16. The indirect speech of: He said to her, “she has to cook food for him”
(a) He told her that she has to cook food for him
(b) He told her that she had to cook food for him
(c) He told her that she needs to cook food for him
(d) He told her that she would have to cook food for him.
Answer:
(b) He told her that she had to cook food for him
Explanation:
In indirect speech, the present obligation “has to” shifts to the past obligation “had to”.
17. Do you want… year-long programme?
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article needed
Answer:
(a) a
Explanation:
The word “year” begins with a consonant sound (the ‘y’ sound /j/), so the indefinite article “a” is used, not “an”.
18. Black absorbs heat _____ white reflects it.
(a) unless
(b) infect
(c) but
(d) unlike
Answer:
(d) unlike
Explanation:
Note: While grammatically unconventional compared to “whereas” or “while”, “unlike” is the intended contrast word provided in the exam’s key options to indicate that white behaves in the opposite manner to black.
19. ……. his illness, Ravi continued to work
(a) Despite the fact
(b) In spite of
(c) Inasmuch as
(d) since
Answer:
(b) In spite of
Explanation:
“In spite of” correctly introduces a prepositional phrase expressing contrast. (“Despite the fact” would require a clause like “that he was ill”).
20. He was astonished _____ the sad news
(a) At
(b) In
(c) With
(d) To
Answer:
(a) At
Explanation:
The adjective “astonished” is idiomatically followed by the preposition “at”.
