CUET 2023 English Question Paper Available- Download Solutions PDF with Answer Key

The passage explicitly mentions "Lizzie," the man's daughter, on the boat. Quick Tip: Carefully read the passage for specific names and details.

The passage mentions a fishing net and a coil of rope on the boat. There is no mention of a cushion, rusty boat-hook, or compass. Quick Tip: Eliminate options based on what is not mentioned in the passage.

These word meanings are standard dictionary definitions. Quick Tip: If unsure, rely on contextual clues from the passage.

The passage describes the man on the boat as recognizing his daughter. Quick Tip: Pay attention to pronouns and familial terms.

"Sodden" means thoroughly saturated with liquid, especially water. Quick Tip: Use context to infer meaning if a word is unfamiliar.

The passage states that Dhanpat Rai adopted the pen name Premchand later in his writing career. Quick Tip: Read carefully for details about the author's name and pen name.

The passage explicitly names Anandi as the heroine of the novel *Godaan*. Quick Tip: Look for direct mentions of characters and their associated works.

This requires careful matching of names and details given in the passage. Quick Tip: Carefully match the descriptions in List I and List II.

The text clearly identifies Kazmi as a postal messenger. Quick Tip: Identify the character and their profession directly from the text.

The passage mentions that Premchand learned Urdu and Persian during his early schooling in Lamhia, this implicates Yahyaand. Quick Tip: Look for explicit statements about language learning.

A persuasive speech aims to change mindsets (III). An entertaining speech makes you feel good (IV). An informative speech transfers knowledge (I). An anecdote has a touch of reality (II). Quick Tip: Consider the primary purpose of each type of speech or narrative form to match it with its defining characteristic.

An entertaining speech benefits from a strong opening, often using anecdotes (B), and is more effective when delivered in the first person and present tense for immediacy and engagement (D). Quick Tip: Remember that while entertainment can impart knowledge, its primary focus is enjoyment, not instruction.

Gratitude means thankfulness or appreciation. Quick Tip: Break down unfamiliar words into roots and prefixes to guess their meaning if unsure. “Gratitude” shares a root with “grateful.”

Pace and modulation (variation in speed and tone) are crucial for keeping an entertaining speech engaging and effective. Quick Tip: Varying the pace and tone of your voice prevents monotony and maintains audience interest.

A valedictory at a seminar is typically informative or persuasive, focusing on summarizing key takeaways and thanking participants, rather than primarily entertaining. Quick Tip: An entertaining speech prioritizes enjoyment and engagement, while other speech types may have different primary goals.

The correct passive voice construction is "Your life will be changed by this book," maintaining the future tense and correctly shifting the object ("your life") to the subject position. Quick Tip: In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject, and the subject of the active sentence becomes the object (or is omitted). The verb also changes form, generally to “be + past participle” form of the main verb

The correct passive voice is "They are being teased by you," retaining the present continuous tense and making "you" the agent of the action. Quick Tip: Pay attention to the tense of the original sentence. The tense shouldn’t change during conversion to the passive.

The direct speech captures the emotion ("Alas!") and the original wording ("I am undone") conveyed in the indirect statement. Quick Tip: Direct speech uses the speaker's exact words enclosed in quotation marks. Indirect speech reports what was said without quotation marks, often using reporting verbs like “said” or “told.”

“Rakesh ordered Mahesh to go away” best reflects the imperative nature of the original sentence, where Rakesh is commanding Mahesh to leave. Quick Tip: The reporting verb in indirect speech should accurately reflect the tone and purpose of the original statement.

The correct order forms the sentence: "Roentgen discovered a new type of heart that could soften and penetrate some objects including human tissue. Quick Tip: Look for clues like subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions to help determine the logical order of phrases.

The correct arrangement is "Iron is the most useful of all the metals," which adheres to standard superlative adjective construction ("the most useful") and sentence structure. Quick Tip: Superlative adjectives (e.g., biggest, smallest, most useful) compare three or more things.

"Vive la France" is a French expression meaning "Long live France," expressing patriotism and support for the country. Quick Tip: “Vive” is a common exclamation in French, similar to “long live” or “hurrah for.”

A "tour de force" refers to a feat of skill, strength, or ingenuity, often in artistic or creative endeavors. Quick Tip: “Tour de force” is a borrowed French phrase that literally means “feat of strength.”

A chauvinist is someone who has excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for their own cause, group, or sex. Quick Tip: Chauvinism often manifests as an aggressive or unreasonable belief in the superiority of one's own group.

An oracle provides advice from gods (III). A pundit is a learned person (IV). An impostor is someone skilled in foreign languages (often used deceptively) (I). A gullible person is easily fooled (II). Quick Tip: Consider the context in which you typically encounter these words to help match them to their definitions.

"The" is used before specific entities like the BBC (A-IV). "No article" is used with abstract nouns like 'definition' after 'by' (B-I). "A" is used before a singular, countable noun like 'universal problem' (C-III), and “The” is used with specific nouns, like “heart” when referring to a particular location (D-II) Quick Tip: Articles (a, an, the) specify whether a noun is general or specific. "The" is for specific nouns; "a/an" for general, singular nouns; and no article is often used with general plurals or uncountable nouns.

"A" is the correct indefinite article for a singular, countable noun ("letter") that is not yet specific. Since it is not referring to any particular letter, "a" is used.

Understanding Articles: "A" is used before words starting with consonant sounds, and it indicates something indefinite or non-specific. Quick Tip: Use "a" before words that start with consonant sounds and "an" before words that start with vowel sounds. Ensure you understand whether the noun is specific or general when choosing the article.

“Oh! that I were young again!” correctly expresses the wish in an exclamatory manner. The exclamatory form is used to show strong emotion or feeling.

Exclamatory Sentences: These sentences often begin with words like "Oh!", "Wow!", or "Alas!" and express strong feelings, especially desires or regrets. Quick Tip: Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion and often begin with interjections like “Oh!” “Wow!” or “Alas!” and end with an exclamation mark.

"This was a delicious meal" is the assertive sentence corresponding to the exclamatory form "What is delicious!"

Understanding Assertive vs. Exclamatory Sentences: Assertive sentences provide information or statements, whereas exclamatory sentences express strong feelings or surprise. Quick Tip: Assertive sentences state facts or opinions, while exclamatory sentences express strong emotion. Understand how to transform a declarative sentence into an exclamation.

"Overwhelmed with joy" is the correct idiomatic expression used to show that someone is overcome by a particular emotion.

Prepositions with Idioms: Prepositions like "with" often appear in set phrases, and "overwhelmed with" is one of those fixed expressions used to describe an emotional reaction. Quick Tip: Prepositions are tricky! Learning common collocations (words that frequently go together) can help you choose the correct preposition.

"Cattle" is a plural noun; therefore, the sentence should be "There are cattle in the field" rather than "There is a cattle."

Context of Plural Nouns: "Cattle" is always treated as a plural noun, and it does not take the singular article "a." When referring to cattle, use "are" instead of "is." Quick Tip: “Cattle” is a plural noun and requires a plural verb. It refers to a group of cows or bulls.

"Must" conveys the strongest obligation or necessity to obey one's parents, compared to "should" or "ought to," which are less forceful.

Understanding Modals: Modals like "must," "should," and "ought to" express different degrees of obligation or permission. "Must" expresses the highest degree of necessity. Quick Tip: Modals (can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must, ought to) express ability, permission, obligation, probability, etc. “Must” indicates strong obligation.

"Was allowed to" is the correct verb form, indicating past tense and passive voice (I was given permission to speak).

Using Passive Voice: Passive voice emphasizes the action done to the subject, often focusing on the permission received. Quick Tip: Use passive voice when the subject receives the action (as in “was allowed”). Active voice is when the subject performs the action.

In a formal letter, the sender's address is typically placed first, followed by the date, recipient’s address, salutation, and then the body of the letter.

Letter Format: Formal letters follow a structured format, and placing the sender's address at the top ensures clarity in identifying the source of the letter. Quick Tip: Formal letters have a specific structure. Remember the order: Sender’s Address, Date, Recipient's address, Salutation, Subject (if required), Body, Closing.

An invoice is a formal document used for billing and payment, not a component of an informal letter.

Informal Letter Structure: Informal letters are used for personal communication and are less structured compared to formal letters. They omit formal elements like invoices. Quick Tip: Informal letters are for personal communication and typically omit formal elements like invoices or subject lines.

The correct spelling is "Phenomenology," a philosophical study of experience and consciousness. Quick Tip: Be mindful of double letters and vowel combinations in complex words. Using a dictionary or spell-check is always a good idea!

"I had stepped into my office when the phone rang" is in the past simple form when the phone rang, implying the call interrupted the action. Past perfect requires the first completed action and the second action to happen after that in past simple. The correct form should be "I had stepped into the office when the phone rang." Quick Tip: Past perfect (had + past participle) describes an action completed before another action in the past.

"Stand up for" means to support (A-III). "Strike off" means to remove (B-I). "Turn up" means to become possible or to arrive (C-II). "Turn against" means to oppose (D-IV). Quick Tip: Phrasal verbs (verb + preposition/adverb) have unique meanings that are different from the individual words.

"Polished off" means to finish quickly or completely. It's correctly used in option 2, where the brother quickly finished the cake. Quick Tip: “Polish off” implies a rapid and complete consumption or finishing of something, often food.

"Cite" means to quote (I). "Petrol" is fuel (III). "Site" refers to a location (II). "Bite" could refer to going around checking for safety (in the sense of a police dog, for instance). (IV). Quick Tip: Pay close attention to similar spellings. "Cite" and "site," despite sounding identical, have very different meanings.

The correct order forms the sentence: "Large-scale displacements from special economic zones further lens." While the sentence might sound a bit unusual, it implies that mass displacements due to economic zones are being observed or analyzed (using "lens" metaphorically to represent focus or perspective).

Grammatical Structure: The phrase “further lens” is likely a metaphor suggesting that these displacements provide additional insight or perspective on economic zones, even though the wording seems unconventional. Quick Tip: In jumbled sentence questions, focus on how adjectives (like "large-scale") and prepositions (like "from") fit with nouns (like "displacements") to make the sentence logically and grammatically sound.

"Spurious" refers to something false, counterfeit, or lacking authenticity. The antonym of spurious is "genuine," meaning authentic or real.

Context: Understanding opposites like "spurious" (false) and "genuine" (real) helps in enhancing vocabulary and distinguishing between different types of objects or information. Quick Tip: "Spurious" implies something deceptive, whereas "genuine" is used for something authentic and truthful. Remember that "genuine" affirms what is real and true.

"Insipid" means lacking flavor, dull, or unappetizing. The appropriate antonym is "delicious," which describes food that has a pleasing and enjoyable taste.

Context: "Insipid" is often used to describe bland or boring food, while "delicious" is used to highlight something flavorful and enjoyable. Quick Tip: Think of "insipid" as meaning something is lacking flavor or excitement, while "delicious" indicates something is flavorful and delightful. Use this contrast to help identify antonyms in context.

The correct matching is:

A. He will pay "dearly" (a high price) for his mistake (A-II).
B. "Scarcely" means barely or hardly (B-III).
C. Ravi succeeded "barely" (C-IV), implying that his success was not easily achieved.
D. "Barely" anyone believes in ghosts these days (D-IV), emphasizing the rarity of belief.


Context of Adverbs: Adverbs such as "barely" and "scarcely" express limitations or rarity, whereas "dearly" emphasizes the intensity or value of an action. Quick Tip: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Consider how each adverb affects the meaning of the sentence. "Scarcely" and "barely" describe frequency or extent, while "dearly" emphasizes the intensity of an action.

"So that" is used to indicate purpose. In this sentence, it shows the reason for Sanjeev staying at work — to complete his pending work.

Context of "So That": "So that" is commonly used to explain the purpose or result of an action, such as working to achieve a goal. Quick Tip: "So that" expresses purpose or result. It indicates why an action is being taken, linking the cause to the intended outcome.

The correct question tag is "does she?" Question tags use the auxiliary verb (or "do/does/did" if no auxiliary is present) and the pronoun from the main clause, and they are opposite in polarity (positive sentence, negative tag; negative sentence, positive tag). Since the main clause is negative in meaning ("rarely attends"), the tag is positive ("does she").

Context of Question Tags: Question tags are used to confirm or check information. When the sentence is negative, the tag is positive, and vice versa. Quick Tip: Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement. Use the opposite polarity (positive/negative) in the tag.

The correct sentence is "Nothing ever happens by chance," meaning that events are not random or accidental.

Grammar Tip: In English, the word order is crucial to making sentences meaningful. Adverbs like "ever" typically come before the verb, and prepositional phrases like "by chance" usually follow the verb. Quick Tip: Look for adverbs (like "ever") and prepositions (like "by") to help determine the position of other words in the sentence.

"A feather in one's cap" is an idiom meaning an achievement that one is proud of, something that adds to one's prestige or reputation.

Context of Idioms: The phrase "a feather in one's cap" comes from the practice of warriors adding a feather to their cap as a symbol of their victories. Quick Tip: Idioms are phrases with figurative meanings different from the literal meanings of the individual words.

"Have very little in common" is an idiom meaning to share few interests or characteristics.

Context of Idioms: Idioms often express abstract ideas in more concrete terms. In this case, "have very little in common" conveys the idea of minimal shared interests. Quick Tip: Idiomatic expressions cannot be understood literally; their meaning is figurative or metaphorical.

"Whom you see bowling" is the adjective clause, modifying the noun "boy" by providing more information about him.

Context of Adjective Clauses: Adjective clauses provide more detail about a noun or pronoun in a sentence. They usually begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, which). Quick Tip: An adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun, providing descriptive detail. It usually begins with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, which).