FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BPS-17, UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, 2008
ENGLISH (PRECIS &ComPosiTION)
Pick the most nearly same in meaning to the capitalized word. Do any Five.
- MORATORIUM
(a) Large tomb (b) Waiting period (c) Security for debt (d) Funeral house
- PROLIFIC
(a) Skilful (b) Fruitful (c) Wordy (d) Spread out
- BIPARTISAN
(a) Narrow minded (b) Progressive
(c) Representing two parties (d) Divided
- UNEQUIVOCAL
(a) Careless (b) Unmistakable (c) Variable (d) Incomparable
- COVENANT
(a) Prayer (b) Debate (c) Garden (d) Agreement
- TENTATIVE
(a) Expedient (b) Nominal (c) Provisional (d) Alternative
“. DEMOGRAPHIC
(a) Relating to the (b) Demons (c) Communications (d)Population
- SONAR:
(a) Apparatus to detect (b) Locate objects
(c) Measure rain (d) Anticipate earthquake
Correct the following sentences.
- Please tell me where is your brother?
- Sajjad as well as Saleem were late.
- He is the most cleverest boy in the class.
- I have met him last month.
- Your writing is inferior than him.
(I) Nothing but novels please him.
- The teacher gave the boy an advice which he refused.
- He brought the articles to the market which he wanted to sell.
Solution:
- Please tell me where your brother is.
- Sajjad as well as Saleem was late.
- He is the cleverest boy in the class.
- I met him last month.
- Your writing is inferior to his.
- Nothing pleases him but novels.
- The teacher gave the boy a piece of advice which he declined.
- He brought the articles which he wanted to sell to the market.
❑ Use the following idioms in sentences to make their meaning clear:
| 1. | Blow one’s top | 2. | A cock and bull story |
| 3. | Find one’s feet | 4. | Call it a night |
| 5. | The tip of the iceberg | 6. | Below par |
| 7. | From pillar to post | 8. | Hang up |
| 9. | Turn someone in | 10. | By and by |
- Blow one’s top —
Meaning: lose one’s temper
Use in sentence: If she calls about this one more time I’m going to blow my top.
- A cock and bull story —
Meaning: an unbelievable tale that is intended to deceive; a tall tale
Use in sentence: Jack told us some cock and bull story about getting lost.
- Find one’s feet
Meaning: to grow in confidence in a new situation as one gains experience
Use in sentence: If you ask for help when you need it, you will soon find your feet.
- Call it a night
Meaning: to go to bed to sleep
Use in sentence: We left the party and I wanted to call it a night, but Waseem invited people back for coffee.
- The tip of the iceberg —
Meaning: only a small part of a much larger problem
Use in sentence: This is just the tip of iceberg, with many missing but not reported.
- Below par / under par
Meaning: average or normal amount, degree, health or condition
Use in sentence: I am feeling below par today, but I am sure I will recover by tomorrow.
From pillar to post
Meaning: to and fro
Use in sentence: The youth needs somewhere to go because at the moment they moved from pillar to post.
Hang up on—
Meaning: to end a telephone call
Use in sentence: Do not hang up on me – we must talk.
Turn someone on
Meaning: to create feeling of excitement, interest, lust, pleasure, etc. Use in sentence: Jazz has never really turned me on.
10 Turn someone off—
Meaning: to create feelings of dislike, repulsion, disgust, etc.
Use in sentence: People had been turned off by both candidates in the election.
- By and by
Meaning: after a while, soon
Use in sentence: She’ll be along by and by.
Use five of the following pairs of words in sentences:
| (i) | Mitigate, Alleviate | (ii) | Persecute, Prosecute |
| (iii) | Popular, Populace | (iv) | Compliment, Complement |
| (v) | Excite, Incite | (vi) | Voracity, Veracity |
| (vii) | Virtual, Virtuous | (viii) Exceptiona!, Exceptionable | |
- fi) Mitigate:
Meaning: to make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad
Use in sentence: It is unclear how to mitigate the effects of tourism on the island.
Alleviate:
Meaning: to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe
Use in sentence: The drugs did nothing to alleviate her pain/suffering.
oil) Persecute:
Meaning: to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs or to annoy someone by refusing to leave them alone
Use in sentence: Religious minorities were persecuted and massacred during the ten-year regime.
Prosecute:
Meaning: to bring legal action against for redress or punishment of a crime or violation of law Use in sentence: He was prosecuted for fraud.
- Popular:
Meaning: liked, enjoyed or supported by many people Use in sentence: She’s the most popular teacher in school.
Populace:
Meaning: the ordinary people who live in a particular country or place Use in sentence: The populace has suffered greatly.
- Compliment:
Meaning: remark that expresses approval, admiration or respect
Use in sentence: I take it as a compliment when people say I look like my mother.
Complement:
Meaning: to make something else seem better or more attractive when combining with it Use in sentence: The music complements her voice perfectly.
- Excite:
Meaning: to make someone have strong feelings of happiness and enthusiasm Use in sentence: Nothing about my life excites me at present.
Incite:
Meaning: to encourage someone to do or feel something unpleasant or violent
Use in sentence: She was expelled for inciting her classmates to rebel against their teachers.
- Voracity:
Meaning: excessive desire to eat
Use in sentence: On reaching the ship they were offered some bread, which they devoured with a voracious appetite.
Veracity:
Meaning: the quality of being true, honest or accurate
Use in sentence: The veracity of the second claim can be tested against the findings of archaeology.
- Virtuous:
Meaning: having good moral qualities and behaviour
Use in sentence: He described them as a virtuous and hard-working people.
Virtual:
Meaning: describes something that can be done or seen using a computer and therefore without going anywhere or talking to anyone
Use in sentence: In tests, we have found the virtual machine runs at a reasonable speed.
- Exceptional:
Meaning: much greater than usual, especially in skill, intelligence, quality, etc.
Use in sentence: The Company has shown exceptional growth over the past two years.
Exceptionable:
Meaning: offensive or upsetting
Use in sentence: This action is normally only taken in exceptionable circumstances.