40th BCS English Questions & Answers with Explanation / English for BCS Examination / BCS Examination Previous Questions and Answers

40th BCS English Questions

1. Please write to me at the above address. The word 'above' in this sentence is a/an-

A. Noun

B. Adjective

C. Pronoun

D. Adverb

2. In which sentence is the word ‘past’ used as preposition?

A. Writing letters is a thing of the past.

B. I look back on the past without regret.

C. I called out to him as he ran past.

D. Tania was a wonderful singer, but she's past her prime.

3. The word ‘sibling’ means-

A. a brother

B. a sister

C. A brother or sister

D. An infant

4. As she was talking, he suddenly broke- saying, That's a lie!

A. Off

B. In

C. Down

D. Into

5. You may go for a walk if you feel- it.

A. About

B. On

C. Like

D. For

6. Identify the word which is spelt incorrectly:

A. Consciencious

B. Perseverance

C. Convalescence

D. Maintenance

7. ‘You look terrific in that dress’

The word ‘terrific’ in the above sentence means-

A. excellent

B. funny

C. very ugly

D. horrible

8. Someone who is capricious is-

A. easily irritated

B. wise and willing to cooperate

C. exceedingly conceited and arrogant

D. know for sudden changes in attitude or behaviour

9. Which one of the following words is masculine?

A. mare

B. Lad

C. Pillow

D. Pony

10. A man whose wife has died is called a -

A. Window

B. Widower

C. Spinster

D. Bachelor

11. Which word is similar to ‘ appal’?

A. deceive

B. confuse

C. dismay

D. solicit

12. Which Word means the opposite of ‘ dearth’?

A. lack

B. abundance

C. poverty

D. shortage

13. Identify the word which remains the same in its plural form:

A. aircraft

B. intention

C. mouse

D. thesis

14. Identify the determiner in the following sentence:

‘I have no news for you.'

A. have

B. news

C. no

D. for

15. A lost opportunity never returns. Here lost is a -

A. gerund

B. verbal noun

C. gerund infinitive

D. participle

16. The saying‘ enough is enough’ is used when you want-

A. something to continue

B. something to stop

C. something to continue until it's enough

D. to tell instructions are clear

17. ‘He ran with great speed’. The underlined part of the sentence is a-

A. noun phrase

B. adverb phrase

C. adjective phrase

D. participle phrase

18. We must not be late, else we will miss the train. This is a-

A. compound sentence

B. complex sentence

C. simple sentence

D. interrogative sentence

19. Change the voice: Who is calling me?

A. By whom an I called?

B. By whom I am called?

C. By whom am I being called?

D. Whom am I called?

20. An extra message added at the end of a letter after it is signed is called-

A. corrigendum

B. postscript

C. NB

D. RSVP

21. The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope is a/an -

A. epic

B. ballad

C. mock-heroic poem

D. elegy

22. Which of the following is not an American poet?

A. Robert Frost

B. W.B Yeats

C. Emily Dickinson

D. Langston Hughes

23. William Shakespeare was born in-

A. 1616

B. 1664

C. 1564

D. 1493

24. Tennyson ‘In Memoriam’ is an elegy on the death of -

A. John Milton

B. John Keats

C. Arthur Henry Hallam

D. Sydney Smith

25. ‘Sweet Helen’ make me immortal with a kiss.' The sentence has been taken from the play-

A. Romeo and Juliet

B. Caesar and Cleopatra

C. Doctor Faustus

D. Antony and Cleopatra

26. ‘What's in name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet’_

A. Juliet

B. Romeo

C. Portia

D. Rosalind

27. ‘Man's love is of man's life a thing apart, Tis women's whole existence.'_ This is taken from the poem of_

A. P.B. Shelley

B. Lord Byron

C. John Keats

D. Edmund Spenser

28. Who translated the ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’ into English?

A. Thomas Carlyle

B. Edward Fitzgerald

C. D.G. Rossetti

D. William Thackeray

29. ‘Ulysses’ is a novel written by_

A. Joseph Conrad

B. Thomas Hardy

C. Charles Dickens

D. James Joyce

30. The short story ‘The Diamond Necklace’ was written by_

A. Guy Dr Maupassant

B. O Henry

C. Somerset Maugham

D. George Orwell

31. ‘All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’_Who said this?

A. Macbeth

B. Lady Macbeth

C. Lady Macduff

D. Macduff

32. ‘Where are the songs of spring? Aye, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too.’_ Who wrote this?

A. William Shakespeare

B. Robert Browning

C. John Keats

D. Samuel Coleridge

33. Who is the central character of ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte?

A. Mr. Earnshaw

B. Catherine

C. Heathcliff

D. Hindley Earnshaw

34. ‘The old order changeth, yielding place to new.’_ This line is extracted from Tennyson's poem_

A. The Lotos-Eaters

B. Tithonus

C. Locksley Hall

D. Morte d' Arthur

35. Who wrote the poem ‘The Good-Morrow’?

A. George Herbert

B. Andrew Marvell

C. John Donne

D. Henry Vaughan

40th BCS English Questions and Answers

1. Please write to me at the above address. The word 'above' in this sentence is a/an-

A. Noun

B. Adjective

C. Pronoun

D. Adverb

Ans: B

2. In which sentence is the word ‘past’ used as preposition?

A. Writing letters is a thing of the past.

B. I look back on the past without regret.

C. I called out to him as he ran past.

D. Tania was a wonderful singer, but she's past her prime.

Ans: D

3. The word ‘sibling’ means-

A. a brother

B. a sister

C. A brother or sister

D. An infant

Ans: C

4. As she was talking, he suddenly broke- saying, That's a lie!

A. Off

B. In

C. Down

D. Into

Ans: B

5. You may go for a walk if you feel- it.

A. About

B. On

C. Like

D. For

Ans: C

6. Identify the word which is spelt incorrectly:

A. Consciencious

B. Perseverance

C. Convalescence

D. Maintenance

Ans: A

7. ‘You look terrific in that dress’

The word ‘terrific’ in the above sentence means-

A. excellent

B. funny

C. very ugly

D. horrible

Ans: A

8. Someone who is capricious is-

A. easily irritated

B. wise and willing to cooperate

C. exceedingly conceited and arrogant

D. know for sudden changes in attitude or behaviour

Ans: D

9. Which one of the following words is masculine?

A. mare

B. Lad

C. Pillow

D. Pony

Ans: B

10. A man whose wife has died is called a -

A. Window

B. Widower

C. Spinster

D. Bachelor

Ans: B

11. Which word is similar to ‘ appal’?

A. deceive

B. confuse

C. dismay

D. solicit

Ans: C

12. Which Word means the opposite of ‘ dearth’?

A. lack

B. abundance

C. poverty

D. shortage

Ans: B

13. Identify the word which remains the same in its plural form:

A. aircraft

B. intention

C. mouse

D. thesis

Ans: A

14. Identify the determiner in the following sentence:

‘I have no news for you.'

A. have

B. news

C. no

D. for

Ans: C

15. A lost opportunity never returns. Here lost is a -

A. gerund

B. verbal noun

C. gerund infinitive

D. participle

Ans: D

16. The saying‘ enough is enough’ is used when you want-

A. something to continue

B. something to stop

C. something to continue until it's enough

D. to tell instructions are clear

Ans: B

17. ‘He ran with great speed’. The underlined part of the sentence is a-

A. noun phrase

B. adverb phrase

C. adjective phrase

D. participle phrase

Ans: B

18. We must not be late, else we will miss the train. This is a-

A. compound sentence

B. complex sentence

C. simple sentence

D. interrogative sentence

Ans: A

19. Change the voice: Who is calling me?

A. By whom an I called?

B. By whom I am called?

C. By whom am I being called?

D. Whom am I called?

Ans: C

20. An extra message added at the end of a letter after it is signed is called-

A. corrigendum

B. postscript

C. NB

D. RSVP

Ans: B

21. The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope is a/an -

A. epic

B. ballad

C. mock-heroic poem

D. elegy

Ans: C

22. Which of the following is not an American poet?

A. Robert Frost

B. W.B Yeats

C. Emily Dickinson

D. Langston Hughes

Ans: B

23. William Shakespeare was born in-

A. 1616

B. 1664

C. 1564

D. 1493

Ans: C

24. Tennyson ‘In Memoriam’ is an elegy on the death of -

A. John Milton

B. John Keats

C. Arthur Henry Hallam

D. Sydney Smith

Ans: C

25. ‘Sweet Helen’ make me immortal with a kiss.' The sentence has been taken from the play-

A. Romeo and Juliet

B. Caesar and Cleopatra

C. Doctor Faustus

D. Antony and Cleopatra

Ans: C

26. ‘What's in name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet’_

A. Juliet

B. Romeo

C. Portia

D. Rosalind

Ans: A

27. ‘Man's love is of man's life a thing apart, Tis women's whole existence.'_ This is taken from the poem of_

A. P.B. Shelley

B. Lord Byron

C. John Keats

D. Edmund Spenser

Ans: B

28. Who translated the ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’ into English?

A. Thomas Carlyle

B. Edward Fitzgerald

C. D.G. Rossetti

D. William Thackeray

Ans: B

29. ‘Ulysses’ is a novel written by_

A. Joseph Conrad

B. Thomas Hardy

C. Charles Dickens

D. James Joyce

Ans: D

30. The short story ‘The Diamond Necklace’ was written by_

A. Guy Dr Maupassant

B. O Henry

C. Somerset Maugham

D. George Orwell

Ans: A

31. ‘All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’_Who said this?

A. Macbeth

B. Lady Macbeth

C. Lady Macduff

D. Macduff

Ans: B

32. ‘Where are the songs of spring? Aye, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too.’_ Who wrote this?

A. William Shakespeare

B. Robert Browning

C. John Keats

D. Samuel Coleridge

Ans: C

33. Who is the central character of ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte?

A. Mr. Earnshaw

B. Catherine

C. Heathcliff

D. Hindley Earnshaw

Ans: C

34. ‘The old order changeth, yielding place to new.’_ This line is extracted from Tennyson's poem_

A. The Lotos-Eaters

B. Tithonus

C. Locksley Hall

D. Morte d' Arthur

Ans: D

35. Who wrote the poem ‘The Good-Morrow’?

A. George Herbert

B. Andrew Marvell

C. John Donne

D. Henry Vaughan

Ans: C

Qn	Question	Correct Answer (with Serial)	Explanation (English)	ব্যাখ্যা (বাংলা)
1	Please write to me at the above address. What is ‘above’?	B. Adjective	‘Above’ describes the noun ‘address’, so it's used as an adjective.	‘Above’ এখানে ‘address’ শব্দটিকে বর্ণনা করছে, তাই এটি একটি adjective (বিশেষণ)।
2	In which sentence is ‘past’ a preposition?	D. Tania was past...	In D, ‘past’ shows a relation between Tania and ‘her prime’—so it functions as a preposition.	D বাক্যে ‘past’ শব্দটি ‘Tania’ ও ‘her prime’-এর মধ্যে সম্পর্ক বোঝাচ্ছে, তাই এটি preposition (অব্যয়)।
3	Meaning of ‘sibling’?	C. A brother or sister	A sibling is either a brother or a sister—used to refer to family members born to the same parents.	‘Sibling’ অর্থ ভাই অথবা বোন, যারা একই বাবা-মায়ের সন্তান।
4	As she was talking, he suddenly broke—	B. In	‘Break in’ means to interrupt someone while they are speaking.	‘Break in’ মানে কারও কথা বলার সময় হঠাৎ করে বাধা দেওয়া বা থামিয়ে দেওয়া।
5	You may go for a walk if you feel— it.	C. Like	‘Feel like’ doing something means to have a desire or mood to do it.	‘Feel like’ মানে কিছু করার ইচ্ছা বা মেজাজ থাকা।
6	Incorrect spelling?	A. Consciencious	The correct spelling is “conscientious.”	সঠিক বানান: conscientious। প্রশ্নে দেওয়া বানানটি ভুল।
7	‘You look terrific’—what does ‘terrific’ mean?	A. Excellent	‘Terrific’ here is informal and means ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.	এখানে ‘terrific’ মানে চমৎকার বা খুব ভালো।
8	Capricious means—	D. Sudden changes	A capricious person shows unpredictable or sudden changes in mood or behavior.	Capricious লোক মানে এমন কেউ যিনি হঠাৎ মেজাজ বা আচরণ বদলান।
9	Which one is masculine?	B. Lad	‘Lad’ means a young boy, which is a masculine noun.	‘Lad’ অর্থ ছেলে বা বালক, যা একটি masculine (পুংলিঙ্গ) শব্দ।
10	A man whose wife has died is called—	B. Widower	‘Widower’ is the male version of ‘widow’.	যার স্ত্রী মারা গেছেন, তাকে বলা হয় ‘widower’। এটি ‘widow’-এর পুরুষ রূপ।
11	Similar word to ‘appal’?	C. Dismay	‘Appal’ means to shock or horrify, similar to ‘dismay’.	‘Appal’ মানে আতঙ্কিত বা হতবাক করে দেওয়া, যা ‘dismay’ এর সমার্থক।
12	Opposite of ‘dearth’?	B. Abundance	‘Dearth’ means scarcity or lack, so the opposite is ‘abundance’ meaning plenty.	‘Dearth’ অর্থ ঘাটতি বা অভাব, তার বিপরীত ‘abundance’ অর্থ প্রচুরতা বা প্রাচুর্য।
13	Word with same plural form?	A. Aircraft	‘Aircraft’ has the same form in singular and plural.	‘Aircraft’ শব্দটি একবচন ও বহুবচন উভয় ক্ষেত্রেই একই থাকে।
14	Identify the determiner: “I have no news for you.”	C. No	‘No’ is a determiner here because it modifies the noun ‘news’.	‘No’ এখানে determiner কারণ এটি ‘news’ শব্দকে সীমিত করছে।
15	"A lost opportunity never returns." What is ‘lost’?	D. Participle	‘Lost’ is a past participle used as an adjective modifying ‘opportunity’.	‘Lost’ একটি past participle, যা ‘opportunity’ শব্দকে বিশেষণ হিসেবে বর্ণনা করছে।
16	‘Enough is enough’ is used when—	B. Something to stop	This idiom expresses that something has gone too far and must stop.	এই প্রবাদটি বোঝায় যে কোনো কিছু খুব বেশি হয়ে গেছে, এখন থামা উচিত।
17	‘He ran with great speed.’ The underlined is—	B. Adverb phrase	‘With great speed’ tells how he ran—so it's an adverbial phrase.	‘With great speed’ বলে সে কীভাবে দৌড়েছে, তাই এটি adverb phrase।
18	“We must not be late, else we’ll miss the train.” What type?	A. Compound sentence	It has two independent clauses joined by ‘else’, making it a compound sentence.	এখানে দুটি স্বাধীন clause আছে, ‘else’ দ্বারা যুক্ত, তাই এটি একটি compound sentence।
19	Change voice: Who is calling me?	C. By whom am I being called?	Passive form of present continuous interrogative sentence.	এই বাক্যটি একটি present continuous tense-এ থাকা প্রশ্নবোধক বাক্যের passive form।
20	Message after letter end is called—	B. Postscript	A postscript (P.S.) is written after a letter has been signed.	চিঠি স্বাক্ষরের পর যেকোনো অতিরিক্ত বার্তা লিখলে সেটি হয় ‘postscript’ বা ‘P.S.’।
21	‘The Rape of the Lock’ is—	C. Mock-heroic poem	It’s a humorous poem that mimics the style of epics.	এটি একটি ব্যঙ্গাত্মক কবিতা যা মহাকাব্যের শৈলী অনুকরণ করে লেখা।
22	Not an American poet?	B. W.B. Yeats	Yeats was Irish, not American.	ডব্লিউ. বি. ইয়েটস একজন আইরিশ কবি, আমেরিকান নন।
23	Shakespeare was born in—	C. 1564	William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.	উইলিয়াম শেক্সপিয়ার ১৫৬৪ সালে জন্মগ্রহণ করেন।
24	‘In Memoriam’ is elegy on death of—	C. Arthur Henry Hallam	Tennyson wrote this to mourn his friend Hallam.	টেনিসন এই কবিতা তার বন্ধু আর্থার হেনরি হ্যালামের মৃত্যুতে শোক জানিয়ে লিখেছিলেন।
25	“Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss”—from?	C. Doctor Faustus	A famous line from Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus.	ক্রিস্টোফার মার্লোর নাটক Doctor Faustus থেকে নেওয়া বিখ্যাত লাইন।
26	“What’s in a name?”—Who said this?	A. Juliet	Juliet says this in Romeo and Juliet.	শেক্সপিয়ারের নাটক Romeo and Juliet-এ জুলিয়েট এই লাইনটি বলেন।
27	“Man’s love is...” quoted from a poem by—	B. Lord Byron	This line is from Byron’s poem, discussing gender and love.	এটি লর্ড বায়রনের কবিতা থেকে নেওয়া, যেখানে প্রেম ও লিঙ্গ বিষয়ক দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি তুলে ধরা হয়েছে।
28	Who translated ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’?	B. Edward Fitzgerald	Fitzgerald’s English translation made Khayyam famous in the West.	এডওয়ার্ড ফিটজেরাল্ড Omar Khayyam-এর রুবাইয়াত ইংরেজিতে অনুবাদ করেন।
29	‘Ulysses’ is a novel by—	D. James Joyce	Joyce’s modernist masterpiece set in Dublin.	জেমস জয়েসের বিখ্যাত আধুনিক উপন্যাস ‘Ulysses’।
30	‘The Diamond Necklace’ was written by—	A. Guy de Maupassant	A classic short story about vanity and irony.	গায় দ্য মোপাসাঁর লেখা বিখ্যাত ছোট গল্প যা অহংকার ও পরিহাস তুলে ধরে।
31	‘All the perfumes of Arabia...’—Who said it?	B. Lady Macbeth	Lady Macbeth speaks this line out of guilt.	গ্লানিবোধে লেডি ম্যাকবেথ এই লাইনটি বলেন।
32	“Where are the songs of spring?”—written by—	C. John Keats	From Keats’ poem To Autumn.	জন কিটস-এর কবিতা To Autumn থেকে উদ্ধৃত।
33	Central character of ‘Wuthering Heights’?	C. Heathcliff	Heathcliff is the brooding main character in the novel.	‘Wuthering Heights’ উপন্যাসের মূল চরিত্র হিথক্লিফ।
34	“The old order changeth...” is from Tennyson’s—	D. Morte d’Arthur	The poem speaks of passing of an era.	টেনিসনের কবিতা Morte d’Arthur এ পুরাতন যুগের অবসান বোঝানো হয়েছে।
35	Who wrote ‘The Good-Morrow’?	C. John Donne	It’s a metaphysical poem by Donne.	জন ডনের লেখা একটি metaphysical কবিতা।