NDA Exam - English (Grammar & Usage / Idioms & Phrases) Practice Test 50MCQ's

NDA Exam - English (Grammar & Usage / Idioms & Phrases) Practice Test

Targeted 50 MCQ Practice Module focusing on: Tenses, Subject-Verb Agreement, Voice & Narration, Prepositions & Articles, and Idioms & Phrases as per the NDA English syllabus.

Select your answers and click Submit Assessment Answers at the bottom to calculate your total score and review explanations.

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SECTION I: Tenses & Subject-Verb Agreement [Questions 1 to 10]

1. By the time she arrived, we ___ dinner.

have finished had finished finish will finish

Explanation: Past Perfect Tense (had + V3) is used for an action completed before another past action (her arrival).

2. Neither of the boys ___ present in the class today.

are were is have been

Explanation: "Neither" is a singular pronoun and always takes a singular verb, regardless of the plural noun that follows "of".

3. The committee ___ divided in its opinion regarding the new policy.

is are were have

Explanation: Collective nouns like "committee" take a singular verb when the group acts/is viewed as a single unit.

4. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word: "She sings beautifully."

Adjective Noun Preposition Adverb

Explanation: "Beautifully" modifies the verb "sings", describing how the action is performed, making it an adverb.

5. ___ European Union currently has 27 member states.

A The An No article needed

Explanation: "The" is used before names of unions, organisations, and unique institutions such as "the European Union".

6. She is one of the students who ___ always late for class.

is was are has been

Explanation: In "one of the + plural noun + who" constructions, the relative pronoun "who" refers to "students" (plural), so the verb must be plural: "are".

7. I ___ this book since morning; I am almost at the last chapter.

have been reading read am reading had read

Explanation: Present Perfect Continuous (have/has + been + V-ing) is used for an action that started in the past and is still continuing, especially with "since".

8. Each of the players ___ given a medal after the tournament.

were have been was are

Explanation: "Each" is a singular indefinite pronoun and always takes a singular verb, even when followed by a plural noun phrase.

9. The ___ of information available on the internet is overwhelming for beginners.

number amount few many

Explanation: "Information" is an uncountable (mass) noun, so it takes "amount of", not "number of" (used for countable nouns).

10. If I ___ you, I would apologise to her immediately.

am was will be were

Explanation: In the Second Conditional (hypothetical present), "were" is used for all subjects, including "I", "he", and "she" — this is the subjunctive mood.

SECTION II: Voice, Narration & Sentence Structure [Questions 11 to 20]

11. Choose the correct passive voice of: "They are building a bridge over the river."

A bridge is being built over the river by them. A bridge was being built over the river by them. A bridge has been built over the river by them. A bridge is built over the river by them.

Explanation: Present Continuous active ("are building") converts to Present Continuous passive: "is/am/are + being + V3".

12. Convert to indirect speech: He said, "I am going to Delhi tomorrow."

He said that I am going to Delhi tomorrow. He said that he is going to Delhi the next day. He said that he was going to Delhi the next day. He says that he was going to Delhi tomorrow.

Explanation: In indirect speech, present tense shifts to past ("am going" → "was going"), pronoun "I" shifts to "he", and the time expression "tomorrow" shifts to "the next day".

13. Choose the correct passive voice of: "Someone has stolen my bike."

My bike was stolen. My bike has been stolen. My bike is stolen. My bike had been stolen.

Explanation: Present Perfect active ("has stolen") converts to Present Perfect passive: "has/have + been + V3".

14. Convert to indirect speech: She asked, "Where do you live?"

She asked where I lived. She asked where do I live. She asked that where I lived. She asked where did I live.

Explanation: Indirect questions drop the auxiliary inversion (no "do/did") and follow normal statement word order; the reporting verb "asked" is used without "that" for Wh-questions.

15. Which of the following sentences is correctly punctuated?

"Please, close the door, said the teacher." The teacher said "please close the door". The teacher said, "Please close the door." The teacher said "Please close the door,"

Explanation: Direct speech requires a comma before the opening quotation mark, a capital letter at the start of the quoted sentence, and the terminal punctuation inside the closing quotation marks.

16. Identify the type of sentence: "Although it rained heavily, we went out for a walk."

Simple Sentence Complex Sentence Compound Sentence Compound-Complex Sentence

Explanation: The sentence contains one independent clause ("we went out for a walk") and one dependent clause ("Although it rained heavily"), making it a Complex Sentence.

17. Choose the correct conjunction: "He is poor ___ honest."

but and or so

Explanation: "But" is a contrasting conjunction used to join two clauses that present an unexpected or contrasting idea (poor, yet honest).

18. Choose the correct relative pronoun: "This is the house ___ I was born."

which that where who

Explanation: "Where" is used as a relative pronoun/adverb to refer to a place (the house), introducing the clause describing the location.

19. Choose the sentence that correctly maintains parallel structure.

She likes reading, to swim, and painting. She likes to read, swimming, and paint. She likes reading, swim, and to paint. She likes reading, swimming, and painting.

Explanation: Parallelism requires items in a series to share the same grammatical form; here, all three verbs correctly appear as gerunds ("-ing" forms).

20. Change into passive voice: "She is writing a letter."

A letter is written by her. A letter is being written by her. A letter was being written by her. A letter has been written by her.

Explanation: Present Continuous active ("is writing") converts to Present Continuous passive: "is + being + written".

SECTION III: Prepositions & Articles [Questions 21 to 30]

21. He is very good ___ mathematics and always tops the class.

at in on for

Explanation: The idiomatic preposition following "good" (skill/ability) is "at" — "good at mathematics".

22. She was accused ___ theft by her former employer.

with for of about

Explanation: The fixed prepositional phrase is "accused of" a crime/wrongdoing.

23. Divide the sweets equally ___ the children.

between among in within

Explanation: "Among" is used for distribution involving more than two people/things; "between" is reserved for exactly two.

24. Spot the correctly formed sentence.

He is senior than me in the office. He is senior from me in the office. He is senior as me in the office. He is senior to me in the office.

Explanation: Latin comparative adjectives such as "senior", "junior", "superior", and "inferior" take "to" instead of "than".

25. Her grandfather died ___ cancer last year.

of from with by

Explanation: "Died of" is used for diseases/ailments (e.g., cancer, fever), while "died from" is used for external, injury-related causes.

26. ___ honest man is always respected in society.

A The An No article

Explanation: "Honest" begins with a silent "h", so it is pronounced with a vowel sound, requiring the article "an".

27. I have always been fond ___ classical music since childhood.

with for at of

Explanation: The correct idiomatic collocation is "fond of" something.

28. His opinion differs greatly ___ mine on this issue.

with from of than

Explanation: The correct collocation for comparing distinct things is "differs from", while "differ with" is used for disagreement with a person.

29. Raj got married ___ his childhood friend last month.

with for to of

Explanation: The correct fixed preposition after "married" is "to" — "married to someone".

30. He is ___ M.A. in English Literature from Delhi University.

an a the no article

Explanation: "M.A." is pronounced starting with the vowel sound "em", so it takes the article "an", regardless of the actual first letter.

SECTION IV: Idioms & Phrases - Part I [Questions 31 to 40]

31. What does the idiom "To bell the cat" mean?

To flatter someone for a favour To decorate something beautifully To undertake a dangerous task on behalf of a group To postpone an important decision

Explanation: "To bell the cat" means to take on a risky or difficult task for the benefit of others, derived from the fable of mice deciding to put a bell on a cat.

32. "Once in a blue moon" means:

Very rarely Every night Frequently Under moonlight

Explanation: This idiom describes an event that happens very infrequently, referring to the rare occurrence of a second full moon in a calendar month.

33. "To burn the midnight oil" means:

To waste resources carelessly To cause a fire accident To relax late into the night To study or work late into the night

Explanation: This idiom originates from the era of oil lamps and means to work or study hard, late into the night.

34. "A bolt from the blue" refers to:

A long-expected event A completely unexpected and sudden event A minor irritation A recurring problem

Explanation: This idiom refers to a shocking event that occurs without warning, like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky.

35. "To beat around the bush" means:

To avoid getting to the point directly To search thoroughly for something To defeat an opponent easily To take a walk in the garden

Explanation: This idiom means to speak evasively or avoid discussing a matter directly, instead of getting straight to the point.

36. "To let the cat out of the bag" means:

To free a trapped animal To behave carelessly To reveal a secret accidentally To lose one's temper

Explanation: This idiom means to accidentally disclose confidential or secret information.

37. "To add fuel to the fire" means:

To help extinguish a conflict To worsen an already bad situation To ignite a genuine fire To remain neutral in a dispute

Explanation: This idiom means to make a bad, tense, or difficult situation even worse through one's words or actions.

38. "Achilles' heel" refers to:

A person's greatest strength A type of ancient footwear A sudden stroke of luck A person's area of weakness or vulnerability

Explanation: Derived from Greek mythology, "Achilles' heel" refers to a small but critical weakness that can lead to a person's downfall.

39. "To bite the bullet" means:

To face a difficult situation with courage To attack someone verbally To avoid a confrontation To win a competition easily

Explanation: This idiom means to endure a painful or unpleasant situation that is unavoidable, showing courage in facing it.

40. "To hit the nail on the head" means:

To make a serious mistake To injure oneself accidentally To describe or identify a situation exactly and correctly To complete carpentry work

Explanation: This idiom means to state something with complete precision and accuracy, getting exactly to the truth of a matter.

SECTION V: Idioms & Phrases - Part II [Questions 41 to 50]

41. "To turn over a new leaf" means:

To read a new chapter of a book To begin behaving in a better or different way To plant a new tree To betray a close friend

Explanation: This idiom means to reform oneself and start afresh with improved conduct or habits.

42. "A piece of cake" means:

A small portion of dessert A rare celebration A difficult and complex task A very easy task

Explanation: This idiom is used to describe a task that is extremely simple or effortless to accomplish.

43. "To break the ice" means:

To initiate conversation in a socially awkward situation To end a friendship abruptly To cause a delay in proceedings To criticize someone harshly

Explanation: This idiom means to say or do something to relieve tension or get conversation started in an uncomfortable or formal setting.

44. "To kill two birds with one stone" means:

To harm two people simultaneously To fail at two tasks at once To achieve two objectives with a single action To waste effort on unnecessary tasks

Explanation: This idiom means to accomplish two different goals or tasks through a single effort or action.

45. "To throw in the towel" means:

To help a struggling person To give up or admit defeat To start a new challenge To clean up after a task

Explanation: Originating from boxing (where a trainer throws a towel into the ring to stop the fight), this idiom means to concede defeat or quit trying.

46. "To spill the beans" means:

To cook a meal carelessly To make a mess accidentally To lose one's belongings To reveal secret information

Explanation: This idiom means to disclose secret or confidential information, often unintentionally or prematurely.

47. "In the nick of time" means:

At the last possible moment, just before it's too late Far too early At a fixed, scheduled time After the deadline has passed

Explanation: This idiom describes something happening at the very last critical moment, just in time to avoid disaster.

48. "To cut corners" means:

To take the shortest physical route To renovate a building To do something in the cheapest or easiest way, often sacrificing quality To make a sharp turn while driving

Explanation: This idiom means to save time, effort, or money by ignoring proper standards or procedures, often at the cost of quality.

49. "To go the extra mile" means:

To travel long distances for work To make an additional effort beyond what is expected To exceed a budget significantly To finish a race in first place

Explanation: This idiom means to put in extra effort or do more than what is required or expected in order to achieve something.

50. "A blessing in disguise" refers to:

A gift given secretly An obvious stroke of good luck A religious ceremony Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be beneficial

Explanation: This idiom describes a misfortune or setback that eventually results in a positive, favourable outcome.

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