General English MCQs
Topic Notes: General English
MCQs and preparation resources for competitive exams, covering important concepts, past papers, and detailed explanations.
Plato
- Biography: Ancient Greek philosopher (427–347 BCE), student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, founder of the Academy in Athens.
- Important Ideas:
- Theory of Forms
- Philosopher-King
- Ideal State
811
The manager will give you a ticket.
Answer:
A ticket will be given to you by the manager.
**Rule**: To convert a Future Simple Tense sentence to passive voice, the structure is **Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Subject**. When there are two objects, either can become the subject.
- **Correct Answer (a)**: The direct object 'a ticket' becomes the subject. The verb form 'will be given' is correct. The indirect object 'you' is preceded by the preposition 'to'.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: 'would' is used instead of 'will', which is an incorrect change of modal.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Present.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: The preposition 'from' is incorrect; 'by' should be used to indicate the agent.
812
Who broke this beautiful vase?
Answer:
By whom was this beautiful vase broken?
**Rule**: Interrogative sentences in the Simple Past Tense starting with 'Who' are converted to passive voice using **By whom + was/were + object + V3?**
- **Correct Answer (b)**: 'Who' becomes 'By whom'. The object 'this beautiful vase' is singular, so 'was' is used. The past participle of 'break' is 'broken'.
- **Incorrect Answer (a)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Present Perfect.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Present.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: The word order is incorrect for a question, and 'who' should be 'whom' after a preposition.
813
You cannot trust him with this secret.
Answer:
He cannot be trusted with this secret.
**Rule**: For a sentence with a modal verb (like can, must, should), the passive structure is **Object + modal verb + be + V3**. The agent 'by you' can be omitted.
- **Correct Answer (a)**: The object 'him' becomes the subject 'He'. The modal 'cannot' is followed by 'be' and the past participle 'trusted'. The agent 'by you' is correctly and naturally omitted.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: While grammatically plausible, making 'this secret' the subject creates a slightly awkward sentence. The focus of trust is on 'him'.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: 'must not' is a different modal and changes the meaning from inability/lack of permission to strong prohibition.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: 'could not' changes the modal to its past or conditional form.
814
We expect good news.
Answer:
Good news is expected by us.
**Rule**: For a sentence in the Simple Present Tense, the passive voice structure is **Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + Subject**.
- **Correct Answer (a)**: The object 'good news' becomes the subject. 'News' is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb, so 'is' is used. The past participle of 'expect' is 'expected'.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Past.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: The 'Let' structure is used for imperative sentences, not for declarative statements like this one.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Present Perfect.
815
The President will inaugurate the new bridge tomorrow.
Answer:
The new bridge will be inaugurated by the President tomorrow.
**Rule**: To convert a Future Simple Tense sentence to passive voice, the structure is **Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Subject**.
- **Correct Answer (c)**: The object 'the new bridge' becomes the subject. The passive form 'will be inaugurated' is correct for the future simple tense.
- **Incorrect Answer (a)**: Using 'would' instead of 'will' changes the certainty of the action.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Present Continuous.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Present Perfect.
816
What did you eat for breakfast?
Answer:
What was eaten by you for breakfast?
**Rule**: For interrogative sentences in the Simple Past Tense starting with 'What', the passive structure is **What + was/were + V3 + by + subject?**
- **Correct Answer (a)**: The 'Wh-' word 'What' remains at the beginning and acts as the subject of the passive sentence. The verb 'was eaten' is the correct singular passive form for the Simple Past Tense.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Present.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Present Perfect.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Past Continuous.
817
They say that honesty is the best policy.
Answer:
It is said that honesty is the best policy.
**Rule**: For sentences with a reporting verb (like say, believe, think) and a 'that'-clause, a common passive form starts with **'It'**. The structure is **It + is/was + V3 (of reporting verb) + that-clause**. Since the reporting verb 'say' is in the present tense, the passive uses 'is said'. The universal truth in the clause remains unchanged.
- **Correct Answer (b)**: The sentence is correctly transformed by starting with 'It', followed by the passive form 'is said', and the original 'that'-clause.
- **Incorrect Answer (a)**: The word order is awkward and changes the tense of the reporting verb to past.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: This incorrectly changes the tense of the reporting verb to Present Perfect.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This structure alters the original sentence significantly and changes the tense.
818
Someone has stolen my wallet.
Answer:
My wallet has been stolen.
**Rule**: To change a Present Perfect Tense sentence to passive voice, we use **Object + has/have + been + V3**. When the subject is an indefinite pronoun like 'someone', it is often omitted in the passive voice.
- **Correct Answer (c)**: The object 'My wallet' becomes the subject. 'has been stolen' is the correct passive verb form for the present perfect tense. The agent 'by someone' is correctly omitted as it is understood.
- **Incorrect Answer (a)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Past.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Present.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Past Perfect.
819
Who composed this beautiful piece of music?
Answer:
By whom was this beautiful piece of music composed?
**Rule**: For interrogative sentences starting with 'Who' in the Simple Past Tense, the passive form begins with **'By whom'**, followed by the helping verb, the object (which becomes the subject), and the past participle of the main verb. The structure is **By whom + was/were + object + V3?**
- **Correct Answer (a)**: 'Who' changes to 'By whom'. The object 'this beautiful piece of music' is singular, so the helping verb 'was' is used. The past participle of 'compose' is 'composed'.
- **Incorrect Answer (b)**: 'Who' is the nominative case and is incorrect here. The objective case 'whom' should be used after the preposition 'by'.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: This option incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Present by using 'is'. The original sentence is in the Simple Past Tense.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This is not a passive construction; it's an active voice sentence in the Present Perfect Tense.
820
The judge will pardon him.
Answer:
He will be pardoned by the judge.
**Rule**: A sentence in the Future Simple Tense is converted to passive voice using the structure: **Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Subject**.
- **Correct Answer (b)**: The object 'him' becomes the subject 'He'. The verb form 'will be pardoned' is the correct passive construction for the future simple tense.
- **Incorrect Answer (a)**: 'would' is an incorrect change of the modal verb.
- **Incorrect Answer (c)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Simple Present.
- **Incorrect Answer (d)**: This incorrectly changes the tense to Present Perfect.