English Language

Sentence Transformation

697 Questions

Sentence transformation questions evaluate grammatical accuracy in converting sentences between active and passive voice, as well as direct and indirect speech. The focus lies on altering sentence structures without changing the original meaning while maintaining correct tense and verb forms. This is a highly weighted English language topic in SSC and banking exams.

Active and passive voiceDirect and indirect speechNarration changeTense consistencyVerb form transformation

Sentence Transformation Questions

Multiple choice
  1. The rules governing the working of the council are being clearly laid.

  2. The rules governing the working of the council are clearly laid down.

  3. The rules governing the working of the council are laid clearly.

  4. The rules governing the working of the council have been laid clearly.

  5. The rules governing the working of the council are clearly laid.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Rules are laid down.

Multiple choice
  1. Before presenting the budget proposals, the minister duly sought permission of the chairman to lay them at the House.

  2. Before presenting the budget proposals, the minister duly sought permission of the chair to lay it before the House.

  3. Before presenting the budget proposals, the minister duly sought permission of the chair for laying them before the House.

  4. Before presenting the budget proposals, the minister duly sought permission of the chair to lay them up before the House.

  5. Before presenting the budget proposals, the minister duly sought permission of the chair to lay them before the House.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

 Proposals are laid before the House. 

Multiple choice
  1. A tree provides us so much - food, shade, wood and oxygen - and expects nothing in return.

  2. A tree provides us too much - food, shade, wood and oxygen - and expects nothing in return.

  3. A tree provides us as much - food, shade, wood and oxygen - and expects nothing in return.

  4. A tree provides us with as much - food, shade, wood and oxygen - and expects nothing in return.

  5. A tree provides us with so much more - food, shade, wood and oxygen - and expects nothing in return.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 The correct phrase is 'provides us so much', not 'too much' or 'as much' or 'much more'.

Multiple choice
  1. Several studies have found that the heart patients who exercise most actively have half or less than half the chance of dying of a heart attack as those who are sedentary.

  2. Several studies have found that the heart patients who exercise most actively are at least fifty percent less likely than those who are sedentary to die of a heart attack.

  3. Several studies have found that the heart patients who exercise most actively have half the chance that they will die of a heart attack, or less than who are sedentary do.

  4. Several studies have found that the heart patients who exercise most actively are at least fifty percent less likely to die of a heart attack as those who are sedentary.

  5. Several studies have found that the heart patients who exercise most actively have half the chance that they will die of a heart attack, or less as those who are sedentary.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sentences compare the chances of a heart attack between heart patients who exercise and those who do not. So, the concoction introducing comparison, 'than' should be used. This is seen only in sentences (2) and (3). In sentence (3), the word order is incorrect. Hence, (2) is the answer.

Multiple choice
  1. The referee's lack of alertness penalized all those who were involved in fighting, regardless of who had instigated it.

  2. The referee's lack of alertness often caused him to penalize all those who were involved in fighting, regardless of who had instigated it.

  3. The players were punished by the lack of alertness of the referee who penalized often all those who were involved in fighting, regardless of who had instigated it.

  4. Lacking alertness, the referee penalized all those who were involved in fighting, regardless of who had instigated it.

  5. His lack of alertness often forced the referee to penalize all those who were involved in fighting, regardless of who had instigated it.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Answer: Option (2)The source of punishment is not the 'referee's lack of alertness'. Option (3) better manages to link “referee” and “who”, but it still requires both “punished” and “penalized”. Options (4) and (5) change the meaning.

Multiple choice
  1. flaunted, oblivious

  2. invected, cretinous

  3. approbated, verdant

  4. vaunted, pedantic

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

'And', after superficial, in last part of the sentence gives clue for the second blank, which implies that the blank must be replaced by a word indicating similarity to superficial. Of all three options, 'pedantic' in (4) fits our prediction as it is an ostentations display of knowledge, or an instance of this. Moreover, 'Vaunted' (to boast, brag) characterizes the first blank, thereby giving a cogent meaning to the sentence. Hence, (4) is the answer. 

Multiple choice
  1. There are hook-like spines on the fishhook barrel cactus, whose function is to latch on to water borne debris and transport the seed to favorable locations for germination.

  2. The fishhook barrel cactus has hook-like spines, whose function is to latch on to water borne debris and transport the seed to locations favorable for germination.

  3. There are hook-like spines on the fishhook barrel cactus, the function of which is to latch on to water borne debris and transport the seed to locations favorable for germination.

  4. To transport the seeds to locations favorable for germination, the fishhook barrel cactus has hooked spines that latch on to water borne debris.

  5. The fishhook barrel cactus has hook-like spines, with the function of latching on to water borne debris and transporting the seed to locations favorable for germination.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Correct. The option removes Modifier Error by placing hook-like spines right before 'whose'. Also, the use of 'locations favorable for germination' is idiomatic.

Multiple choice
  1. Fought in July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg that resulted in the defeat of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee at the hands of Union General George G.. Meade, also effectively decided

  2. The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought in July 1863, resulting in the defeat of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee at the hands of Union General George G.. Meade, also effectively decided

  3. The Battle of Gettysburg which was fought in July 1863, resulted in the defeat of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee at the hands of Union General George G.. Meade, and effectively decided

  4. Fought in July 1863, resulting in the defeat of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee at the hands of Union General George G.. Meade, the Battle of Gettysburg also decided

  5. Fought in July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in the defeat of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee at the hands of Union General George G.. Meade, also effectively deciding

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Correct. The sentence contains no error.

Multiple choice
  1. associated with South America, the coffee that is considered finest comes from Eastern and Central Africa

  2. associated with South America, Eastern and Central Africa are considered to be the source of the finest coffee

  3. associated with South America but Eastern and Central Africa are considered to be the sources of the finest coffee

  4. given association with South America, but the finest coffee comes from Eastern and Central Africa

  5. associated with South America but the coffee considered finest, in fact, comes from Eastern and Central Africa

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Correct. The option introduces a word indicating contrast - 'but' - and removes redundancy by eliminating 'that is'.

Multiple choice
  1. despite a ramp up in its efforts to curb population growth, the number of new births reported has increased by 3.8%

  2. despite a ramp up in the government's efforts to curb population growth, the number of new births reported has increased by 3.8%

  3. despite a ramp up in its efforts to curb population growth, the number of new births reported increased by 3.8%

  4. despite a ramp up in the government's efforts to curb population growth, the number of new births reported increased by 3.8%

  5. the number of new births reported went up by 3.8% despite the government ramping up its efforts to curb population growth

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Correct. The option removes the error of Verb tense by using Simple Past - increased - to refer to growth in birth rate. Also, the option removes the Error of Missing Antecedent by substituting 'its' with 'government's'.

Multiple choice
  1. If we compare the red meat consumption with the amount of white meat over the last few decades, we find that red meat consumption is in decline.

  2. To compare red meat consumption with white meat consumption is to show that red meat consumption is in decline over the last few decades.

  3. Compared to consumption of white meat, the consumption of red meat is in decline over the last few decades.

  4. Comparing the consumption of red meat and white meat, we find that the consumption of red meat is in decline.

  5. A comparison over the last few decades of the consumption of red meat and the consumption of white meat shows that red meat consumption is in decline.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Correct. The option removes the flab of the original sentence to get to the crux of the matter. Also, the sentence is parallel in construction.

Multiple choice
  1. The European Union have unanimously applauded the declaration by Portugal that it certainly would not default on the repayment of its loans.

  2. The European Union has applauded Portugal's declaration that the latter would not default on its loans.

  3. The European Union unanimously applauded the declaration by Portugal that it will not default on the repayment of its loans.

  4. The declaration by Portugal, that it certainly would not default on its loans, was unanimously applauded by the European Union.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Correct; crisp sentence without any ambiguity. It shortens 'declaration by Portugal' to 'Portugal's declaration'. Also, the use of 'latter' clarifies that it is Portugal, not the European Union that is being talked about.

Multiple choice
  1. The American Civil War, although many people believe is associated with bi-polar stands about abolition of slavery, is not related with only one factor.

  2. Although many people believe that American Civil War was associated with bi-polar stands on slavery, the war was not related with one factor only.

  3. Although many people believe that American Civil War was associated with bi-polar stands on slavery, the war was not related to one factor only.

  4. The American Civil War, although many people believe was associated with bi-polar stands about abolition of slavery, was not related with only one factor.

  5. Although many people associated believe that the American Civil War was caused by bi-polar stands on slavery, it was not related to one factor only.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Correct; removes the tense error by using past tense for American Civil War; correctly places the clause starting with although to maintain flow of the sentence; uses correct idiom by replacing 'related with' with 'related to'.

Multiple choice
  1. The trees from genus Olea, some of them over thousand of years old, are among the longest living trees in the world just as trees of Taxus genus are, yet they

  2. The trees from genus Olea, some of them over thousands of years old, are among the longest living trees in the world, just as the trees of genus Taxus are, but they

  3. Like the trees from genus Taxus, the trees from genus Olea are among the longest living trees in the world, some of them over a thousand years old, but they

  4. Although, like the trees of genus Taxus, the trees of genus Olea are some of the longest living trees, some of them over thousands of years old, yet

  5. The trees of the genus Taxus and Olea are among the longest living trees, some of them over thousands of years old, yet they

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Correct. The option places the absolute phrase, 'Some of them over thousands of years old' at the end of the clause it modifies. When two nouns are compared, we use 'like' to compare them.

Multiple choice
  1. Depending on factual evidences, argument is seldom used in pleading.

  2. Argument is seldom used by pleaders, who depend instead on factual evidence.

  3. Evidence, which is factual, is used in place of argument by pleaders.

  4. Factual evidence is dependent on by pleaders instead of argument.

  5. Instead of factual evidence, depending on argument is used by pleaders.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence bears error of modifier and structure. There is no subject. We have to introduce 'pleaders' as the subject and reframe the sentence. This option corrects the error of structure.