5 Easy Topics To Prepare For CDS Exam

The Combined Defence Services Exam (CDS) is held each year twice with the aim of recruiting candidates into Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Students who are wish to appear for the CDS exam are advised to know the exam pattern first and then move to the syllabus. By getting hands-on the exam pattern you can create a good CDS exam strategy. With a solid preparation plan, one can easily clear the CDS exam. You must be also familiar with the marking schemes, weightage for the topics and type of questions asked, etc.

In this article, we have come up with CDS Preparation topics to help candidates prepare better for the exam.

CDS examination comprises of three subjects:

1.  General Knowledge
2.  English
3. Elementary Mathematics

 Each subject weighs 100 marks and the duration of the entire paper is of 2 hours. Candidates who wish to get selected for IMA(Indian Military Academy), INA(Naval Academy), or AFA(Air Force Academy) need to give and clear all the three papers. However, the candidates who wish to be selected for OTA(Officer Training Academy) have to write only English and General Knowledge papers. 

So, we have come up with five easy topics to let you Prepare for CDS Exam.

These topics are taken from CDS Exam general English section:

1. FILL IN THE BLANKS

The fill within the blanks is one among the crucial topics from the English language subject. This section tests candidates on their semantics and grammar. To solve these problems, you've got to fill the blanks with the acceptable word as per the sentence in order so that it is grammatically and semantically correct.

(a) The fertility of the land is barely sufficient to _________ twelve people to the acre.

a. Revive

b. Raise

c. Sustain

d. Help

Answer. c

(b) Beggars are unable to__________ their power of choice as they are denied any alternative.

a. Exercise

b. Select

c. Declare

d. Prove

Answer. a

(c) Poetry is the ___________ of deep and intense feelings of human heart.

a. Spurt

b. Outcome

c. Flow

d. Outpouring

Answer. d

(d) What we considered a luxury at one time has now become ________.

a. Indispensable

b. Necessary

c. Fashionable

d. Stylish

Answer. b

2. SPOTTING ERRORS 

In this section, variety of sentences are given. Candidates are suppose to respond to any one of the option from a, b or c. If any of the option is not matching then they should select option d which is "No error".

You should point just one response for every item. Your answer will be considered wrong if you indicate the wrong response. You may find errors in grammar, word usage or idioms. In a sentence, there might be a word which is incorrect or missing.

Candidates should just indicate their response and not correct the error.

(a) There are a number of reasons (a)/ I do not like him, (b)/ but his selfishness is intolerable. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. a

(b) I have read an interesting book yesterday (a)/ and underlined the new words (b)/ which are simple but effective. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. a 

(c) He cannot be trusted (a)/ with important secret informations; (b)/ otherwise I would have made him my assistant. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. b

(d) Is there further reasons (a)/ you can give me for your failure (b)/ to do as you promised? (c)/ No error (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. a

(e) During the final minutes of the speech (a)/ the speaker requested to (b)/ the audience to have patience (c)/ No error (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. b

(f) He is running temperature since last Friday (a)/ and doctors suspect (b)/ that he is down with typhoid. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. a

(g) Travel agents around the world have come to rely on computers (a)/ to book seats in air flights or rooms in hotels, (b)/ either today or a year from now. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. b

(h) She expressed her gratitudes, (a)/ to all those, (b)/ who had supported her. (c)/ No error (d).

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. a

(i) When the meeting was over, (a)/ he was very tired (b)/ so that he went home immediately. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. c

(j) Modern man must pull himself off together (a)/ and act his part in life (b)/ as God’s own most favorite creature. (c)/ No error. (d)

a. a

b. b

c. c

d. d

Answer. b

3. SENTENCE CORRECTION

This is next section for preparing for the CDS Exam. This is a tricky section where candidates need to guess the correct answer based on the sentence. They should read the sentence properly as a incorrect sentence might sometimes feel correct. Keep an eye on the grammar and the structure of the sentence.

(a) More he gets, more he wants.

a. The more he gets, the more

b. The more he gets, more

c. More gets, the more

d. No improvement

Answer. a

(b) We had a grand party and we enjoyed very much.

a. Enjoyed very much

b. We enjoyed ourselves very much

c. Enjoyed much

d. No improvement

Answer. b

(c) All this has been done with a view to improve the living conditions of the poor.

a. To improving

b. Of improving

c. For improving

d. No improvement

Answer. a

(d) If I have the money, I should have bought this house.

a. Had

b. Would have

c. Should have

d. No improvement

Answer. a

(e) If you are told of downright lie about goods to induce you to buy them, you may have a remedy.

a. About a downright lie

b. A downright lie

c. Downright lie

d. No improvement

Answer. b

(f) His father forbade him about entering politics.

a. From

b. On

c. To

d. No improvement

Answer. a

(g) To some extent, every child takes after his father.

a. Upon

b. For

c. Off

d. No improvement

Answer. d

(h) The boss said, “I shall look at the matter”.

a. About

b. In

c. Into

d. No improvement

Answer. c

(i) I did nothing but laughed.

a. Laughing

b. Laugh

c. Laughed aloud

d. No improvement

Answer. b

(j)The highest recorded speed of shorthand under championship conditions, is 300 words per minute.

a. In

b. For

c. With

d. No improvement

Answer. a

4. SYNONYMS DIRECTIONS

To prepare for CDS Exam, you must get thorough with this section. Here, candidates need to select the option which has a similar meaning to that of the sentence.

(a) He could rise to this stature because of his invincible courage.

a. Inviolable

b. Unmanageable

c. Unbeatable

d. Immeasurable

Answer. c

(b) Though he is a teacher, his speech lacks distinctness.

a. Clarity

b. Precision

c. Distinction

d. Fluency

Answer. a

(c) The judge was both a judicious and impartial man.

a. Judicial

b. Wise

c. Intelligent

d. Kind

Answer. b

(d) Reading fiction is an absorbing, creative and entertaining hobby.

a. A concentrating

b. An engrossing

c. A fascinating

d. An enriching

Answer. b

(e) The perspicuity of the lawyer’s arguments was remarkable.

a. Logic

b. Precision

c. Lucidity

d. Profundity

Answer. c

(f) A man of unsound mind, he was exonerated from all responsibility for his actions.

a. Exculpated

b. Prevented

c. Excused

d. Liberated

Answer. a

(g) He is known to be a prolific writer.

a. Versatile

b. Productive

c. Great

d. Powerful

Answer. b

5) ANTONYMS DIRECTIONS

You should prepare Antonyms Directions for a better CDS Preparation. Here candidates need to select the words that are opposite to that of the sentence given.

(a) The professor had to share a hotel room with a garrulous tax collector.

a. Dumb

b. Speechless

c. Tongue-tied

d. Silent

Answer. c

(b) It was fortuitous that I met her in that party.

a. Unlucky

b. Bad

c. Distressing

d. Abominable

Answer. a

(c) He is zealous only in the initial stages of a project.

a. Absent-minded

b. Distraught

c. Inattentive

d. Indifferent

Answer. d

(d) However hard you may try to mitigate his problems, you will not succeed.

a. Augment

b. Increase

c. Expand

d. Enlarge

Answer. a

(e) Genuine jewellery is available only in this shop.

a. False

b. Cheap

c. Imitation

d. Duplicate

Answer. c

This is the complete CDS exam guide that candidates must know. Focus on these five topics completely. You can also take up mock tests for these topics which are easily available on the internet. Good luck to all the aspirants!