PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS : QUALIFIERS

IIT MADRAS – BS IN DATA SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS

ENGLISH
OCTOBER TERM (27th OCTOBER 2024)
Read the following passage and answer the given sub questions.
What Emoji Tell Us about the History of Tea When searching for a tea emoji on
most text messaging apps, a range of options appear. One shows what looks like
green liquid in a white bowl. Another features a saucer and a cup filled with a
darker liquid that doubles as coffee. These emoji’s designs allude to the long
history of tea, tracing how this centerpiece of a cherished Asian tradition grew
into a global beverage. For most of recorded history, the word “tea” referred to
green tea from China and later Japan—illustrated by the emoji officially called
“teacup without handle.” Black tea is represented by the second, more
generically named “hot beverage” emoji. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is
indigenous to a region spanning present-day China, India, Myanmar and
Cambodia. All types of tea are derived from the same plant. But different
methods of processing the plant’s leaves produce different types of teas, with
the level of oxidation affecting the color and flavor of the resulting beverage. To
make green tea, manufacturers dehydrate, heat and shape the leaves,
preventing oxidation and preserving the plant’s original color. At the other end
of the spectrum, black tea leaves are fully oxidized, changing hue from green to
a darker brown. Oolong tea, which can appear green or black in color, is a distinct
variation that falls somewhere in the middle, with leaves undergoing partial
oxidation. Initially a medicinal beverage, tea became a daily drink by the third
century C.E., with elite members of Chinese society viewing tea drinking as a
leisurely pastime. By the eighth century, during the Tang dynasty, China’s tea
culture was flourishing, giving rise to tea ceremonies and social events, as well
as art and literature inspired by the drink. To the east of China, in Japan, elite
citizens started drinking tea in the eighth century. But wider domestic cultivation

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and appreciation of tea only came to the country in the late 12th century, when
Buddhist monk Eisai popularized the drink. While studying Zen Buddhism at a
monastery in China, Eisai learned of a beverage the other monks drank to help
stay alert for meditation: green tea. “Tea is the most wonderful medicine for
nourishing one’s health,” Eisai wrote in a treatise on tea. “It is the secret of long
life.” Today, its enduring popularity is reflected in the “teacup without handle”
emoji. The “hot beverage” emoji, meanwhile, takes its cue from another tea
tradition: black tea, which gained a foothold in the West through trade between
Europe and Asia. In the early 17th century, Portuguese and Dutch traders
returning from Asia brought green tea back home, where it quickly gained
traction as a curative beverage. Tea enjoyed similar prominence in the Americas
following its introduction by colonial powers and their trading companies,
including the British East India Company (EIC) and the Dutch East India Company
(VOC). By the 18th century, Europeans and Americans were primarily drinking
green or oolong teas known by colonial trading names like hyson, singlo, bohea,
congou and souchong. The U.S.’s founders were no strangers to tea. George
Washington enjoyed drinking Chinese green teas out of porcelain tea bowls. All
342 chests of tea dumped overboard during the Boston Tea Party in 1773 were
imported from China by the EIC. The three tea ships targeted by the Patriots held
265 chests of oolong tea and 75 chests of green tea. When tea was first
introduced to Europe and North America, its appearance mirrored the “teacup
without handle” emoji, much as the drink is still enjoyed in Asia today. As the
global tea trade ramped up in the following centuries, tea in Europe and the U.S.
came to look more like the “hot beverage” emoji. Excerpted from: Wang de
Chen, Charlene. “What Emoji Tell Us about the History of Tea.” Smithsonian
Magazine.
1. The word “emoji’’ used in the title of this article is :
A. A Singular Noun
B. A Plural Noun
CORRECT ANSWER : A Plural Noun
2. According to the passage, the tea plant is NOT indigenous to :
A. INDIA
B. MYANMAR
C. JAPAN
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 D. CAMBODIA
CORRECT ANSWER : Japan
3. Which of the following rightly describes the role played by tea in China
through the course of history ?
A. A medicinal drink
B. A leisurely pastime drink of the elite
C. A beverage that helped monks stay alert for meditation
D. All of these
CORRECT ANSWER : All of these
4. Which of the following did not occur during the rule of Tang Dynasty in
CHINA ?
A. The origin of congou tea
B. The flourishing in China’s tea culture
C. The advent of tea ceremonies and social events
D. The emergence of art and literature inspired by the drink
CORRECT ANSWER : The origin of congou tea
5. What is the difference between green tea and black tea ?
A. Tea leaves are fully oxidized to make green tea, tea leaves are partially
oxidized to make a black tea.
B. Oxidation of tea leaves is prevented to make green tea, tea leaves are
partially oxidized to make black tea.
C. Oxidation of tea leaves is prevented to make green tea, tea leaves are fully
oxidized to make black tea. (CORRECT ANSWER)
D. Tea leaves are partially oxidized to make green tea, oxidation of tea leaves
is prevented to make black tea.
6. Select the odd one out.
A. Oolong
B. Singlo
C. Bohea
D. Souchong
CORRECT ANSWER : Oolong
7. Which of the following is true about the Boston Tea party ?
A. George Washington drank Chinese green tea out of a porcelain bowl of
the first time during the BOSTON TEA PARTY.

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 B. The patriots threw 342 chests of tea imported by the East India
company overboard into the Boston harbor. (CORRECT ANSWER)
C. A Chinese tea ceremony was held in Boston for the first time in 1773.
D. None of these
8. Buddhist monk Eisai is credited with the popularization of tea in –
A. China
B. Portugal
C. The Netherland
D. Japan (correct answer)
9. “Cue” rhymes with
A. Segue
B. Sew
C. Queue (correct answer )
D. Beau
10.The word ‘curative’ is closest in meaning to –
A. Therapeutic (correct answer)
B. Selective
C. Causative
D. Derivative

(sub questions end)

11.Look at the word given below and study the sound that is underlined in it.
Choose the option which has the same sound. Thoroughfare
A. Path
B. Wrath
C. Both Path and Wrath (CORRECT ANSWER)
D. Neither Path nor Wrath

12.The word “thermometer’ begins with a _ sound.

A. Palatal
B. Velar
C. Dental
D. Labial
(DENTAL)

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 13.The vowel sound between b and n in the word born is the same as :
A. That which occurs between w and n in the word win
B. That which occurs between b and n in the word bone
C. That which occurs between w and n in the word wean
D. That which occurs between th and n in the word thorn
(D)

14. Choose the word with a ‘ng’ sound from the following :
A. Neat
B. Fin
C. Thing
D. Sound
©
15.Which among the following words has the same sound as underlined in
‘pour’?
A. Score
B. Scour
C. Crowd
D. Both score and scour
(A)
16. Identify the sequence of consonant and vowel sounds in the word
succumb.
A. CVCVC
B. CVCCVCC
C. CVCVCC
D. CVCCVC
(CVCVC)
17. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word :
They laughed at my idea.
A. Material Noun
B. Abstract Noun
C. Proper Noun
D. Class Noun
(abstract noun)
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 18. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word.
The teacher is here.
A. Noun
B. Pronoun
C. Adjective
D. Preposition
(Noun)
19. What did __ say about the work ? (SHE/ME)
SHE
20. The phrasal verb ‘see about’ means _____.
A. To say goodbye to someone
B. To deal with or organize something (CORRECT ANSWER)
21. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word:
They ran after the bus.
A. Noun
B. Pronoun
C. Verb
D. Conjunction
(verb)
22. The rooms in this hotel are ____ than the ones that we stayed in earlier.
A. CLEAN
B. CLEANER
C. CLEANEST
D. NONE OF THESE
( CLEANER)
23. Which of the following is NOT an adjective ?
A. Sharp
B. Dull
C. Deep
D. Doubt (correct answer)
24. The professor did not reply to my email, she is away _ holiday.
A. At
B. On
C. For
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 D. In
(ON)
25. Identify the preposition in the following sentence :
As soon as I reached, I jumped into the pool.
A. I
B. REACHED
C. JUMPED
D. INTO (CORRECT ANSWER)
26. There is _ cup of coffee on the table.
A. A
B. An
C. The
D. None of these
(CORRECT ANSWER – A )
27. The new building has become an expensive (white elephant). In this
sentence, what does the phrase ‘white elephant’ mean?
A. Something that has cost a lot of money but has no useful propose.
B. Something that is quite different.
(A )
28. Identify the suitable phrasal verb for the following meaning :
To accept something unpleasant.
A. Live by
B. Live down
C. Live up
D. Live with (correct answer)
29.They had to ___ the outdoor concert due to heavy rain
a. Calls off
b. Call out
c. Call off (correct answer)
d. Call up
30. Let me see what I ____ Find in the pantry.
A. Shall
B. Would
C. Can (correct answer)

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 31. Explain
A. Commence
B. Evade
C. Obscure
D. Confirm
E. Resit
(obscure)

32. Repudiate
a. COMMENCE
b. EVADE
c. OBSCURE
d. CONFIRM (CORRECT ANSWER)
e. RESIST
(OPTIONS ARE SAME FOR NEXT FEW QUESTIONS)
33. FINISH
COMMENCE
34.YIELD
RESIST
35.ACCOST
EVADE
Complete the telephonic conversation given below with most polite and correct
responses. Receptionist: Good afternoon, Verma Enterprises. (i)
_______________________ Caller: Hello, this is Usha Patel from Vision Tech.
Can I speak with Raghu Nath in IT? Receptionist: Sure, ma’am. What's the
purpose of your call? Caller: I need to discuss the new software integration.
Receptionist: (ii) ___________________________________ Raghu: Hi, this is
Raghu Nath in IT. How can I help? Caller: Hello, Raghu. This is Usha from Bright
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Tech. I want to go over the new software integration details. Raghu: Sure, we
plan to start next Monday and finish in two weeks. Does that work? Caller: Yes,
will there be any downtime? Raghu: About an hour during setup, scheduled off-
peak. Caller: Great. (iii) ___________________________ Raghu: I'll email it by
the end of the day. Caller: (iv) __________________. I look forward to working
with you. Raghu: No problem, Usha. Reach out if you need anything. Caller: Will
do. Thanks. Bye. Raghu: (v) _________________
Based on the above data, answer the given sub questions.

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 MAY TERM ( 7th JULY 2024)
Read the following passage and answer the following questions :

User traffic on Twitter has slowed since the launch of Meta’s text-based platform
Threads, which has already surpassed 100 million sign-ups since its debut last
week.

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Threads launched in the U.S. on Wednesday and is being touted by Meta
executives like Instagram chief Adam Mosseri as a more positive ‘public square’
for communities, that never really embraced Twitter. So far, users seem to be on
board.
Threads reached 100 million sign ups over the weekend. That’s mostly organic
demand and we haven’t even turned on many promotions yet. Can’t believe its
only been 5 days! Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in post Monday.
Twitter appears to have taken a hit. Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, shared
a screenshot to Twitter Sunday showing that traffic on the platform was tanking.
According to Silimarweb, a data company that specializes in web analytics, web
traffic to Twitter was down 5% for the first two full days. Threads was generally
available compared with the previous week. The company said Twitter’s web
traffic is down 11% compared with the same days on 2022.
Twitter responded to CNBC’s request for comment with an automated response.
Meta didn’t offer additional comment beyond Zuckerberg’s post.
Source : cnbc.com – Twitter Traffic is tanking as META’s Threads hits 100 million
users – Ashley Capoot
SUB QUESTIONS
1. What is the synonym of the word surpassed ?
A. Exceed
B. Pass through
C. Go under
D. Come second to
2. Choose an appropriate option to replace the word touted.
A. Changed paths
B. Promoted
C. Criticized
D. Edited
3. That’s mostly organic demand and we haven’t even turned on many
promotions yet. What meaning do the phrases organic demand and (not
many) promotions convey here ?
A. Meta has been mindful of climate change in meeting demands.
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 B. The company Meta hasn’t tried many marketing tactics to popularize
Threads.
C. Meta has withheld any promotions to employees in its company/
4. Twitter appears to have taken a hit.
What is the meaning of the phrase taken a hit ?
A. Be affected badly
B. Be popular among its user
C. Has made a huge profit
5. What is the synonym of the word tanking ?
A. Shooting
B. Weighing
C. Grateful
D. Failing
6. The company said Twitter’s web traffic is down 11% compared with the
same days in 2022.
What is the meaning of the phrase down 11%?
A. The traffic has reduced to 11%
B. The traffic has reduced from 11%
C. The traffic has reduced by 11%
7. What is the meaning of the phrase automated response ?
A. Predetermined reply
B. Responsible driving of automobiles
C. Highly private message
8. Meta didn’t offer additional comment beyond Zuckerberg’s post.
What part of speech is the word beyond here ?
A. Adjective
B. Interjection
C. Preposition
D. Adverb
9. …uses seem to be on board.
What is the meaning of the phrase on board here?
A. Enter a vehicle
B. Be available
C. Agree with

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 10. What is the meaning of the word debut?
A. Reply in opposite
B. First appearance
C. Alternative
D. Momentum
(sub questions end here)
11. Chose the word without an ‘ii’ sound from the following.
A. Meet
B. Lead
C. Wet
D. Wheat
12.Choose the word with an ‘oo’ sound from the following.
A. Court
B. Loot
C. Cat
D. Feat
13.Which semi-vowel occurs in the transition between the word ‘me’ and
‘off’ in the sentence, ‘he pushed me off the chair’ ?
A. /w/
B. /y/
14. Which among the following is a word without a diphthong ?
A. Mouth
B. South
C. Pout
D. Moot
15. Pick the odd one out based on the initial sound : near, dear, tear, gear.
A. Near
B. Dear
C. Tear
D. Gear
16. Pick the odd one out based on the initial sound : peat, beat, clear, pear
A. Peat
B. Beat
C. Clear

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 D. Pear
17. Select the option which identifies the noun in the sentence.
RAGHAV is going for a walk.
A. Raghav
B. Going
C. For
18. Identify the underlined part of speech.
They were quick to throw up their hands in surrender.
A. Noun
B. Pronoun
C. Verb
D. Conjunction
19.They ___ (buy) the house last year
A. Buy
B. Bought
C. Will buy
D. Buying
20. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word :
The house at the end of the street was painted yellow.
A. Adjective
B. Adverb
C. Verb
D. Conjunction
21.Identify the adverb in the following sentence.
Joseph ran faster than everyone else in the relay team.
A. Joseph
B. Ran
C. Faster
D. Relay
22.The fruits are __ the fridge.
A. At
B. For
C. In
D. None of these

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 23. Identify the conjunction in the following sentence.
“He was an excellent orator and an even better salesman.’’
A. He
B. Was
C. Excellent
D. And
24. He gave me ____ book on my birthday.
A. AN
B. A
C. THE
D. NONE OF THESE
25. ___ sun rises in the east.
A. A
B. An
C. The
D. None of these
26. There were __ many people in the auditorium.
A. To
B. Two
C. Too
D. Large
27.A colleague in your office tells you, ‘Please keep me in the loop while I’m
on my vacation.’ What does the underlined part mean ?
A. The colleague wants you not to disturb them
B. The colleague wants you to call them
C. The colleague wants you to keep them updated on events at work.
D. The colleague wants you to call them for you weeding.
28.Identify the separable phrasal verb out of the following options :
A. Hit on
B. Keep at
C. Stand for
D. Call by
29. The meeting ____ just before dinner.
A. Brought out

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 B. Broke up
C. Broke into
D. Broke out
30.____ I ask a question ? (context : permission and formal)
A. Must
B. May
C. Should
D. Will

31. Bank __
A. Temper
B. Account
C. Ruins
D. Afternoon
E. Coffee
(options are same for all sub questions)
32. Strong
33. Lazy
34.Short
35. Ancient

Read the following telephonic conversation and fill in the blanks with
appropriate response :
Jay – Hello ? (i) _____
Prateek – Hello. Yes, I am Prateek Agarwal. (ii) _____

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Jay – Prateek, it’s me Jay Roy from college. Remember ?
Prateek – hey Jay, (iii) ____. It has been such a long time.
Jay – I am doing good. Yes, four long years after college. I got your contact
number from Piyush. (iv)______
Prateek – Yes, yes, I do remember him. Wasn’t he the one who topped our
engineering batch last year ?
Jay – Yes, that’s him ! He’s in Boston working for a big MNC now.
Prateek – (v) _____
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
36. Complete blank (i) with an appropriate response.
A. Is this Prateek Agarwal’s house ?
B. Is this Prateek Agarwal’s family ?
C. Am I talking to Prateek Aggarwal ?
D. Is this Prateek Agarwal’s son?
37. Complete blank (ii) with an appropriate response.
A. May I come in ?
B. May I drop you home ?
C. May I ask who is speaking ?
D. May I know why you are here ?
38. Complete blank (iii) with an appropriate response.
A. Could you bring me the office file ?
B. Is it a new project ?
C. Where are you going ?
D. How are you ?
39. Complete blank (iv) with an appropriate response.
A. When will you come home ?
B. Do you remember him ?
C. Did you have dinner ?
D. Did you meet him?
40. Complete blank (v) with an appropriate response.
A. That is amazing news !
B. Thank you !
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 C. You are welcome !
D. I am sorry !

ANSWERS

1. A 21. C
2. B 22. C
3. B 23. D
4. A 24. B
5. D 25. C
6. C 26. C
7. A 27. C
8. C 28. D
9. C 29. B
10. B 30. B
11. C 31. B
12. A 32. E
13. B 33. D
14. D 34. A
15. D 35. C
16. C 36. C
17. A 37. C
18. B 38. D
19. B 39. B
20. A 40. A

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