GATE DA & AI Engineering General Aptitude Syllabus

General Aptitude syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Aptitude in GATE DA & AI Engineering, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Verbal Aptitude

   3 topics

   • Basic English grammar
     • Tenses
     • Articles
     • Adjectives
     • Prepositions
     • Conjunctions
     • Verb-noun agreement
     • Other parts of speech
   • Basic vocabulary
     • Words
     • Idioms
     • Phrases in context
   • Reading and comprehension
     • Narrative sequencing
2. 2

   Quantitative Aptitude

   3 topics

   • Data interpretation
     • Data graphs (bar graphs, pie charts, and other graphs representing the data)
     • 2- and 3-dimensional plots
     • Maps and tables
   • Numerical computation and estimation
     • Ratios
     • Percentages
     • Powers
     • Exponents and logarithms
     • Permutations and combinations
     • Series
   • Mensuration and geometry
     • Elementary statistics and probability
3. 3

   Analytical Aptitude

   1 topic

   • Logic
     • Deduction and induction
     • Analogy
     • Numerical relations and reasoning
4. 4

   Spatial Aptitude

   2 topics

   • Transformation of shapes
     • Translation
     • Rotation
     • Scaling
     • Mirroring
     • Assembling and grouping
   • Paper folding, cutting, and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions

General Aptitude flashcards for GATE DA & AI Engineering

22 of 50 cards from the General Aptitude deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three main verb tenses in English, and what time does each refer to?

   Past (action already happened), Present (action happening now or habitually), and Future (action yet to happen). Each further divides into simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect-continuous aspects.

2. Identify the tense and form: 'She has been studying for three hours.'

   Present perfect continuous tense. Form: subject + has/have + been + present participle (verb + -ing). It links a past-starting action that continues to the present.

3. What is the difference between the simple past and the present perfect tense?

   Simple past ('I ate') refers to a finished action at a definite past time. Present perfect ('I have eaten') links a past action to the present, with the time unspecified or relevant now.

4. State the rule for forming the future continuous tense and give an example.

   Form: subject + will be + present participle (-ing). It describes an action that will be in progress at a future time. Example: 'At 9 pm I will be travelling.'

5. What are the three articles in English, and how are 'a' and 'an' chosen?

   The articles are 'a', 'an' (indefinite) and 'the' (definite). Use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound (e.g., 'a university', 'an hour') — based on sound, not spelling.

6. When is the definite article 'the' used versus the indefinite article 'a/an'?

   'The' is used for specific or previously mentioned nouns and unique things ('the sun'). 'A/an' is used for non-specific, singular countable nouns mentioned for the first time.

7. What is an adjective, and what are the three degrees of comparison?

   An adjective describes or modifies a noun/pronoun. The three degrees are positive (tall), comparative (taller), and superlative (tallest).

8. What is the correct order of multiple adjectives before a noun (OSASCOMP)?

   Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose. Example: 'a lovely small old round red Italian wooden dining table.'

9. How are comparative and superlative forms made for long (multi-syllable) adjectives?

   Use 'more' for the comparative and 'most' for the superlative instead of -er/-est. Example: 'beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful.'

10. What is a preposition? Give examples of prepositions of place and of time.

    A preposition shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to another word, usually in terms of place, time, or direction. Place: in, on, under, between. Time: at, on, in, before, during.

11. What is the rule for using 'in', 'on', and 'at' for time?

    'At' for precise times (at 5 pm), 'on' for days and dates (on Monday), and 'in' for longer periods — months, years, centuries (in May, in 2026).

12. What is a conjunction, and what are the three types?

    A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Types: coordinating (FANBOYS — for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), subordinating (because, although, if, when), and correlative (either…or, neither…nor, both…and).

13. What are the seven coordinating conjunctions, remembered by FANBOYS?

    For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. They join grammatically equal elements (two independent clauses, words, or phrases).

14. What is subject-verb agreement, and what is the basic rule for number?

    Subject-verb agreement means the verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb ('he runs'); a plural subject takes a plural verb ('they run').

15. In subject-verb agreement, what verb form follows two singular subjects joined by 'and' versus by 'or'?

    Subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb ('Tom and Jerry are here'). With 'or'/'nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject ('Either the boys or the girl is coming').

16. Do collective nouns and 'each/every/everyone' take singular or plural verbs?

    They typically take a singular verb. 'Each of the students is present'; 'Everyone has arrived'; 'The team is winning' (when acting as a single unit).

17. Name the eight parts of speech in English grammar.

    Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

18. What is an adverb, and what four kinds of questions can it answer?

    An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It answers how (manner), when (time), where (place), and to what extent/how often (degree/frequency).

19. What is the difference between a common noun and a proper noun?

    A common noun names a general class of things ('city', 'river') and is not capitalized. A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing ('Delhi', 'Ganga') and is always capitalized.

20. What is an interjection? Give an example.

    An interjection is a word or phrase expressing sudden emotion, often standing alone and followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: 'Wow!', 'Ouch!', 'Alas!'.

21. What is the difference between a homophone, a homonym, and a synonym?

    Homophones sound alike but differ in spelling/meaning (their/there). Homonyms share spelling and sound but differ in meaning (bat the animal/bat the bat). Synonyms have similar meanings (big/large).

22. Define 'antonym' and give a pair of examples.

    An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of another word. Examples: hot/cold, expand/contract, ascend/descend.

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