CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam English Syllabus

English syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English in CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Vocabulary and Word Usage

   4 topics

   • Synonyms and Antonyms
     • Choosing the closest meaning in context
     • Distinguishing shades of meaning between near-synonyms
     • Opposite-word selection from options
   • One-Word Substitution
     • Words for groups, persons and professions
     • Words denoting fears, manias and study fields
   • Idioms and Phrases
     • Common English idioms and their meanings
     • Phrasal verbs in sentence context
   • Spotting Spelling Errors
     • Commonly misspelt words
     • Confusable pairs (homophones)
2. 2

   Grammar and Sentence Correction

   6 topics

   • Spotting the Error
     • Errors in tense and verb agreement
     • Errors in prepositions and articles
     • Errors in pronouns and modifiers
   • Subject-Verb Agreement
     • Collective and uncountable nouns
     • Either/neither, each, every constructions
   • Tenses and Sequence of Tenses
     • Twelve tense forms and usage
     • Conditional and reported-speech sequencing
   • Prepositions, Articles and Conjunctions
     • Appropriate preposition selection
     • Definite and indefinite article rules
   • Active and Passive Voice
     • Voice transformation across tenses
     • Imperative and modal passives
   • Direct and Indirect Speech
     • Conversion of statements, questions and commands
3. 3

   Sentence Arrangement and Improvement

   4 topics

   • Ordering of Sentences (Para Jumbles)
     • Identifying the opening and closing sentence
     • Logical and chronological linking
   • Ordering of Words in a Sentence
     • Rearranging jumbled phrases into a sentence
   • Sentence Improvement
     • Replacing underlined parts for correctness
   • Completion of Sentences
     • Filling blanks with appropriate clauses
4. 4

   Comprehension and Cloze

   3 topics

   • Reading Comprehension Passages
     • Main idea and inference questions
     • Vocabulary-in-context within passage
   • Cloze Test (Fill in the Blanks)
     • Single-blank contextual filling
     • Double-blank coherence filling
   • Theme and Tone Detection
     • Identifying author's attitude and purpose

English flashcards for CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam

23 of 50 cards from the English deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

   A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another (e.g., 'happy' = 'joyful'); an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (e.g., 'happy' vs 'sad').

2. Give a near-synonym and an antonym for the word 'abate'.

   Synonym: subside/lessen/diminish. Antonym: intensify/aggravate/increase. 'Abate' means to reduce in amount or intensity.

3. What is the antonym of 'benevolent', and what does 'benevolent' mean?

   'Benevolent' means kind and generous. Its antonym is 'malevolent' (wishing harm) or 'cruel'.

4. What does 'one-word substitution' mean in CDS English, with an example?

   It is replacing a phrase or group of words with a single precise word. Example: 'a person who eats everything' = omnivore; 'a place where birds are kept' = aviary.

5. Give the one-word substitution for: 'a government by the rich' and 'a government by officials'.

   Government by the rich = plutocracy; government by officials (bureaucrats) = bureaucracy.

6. What is the one-word substitution for 'a person who knows many languages' and 'a person who cannot read or write'?

   Knows many languages = polyglot; cannot read or write = illiterate.

7. Give the one-word substitution for: 'something that cannot be corrected' and 'something that cannot be avoided'.

   Cannot be corrected = incorrigible; cannot be avoided = inevitable.

8. What is an idiom, and how does its meaning differ from its literal words?

   An idiom is a fixed expression whose figurative meaning differs from the literal meaning of its words. Example: 'to bite the bullet' means to endure a painful situation bravely, not to actually bite a bullet.

9. What does the idiom 'to let the cat out of the bag' mean?

   To reveal a secret, usually unintentionally.

10. What does the idiom 'a blessing in disguise' mean?

    Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but results in something good.

11. What does the idiom 'to turn a blind eye' mean?

    To deliberately ignore or pretend not to notice something wrong.

12. What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?

    Very rarely; something that happens extremely infrequently.

13. In spotting spelling errors, give the correct spelling of: 'accomodate', 'occured', 'recieve'.

    accommodate (double c, double m), occurred (double c, double r), receive ('i before e except after c').

14. What is the 'i before e' spelling rule, and a key exception?

    'I before E except after C' (e.g., believe, receive). Exceptions include words where the sound is 'ay': neighbour, weigh; and words like seize, weird, foreign.

15. Spot the correct spelling: 'seperate' or 'separate'; 'definately' or 'definitely'.

    Correct spellings are 'separate' (there's 'a rat' in separate) and 'definitely' (contains 'finite').

16. In a 'spotting the error' question, what is wrong with: 'He is one of the best player in the team'?

    After 'one of the best' a plural noun is required: it should be 'one of the best players in the team'.

17. What is the error in: 'The news are very good'?

    'News' is an uncountable singular noun and takes a singular verb: 'The news is very good.'

18. State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement.

    A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., 'He writes' / 'They write').

19. In subject-verb agreement, what verb form follows 'either...or' / 'neither...nor'?

    The verb agrees with the nearer (closer) subject. Example: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were present'; 'Neither the students nor the teacher was present.'

20. Do collective nouns like 'team', 'government', 'jury' take singular or plural verbs?

    Usually singular when acting as one unit ('The team is winning'), but plural when members act individually ('The team are arguing among themselves').

21. In subject-verb agreement, what verb do 'each', 'every', 'everyone', 'nobody' take?

    They are singular and take a singular verb. Example: 'Everyone is here'; 'Each of the boys was rewarded.'

22. How many tenses and aspects are there in English, giving the total tense forms?

    Three tenses (past, present, future), each with four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous), giving twelve tense forms.

23. State the rule for sequence of tenses when the main clause is in the past tense.

    If the main verb is in the past, the subordinate clause is also normally in a past form. Example: 'He said that he was ill' (not 'is ill').

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