List of top English Questions asked in CUET (UG)

Choose the most appropriate verb to fill in the blank:
Abhijat’s spirits ______ when he learnt he had won the prize.

Rearrange the parts in the correct sequence to form a meaningful sentence:
(A) frozen, canned and dried fruits can be
(B) despite the enduring belief that
(C) just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts
(D) ‘fresh is best’, research has found that

Rearrange the parts in the correct sequence to form a meaningful sentence:
(A) to obesity have a lower risk of heart disease
(B) people with a high BMI and a genetic predisposition
(C) related to environmental and lifestyle factors alone
(D) compared to people whose extra weight is

As the weather changes, everyone is prone to colds and coughs. While we have all heard about the benefits of vitamin C for colds, few of us are aware of a secret solution– Zinc! Zinc is helpful as it can reduce the severity and duration of respiratory tract infections. It soothes sore throats with its anti-inflammatory properties. It plays a pivotal role in supporting various functions of the body like the immune system, wound healing and maintaining overall health. It prevents viruses from growing in the body. Zinc is also known to boost the immune system and fight infections. Notably, zinc is a vital mineral found in a variety of plant and animal foods. When consuming zinc-rich foods during a cough and cold, prioritise moderation and diversity in your diet. Include lean meats, poultry, sea food, dairy, nuts and seeds. Combine zinc-rich foods with vitamin C sources for enhanced immune support. Phytates, a substance found in unprocessed whole grains hinder the absorption of zinc, thereby making it less avail able for the body to utilise. Hence, vegetarians should follow some cooking techniques such as soaking them for 5-6 hours to reduce the phytate content and increase the bioavailability of zinc. Organic acids in fermented foods aid in higher absorption, so always include foods in your diet like buttermilk and yogurt along with some zinc-rich vegetarian sources. It is important to remember that a higher dosage of zinc supplement inhibits the absorption of other minerals. Therefore, it is always good to check with the healthcare professionals while taking supplements. Stay hydrated, choose cooking methods that preserve zinc, and be aware of factors like phytates affecting absorption.

Read the passage carefully and answer the question given below by selecting the correct option:
On September 30, 2001, I (Dr APJ Abdul Kalam) found myself on a journey from Ranchi to Bokaro in Jharkhand. The helicopter carrying me crashed just before landing, its engine failing with a thud upon impact. Miraculously, all on board escaped unharmed. Grateful to God, I proceeded with my scheduled programme in Bokaro, unfazed by the incident. That night, doctors suggested a tranquilliser to ease perceived shock, leading to an early and disturbed sleep, filled with contemplation.
Amidst this intense dream, I stood in a moonlit desert with five revered figures: Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Emperor Asoka, Abraham Lincoln, and Caliph Omar. Asoka’s reflection on the Kalinga war symbolised a shift from conquest to compassion, inspiring a doctrine of non-violence, Ahimsa Dharma.
In this profound dream-conversation, these figures shared wisdom on humanity’s deep divisions caused by violence. They emphasised peace, equality, and the significance of ethical values in human consciousness. Asoka, having witnessed the consequences of his victories, highlighted the futility of causing suffering and the triumph of a peaceful kingdom.
Awakening from this vivid dream, I contemplated the contrasting forces of good and destruction in the world. The challenges faced by humanity, from conflicts to natural disasters and terrorism, prompted deep reflection. Yet, despite these challenges, I held a determined belief
in finding an everlasting solution.
Motivated by this dream and a desire to contribute to the greater good, I made a significant decision. Shifting focus from my scientific career, awards, and teams, I aimed to discover India’s true essence in its children. This marked a transcendence of personal achievements, emphasising the importance of nurturing enlightened individuals and fostering the inner, higher self in the youth. My commitment was to contribute to the enduring intelligence of India through meaningful interaction with joyous, young minds.
APJ Abdul Kalam ’Ignited Minds’

Read the passage carefully and answer the question given below by selecting the correct option:
Five a Day
A new study backs up the long-standing nutritional guideline that consuming five daily servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables is linked to longevity. People who daily consumed specifically two fruits and three vegetables had a 12 per cent lower risk of death from car- diovascular disease, a 10 per cent lower risk from cancer, and a 35 per cent lower risk from respiratory disease, compared with people who ate just two daily servings.
One ’serving’ is 125 millilitres of any vegetables or fruits, or 250 millilitres of salad greens. You get the same beneficial vitamins, minerals and fibre in both, but vegetables are lower in calories and sugar, which is why the guidelines recommend higher consumption levels for them. The findings included two studies of more than 1,00,000 American men and women who were followed for up to 30 years. Those studies were then added to 24 other studies from across the globe to conduct one large meta-analysis on more than 1.8 million participants. Variety is the key, because different fruits and vegetables contain different beneficial nutrients and antioxidants. Almost all fruits and vegetables were associated with lower mortality, but there were exceptions. Fruit juices and starchy vegetables such as peas, corn, and potatoes were not associated with reduced risk of death or chronic diseases. It may be due to their higher glycaemic load.
Your five daily servings can be met from a variety of fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, whether conventional or organic. Whichever options are available, affordable, and appealing are good choices.
Studies show that freezing and canning preserves nutrients, which makes these foods even more nutrient-dense than their fresh counterparts. They are good options for people whose barriers to consuming enough servings per day include the high cost, low access, poor quality and lack of variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Read the passage and answer the question given below by selecting the correct option:
A recent study by researchers from Basel University and Munich Technical University challenges prior beliefs about the influence of different light colours on the human body’s internal clock and sleep-wake rhythm. Unlike a previous study conducted on mice, this one suggests,
that light colour may be less critical for the internal clock than originally thought.
Vision involves a complex process of perceiving various light wavelengths as colours and brightness in the brain. Photoreceptors in the retina convert light into electrical impulses, transmitted to ganglion cells in the retina and to the visual cortex in the brain. Specialised ganglion cells play a significant role in the internal clock, being sensitive to short-wavelength light at around 490 nanometers, perceived as blue. When activated by short-wavelength light, these cells signal “it’s daytime” to the internal clock.
To explore the influence of light colour on the internal clock, the researchers exposed 16 healthy volunteers to blueish or yellowish light stimuli for one hour in late evening with a white light stimulus as a control condition. The light stimuli were designed to selectively activate the colour-sensitive cones in the retina, while maintaining consistent stimulation of the light-sensitive ganglion cells in all conditions. This allowed the researchers to directly check effects of light on the respective cone stimulation and, the colour of the light.
Contrary to the findings in mice, the study suggests that the colour of light, as encoded by the cones, may not significantly influence the human internal clock and sleep-wake rhythm. The current research contradicts the earlier finding that yellowish light had a stronger influence on the internal clock than blueish light. The results, published in “Nature Human Behaviour”, imply that while light intensity and exposure duration remain crucial factors, the colour of light may not play as significant a role in influencing sleep and circadian rhythms as previously believed.

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows by selecting the correct
option:
In the quaint village of Malgudi, nestled between lush green fields and swaying palm trees, lived a man named Raghavan. He was known for his peculiar habit of collecting colourful pebbles from the riverbank every morning. The villagers, initially perplexed by this ritual, soon came to see it as a unique aspect of Raghavan’s character.
One day, as the Sun painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, Raghavan discovered a pebble
unlike any he had seen before. It shimmered with an iridescent glow, casting a magical aura around it. Intrigued, he decided to keep this special pebble in a small wooden box on his windowsill.
As days passed, rumours of the enchanted pebble spread across Malgudi, attracting visitors from neighbouring villages. They sought Raghavan’s wisdom, believing that the mystical pebble held the answers to life’s mysteries. Raghavan, a humble man, shared his insights with those who came, emphasising the beauty of simplicity and the magic within everyday moments.
Raghavan’s neighbour, Murrku, jealous of his success, decided to rob him off the pebble and sell it off to a bidder at a good price. This was important as he would be able to buy the most expensive doll for his daughter Rae on her birthday. He spent days and nights planning for the robbery and was successful in fulfilling his target. But this did not make any difference in Rae’s birthday celebration which had been complete with the simple toy made out of house- hold stuff presented to her by Raghavan. Murrku understood Raghavan’s simple philosophy of life. In the bid to get the most precious gift for his daughter, Murrku had forgotten Rae’s
birthday.

Read the given passage and answer the six questions that follow.
When I was in my late teens and still undecided about which language I should write in, he told me that the language one is born into, one’s mother tongue, can be the only possible medium of creative expression. For most of his life, my father, Sripat Rai, had been a Hindi editor and critic. Off and on, he translated writings into English from Hindi. He was fond of saying that a failed writer becomes a critic. The weight of his literary expectation came, eventually, to rest on me. He seemed happy that I was showing an inclination for writing. ‘‘She will go far,’’ he told my mother after reading the first story that I sent him from Melbourne. My father’s pronouncement on the mother tongue stayed with me when I later started writing fiction in Hindi. Another thing that I barely acknowledged even to myself was that I felt something like shame whenever I thought of writing in English. It seemed wrong for a granddaughter of Premchand even to be thinking so. Our family had a certain linguistic pride. I knew that Premchand was famous, but I had not at that time realised the extent of his popularity. The fact that I was the granddaughter of Premchand, followed me everywhere. Everyone had a story to tell about their personal engagement with his fiction — the shopkeeper, the long time cook in my father’s Delhi house, a tea vendor, etc. The list was long, for there was practically no one who had not read something by him that had moved them. However, it was this very ubiquity, the reverence and love that he inspired in people, that made of him something too large for me to comprehend in the early years of my life. It led also to the strange feeling that, without having read him and just by being related to him, I had somehow inhaled his writing. The reading happened much later.

Read the given passage and answer the six questions that follow.
Free will is the ability to decide and act free from any influence of past events or environment. It implies complete freedom to make any choice absolutely. We clearly don't have free will. Our decisions and actions are never divorced from our past.
We have a conditioned mind. Our memories, past impressions and experiences bias and shape our thoughts and actions in the present. It is our karmic imprint. Not just what we are born with, but also what we accumulate while living. We can consider it as the result of our genetic code, upbringing and environment. It's our backstory.
The only way to experience free will is to get rid of all such conditioning; to neutralise our karmic imprint; to be independent of our psychological coding. That’s possible only if we can purify our mind by letting go of all our ego, attachments and fixed beliefs. Then we can reside in the truth of our being.
The above is an exacting definition of free will. What we commonly mean by free will is that we have a choice in most situations like, who you choose to marry, what profession you pursue or how you react to someone’s aggression. Sounds reasonable. But here’s the catch. Our ability to make that choice too is significantly restricted, dictated by our predispositions. 
This applies even to our ability to bring about change within ourselves. Despite a strong resolve to be calmer, kinder or less anxious, our ability to manifest that change depends, partly on our emotional and mental wiring. That’s why some people succeed in such efforts more than the others. 
If you wish to expand the scope of your agency, explore ways to engage in sustained inner work, deepen your self-awareness, examine and reform your conditioned beliefs. But then, I wonder if your inclination to embark on that journey too depends on your current karmic coding.

Read the given passage and answer the six questions that follow.
Coffee’s genetic make-up is no trivial concern; 10 million tonnes of the crop were grown and sold in 2022–23. The coffee that we drink comes from two species: Coffea Canephora, which is also known as Robusta and Coffea Arabica, known as Arabica. In many cases, beans from the two species are blended to make a brew. But the beans of single species are also roasted and sold. Overall, Arabica beans represent around 56% of all coffee sold.
The above is an exacting definition of free will. What we commonly mean by free will is that we have a choice in most situations like, who you choose to marry, what profession you pursue or how you react to someone’s aggression. Sounds reasonable. But here’s the catch. Our ability to make that choice too is significantly restricted, dictated by our predispositions.
Most genetic variation in living organisms comes from hybridization with other species. However, this is a relatively rare event for Coffea Arabica because it has more than two copies of each chromosome — a phenomenon called polyploidy. Coffea Canephora has two copies of each chromosome, but Coffea Arabica contains multiple copies. This makes it much more difficult for Arabica to interbreed with other species.
As a result, Coffea Arabica’s main source of single nucleotide variation is mutation, which occurs at a steady rate over time. However, the species is also relatively young, having formed as a hybrid of Robusta and Coffea Eugenioides — another coffee species that is not widely cultivated — within the past 50,000 years. From that single plant, which has basically no variation, you create the whole species, and then the variation is only the novel mutations that have occurred since that event.
Despite this, there is substantial variation in the physical characteristics of the Arabica coffee plant, including different flavour profiles in the beans and variations in disease resistance, says emeritus geneticist Juan Medrano at the UC Davis Coffee Center at the University of California, Davis. “We’re always talking about low variability at the DNA level, but there is variability at the structural level, at the chromosomal level, at the level of deletions … and insertions,” Medrano says.

Read the given passage and answer the six questions that follow.
On a chilly winter evening, nothing warms you up better than a cup of hot cocoa. Chocolate was first consumed in liquid form by the Olmec people of northwestern Central America around 1500 BCE. It was even enjoyed by the Aztec Emperor Montezuma, and the Aztec word for it (xocolatl, pronounced shoh-kwah-tl) evolved into the English word Chocolate.
But the Aztecs didn’t serve their cocoa hot. And since sugar had not yet arrived from Europe, back then, the drink was often flavoured with peppers and spices. It may not have been quite as indulgent as today’s version, but it was more palatable if you believed, as the Aztecs did, that chocolate was a gift from the Gods and had healing properties.
After the Spanish arrived in the Americas in the 1500s, liquid chocolate made its way across the pond, where wealthy Europeans added sugar and drank it warm. In Chocolate: History, Culture and Heritage, author Bertram Gordon says hot chocolate became ‘‘the beverage of the aristocracy,’’ as sugar was still a luxury.
Soon enough, though, hot choclate caught on with the masses. Chocolate houses — a cross between cafes and casinos — started popping up around 17th-century Europe. In these lively places, hot chocolate was poured from gilded pots into elegant cups (for a posh experience, one can still find it today at the famed Parisian tearoom Angelina’s, which is also in New York City). But by the end of the 18th century, chocolate houses had mostly died off, partly because the cost of chocolate was much higher than that of coffee or tea.
Taking a tour of international cups of cocoa, Italians serve it like a thick pudding. Colombians serve it with a dollop of soft cheese while Mexicans punch it up with vanilla, chilli powder and cinnamon. And Filipinos serve it with mango chunks.

Rearrange the following segments to make a meaningful sentence:
(A) at the process India has made in the field of nuclear research
(B) the prime minister looked back with satisfaction
(C) will have to accept India as a nuclear power.
(D) and asserted that sooner or later the big powers:
Choose the correct answer from the options given below

Choose the correct homonym pair :

Choose the incorrect homonym pair:

From the given options, select the word that is opposite in meaning to ‘Excruciating’ :

From the given options, select the word that is opposite in meaning to ‘dexterous’ ?

From the options given below, select the one closest in meaning to 'Agile' :

Match List - I with List - II.

List - I		List - II
(A)	Cortege	(I)	a poem of lamentation on the death of someone loved and admired.
(B)	Elegy	(II)	A funeral procession comprising a number of mourning.
(C)	Obituary	(III)	an account in the newspaper about the funeral of a deceased.
(D)	Epitaph	(IV)	words inscribed on the grave/tomb in the memory of the one buried.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

Choose the word that denotes one that is in a war - like mood :

Match List - I with List - II.

List - I		List - II
(A)	Ad interim	(I)	Meanwhile
(B)	Carte blanche	(II)	According to law
(C)	De jure	(III)	Mixture
(D)	Pot Pourri	(IV)	Full freedom of action

Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

Pick a word that means the same as 'readable' :

Match List - I with List - II.

List - I		List - II
(A)	apple of one's eye	(I)	all of a sudden
(B)	to be all ears	(II)	Not able to hear well
(C)	out of the blue	(III)	loved clearly
(D)	hard of hearing	(IV)	to be very attentive

Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

From the given options, choose the one that rightly explains the following idiom :
\(\text{\underline{To call a spade a spade}}\)
(A) to speak redely
(B) to speak directly
(C) to speak diplomatically
(D) to speak frankly
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

Choose the sentence containing Adverb of Reason from the following options: