PIEAS Admission Test English Syllabus

What are the three principal forms (parts) of a verb tested in tense questions?

The base/present form, the past simple form, and the past participle (e.g., go, went, gone).

Give the past simple and past participle of the irregular verb 'begin'.

Began (past simple) and begun (past participle).

When are the prepositions 'in', 'on', and 'at' used for time?

'In' for months/years/longer periods (in May), 'on' for days/dates (on Monday), and 'at' for precise times (at 5 o'clock).

What is the difference between the articles 'a' and 'an'?

'A' is used before words beginning with a consonant sound; 'an' is used before words beginning with a vowel sound (e.g., a university, an hour).

When is the definite article 'the' used?

Before specific or previously mentioned nouns, and with unique things (e.g., the sun, the book I bought).

Which preposition correctly fills the blank: 'He is good ___ mathematics'?

'at' — 'He is good at mathematics.'

What is 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 runs' / 'They run').

When two singular subjects are joined by 'and', is the verb singular or plural?

Plural (e.g., 'Tom and Jerry are friends'), unless the two nouns refer to a single idea.

With subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor', which subject determines the verb form?

The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it (e.g., 'Neither the boys nor the girl is here').

Do indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'each', and 'nobody' take a singular or plural verb?

Singular (e.g., 'Everyone is present').

In the sentence 'The team of players is winning', why is 'is' singular?

Because the subject is the singular collective noun 'team'; 'of players' is a prepositional phrase that does not affect the verb.

What are the eight parts of speech?

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

What is the function of an adjective?

It describes or modifies a noun or pronoun (e.g., 'a tall building').

What is the function of an adverb?

It modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often telling how, when, where, or to what degree (e.g., 'She sang beautifully').

What is a conjunction, and give an example?

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses; examples include 'and', 'but', 'or', and 'because'.

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

A common noun names a general thing (city, boy); a proper noun names a specific one and is capitalized (London, Ahmed).

In error identification, what is wrong with 'She don't like coffee'?

The verb should agree with the singular subject: 'She doesn't like coffee.'

Identify the error: 'He is more taller than his brother.'

Double comparative — 'more' and '-er' should not be used together; correct is 'He is taller than his brother.'

What is the error in 'I have visited Paris last year'?

Present perfect cannot be used with a finite past time ('last year'); use the past simple: 'I visited Paris last year.'

Identify the error: 'One of the students were absent.'

Subject-verb agreement — 'One' is singular, so it should be 'One of the students was absent.'

What is the difference between a simple sentence and a compound sentence?

A simple sentence has one independent clause; a compound sentence has two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or semicolon.

What is a complex sentence?

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent (subordinate) clause (e.g., 'I stayed home because it rained').

What is a run-on sentence?

Two or more independent clauses joined incorrectly without proper punctuation or a conjunction (e.g., 'I like tea I drink it daily').

When is a comma used before a coordinating conjunction?

When the conjunction (and, but, or, etc.) joins two independent clauses (e.g., 'I called him, but he didn't answer').

What is the main use of a semicolon (;)?

To join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction (e.g., 'It was late; we went home').

What is the function of an apostrophe (')?

To show possession (John's book) or to mark omitted letters in contractions (don't = do not).

In reading comprehension, what is the 'main idea' of a passage?

The central point or overall message the author wants to convey about the topic.

What is an 'inference' in reading comprehension?

A conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning in the text rather than from explicitly stated information (reading between the lines).

What is the difference between a passage's 'topic' and its 'main idea'?

The topic is what the passage is about (a word or phrase); the main idea is the specific point the author makes about that topic (a full statement).

What is contextual vocabulary, and how do you determine a word's meaning from context?

It is deducing a word's meaning from the surrounding sentence; use context clues such as definitions, examples, synonyms, antonyms, or the overall tone to infer the intended meaning.