JIPMER Entrance English Language and Comprehension Syllabus

In direct-to-indirect speech, how do time/place words change: 'now', 'today', 'here', 'this', 'ago'?

now→then, today→that day, here→there, this→that, ago→before. Also tomorrow→the next day, yesterday→the previous day.

When does the tense NOT change (no backshift) in reported speech?

When the reporting verb is in the present/future tense, or when the statement expresses a universal truth, habitual fact, or scientific fact. E.g., 'The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.'

How are imperative sentences reported in indirect speech?

The reporting verb changes to order/command/request/advise/forbid, and the imperative verb becomes a to-infinitive. E.g., 'He said, "Sit down"' → 'He ordered me to sit down.'

Give three synonyms each for the words 'happy' and 'brave'.

Happy: joyful, cheerful, delighted (also content, elated). Brave: courageous, valiant, fearless (also gallant, intrepid).

What are the antonyms of 'benevolent', 'transparent', and 'frugal'?

Benevolent → malevolent (cruel); Transparent → opaque; Frugal → extravagant (wasteful).

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 (big/large); an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (big/small).

What is the one-word substitution for 'a person who knows many languages'?

Polyglot (or linguist).

Give the one-word substitution for 'a government run by a few people' and 'a government by the people'.

A government run by a few people = Oligarchy; a government by the people = Democracy.

What is the one-word substitution for 'one who cannot read or write' and 'one who eats everything'?

One who cannot read or write = Illiterate; one who eats everything = Omnivorous (an omnivore).

What is the one-word substitution for 'a speech made without preparation'?

Extempore (or impromptu).

What does the idiom 'to bite the bullet' mean?

To force oneself to endure or face a difficult, painful, or unpleasant situation with courage.

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

Something that happens very rarely or almost never.

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

To reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake.

What does the idiom 'a piece of cake' mean and what does 'to cost an arm and a leg' mean?

'A piece of cake' means something very easy to do; 'to cost an arm and a leg' means to be very expensive.

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

To deliberately ignore or pretend not to notice something wrong.

What is the correct spelling: 'accommodate', 'definately', or 'recieve'? Give all three correctly.

Correct spellings: accommodate (double c, double m), definitely, and receive ('i before e except after c').

What is the difference between the commonly confused words 'affect' and 'effect'?

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence ('Rain affects crops'); 'effect' is usually a noun meaning a result ('The effect was severe').

Distinguish between 'stationary' and 'stationery'.

'Stationary' (with an 'a') means not moving / fixed in position; 'stationery' (with an 'e') refers to writing materials like paper and pens.

What is the difference between 'principal' and 'principle'?

'Principal' means the head of a school or chief/most important; 'principle' means a fundamental rule, law, or moral belief.

Distinguish between 'complement' and 'compliment'.

'Complement' means something that completes or goes well with another ('The wine complements the meal'); 'compliment' means an expression of praise ('She paid him a compliment').

In reading comprehension, what is the difference between skimming and scanning?

Skimming is reading quickly to grasp the overall gist or main idea; scanning is searching the text rapidly to locate a specific piece of information such as a name, date, or figure.

In reading comprehension, what is the difference between the 'main idea' and a 'supporting detail'?

The main idea is the central point or theme the author conveys about the topic; supporting details are the facts, examples, and reasons that explain or back up that main idea.

In comprehension, how can you infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word from a passage?

Use context clues — the surrounding words, definitions, examples, contrasts, or the overall tone of the sentence — to deduce the word's likely meaning.

What is meant by the 'tone' of a passage in reading comprehension?

Tone is the author's attitude or feeling toward the subject, conveyed through word choice — e.g., sarcastic, optimistic, critical, objective, humorous, or pessimistic.

What is a cloze test, and what skill does it primarily assess?

A cloze test is a passage with several blanks that must be filled with contextually and grammatically appropriate words. It assesses overall comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar/coherence simultaneously.

In sentence completion, what role do contrast words like 'but', 'however', and 'although' play?

They signal a shift or opposition in meaning, indicating that the missing word/clause should express an idea contrary to the preceding part of the sentence.

What is a para jumble (sentence rearrangement) question, and what is the first step to solve it?

A para jumble gives sentences in random order to be arranged into a coherent paragraph. The first step is to identify the opening sentence — usually one that introduces the topic independently without pronoun references or connectors.

Which clues help link sentences in correct order in para jumbles?

Pronoun references, transition words (therefore, however, moreover), repeated/related nouns, chronological order, and cause-effect relationships help establish the logical sequence.

In error detection, what is wrong in the sentence 'One of the boys are absent'?

The verb should be singular: 'One of the boys IS absent.' The subject is 'one' (singular), so it takes a singular verb, not the plural 'are'.

Identify and correct the error: 'He is senior than me.'

The comparison is wrong; certain Latin comparatives take 'to' instead of 'than'. Correct: 'He is senior TO me.' (Similarly: junior to, superior to, inferior to, prior to.)