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    Basic English grammar PYQs for GATE CS

    GATE CS Basic English grammar: 3 chapters, 10 previous year questions (48% of Verbal Aptitude), 159 practice questions and one solved question from each chapt

    A question from this chapter

    Question 1
    2025 Slot Set1 PYQ
    Level 3: Exam Standard

    Ravi had ______ younger brother who taught at ______ university. He was widely regarded as ______ honorable man.

    Select the option with the correct sequence of articles to fill in the blanks.

    Question 2
    2024 Slot Set2 PYQ
    Level 3: Exam Standard
    Sequence the following sentences in a coherent passage.

    P: This fortuitous geological event generated a colossal amount of energy and heat that resulted in the rocks rising to an average height of 4 km across the contact zone.

    Q: Thus, the geophysicists tend to think of the Himalayas as an active geological event rather than as a static geological feature.

    R: The natural process of the cooling of this massive edifice absorbed large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide, altering the earth’s atmosphere and making it better suited for life.

    S: Many millennia ago, a breakaway chunk of bedrock from the Antarctic Plate collided with the massive Eurasian Plate.
    Question 3
    2026 Slot Set1 PYQ
    Level 3: Exam Standard
    Combinatorics deals with problems involving counting. For example, “How many distinct arrangements of N distinct objects in M spaces on a circle are possible?” is a typical problem in combinatorics. This kind of counting is sometimes used in the modeling of several physical phenomena. Often, in such models, the different combinatorial possibilities are assigned probability values. Assigning probabilities enables the computation of the average values of physical quantities.

    Consider the following statements:

    P: Combinatorics is always invoked in the modeling of physical phenomena.

    Q: Modeling some physical phenomena involves assigning probabilities to combinatorial possibilities in order to compute average values of physical quantities.

    Based on the passage above, what can be inferred about statements P and Q?
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    Basic English grammar PYQs for GATE CS

    GATE CS Basic English grammar: 3 chapters, 10 previous year questions (48% of Verbal Aptitude), 159 practice questions and one solved question from each chapter.

    About Basic English grammar Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

    10 previous year questions from Basic English grammar in GATE CS, grouped by chapter with the exam year, answer key and step-by-step solution for each.

    Basic English grammar Weightage in GATE CS

    Basic English grammar accounts for 10 of 21 Verbal Aptitude previous year questions in our bank (48%), about 1.4 per paper across 7 papers.

    Basic English grammar Chapter Matrix

    ChapterTopicsPYQsShare of unit PYQsPractice questions
    Grammar, Articles and Word UsageArticles and Determiners, Idioms, Adverbs and Contextual Word Usage, Grammar, Comparison and Pronoun Ambiguity550%78
    Sentence Arrangement and CoherenceSentence Sequencing and Narrative Coherence220%31
    Reading Comprehension and Passage AnalysisPassage Summary and Central Idea, Passage-Based Inference and Statement Evaluation330%50

    More from Verbal Aptitude

    One Solved Question from Each Basic English grammar Chapter

    Question 1 · Grammar, Articles and Word Usage · 2025_Set1 MCQ

    Ravi had ______ younger brother who taught at ______ university. He was widely regarded as ______ honorable man.

    Select the option with the correct sequence of articles to fill in the blanks.

    1. A.

      a; a; an

    2. B.

      the; an; a

    3. C.

      a; an; a

    4. D.

      an; an; a

    Correct Answer:

    A

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Insight: Articles depend on the specificity of the noun and its phonetic sound, not just its spelling.

    Exam route: The first mention of a singular countable noun ('younger brother') takes 'a'. 'University' starts with a consonant sound /j/, so it takes 'a'. 'Honorable' starts with a silent 'h' producing a vowel sound /ɒ/, so it takes 'an'. The sequence is a, a, an.

    Learning route:

    Step 1: Analyze the first blank. 'Younger brother' is introduced for the first time and is singular/countable, requiring the indefinite article 'a'.

    Step 2: Analyze the second blank. 'University' begins with the letter 'U', but phonetically it starts with the consonant sound /j/ (like 'you'). Therefore, it takes 'a', not 'an'.

    Step 3: Analyze the third blank. 'Honorable' begins with 'H', but the 'H' is silent. The word starts with the vowel sound /ɒ/. Thus, it requires 'an'.

    Combining these gives 'a; a; an'.

    Common trap: Students often look at the first letter rather than the sound, leading them to incorrectly choose 'an university' or 'a honorable'.

    Verification: Substituting 'a; a; an' into the sentence reads perfectly and follows all phonetic and grammatical rules for articles.

    Question 2 · Sentence Arrangement and Coherence · 2024_Set2 MCQ
    Sequence the following sentences in a coherent passage.

    P: This fortuitous geological event generated a colossal amount of energy and heat that resulted in the rocks rising to an average height of 4 km across the contact zone.

    Q: Thus, the geophysicists tend to think of the Himalayas as an active geological event rather than as a static geological feature.

    R: The natural process of the cooling of this massive edifice absorbed large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide, altering the earth’s atmosphere and making it better suited for life.

    S: Many millennia ago, a breakaway chunk of bedrock from the Antarctic Plate collided with the massive Eurasian Plate.
    1. A.

      QPSR

    2. B.

      QSPR

    3. C.

      SPRQ

    4. D.

      SRPQ

    Correct Answer:

    C

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Insight: The passage describes a geological sequence; the opening must introduce the event, followed by immediate effects, subsequent processes, and a concluding inference.

    Exam route: Sentence S introduces the collision. Sentence P refers to "This... event", locking S→P. Sentence R discusses "cooling of this massive edifice", which must follow the "rocks rising" in P. Sentence Q starts with "Thus", making it the conclusion. Sequence SPRQ is the only match.

    Learning route:

    Step 1: Identify the opener. Sentence S introduces the specific historical event ("Many millennia ago... collided"). Sentences P, R, and Q contain dependent references ("This... event", "this massive edifice", "Thus") and cannot open the passage.

    Step 2: Link cause and effect. Sentence P explicitly refers to "This fortuitous geological event", which must immediately follow the collision described in S. This forms the mandatory pair S→P.

    Step 3: Follow the physical timeline. Sentence P describes the generation of heat and rocks rising. Sentence R describes the "cooling of this massive edifice". Cooling must chronologically follow the generation of heat and rising, forming the pair P→R.

    Step 4: Identify the conclusion. Sentence Q begins with "Thus", signaling a summary or inference drawn from the preceding active geological processes, making it the natural closing sentence.

    The sequence S→P→R→Q is logically and chronologically sound.

    Question 3 · Reading Comprehension and Passage Analysis · 2026_Set1 MCQ
    Combinatorics deals with problems involving counting. For example, “How many distinct arrangements of N distinct objects in M spaces on a circle are possible?” is a typical problem in combinatorics. This kind of counting is sometimes used in the modeling of several physical phenomena. Often, in such models, the different combinatorial possibilities are assigned probability values. Assigning probabilities enables the computation of the average values of physical quantities.

    Consider the following statements:

    P: Combinatorics is always invoked in the modeling of physical phenomena.

    Q: Modeling some physical phenomena involves assigning probabilities to combinatorial possibilities in order to compute average values of physical quantities.

    Based on the passage above, what can be inferred about statements P and Q?
    1. A.

      P is False and Q is False

    2. B.

      P is False and Q is True

    3. C.

      P is True and Q is False

    4. D.

      P is True and Q is True

    Correct Answer:

    B

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Insight: Statement evaluation requires checking if the wording in the option strictly matches the passage without generalizing moderate quantifiers (like "sometimes") to absolutes (like "always").

    Exam route: Statement P uses "always", but the passage uses "sometimes" for combinatorics in physical models. Thus P is False. Statement Q uses "some", which is logically entailed by the passage's "Often, in such models". Thus Q is True. Match with Option B.

    Learning route:

    1. Analyze P: The passage explicitly states, "This kind of counting is sometimes used in the modeling of several physical phenomena." Statement P claims, "Combinatorics is always invoked". "Always" contradicts "sometimes". Therefore, P is False.
    2. Analyze Q: The passage states, "Often, in such models, the different combinatorial possibilities are assigned probability values. Assigning probabilities enables the computation of the average values of physical quantities." Statement Q claims, "Modeling some physical phenomena involves assigning probabilities...". Since "often" implies that it happens in at least some cases, "some" is a necessary truth derived from the text. Therefore, Q is True.
    3. Conclusion: P is False and Q is True. Option B correctly reflects this.