UPSC NDA & NA English (General Ability Test - Part A) Syllabus

English (General Ability Test - Part A) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English (General Ability Test - Part A) in UPSC NDA & NA, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Grammar and Usage

   4 topics

   • Parts of Speech
     • Nouns, pronouns and articles
     • Verbs, adverbs and adjectives
     • Prepositions and conjunctions
   • Tenses and Concord
     • Sequence and correct use of tenses
     • Subject-verb agreement
   • Voice and Narration
     • Active and passive voice
     • Direct and indirect speech
   • Error Detection and Sentence Correction
2. 2

   Vocabulary

   4 topics

   • Synonyms and Antonyms
   • One-Word Substitution
   • Idioms and Phrases
   • Commonly Confused and Misused Words
3. 3

   Sentence Structure

   4 topics

   • Sentence Improvement
     • Rearrangement of jumbled sentences
     • Sentence completion
   • Spotting Grammatical Errors
   • Fill in the Blanks
     • Single and double blanks
     • Contextual word choice
   • Cloze Test
4. 4

   Comprehension

   3 topics

   • Reading Comprehension Passages
     • Identifying main idea and theme
     • Inference and tone-based questions
   • Vocabulary in Context
   • Cohesion and Ordering of Sentences

English (General Ability Test - Part A) flashcards for UPSC NDA & NA

22 of 50 cards from the English (General Ability Test - Part A) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the eight traditional parts of speech in English grammar?

   Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection.

2. What is a 'concrete noun' versus an 'abstract noun'? Give one example of each.

   A concrete noun names something perceived by the senses (e.g., 'table'); an abstract noun names an idea, quality, or state (e.g., 'honesty').

3. Name the four types of pronouns illustrated by: 'himself', 'who', 'this', 'each'.

   'himself' = reflexive; 'who' = relative/interrogative; 'this' = demonstrative; 'each' = distributive (indefinite) pronoun.

4. Distinguish between a transitive and an intransitive verb.

   A transitive verb takes a direct object (e.g., 'She wrote a letter'); an intransitive verb does not need an object (e.g., 'He slept').

5. What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb in function?

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

6. What are the three degrees of comparison of adjectives? Give the forms for 'good'.

   Positive, Comparative, Superlative — good, better, best.

7. What is a conjunction, and what is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions?

   A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) join equals; subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if) join a dependent clause to a main clause.

8. List the names of the three main tenses and their typical aspects.

   Present, Past, and Future tenses; each has four aspects: Simple (Indefinite), Continuous (Progressive), Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

9. What is the structure of the Present Perfect tense? Give an example.

   Subject + has/have + past participle (V3). Example: 'She has finished her work.'

10. What is the structure of the Past Perfect Continuous tense? Give an example.

    Subject + had been + present participle (V-ing). Example: 'They had been waiting for two hours.'

11. What does 'subject-verb concord (agreement)' require?

    The verb must agree with its subject in number and person — a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

12. In concord, what verb form do two singular subjects joined by 'and' usually take, and what is the exception?

    They usually take a plural verb. Exception: when the two nouns refer to one person or thing/idea, a singular verb is used (e.g., 'Bread and butter is my breakfast').

13. In concord, when subjects are joined by 'either...or' / 'neither...nor', which subject decides the verb?

    The verb agrees with the nearer (closer) subject — the noun/pronoun immediately before the verb. Example: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were present.'

14. What verb (singular/plural) is used with 'each', 'every', 'everyone', 'everybody', 'none', 'either', 'neither' as subjects?

    A singular verb. Example: 'Each of the boys is present'; 'Everyone was happy.'

15. In concord, how do collective nouns (team, jury, family) take verbs?

    Singular verb when acting as one unit ('The team is winning'); plural verb when members act individually ('The jury are divided in opinion').

16. What is the active and passive voice? Give the basic transformation rule.

    In active voice the subject performs the action; in passive voice the subject receives it. Rule: Object of active becomes subject of passive, and the verb becomes 'be + past participle'.

17. Convert to passive voice and state the rule: 'She is writing a letter.'

    'A letter is being written by her.' Present Continuous active → 'is/am/are + being + past participle' in passive.

18. How is a passive voice formed for the Present Perfect tense? Convert: 'They have completed the project.'

    Use 'has/have + been + past participle': 'The project has been completed by them.'

19. In changing voice for imperative sentences (commands/requests), what structure is used? Convert: 'Open the door.'

    Use 'Let + object + be + past participle': 'Let the door be opened.'

20. What are the two main types of narration (reported speech)?

    Direct speech (exact words quoted within inverted commas) and Indirect/Reported speech (the words reported without quotation marks).

21. In narration, how do present tenses in direct speech change when the reporting verb is in the past?

    They 'back-shift': present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, present perfect → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might.

22. In indirect narration, how do 'now', 'today', 'here', and 'this' typically change?

    now → then; today → that day; here → there; this → that (these → those).

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