11. Self-Diagnostic Warm-Up Set

Before starting the six-week drill plan in Section 9, use this shorter 25-question diagnostic to identify which of the twelve categories from Section 3 need the most attention. Attempt all 25 questions under a 15-minute time limit, then score yourself against the key and use the category tags to decide where to start your six-week plan with extra emphasis.

1. (A) The batch of new recruits / (B) are undergoing / (C) a two-week orientation programme. / (D) No error
2. (A) He has been / (B) the branch manager / (C) since past five years. / (D) No error
3. (A) The manager asked Sunita and I / (B) to compile the attendance report / (C) before the weekly meeting. / (D) No error
4. (A) She is proficient at / (B) handling customer grievances / (C) with remarkable patience. / (D) No error
5. (A) He gave a brilliant / (B) presentation on / (C) union public service exam pattern. / (D) No error
6. (A) The manual explains / (B) how to install the software / (C) and configuring the network settings. / (D) No error
7. (A) Kindly revert back / (B) with your confirmation / (C) at the earliest. / (D) No error
8. (A) Between the two vendors, / (B) the second one offered / (C) the cheapest rate for printing admit cards. / (D) No error
9. (A) The employee was neither punctual / (B) or diligent / (C) in completing the assigned tasks. / (D) No error
10. (A) Rushing to catch the last local train, / (B) the ticket / (C) slipped out of his pocket unnoticed. / (D) No error
11. (A) This year, / (B) fewer funding / (C) was allocated to the skill-development programme. / (D) No error
12. (A) The report recommends / (B) reducing paperwork and to digitise / (C) the entire verification process. / (D) No error
13. (A) She gave him / (B) a piece of / (C) useful advices before the exam. / (D) No error
14. (A) The two proposals / (B) are entirely different than / (C) what the committee had originally expected. / (D) No error
15. (A) Not only the manager / (B) but also his team / (C) were praised for their dedication. / (D) No error
16. (A) He informed / (B) about the change in venue / (C) through a circular sent to all departments. / (D) No error
17. (A) The prices of stationary / (B) have risen sharply / (C) since the start of the academic year. / (D) No error
18. (A) Each of the departments / (B) have submitted / (C) their annual performance report. / (D) No error
19. (A) She scored / (B) highest marks / (C) among all the candidates in her batch. / (D) No error
20. (A) The committee, along with the external auditor, / (B) were satisfied / (C) with the revised financial statement. / (D) No error
21. (A) He hardly ever / (B) misses a single day / (C) of his daily revision schedule. / (D) No error
22. (A) The two departments finally agreed / (B) to comply to / (C) the newly issued safety guidelines. / (D) No error
23. (A) A large number of / (B) applicants was rejected / (C) due to incomplete documentation. / (D) No error
24. (A) It is / (B) two years ago since / (C) the company revised its leave policy. / (D) No error
25. (A) The training session, / (B) which was conducted online, / (C) covered every important aspect of the new policy. / (D) No error

Diagnostic Answer Key

1. (B) — "batch...are" should be "is undergoing" (collective noun as a single unit). Category: 3.1
2. (C) — "since past five years" should be "for the past five years." Category: 3.2
3. (A) — "Sunita and I" as the object of "asked" should be "Sunita and me." Category: 3.3
4. (A) — "proficient at" should be "proficient in." Category: 3.4
5. (C) — a specific, named examination should take "the": "the Union Public Service Commission exam pattern." Category: 3.5
6. (C) — "and configuring" breaks parallelism with the infinitive "how to install"; should be "and how to configure." Category: 3.6
7. (A) — "revert back" is redundant; should be simply "revert." Category: 3.7
8. (C) — only two vendors compared, so "the cheaper rate," not "the cheapest," is required. Category: 3.8
9. (B) — "neither...or" should be "neither...nor." Category: 3.9
10. (B) — dangling modifier; "the ticket" cannot rush — should be restructured, e.g., "...he did not notice the ticket slip out of his pocket." Category: 3.10
11. (B) — "fewer funding" should be "less funding," since "funding" is uncountable. Category: 3.11
12. (B) — "reducing paperwork and to digitise" breaks parallelism (gerund paired with infinitive); should be "reducing paperwork and digitising the entire verification process." Category: 3.6
13. (C) — "advices" is an incorrect plural of the uncountable noun "advice"; should be "useful advice." Category: 3.11 / 3.12
14. (B) — "different than" should be "different from." Category: 3.4 / 3.12
15. (C) — "not only...but also" takes the verb agreeing with the nearer subject, "his team" (singular as a unit); should be "was praised," not "were praised." Category: 3.9 / 3.1
16. (A) — "informed about," without an indirect object, should be "informed all departments about." Category: 3.4
17. (A) — "stationary" (not moving) should be "stationery" (writing/office materials). Category: 3.12
18. (B) — "each...have submitted" should be "has submitted." Category: 3.1
19. (B) — missing article before a superlative: "highest marks" should be "the highest marks." Category: 3.5
20. (B) — "were satisfied" should be "was satisfied"; "along with the external auditor" is parenthetical and does not pluralise the subject "the committee." Category: 3.1
21. (D) No error — "hardly ever" is correctly placed in mid-position before the main verb. Category: 3.2 (control item)
22. (B) — "comply to" should be "comply with." Category: 3.4
23. (B) — "applicants was" should be "applicants were"; the true subject "applicants," not "number," governs the verb once "a large number of" functions as a plural quantifying phrase. Category: 3.1
24. (B) — "two years ago since" is a redundant double time-marker; should be "It is two years since the company revised its leave policy." Category: 3.7 / 3.2
25. (D) No error — the relative clause is correctly placed and punctuated, modifying "the training session." Category: 3.6 (control item)