General English (AEC) — Q&A

Section D — Short Answers
attempt any 5 of 6 × 2.5 marks

📝 Section D — Short Answers (8 practice questions)

Q1 · 2.5 marks

Q1. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. (2.5 marks) The new reading room of the college opened in July. It holds eighty seats and two shelves of newspapers in Hindi and English. Students may sit from eight in the morning to six in the evening. Bags stay on the rack by the door. The librarian, Ms Rao, issues a day-pass if the identity card is left at home. Last month a leaking cooler wet a row of magazines; they were dried and bound again. The room is quiet after four, when most classes end and only exam groups remain. (a) When did the reading room open? (b) What are the hours? (c) What does Ms Rao do if a student has no identity card? (d) Why is the room quiet after four? (e) Give a suitable title. (f) What does 'issues' mean here?

✅ Answer:

(a) The reading room opened in July. (b) It is open from eight in the morning to six in the evening. (c) Ms Rao issues a day-pass. (d) After four most classes have ended and only exam groups remain, so the room is quieter. (e) A suitable title is 'The College Reading Room'. (f) Here 'issues' means gives or provides (a pass) — not 'problems'.

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Har sub-question ka seedha answer passage me hai — inference walo me (d) 'because' line jodo. Title short rakho: topic + place. Vocabulary question me padosi words dekho: 'issues a day-pass' — librarian pass deti hai.

Q2 · 2.5 marks

Q2. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. (2.5 marks) The college book fair opens on Friday in the main hall. Sixty stalls will sell second-hand books at half price, and the English department will run a quiz on famous openings of novels. Entry is free for students with an identity card; outsiders pay ten rupees. The fair closes at five, and unsold books go to the hostel library. Last year the fair raised money for new fans in the classrooms. (a) Where and when does the book fair open? (b) What will the English department do? (c) Who pays for entry? (d) What happens to unsold books? (e) What did last year's fair achieve?

✅ Answer:

(a) The book fair opens on Friday in the main hall. (b) The English department will run a quiz on famous openings of novels. (c) Outsiders pay ten rupees; entry is free for students with an identity card. (d) Unsold books go to the hostel library. (e) Last year's fair raised money for new fans in the classrooms.

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Dates, numbers, names underline karo — (c) jaisi condition wali lines me dono parts likho: kaun free, kaun paid. (e) 'raised money for' — achievement = purpose ka result.

Q3 · 2.5 marks

Q3. Read the stanza and write a paraphrase in clear prose. (2.5 marks) The gate is locked, the lamps are lit, The guard walks slow along the street. A dog lies down, the night grows deep; The hostel windows close in sleep.

✅ Answer:

The college gate is locked and the street lamps are switched on. The guard walks slowly along the street. A dog lies down, and the night grows deep. The hostel windows are closed as the students fall asleep.

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Line-by-line prose banao, rhyme hatado. Naya moral ya 'beautiful stanza' mat jodo — sirf wahi likho jo lines keh rahi hain. Past/present tense consistent rakho.

Q4 · 2.5 marks

Q4. Expand the idea: 'Honesty is the best policy.' Write a short paragraph (80-100 words). (2.5 marks)

✅ Answer:

Honesty is called a policy because it is a rule one keeps, not a mood one feels once. Telling the truth costs less in the long run than a lie that must be fed every day. A student who admits a missed page and copies it the same evening keeps the next week free; the student who hides the gap meets the test unprepared. A hard truth still needs a civil voice — honesty without courtesy can wound, and courtesy without honesty can cheat. In the end, the small true word spoken in time saves the many false words that would have followed it.

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Structure: literal meaning → ek near example (student) → ek limit (courtesy) → last line me original words wapas. 80-100 words me 3 parts kaafi hain.

Q5 · 2.5 marks

Q5. Expand the idea: 'A stitch in time saves nine.' Write a short paragraph (80-100 words). (2.5 marks)

✅ Answer:

The proverb means that a small repair done early saves a much bigger repair later. A loose button sewn today takes two minutes; the same shirt torn at a function costs an evening. A student who clears one doubt the same day keeps the chapter easy; the student who waits collects nine doubts before the test. The saying does not ask for hurry — it asks for timing. A stitch too late is no stitch at all. Small timely action, then, is the cheapest form of hard work.

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Idiom/proverb ka pehle literal picture kholo (sui-dhaga), phir real meaning, phir ek student example. Last line me original saying wapas lao — ye Section D ka favourite pattern hai.

Q6 · 2.5 marks

Q6. Write a short formal email to the Principal requesting leave for two days. (2.5 marks)

✅ Answer:

To: principal@college.ac.in Subject: Leave for two days, 22-23 September - BA Sem II

Dear Sir/Madam, I am a student of B.A. Semester II, roll number 2145. I request leave for 22 and 23 September to attend a family ceremony at home. I shall copy the missed notes from a classmate and shall be present on 24 September.

Yours faithfully, Anil Sharma

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Subject kabhi blank mat chhodo — kaam 4-5 shabdon me. Pehli line me purpose, phir facts (date, roll no.), phir promise. Ek email = ek request.

Q7 · 2.5 marks

Q7. Write a short dialogue between a student and a shopkeeper buying a notebook. (2.5 marks)

✅ Answer:

At a stationery shop near the college

Ravi: Good morning. Do you have a 200-page ruled notebook? Shopkeeper: Good morning. Yes, two kinds - the plain cover for forty rupees and the hardbound for sixty. Ravi: I will take the hardbound. Does it have page numbers? Shopkeeper: Yes, printed on every page. Anything else? Ravi: One blue pen also. How much is the total? Shopkeeper: Seventy-five rupees. Ravi: Here you are. Thank you.

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Upar ek line me situation. Naam + colon, chhote turns, sawal-jawab lock hone chahiye. Har line me stage direction mat likho.

Q8 · 2.5 marks

Q8. Write a short notice: the college library will remain closed on Monday for cleaning. (2.5 marks)

✅ Answer:

CITY COLLEGE, BIKANER NOTICE Date: 3 October 2026

Library Closed on Monday

The college library will remain closed on Monday, 5 October, for annual cleaning and stock-checking. Students are advised to return or borrow books by Saturday evening. The reading room will also stay closed. Inconvenience is regretted.

Sd/- Librarian

🇮🇳 Hinglish me samjho:

Notice ka format rat lo: heading → NOTICE → date → title → body (what, when, why, what to do) → signature. 50-60 words kaafi hain, passive voice use karo.