ocean. His wings were ragged bars of lead, but the weight of failure was even heavier on his back. He wished, feebly, that the weight would be just enough to drag him gently down to the bottom, and end it all. But soon he came back to normal. He pushed wearily away from the dark water and flew towards the land, grateful for what he had learned about work-saving low-altitude flying.
89. The word ‘wearily' means
(a) tireless
(b) exhausted
(c) sadly
(d) unconscious
90. The seagull suffered because
(a) he had tried to do something that other seagulls had not done.
(b) probably he had been attacked by a stronger bird.
(c) probably he had been attacked by some strong creature in the sea.
(d) he had swooned and fallen into the water.
91. ‘His wings were ragged bars of lead’ means that
(a) his wings were damaged and supported by bars of lead.
(b) his wings were damaged and therefore very heavy.
(c) he had rags and bars of lead on his wings.
(d) his wings were broken like pieces of lead.
92. The lesson that he had learnt that day was about
(a) not fighting with stronger birds.
(b) flying carrying bars of lead on his wings.
(c) diving too deep into the sea.
(d) flying at low altitudes.
Passage -2
Vacationing on a motorcycle, you see things in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you do not realise that through that car window everything you see is just more Tv. You are a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a motorcycle, however, the frame is gone. You are completely in contact with it all. You are in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.
93. The writer likes travelling on the motorcycle. What is the most likely reason for this?
(a) The motorcycle has no windows.
(b) The motorcycle does not go as fast as a Car.
(c) As the traveller is used to cars, travelling by motorcycle is a change.
(d) Travelling by motorcycle, the writer feels that he is part of the scenery.
94. Which of the following statements is closest to the truth?
(a) The writer does not like TV as it gives a narrow view of things.
(b) The writer likes TV but he does not like watching it from car windows.
(c) The writer does not like TV because the picture is in a frame.
(d) The writer does not like TV because the programmes are boring.
95. “ln a car you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you do not realise that…… .” In this sentence, ‘it’ refers to
(a) travelling in a car.
(b) always being in a compartment, e.g. one's room, office.
(c) seeing the scenery through the window frame.
(d) seeing so much TV at home.
96. In the last sentence, the writer talks of a ‘sense of presence'. He is referring to the presence of
(a) his own self as part of the scene.
(b) the time that is now passing.
(c) the scene and the beauty.
(d) senses with which one feels.
97. The word 'overwhelming’ means
(a) very strong
(b) unavoidable
(c) interesting
(d) humorous
Passage —3
I was lying down in a dark, lonely compartment of the speeding train, trying to sleep. But, quite unusually, sleep eluded me. A vague uneasiness gripped me. It was pitch dark outside. A few points of light flashed by as we sped through a small station and in the dim light I thought I saw a hand gripping the bars of my window. Once again the train was swallowed up by the impenetrable darkness. My heart pounded. My mouth was parched. I could not get up. I do not know how long I remained thus before the train began to slow down. The reassuring bright lights of the station we were entering revealed no intruder. I breathed again.
98. The narrator could not sleep because
(a) he usually found it difficult to fall asleep.
(b) he could not find a place to lie down.
(e) he was disturbed by some unspecified thoughts.
(d) the people near him were disturbing him.
99. In the dim light he saw
(a) someone trying to climb into the train.
(b) someone clinging to the bars of the window.
(c) someone was attempting to steal his bag.
(d) someone standing outside the window.
100. Which of the following word8 best describes the condition of the traveller?
(a) Cautious
(b) Imaginative
(c) Observant
(d) Nervous
Passage -4
I was abruptly awakened by a noisy scuffle. The sun, a mere fringe over the horizon, immediately chased away the grey half-darkness. I was too sleepy to notice what was happening. Yuri was rolling over on the ground. I ran up to him but was struck dumb. with his right hand he was holding a cobra by the neck. Two sharp fangs showed from its jaws. The battle was over in a few minutes. A hollow hissing and convulsive jerks were then only reminders of a just-ended tussle. The catcher half-opened the lid of the box and calmly put the quarry in.
101. when the writer saw Yuri holding a cobra by the neck, he was ‘struck dumb’, This means that he was
(a) extremely delighted.
(b) very much helpless.
(c) rather surprised.
(d) absolutely shocked.
102. From the passage, Yuri appears to be a man who is
(a) calm and courageous.
(b) cunning and crafty.
(c) noisy and dangerous.
(d) active and jumpy.
103. With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. The incident took place early in the morning.
2. Yuri threw the snake away.
Which of these assumptions is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage -5
Urbanization and industrialization have often resulted in whole areas of forests being cleared to gain new land and to obtain timber for the various building projects Large areas of fields and forests have disappeared to make way for concrete jungles many of which are fitted with huge plants and chimney stacks. Industrial growth has necessitated the increased demand for fuel oil to run the machines and in doing so produces industrial gases and fumes which belch through the chimney and pollute the atmosphere. The most evident elements in the contamination of the atmosphere are dust, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide.
104. The writer expresses the belief that
(a) there is plenty of scope for further industrialization.
(b) unplanned growth or industry has done more harm than good.
(c) the change from rural to urban growth is a change for the better.
(d) the timber obtained from the forests has been beneficially used.
105. The effect on forest areas produced by the activity described in the first sentence is called
(a) devastation
(b) deforestation
(c) disfiguration
(d) devaluation
106. The results or industrial development, according to the writer, are
(a) urbanization
(b) no shortage of fuel oil
(c) greater availability of domestic gas
(d) greater fuel consumption and pollution
107. The phrase ‘concrete jungle’ in the paragraph refers to the factories and houses built as a result of urbanization and industrialization. This phrase suggests that the author
(a) regrets that fields and forests have been replaced by city buildings.
(b) believes that too much cement has been used in building factories.
(c) disapproves of modern industrial expansion.
(d) would like to go back to life in the jungle.
Passage - 6
I must say a word about the Eiffel Tower. I do not know what purpose it serves today. But I then heard it greatly disparaged as well as praised. I remember that Tolstoy was the chief among those who disparaged it. He said that the Eiffel Tower was a monument of man's folly, not of his wisdom. Tobacco, he argued, was the worst of all intoxicants, inasmuch as a man addicted to it was tempted to commit crimes which a drunkard never dared to do: liquor made a man mad, but tobacco clouded his intellect and made him build custles in the air. The Eiffel Tower was one of the creations of a man under such influence. There is no art about the Eiffel Tower. In no way can it be said to have contributed to the real beauty of the Exhibition. Men flocked to see it and ascended it as it was a novelty and of unique dimensions. It was the toy of the Exhibition. So long as we are children we are attracted by toys, and the Tower was a good demonstration of the fact that we are children attracted by trinkets. That may be claimed to be the purpose served by the Eiffel Tower.
108. Why did Tolstoy disparage Eiffel Tower?
1. Man was foolish to build it.
2. Huge man-made structures did not appeal to him.
3. Men flocked to see it.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 3only
109. Why did Tolstoy believe that tobacco was the worst of all intoxicants?
(a) Man lost his intellectual abilities under the influence of tobacco.
(b) Tobacco kept man in a state of inebriation.
(c) People who commit crimes are invariably addicted to tobacco.
(d) Statements (a) and (b) above are correct in this context.
110. Why did men flock to the Eiffel Tower?
(a) Men were attracted to the castles built in the air.
(b) Men lost their wisdom under the influence of intoxicants.
(c) Men were attracted to childish things.
(d) Men were attracted to things of no value
FILL IN THE BLANKS
Directions : In this section, each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
111. In this University, there is no ____________ for awarding scholarships on the basis of merit in examination alone.
(a) precedent
(b) opportunity
(c) chance
(d) possibility
112. Can you pay_________ all these articles?
(a) out
(b) of
(c) for
(d) off
113. He may not come, but we'll get ready in case he ____.
(a) may
(b) will
(c) shall
(d) does
114. He is quite __________; you can never count on him in matters of secrecy.
(a) unjust
(b) unbearable
(c) inefficient
(d) unreliable
115. The Governor will ____________the oath of office to the thirty-five new ministers at 9.30 p.m. tomorrow.
(a) confer
(b) present
(c) execute
(d) administer
116. Most of the students have forgotten to bring their certificates; they will be ____________ by the Principal for this reason.
(a) reproached
(b) abused
(c) accused
(d) reprimanded
117. The consequences of economic growth have now ____________to the lowest level.
(a) drawn
(b) slipped
(c) percolated
(d) crept
118. Mrs. Ramsay did not know whether Miss Jane knew_____.
(a) swimming
(b) to swim
(c) how to swim
(d) how to swimming
119. He_______the role of the organization in creating environmental awareness among the people.
(a) collaborated
(b) commanded
(c) contrasted
(d) commended
120. We should give everyone training in citizenship but we have______this aspect till now.
(a) denied
(b) neglected
(c) refused
(d) disallowed
