CSS English Precis and Composition Past Papers 2026

 

 

ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
PART-I (MCQs) : MAXIMUM 30 MINUTES
(PART-I MCQs) MAXIMUM MARKS: 20
(PART-II) MAXIMUM MARKS: 80

 

NOTE: (i) First attempt PART-I (MCQs) on a separate OMR Answer Sheet, which shall be taken back after
30 minutes.
(ii) Overwriting/cutting of the options/answers will not be given credit.
(iii) There is no negative marking. All MCQs must be attempted.

 

 

Q.1.

(i) Select the best option/answer and fill in the appropriate Box on the OMR Answer Sheet. (20×1=20)

(ii) Answers given anywhere else, other than OMR Answer Sheet, will not be considered.

(a) Choose the word that is nearly most similar in meaning to the capitalized words.
1. ENIGMA

(A) Stature
(B) Axiom
(C) Adage
(D) Conundrum

2. HACKNEYED

(A) Unplanned
(B) Intriguing
(C) Stubborn
(D) Clichéd

3. PANACEA

(A) Elixir
(B) Destitution
(C) Deprivation
(D) Predicament

4. CAJOLE

(A) Lure
(B) Intimidate
(C) Harass
(D) Tease

5. INSCRUTABLE:

(A) Unattainable
(B) Mysterious
(C) Obstinate
(D) Vigilant

6. REVERIE:

(A) Palimpsest
(B) Phantom
(C) Daydream
(D) Curio

7. SUMPTUOUS:

(A) Delirious
(B) Gorgeous
(C) Perilous
(D) Luxurious

8. APPALL:

(A) Delirious
(B) Covered
(C) Dismay
(D) Confuse

9. ABJECT:

(A) Indigent
(B) Desire
(C) Despondent
(D) Extreme

10. BESPOKE:

(A) Tailored
(B) Quiet
(C) Gentle
(D) Handsome

(b) Choose the word that is nearly most opposite in meaning to the capitalized words.
11. CANDOUR

(A) Rebuttal
(B) Evasiveness
(C) Restraint
(D) Candidness

12. COLLOQUAIL

(A) Vernacular
(B) Informal
(C) Literary
(D) Quarrelsome

13. EUPHORIA

(A) Ecstasy
(B) Obnoxious
(C) Nostalgic
(D) Melancholy

14. SURROGATE

(A) Proxy
(B) Soothing
(C) Forbidden
(D) Real

15. OBLIVIOUS

(A) Ignorant
(B) Conscious
(C) Sober
(D) Flamboyant

16. AMELIORATE

(A) Impair
(B) Rectify
(C) Precipitate
(D) Renew

17. BENIGN

(A) Amiable
(B) Effective
(C) Boost
(D) Malicious

18. CACOPHONY

(A) Noise
(B) Disaster
(C) Stillness
(D) Rattle

19. DOLEFUL

(A) Witty
(B) Rich
(C) Empty
(D) Vivacious

20. ELAN

(A) Inelegance
(B) Stupidity
(C) Obscure
(D) Despair

 

 

 

NOTE:

(i) Part-II is to be attempted on the separate Answer Book.

(ii) Attempt ALL questions from PART-II.

(iii) All the parts (if any) of each Question must be attempted at one place instead of at different places.

(iv) Write Q. No. in the Answer Book in accordance with Q. No. in the Q. Paper.

(v) No Page/Space be left blank between the answers. All the blank pages of Answer Book must be crossed.

(vi) Extra attempt of any question or any part of the question will not be considered.

Q. 2. Write a précis (100 words) of the following passage and suggest a suitable title. (20)

One of the outstanding features of the century has been the improvement of living of working man, greater political power, more wealth and leisure, and better facilities for health, security and education. In early civilizations, most communities were sharply divided into two classes, those who labored and those who did not. The small number of rulers - kings, priests, military leaders - lived in great comfort, and did very little work. The vast majority of the population enjoyed very few comforts, did lot of work, and had scarcely any political power. In some societies, there was an even more wretched class, the slaves, who had no rights at all.

The Industrial Revolution of Europe led to the production of vast quantities of goods, and workers began to be dissatisfied with their poverty. The factory owners needed skilled workers, and gradually they realized that they must show goodwill to their workforce, in order to stay in business. As in many other reforms, some enlightened slowly spread that workers were entitled to some consideration.

Since men were free to work for any master they chose, good master soon had the pick of the workers and old-fashioned employers found themselves with a factory full of lower-grade workforce. Such a situation soon led to an all-round improvement in standards, and good employers tried to raise working conditions still higher.

These improvements were speeded up by the increased organization of workers in Trade Union movements, particularly in low-standard factories, where the owner often had to deal with strike action by dissatisfied workers. Now that the working classes are getting better and better working conditions, the need to strike has lessened considerably; and employers and workers alike have come to realise that they depend on each other for their livelihood.

 

Q. 3. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end. (20)

She was one of those pretty, charming women who are born, as if by an error of Fate, into a petty official’s family. She had no dowry, no hopes, nor the slightest chance of being loved and married by a rich man—so she slipped into marriage with a minor civil servant. Unable to afford jewels, she dressed simply: But she was wretched, for women have neither caste nor breeding—in them beauty, grace, and charm replace pride of birth. Innate refinement, instinctive elegance, and wit give them their place on the only scale that counts and these make humble girls the peers of the grandest ladies. She suffered, feeling that every luxury should rightly have been hers. The poverty of her rooms—the shabby walls, the worn furniture, the ugly upholstery caused her pain. All these things that another woman of her class would not even have noticed, made her angry. The very sight of the little Breton girl who cleaned for her awoke rueful thoughts and the wildest dreams in her mind. She dreamt of rooms with Oriental hangings, lighted by tall, bronze torches, and with
two huge footmen in knee breeches made drowsy by the heat from the stove, asleep in the wide armchairs. She dreamt of great drawing rooms upholstered in old silks, with fragile little tables holding priceless knickknacks, and of enchanting little sitting rooms designed for tea-time chats with famous, sought-after men whose attentions all women longed for. She sat down to dinner at her round table with its three-day-old cloth, and watched her husband lift the lid of the soup tureen and delightedly exclaim: “Ah, a good homemade beef stew! There’s nothing better!” She visualized elegant dinners with gleaming silver and gorgeous china. She yearned for wall hangings peopled with knights and ladies and exotic birds in a fairy forest. She dreamt of eating the pink flesh of trout or the wings of grouse. She had no proper wardrobe, no jewels, nothing. And those were the only things that she loved—she felt she was made for them. She would have so loved to charm, to be envied, to be admired and sought after.

Questions: (4 marks each)

 

1. Which word best describes the actual living conditions of the couple and why?
2. Which line best demonstrates the couple’s true economic standing and why?
3. According to the passage, what can be stated about the marriage of this woman?
4. What can be inferred about the values of both husband and wife?
5. What is the main idea of the passage?

 

Q. 4. Re-write any FIVE sentences after correcting them. (10)

 

Q. 5. Punctuate the following paragraph. (05)
(a)

Scientists and philosophers of science tend to speak as if “scientific language” were intrinsically precise as if those who use it must understand one another’s meaning even if they disagree but in fact scientific language is not as different from ordinary language as is commonly believed it too is subject to imprecision and ambiguity and hence to imperfect understanding moreover new theories or arguments are rarely if ever constructed by way of clear-cut steps of induction deduction and verification or falsification neither are they defended rejected or accepted in so straightforward a manner in practice scientists combine the rules of scientific methodology with a generous admixture of intuition aesthetics and philosophical commitment the importance of what are sometimes called extra-rational or extra-logical components of thought in the discovery of a new principle or law is generally acknowledged

(b) Re-write the following sentences (ONLY FIVE) after filling in the blanks with appropriate Prepositions. (05)

(i) Nobody is certain __________ the future but some are convinced __________ the past.

(ii) He was familiar __________ the author but not knowledgeable in depth __________ him.

(iii) After weighing __________ all the options we decided to plump __________ the first design.

(iv) The accused declared that he had no credible motive __________ revenge and denied __________ the charges.

(v) The party’s withdrawal __________ the elections was widely seen as an obstacle __________ the success of the peace plan.

(vi) They agreed to cooperate __________ police __________ these matters.

(vii) I don’t advise __________ anyone, I just listen __________ their complaints.

(viii) The landscape __________ the Pampas is in places similar __________ the Dutch landscape.

Q. 6. Use only FIVE pairs of words in sentences clearly illustrating their meanings. (10)

(i) Dependant, Dependent
(ii) Funeral, Funereal
(iii) Fain, Feign
(iv) Gamble, Gambol
(v) Hoard, Horde
(vi) Ingenious, Ingenuous
(vii) Luxuriant, Luxurious
(viii) Moat, Mote