MIZORAM SUBORDINATE SERVICES SELECTION BOARD

COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR RECRUITMENT TO THE

POST OF STAFF NURSE UNDER HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE
DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT OF MIZORAM
JUNE - 2023
Question Booklet Series

GENERAL ENGLISH
D
Time Allowed : 3 Hours Maximum Marks : 100

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper is divided into two sections. Section A consists of one (1) essay type question
while Section B consists of eighty (80) multiple-choice type of questions.
2. Immediately after the commencement of the examination, you should check that this
question booklet does not have any unprinted or missing pages or items, etc. If so, get it
replaced by a complete booklet from the invigilator.
3. Please note that it is the candidate’s responsibility to fill in all necessary details such as
Roll Number, etc. and the Question Booklet Series A, B, C or D carefully and without any
ommission or discrepancy at the appropriate places in the OMR Answer Sheet. Any
ommission/discrepancy will render the Answer Sheet liable for rejection.
4. You have to write your answer for Section A only on the separate Answer Sheet provided.
5. Each of the multiple-choice type question under Section B comprises four responses
(answers). You will select the response which you want to mark on the Answer Sheet. In
case you feel that there is more than one correct response, mark the response which you
consider the best. In any case, choose ONLY ONE response for each item.
6. You have to mark your responses for Section B only on the separate OMR Answer Sheet
provided. Read instructions given in the OMR sheet carefully.
7. All questions under Section B carry equal marks.
8. Rough work is to be done in the spaces available in the question booklet.
9. You have to submit your Answer Sheet to the invigilators at the end of the examination
compulsorily and must not carry it with you outside the Examination Hall. You are
permitted to take away with you the question booklet on conclusion of examination.
10. There are no negative marks for incorrect answer.
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SECTION – A
(20 marks)
This Section should be answered only on the Answer Sheet provided.

1. Write an essay on any one of the following topics in not more than 300 words. (20)
(a) Essentials of nursing ethics
(b) Qualities of a leader in the nursing profession

SECTION – B
(80 marks)
This Section should be answered only on the OMR Answer Sheet provided.

Directions (Questions 1-5): Complete the conversation with the correct forms of the
verbs given in brackets.

Tommy : (1) _________ (I/think) of buying a computer.

Grace : But computers (2) _______ (cost) so much money. What’s wrong with the ones
we’ve got?
Tommy : (3) ___________ (it/get) out of date now.
Tommy : Anyway, your new trousers (4) _______ (look) nice.
Grace : Thank you, the trouble is (5) ___________ (they/not/fit) properly.

1. (A) I’m thinking (B) I thought

(C) I think (D) Thinking
2. (A) costs (B) cost
(C) costed (D) costing
3. (A) It’s is getting (B) It is getting
(C) It gets (D) Its get
4. (A) looks (B) looked
(C) looking (D) look
5. (A) they doesn’t fit (B) it is not fit
(C) they don’t fit (D) it didn’t fit

Directions (Questions 6-10): Choose the correct meaning.

6. cure or cure for all disease

(A) panicea (B) ponecea
(C) panacea (D) ponasea
7. abnormally high blood pressure
(A) hypertension (B) hypertensity
(C) hyperfusion (D) hypersensitive
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8. allowing the passage of rays of light
(A) opaque (B) dense
(C) luminous (D) transparent

9. art of beautiful handwriting

(A) alligraphy (B) calligraphy
(C) journaling (D) deciphering

10. art or craft needing skill with hand

(A) handycraft (B) handicraft
(C) handcraft (D) handscraft

Directions (Questions 11-15): Choose the correct combination of sentences referring to

the clause given in the brackets.

11. She did her best. Everybody thinks so. (Noun clause)
(A) Everybody thinks she has done her best
(B) Everybody thought she did her best
(C) Everybody thinks she did her best
(D) Everybody thinks that she did her best

12. The younger generation is very fast. It is well known. (Noun Clause)
(A) It is known the younger generation are very fast
(B) It is a well known that the younger generation are vey fast
(C) It is well known that the younger generation is very fast
(D) It is a well known that the younger generation is very fast

13. You did not come yesterday. Can you tell me the reason? (Adjective clause)
(A) Can you tell me the reason why you did not come yesterday?
(B) Can you tell me why you not come yesterday?
(C) Can you tell me that you did not come yesterday?
(D) Can you tell me the reason as to why you do not come yesterday?

14. You are studious. I am not equally studious. (Adverb clause)

(A) You are more studious more than I am
(B) You are more studious than I am
(C) You are studious than I
(D) I am not equally studious

15. I gave you a stick. Please return it. (Adjective clause)

(A) Please return the stick that I gave you
(B) Please return the stick which I give you
(C) Please return the stick which I gave you
(D) Please return the stick I give you
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Directions (Questions 16-21): Choose the correct meaning of the given idioms and
phrases.
16. Bank on
(A) to borrow money (B) to rely on insurance money
(C) to rely on somebody (D) to take a loan from a bank

17. Few and far between

(A) frequency (B) infrequent
(C) frequent (D) frequently

18. To add fuel to the fire

(A) make things worse (B) make things easy
(C) make things fun (D) making things to burn

19. Helter skelter

(A) undue haste (B) confusion
(C) getting mixed up (D) misperception

20. Gird up the loins

(A) prepare oneself for action (B) formulating a rebellious plan
(C) making a secret plan (D) prepare to run away

21. Cats and dogs

(A) raining all the time (B) raining lightly
(C) rain drops from a roof (D) raining heavily

Directions (Questions 22-26): Choose the correct pronoun to complete the sentences
referring to the words in brackets.

22. My flat is the ________ (flat) at the top.

(A) one (B) flat
(C) room (D) house

23. I lost my watch, but it was a cheap ______ (watch).

(A) one (B) thing
(C) watch (D) brand

24. We decorated the whole house __________ (without help).

(A) by us (B) myself
(C) ourselves (D) by all of us

25. I have to make tea for _________ (all the people).

(A) all the people (B) everyone
(C) people (D) all
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26. There was ________ (a thing) worrying me.
(A) certain thing (B) a thing
(C) things (D) something

Directions (Questions 27-30): Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions
that follow.
Lorde: I keep a journal and write in it fairly regularly. I get a lot of poems out of it. It’s
like the raw material for my poems. Sometimes I’m blessed with a poem that comes in the
form of poem, but other times I’ve worked for two years on a poem. For me, there are two very
basic and different processes for revising my poetry.
One is recognizing that a poem has not yet become itself. In other words, I mean that
the feeling, the truth that the poem is anchored in is somehow not clearly clarified inside of
me, and as a result it lacks something. Then it has to be re-felt. Then there’s the other process
which is easier. The poem is itself, but it has rough edges that need to be refined. That kind of
revision involves picking the image that is more potent or tailoring it so that it carries the
feeling. That’s an easier kind of re-writing and re-feeling.
27. Another word in the second paragraph that mean ‘rewriting’ is
(A) re-feeling (B) recognizing
(C) revising (D) picking

28. From where could this account have been taken?

(A) A journal (B) A newspaper
(C) An interview (D) An essay

29. According to the writer the two processes involved in revising her work are
(A) complex and confusing (B) easy and anchored
(C) clear yet different (D) difficult and complex

30. Lorde is probably

(A) a novelist (B) a dramatist
(C) a painter (D) a poet

Directions (Questions 31-36): Identify the kind of sentence.

31. Neither the colour nor the design of this cloth appeals to me.
(A) Complex Sentence (B) Compound Sentence
(C) Simple Sentence (D) Compound Complex Sentence

32. The house was destroyed in the fire, but the whole family was saved.
(A) Complex Sentence (B) Compound Sentence
(C) Simple Sentence (D) Compound Complex Sentence

33. His courage won him honour.

(A) Complex Sentence (B) Compound Sentence
(C) Simple Sentence (D) Compound Complex Sentence
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34. Walking through the wood, he saw a fox that was following him.
(A) Complex Sentence (B) Compound Sentence
(C) Simple Sentence (D) Compound Complex Sentence

35. The men who rule the world with their pens are mightier than those who rule the
world with their swords.
(A) Complex Sentence (B) Compound Sentence
(C) Simple Sentence (D) Compound Complex Sentence

36. The man was mean because he was lonely, but his attitude only made his situation worse.
(A) Complex Sentence (B) Compound Sentence
(C) Simple Sentence (D) Compound Complex Sentence

Directions (Questions 37-46): Choose the alternative which best expresses the mean-
ing of the idioms and phrases given in italics.

37. Because of his misbehaviour, he is bound to face the music.

(A) get finished (B) feel sorry
(C) get reprimanded (D) listen to the music

38. By opposing his proposal he fell foul of him.

(A) refusing to talk (B) agreed with
(C) fell annoyed with (D) got into trouble with

39. That scrupulous man takes someone for a ride and leave when they go bankrupt.
(A) to discredit somebody (B) make someone a follower
(C) to cheat someone (D) to befoul someone

40. He stood, for a moment, staring defiantly back at her, then took to his heels.
(A) to run slowly (B) to hurt one’s heels
(C) to take a shoe (D) to run away

41. You have to read between the lines to understand most of the symbolic writing.
(A) read again and again (B) understand the hidden meaning
(C) know the symbols (D) look for many meanings

42. Layla could not help but drop a hint for the applicant.
(A) to give someone something (B) to visit someone
(C) to drop something (D) to give an indication

43. The employees were kept in the dark about the latest developments.
(A) were only informed after working hours
(B) were informed when it was too late
(C) were not informed at all
(D) were given secret information
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44. He is accused of sitting on the fence.
(A) observing the scene (B) resting on a fence
(C) hesitating which side to take (D) showing which side one takes

45. We have appealed to him again and again, there is no use flogging a dead horse now.
(A) wasting time in useless effort (B) making him see reason
(C) repeating a request (D) refusing to see someone

46. The movie is a dark horse for the award.

(A) a corrupt person (B) an unexpected winner
(C) a notorious criminal (D) person who always wins

Directions (Questions 47-51): Choose the correct alternatives to fill in the blanks.
Happy is the man who _____ (47) the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a
life-long source of _____ (48), instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved
books he need ______ (49) feel lonely. He always has a pleasant _____ (50) of leisure
moments. He is the ______ (51) of wealth more precious than gold.

47. (A) owns (B) buy

(C) acquires (D) takes

48. (A) pleasure (B) satisfaction

(C) sadness (D) dejection

49. (A) always (B) ever

(C) sometimes (D) never

50. (A) source (B) occupation

(C) possession (D) relief

51. (A) possessor (B) loser

(C) master (D) heir

Directions (Questions 52-54): Choose the correct antonym for each of the underlined
words.

52. The officer is caught uo in his malversation of funds.

(A) demure (B) uprightness
(C) frolicsome (D) jaunty
53. Magic is happening below the surface though the garden looks unkempt.
(A) orderly (B) serene
(C) mope (D) firm
54. That man truly deserves recognition for his benevolence.
(A) decency (B) humanity
(C) sin (D) miserliness
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Directions (Questions 55-58): Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions
that follow.

Those of us who already possess knives and use them at our meals can hardly understand
the longing of an infant to be given the freedom of so perilous an instrument. Man has been
defined as a tool using animal and there is no other tool that appeals to the imagination as
strongly as the knife. It is through long months and years a forbidden thing and all the more
fascinating on that count. There is no glory in using a spoon. There is no honour in holding a
fork in the right hand and in taking up on it little squares of meat that have been cut with a knife
by some more privileged hand. Fork and spoon are little more than an extension of the fingers
and a spoon, at least is so safe that it can be left in the hands of an infant in the cradle, but a
knife is a danger against which constant warning is necessary, something out of reach and
waiting as a prize at the end of a long avenue of years.
55. Adults cannot understand why a child finds knives so attractive because they
(A) use knives routinely at the dining table
(B) have forgotten their childhood experience
(C) use the knife to cut through vegetables everyday
(D) wield power at the time of meals

56. The child

(A) longs to be a tool-using animal
(B) desires the freedom to use the perilous instrument
(C) wants to use the knife because he wants to dine in the table with adults
(D) dreams of an adventure

57. The knife fascinates a child all the more because it is

(A) a precious prize (B) out of his reach
(C) a strong weapon to defend oneself with (D) a very attractive toy

58. To the child, there is no glory in handling a spoon because

(A) it is annoying to look at (B) it is nothing but the extension of fingers
(C) it is an extremely safe instrument (D) it is not exciting as a fork

Directions (Questions 59-63): Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition :

59. Could you let me know ______ Friday at the latest?

(A) by (B) to
(C) up (D) until

60. I’ve lived here _______ last year.

(A) after (B) by
(C) for (D) since

61. Are these pictures _____ sale?

(A) at (B) for
(C) in (D) to
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62. You can see all the information _____ the screen.
(A) at (B) from
(C) in (D) on

63. The audience clapped ______ the end of the show.

(A) at (B) for
(C) in (D) to

Directions (Questions 64-66): Choose the correct synonym for each of the underlined
words.

64. The man that hath no music in his soul is fit for treason.
(A) crime (B) misconduct
(C) delinquency (D) treachery

65. The document was duly signed by the Medical Officer.

(A) appropriately (B) hurriedly
(C) usually (D) commonly

66. They have gone to a land whither few travellers go.

(A) seldom (B) where
(C) which (D) occasionally

Directions (Questions 67-71): Choose the alternative best for the situation.

67. Daniel ______ go to the bank. He hasn’t any money.

(A) has to (B) had to
(C) should (D) need to

68. You ______ lock the door when you go out. There’ve been a lot of break-ins recently.
(A) has to (B) must
(C) need to (D) should

69. You really _____ make less noise. I’m trying to concentrate.
(A) must (B) had to
(C) need to (D) have to

70. I _______ go to the airport. I’m meeting someone.

(A) has to (B) had to
(C) have to (D) have had to

71. I ______ work late tomorrow. We’re very busy at the office.
(A) must (B) has to
(C) need to (D) have to
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Directions (Questions 72-76): By choosing the correct answer from the options given,
change the following sentences without changing their meaning.

72. The villagers caught the thief. They handed him over to the police.
(A) The villagers catch the thief so that they could hand him over to the police
(B) Having caught the thief, the villagers handed him over to the police
(C) Having catch the thief, the villagers have to hand him to the police
(D) The villagers caught the thief to hand him over to the police
73. He informed me that his parents had arrived.
(A) He inform that his parents arrive
(B) He informs me so that his parents can arrive
(C) He informed me of his parents’ arrival
(D) He informed me of his parents’ arriving

74. He is unwell. Still he attends the office regularly.

(A) Though he is unwell, he attends the office regularly
(B) Though he is unwell he is attending the office regularly
(C) He attends the office regularly to be unwell
(D) He is unwell still he attends the office regularly
75. Having come late, he paid the penalty
(A) He came late and he paid the penalty
(B) He came late to pay the penalty
(C) He had to pay the penalty
(D) He came late he paid the penalty
76. You have to submit your application by Friday. Otherwise, it will not be accepted.
(A) You have to submit your application in Friday so as to be accepted
(B) Submit you application by Friday or it will not accept
(C) You have to submit your application by Friday otherwise it will not be accepted
(D) Unless you submit your application before Friday, it will not be accepted

Directions (Questions 77-80): Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions
that follow.

Finger prints are the marks made by the ridges on the ends of the fingers and thumbs.
These ridges form a pattern that stays the same throughout a person’s life. No two persons
have ever had the same fingerprints. So, fingerprints are a fool-proof way of identifying a
person. A fingerprint record is made in an interesting manner. A small piece of metal is coated
with a thin film of ink. Next, a person’s finger and thumb tips are pressed against the inked
surface. Then, the fingertips are pressed on a white card. The prints are recorded in exact
detail. Finger printing is often used to solve crimes. Fingerprints are picked up at the scene of
a crime. These are compared with those of a suspect. Millions of fingerprints are kept on files
by police departments. Finger printing is also used in finding missing persons and identifying
the unknown dead. It is used to screen people who apply for certain jobs. It is thought that the
Chinese use thumb prints to sign documents a long time before Christ. The system used today
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was invented by Sir Francis Galton in the 1980s. In 1901 Sir ER Henry found a simple way of
grouping fingerprints. His system is used by many law-enforcement organisations.
77. Who first evolved a system of using finger impressions to authenticate documents?
(A) Sir Francis Galton (B) Sir ER Henry
(C) The Chinese (D) The Britishers

78. Fingerprints are the most ______ way of identifying a person.

(A) best (B) genuine
(C) sincere (D) accurate

79. The main reason why fingerprinting is used for identification is that
(A) every individual has a unique set of fingerprints
(B) every set of fingerprints fall into a pattern
(C) records of fingerprints can be maintained
(D) fingerprints can be picked even after a crime

80. The fingerprints are stored for record

(A) on a white paper (B) on an inked surface
(C) on paper files (D) on a small piece of metal