High Court Assistant (Recruitment No. 1/2020) — Objective Paper — Kerala PSC PYQ Practice with Answers

Correct answer (Option C):\n"An" is used before a singular noun beginning with a vowel sound (apple). "The" is used because the orchard refers to a specific place already mentioned (we went to yesterday). Option C is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOptions A and B use "an" or "the" incorrectly for the second blank, failing to account for the specific nature of the orchard.\n\nStudy tip:\nUse "a/an" for indefinite singular nouns and "the" for specific or previously mentioned nouns.

Correct answer (Option D):\n"European" starts with a consonant sound (/j/), so "a" is used. "The" is required for "work culture" because it is specific to that company. Option D is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOptions A and B incorrectly treat "European" as starting with a vowel sound. Option C incorrectly uses "an".\n\nStudy tip:\nArticles depend on phonetic sounds (not spelling). "European" sounds like "Yuropean".

Correct answer (Option B):\nThe word 'poetry' is an uncountable noun. It does not have a plural form like 'poetries'. The correct phrasing should be 'the poetry of Kipling'. Option B is the incorrect part.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOption A is grammatically sound. Option C correctly identifies the author. Option D is incorrect because there is an error.\n\nStudy tip:\nUncountable nouns (poetry, scenery, luggage, furniture) do not take an 's' to become plural. Use 'pieces of poetry' if you need to count them.

Correct answer (Option C):\nThe verb 'exceeds' already implies 'more than'. Using 'exceeds more than' is redundant. The correct phrase is simply 'exceeds three pages'. Option C contains the error.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOption A is grammatically correct. Option B is a correct conditional clause. Option D is incorrect because an error exists.\n\nStudy tip:\nWatch out for redundant phrases like 'return back', 'revert back', or 'exceed more than'. Focus on conciseness in formal writing.

Correct answer (Option B):\nThe verb 'discuss' is transitive and does not take a preposition like 'about'. You 'discuss a topic', you do not 'discuss about a topic'. Option B is the incorrect part.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOption A is a standard imperative structure. Option C is a correct prepositional phrase. Option D is incorrect because an error exists.\n\nStudy tip:\nOther verbs that do not take a direct preposition include 'describe', 'consider', and 'order'. Learn to identify these transitive verbs to avoid common prepositional errors.