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UPSC NDA & NA English (General Ability Test - Part A) Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering English (General Ability Test - Part A) as it is examined in UPSC NDA & NA. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the English (General Ability Test - Part A) deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
In error detection, why is 'He is senior than me' incorrect, and how is it corrected?
Latin comparatives (senior, junior, prior, superior, inferior) take 'to', not 'than': 'He is senior TO me.'
In error/sentence correction, what is wrong with 'He has been ill since three days'?
'Since' marks a point of time; for a period of time use 'for': 'He has been ill FOR three days.'
In error correction, what is wrong with 'I am looking forward to meet you'?
'Look forward to' is a phrasal verb where 'to' is a preposition, so it must be followed by a gerund: 'I am looking forward to MEETING you.'
In sentence correction, why is 'Each of the students have a book' wrong?
'Each of' takes a singular verb: 'Each of the students HAS a book.'
What is a synonym? Give a synonym for 'abundant'.
A synonym is a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another. Synonym for 'abundant' = plentiful (or copious).
What is an antonym? Give the antonym of 'benevolent'.
An antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another. Antonym of 'benevolent' (kind) = malevolent (cruel/hostile).
Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'candid'.
Synonym: frank/honest; Antonym: deceptive/secretive.
Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'frugal'.
Synonym: thrifty/economical; Antonym: extravagant/lavish.
What is 'one-word substitution'? Give the word for 'a person who knows many languages'.
It is replacing a phrase or group of words with a single precise word. A person who knows many languages = a 'polyglot'.
One-word substitution: What word means 'a government run by officials/bureaucrats'?
Bureaucracy.
One-word substitution: What single word means 'one who eats everything (both plants and meat)'?
Omnivore (a plant-eater = herbivore; a meat-eater = carnivore).
One-word substitution: What word means 'words inscribed on a tomb'?
Epitaph (an inscription on a tombstone). [An 'epigraph' is a quotation at a book's start.]
One-word substitution: What word means 'a place where government records are kept'?
Archives.
What is an idiom? Give the meaning of 'to bite the bullet'.
An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning differs from the literal meaning of its words. 'To bite the bullet' = to face a difficult situation bravely/endure something unpleasant.
What does the idiom 'a blessing in disguise' mean?
A good thing that initially seemed bad or unfortunate.
What does the idiom 'to let the cat out of the bag' mean?
To reveal a secret (often accidentally).
What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?
Very rarely; almost never.
Commonly confused words: Distinguish 'stationary' and 'stationery'.
'Stationary' (with an 'a') means not moving/fixed; 'stationery' (with an 'e') means writing materials such as paper and pens.
Commonly confused words: Distinguish 'principal' and 'principle'.
'Principal' = chief/head (e.g., school principal) or main; 'principle' = a rule, law, or fundamental truth.
Commonly confused words: Distinguish 'affect' and 'effect'.
'Affect' is usually a verb meaning 'to influence'; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning 'result' (and as a verb means 'to bring about').
Commonly misused words: Distinguish 'complement' and 'compliment'.
'Complement' = something that completes or goes well with; 'compliment' = an expression of praise.
What is a 'cloze test', and what skills does it assess?
A cloze test is a passage with periodic blanks that must be filled with the most appropriate words. It tests vocabulary, grammar, collocation, and overall reading comprehension/contextual understanding.
In 'sentence improvement' and 'fill in the blanks', what is the rule for prepositions after 'comprise'?
'Comprise' takes NO preposition ('The team comprises ten players'); but 'compose' takes 'of' ('The team is composed OF ten players').
Fill in the blank with the correct word and state the rule: 'I have ____ (less / fewer) books than you.'
'fewer' — use 'fewer' for countable nouns (books) and 'less' for uncountable nouns (e.g., less water).
What this deck covers
The English (General Ability Test - Part A) deck follows the UPSC NDA & NA English (General Ability Test - Part A) syllabus — 4 chapters and 15 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.5 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 94 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
English (General Ability Test - Part A) flashcards FAQ
How many English (General Ability Test - Part A) flashcards are in this UPSC NDA & NA deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these UPSC NDA & NA flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the English (General Ability Test - Part A) cards cover?
They follow the UPSC NDA & NA English (General Ability Test - Part A) syllabus — 4 chapters and 15 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.