GIKI Admission Test English Syllabus

Give an antonym for the word 'transparent'.

Opaque.

Give an antonym for the word 'scarce'.

Abundant (also: plentiful, ample).

What does it mean to determine a word's meaning 'in context'?

Using the surrounding words, sentence, and passage to figure out which meaning of a word applies, especially for words with multiple meanings.

In the sentence 'The bank of the river was muddy', what does 'bank' mean, and how do you know?

It means the sloping land beside a river. Context ('river', 'muddy') signals the geographic meaning, not the financial institution.

What are context clues, and name two common types.

Hints in surrounding text that reveal a word's meaning. Types include: definition/restatement, example, synonym, antonym/contrast, and inference from general sense.

Name the three simple tenses in English and what each expresses.

Simple present (habitual/general truths), simple past (completed past actions), and simple future (actions yet to happen).

What is the basic subject-verb agreement rule for present tense?

A singular subject takes a singular verb (usually with -s), and a plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., 'He writes' vs 'They write').

Which verb form is correct: 'Each of the students (has/have) a book', and why?

'has' — 'Each' is singular and takes a singular verb, regardless of the plural noun that follows.

When two subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', which subject determines the verb?

The subject nearer to the verb determines its number (e.g., 'Neither the teacher nor the students are here').

What tense is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present?

The present perfect tense (e.g., 'She has lived here for five years').

How is the present perfect tense formed?

has/have + past participle (e.g., 'They have finished').

What are the eight parts of speech in English?

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

What is the function of an adjective versus an adverb?

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun; an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

What is a conjunction, and give two examples.

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses. Examples: 'and', 'but', 'or', 'because', 'although'.

What is a preposition, and what does it show?

A word that shows the relationship (of place, time, direction, etc.) between a noun/pronoun and another word, e.g., 'in', 'on', 'at', 'between'.

What part of speech is the underlined word: 'She sang beautifully'? Name it and what it modifies.

'beautifully' is an adverb; it modifies the verb 'sang'.

What is sentence correction in a grammar test asking you to do?

Identify the grammatically correct or best-written version of a sentence, fixing errors in grammar, structure, usage, or clarity.

Correct the error: 'Neither of the answers are correct.'

'Neither of the answers is correct.' — 'Neither' is singular and takes 'is'.

Correct the error: 'He don't like coffee.'

'He doesn't like coffee.' — third-person singular requires 'doesn't' (does not).

What is a dangling modifier, and give an example of fixing one.

A modifier with no clear word to modify. Fix: 'Walking to school, the rain started' becomes 'Walking to school, I was caught in the rain.'

Which preposition typically follows 'good': 'good in', 'good at', or 'good on'?

'good at' (e.g., 'She is good at mathematics').

When are the indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' used?

'a' before a consonant sound, 'an' before a vowel sound (e.g., 'a university', 'an hour') — based on sound, not just spelling.

When is the definite article 'the' used?

Before a specific or previously mentioned noun, or a unique thing (e.g., 'the sun', 'the book I bought').

Choose the correct preposition: 'He is interested ___ science.'

'in' — 'interested in'.

In a sentence-completion question, what should you do before choosing the answer?

Read the whole sentence for context clues (signal words, tone, logic) and predict the type of word/idea needed, then match it to the option that fits grammatically and in meaning.

What do contrast signal words like 'however', 'but', and 'although' indicate in sentence completion?

That the missing word or clause expresses an idea opposite to or contrasting with the rest of the sentence.

In an 'identifying errors' question, what is your task?

To find the single underlined part of a sentence that contains a grammatical or usage error (or mark 'no error' if it is correct).

Identify and correct the error: 'The list of items are on the desk.'

Error: 'are'. The subject is 'list' (singular), so it should be 'The list of items is on the desk.'

When is a comma required before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or)?

When the conjunction joins two independent clauses (e.g., 'I was tired, but I finished the work').

What is the difference in use between a semicolon (;) and a colon (:)?

A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses; a colon introduces a list, explanation, or example after a complete clause.