FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS
IN BPS-17, UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, 2010
ENGLISH (PRECIS &COMPOSITION)
Pick the word that is nearly similar in meaning to the capitalized word.
| 1.ACRIMONIOUS | |||
| (a) Bitter | (b) Provocative | (c) Cheap | (d) Volatile |
| 2.CALLIGRAPHY (a) Computers | (b) Handwriting | (c) Blood Pressure | (d) Brain waves |
| 3.UNEQUIVOCAL (a) Variable | (b) Plain | (c) Unmistakable | (d) Negligent |
| 4.DEMISE (a) Conclude | (b) End | (c) Affection | (d) Death |
| 5.INCENDIARY (a) Happy | (b) Sneer | (c) Causing fire | (d) Jolly |
| 6.TOUCHSTONE (a) Remind | (b) A hall | (c) At rest | (d) Criterion |
| 7.VOID (a) Emptiness | (b) Lea | (c) Anger | (d) Trick |
| 8.ESSAY (a) Direct | (b) Compose | (c) Attempt | (d) Suppose |
Indicate the most nearly opposite in meaning to the word in capital letters: (Do only FIVE), Extra attempt of any Part of the question will not be considered.
- IGNOBLE
(a) Lowly (b) Vile (c) Good (d) Noble
- MELANCHOLY
(a) Sorrowful (b) Happy (c) Forbidden (d) Brisk
- OBLITERATE
(a) Preserve (b) Destroy (c) Ravage (d) Dego
- ALLY
(a) Alloy (b) Foe (c) Partner (d) Accessory
- VULGAR
(a) Coarse (b) Gross (c) Exquisite (d) Obscene
- PRETEND
- (a) Sham (b) Substantiate (c) Feign (d) Fabricate
- LIBERTY
(a) Permission (b) Licence (c) Serfdom (d) Bound
- CONSCIENTIOUS
(a) Uncorrupt (b) Honourable (c) Principled (d) Profligate
- Correct the following sentences:
- This house is built of brick and stone.
- The climate of Pakistan is better than England?
- He swore by God.
- You ought to have regarded him your benefactor.
- My friend is very ill, I hope he will soon die.
- He is waiting for better and promising opportunity.
- When I shall see her I will deliver her your gift.
- Many a sleepless nights she spent.
Solution:
- This house is built to brick and stone.
- The climate of Pakistan is better than that of England.
- He swore to God.
- You ought to have regarded him as your benefactor.
- My friend is very ill. I fear he will die soon.
(t) He is waiting for a better and promising opportunity. - When I see her I will deliver her your gift.
- Many a sleepless night she spent.
- Use the following idioms in sentences to make their meaning clear:
| 1. | Make for | 2. | Yeoman’s service |
| 3. | Discretion is the better part of valour | 4. | A casting vote |
| 5. | Look down upon | 6. | Iconoclast |
| 7. | Out of the wood | 8. | A swan song |
- Make for – 71
Meaning: cause of
Use in sentence: That letter of yours will make for hard feelings in the family.
- Yeoman’s service –
Meaning: efficient or useful help in need
Use in sentence: On many occasions, his morality did him genuine yeoman’s service.
- Discretion is the better part of valour – A h.
Meaning: it is better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it
Use in sentence: She decided not to voice her opposition to the Chairman’s remarks. Perhaps discretion was the better part of valour.
- Casting vote
Meaning: the vote that gives one group a majority when the other votes are equally divided Use in sentence: Speaker made his casting vote in favour of the bill.
- Look down on
Meaning: regard someone with a feeling of superiority Use in sentence: Do not look down on the poor.
- Iconoclast
Meaning: a breaker or destroyer of images esp. religious
Use in sentence: Ahmadinejad is an iconoclast leader of the Muslim world.
Out of the wood
Meaning: free from difficulties
Use in sentence: It is true that the economy is getting stronger, but we are not out of the woods yet.
& Swan song
Meaning: final achievement or public appearance
Use in sentence: Blind girl sings her “swan song”, and at the end of her performance she is killed.
Use five of the following pairs of words in sentences:
(i) Adverse, Averse (ii) Maize, Maze
(iii) Medal, Meddle (iv) Imperious, Imperial
(v)Veracity, Voracity (vi) Allusion, Illusion
(vii) Ordinance, Ordnance (viii) Willing, Wilful
Ii) Adverse:
Meaning: having a negative or harmful effect on something
Use in sentence: The match has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
Averse:
Meaning: strongly disliking or opposed to
Use in sentence: Few MPs are averse to the attention of the media.
41–1 Maize:
Meaning: a tall plant grown in many parts of the world for its yellow seeds which are eaten as food, made into flour or fed to animals
Use in sentence: Some of our foods may contain ingredients produced from genetically modified maize.
Maze:
Meaning: an intricate, usually confusing network of interconnecting pathways Use in sentence: The old part of the town was a maze of narrow passages.
- Medal:
Meaning: a small, flat piece of metal with a design or inscription stamped or inscribed on it, made to commemorate some event, or awarded for some distinguished action
Use in sentence: She won three Olympic gold medals.
Meddle:
Meaning: to concern oneself with or take part in other people’s affairs without being asked or needed
Use in sentence: People shouldn’t meddle with things they don’t understand.
- Imperial:
Meaning: belonging or relating to an empire or the person or country that rules it
Use in sentence: Although the imperial child was so young, he still became the next king. Imperious:
Meaning: unpleasantly proud and expecting obedience
Use in sentence: She always talks in imperious mood.
- 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.
- Illusion:
Meaning: an idea or belief which is not true
Use in sentence: He had no illusions about his talents as a singer.
Allusion:
Meaning: something that is said or written that is intended to make you think of a particular thing or person
Use in sentence: Her novels are packed with literary allusions.
- Ordinance:
Meaning: a law or rule made by a government or authority
Use in sentence: City Ordinance 126 forbids car parking in this area.
Ordnance:
Meaning: all military weapons together with ammunition, combat vehicles, etc. and the equipment and supplies used in servicing these
Use in sentence: Do not touch any military ordnance that may be found lying around this area.
- Willing:
Meaning: inclined or favourably disposed in mind
Use in sentence: He was a willing participant in the crime.
Wilful:
Meaning: said or done deliberately or intentionally
Use in sentence: Wilful killing is a grave breach.