Classes of Sentences and Phrases

Classes of Sentences and Phrases MDCAT MCQs with answers

31 past paper MCQs on Classes of Sentences and Phrases, from the Formal and Lexical Aspect of Language unit of MDCAT English. The year each question appeared is shown where known; tap “Show answer” for the correct option and a short solution.

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1.'Whatever you order for dinner' is fine with me. The underlined part is: (NUMS MDCAT 2025)

  1. Noun clause
  2. Adjective clause
  3. Adverb clause
  4. Independent clause
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Correct answer: (a) Noun clause

The clause stands where a noun would, as the subject of is fine.

2.After midnight, the ghost will come out of the haunted attic to scare the people. The sentence is: (NUMS MDCAT 2025)

  1. Simple
  2. Compound
  3. Complex
  4. Compound-Complex
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Correct answer: (a) Simple

There is one subject and one finite verb, so the sentence is simple however many phrases hang off it.

3.Identify the sentence with correct structure. (NUMS MDCAT 2025)

  1. We noticed the boy, walking down the street.
  2. We noticed, the boy walk down the, street.
  3. We noticed, that the boy was walking down the street.
  4. We noticed the boy, who was walking down the street.
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Correct answer: (d) We noticed the boy, who was walking down the street.

A non-defining relative clause is marked off by a comma and introduced by who.

4.Identify the underlined part of the sentence: I know you have already read this book. (NUMS MDCAT 2025)

  1. Independent clause
  2. Adjective clause
  3. Adverb clause
  4. Noun clause
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Correct answer: (d) Noun clause

The clause is the object of know, so it does a noun’s work.

5.Identify the example of complex sentence. (SZABMU MDCAT 2025)

  1. I both thanked him and rewarded him.
  2. Life is what we make it.
  3. He owed his success to his father.
  4. Jumping up, he ran away.
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Correct answer: (b) Life is what we make it.

It carries a main clause and a subordinate noun clause, so it is complex.

6.Travelling in a hot dusty train gives me no pleasure. The underlined part of the sentence is: (SZABMU MDCAT 2025)

  1. Adverb phrase
  2. Adjective phrase
  3. Noun phrase
  4. Infinitive phrase
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Correct answer: (c) Noun phrase

Travelling in a hot dusty train is a gerund phrase doing the work of a noun, as the subject.

7.The plane ought to be taking off in a minute. The underlined word 'ought to' is: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Linking verb
  2. Modal auxiliary
  3. Helping verb
  4. Finite verb
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Correct answer: (b) Modal auxiliary

Ought to is a modal auxiliary, expressing what is expected or proper.

8.After heavy rain, the sky grew dark. The underlined verb 'grew' is: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Non-Finite
  2. Transitive
  3. Di-transitive
  4. Linking
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Correct answer: (d) Linking

Grew here links the subject to its complement dark rather than taking an object.

9.His courage earned him honour. The underlined verb 'earned' is: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Intransitive
  2. Di-transitive
  3. Complex transitive
  4. Linking
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Correct answer: (b) Di-transitive

It takes both an indirect object, him, and a direct object, honour.

10.The teacher assigned the students an assignment to be completed during vacation. The underlined verb 'assigned' is: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Mono-transitive
  2. Di-transitive
  3. Complex transitive
  4. Intransitive
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Correct answer: (b) Di-transitive

It takes an indirect object, the students, and a direct object, an assignment.

11.Of two evils choose the less. The sentence contains an adjective that is: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Comparative
  2. Positive
  3. Numeral
  4. Distributive
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Correct answer: (a) Comparative

Less compares two, so it is the comparative degree.

12.This is the very thing we want. The underlined word 'very' is a/an: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Emphatic pronoun
  2. Emphasizing adjective
  3. Reflexive pronoun
  4. Exclamatory adjective
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Correct answer: (b) Emphasizing adjective

Very here qualifies thing, so it is an adjective used for emphasis.

13.Don't be in such a hurry. The sentence contains an adjective of: (NUMS MDCAT 2024)

  1. Number
  2. Distributive
  3. Quantity
  4. Demonstrative
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Correct answer: (c) Quantity

Such a hurry says how much, not how many, so the adjective is one of quantity.

14.Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct. (UHS MDCAT 2023)

  1. We agreed that the play was rather boring so we felt bored
  2. We agreed that the play was rather bored so we felt boring
  3. We agreed that the play was rather bore so we felt bores
  4. We agreed that the play was rather bores so we felt bored
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Correct answer: (a) We agreed that the play was rather boring so we felt bored

The play was boring and it made us bored: the -ing form describes the cause, the -ed form the feeling.

15.How cold the night is! Which kind of sentence is it? (SZABMU MDCAT 2023)

  1. Interrogative
  2. Declarative
  3. Exclamatory
  4. Imperative
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Correct answer: (c) Exclamatory

It begins with how and ends in an exclamation mark, so it is exclamatory.

16.Choose the correct option: Negotiations between the two sides have . (SZABMU MDCAT 2023)

  1. Broken off
  2. Broken down
  3. Broken up
  4. Broken in
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Correct answer: (b) Broken down

Negotiations that fail have broken down.

17.Daud is better than _________ of the college. (NUMS MDCAT 2023)

  1. All teachers
  2. Any teachers
  3. All other teachers
  4. Any teacher
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Correct answer: (c) All other teachers

He is one of the teachers, so the comparison must exclude him: all other teachers.

18.Pick the correct option: (NUMS MDCAT 2023)

  1. How has the chair leg broken?
  2. How has the leg of the chair broken?
  3. How the leg of the chair has broken?
  4. How the chair's leg is broken?
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Correct answer: (b) How has the leg of the chair broken?

English does not make a possessive of an inanimate noun here, so it is the leg of the chair, with the auxiliary before the subject.

19.Which of the following sentences is correct? (UHS MDCAT 2023)

  1. I want to live near my parents live.
  2. I want to live where my parents live.
  3. I want to live where, my parents live.
  4. I want to live where: my parents live.
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Correct answer: (b) I want to live where my parents live.

Where introduces the adverbial clause of place, and no punctuation comes before it.

20.___________ methods don’t work. Choose the correct option: (UHS MDCAT 2023)

  1. This
  2. These
  3. The
  4. That
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Correct answer: (b) These

Methods is plural, so the demonstrative is these.

21.He made ____ a story when he was late for the first class, but the teacher didn’t believe him. (PMC MDCAT 2022)

  1. On
  2. Up
  3. Off
  4. Under
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Correct answer: (b) Up

To make up a story is to invent it.

22.The plane wasn’t allowed to take ____ because of bad weather conditions. (PMC MDCAT 2022)

  1. On
  2. Up
  3. Off
  4. To
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Correct answer: (c) Off

An aircraft takes off.

23.Which one is correct? (PMC MDCAT 2022)

  1. I'm just passing away, Ali. Thought I might run into Ahmed here.
  2. I'm just passing through, Ali. Thought I might run into Ahmed here.
  3. l'm just passing on, Ali. Thought I might run Into Ahmed here.
  4. I'm just passing along, Ali. Thought I might run into Ahmed here.
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Correct answer: (b) I'm just passing through, Ali. Thought I might run into Ahmed here.

To be passing through is to be going by on the way somewhere else.

24.Do you know how__ it is from Faisalabad to Islamabad? It’s 470 km. (PMC MDCAT 2022)

  1. Many
  2. Much
  3. Far
  4. Often
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Correct answer: (c) Far

Distance is asked after with how far.

25.We need to find ____ method to solve this problem. (PMC MDCAT 2022)

  1. Other
  2. Another
  3. Others
  4. The other
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Correct answer: (b) Another

Another is one more of the same kind, and method is singular.

26.They had to put _ _ _ _ the meeting when the general director didn’t turn _ _ _ _ . (PMC MDCAT 2022)

  1. on, off
  2. up, off
  3. off, on
  4. off, up
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Correct answer: (d) off, up

To put off is to postpone, and to turn up is to arrive.

27.The two machines _____________ considerably. One has an electric motor, and the other one runs on oil. (PMC Practice 2021)

  1. Different
  2. Differentiate
  3. Differ
  4. Difference
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Correct answer: (c) Differ

Differ is the verb meaning to be unlike.

28.Choose the correct the sentence from the following options: (UHS MDCAT 2017)

  1. The room is comfortably balanced between the expensively decorated and the homely.
  2. The room is comfortable balanced between the expensively decorated or the homely
  3. The room is comfortably balanced between the expensive decorated and the homely.
  4. The room is comfortably balanced among the expensively decorated and the home.
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Correct answer: (a) The room is comfortably balanced between the expensively decorated and the homely.

Comfortably qualifies balanced, and between takes two things joined by and.

29.The delegates in Anatolia could transfer their activities to Istanbul, put Mustafa Kamal’s ideas into practice and yet not longer stand in opposition to the Padishah. (UHS MDCAT 2017)

  1. In
  2. To
  3. Into
  4. Not longer
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Correct answer: (d) Not longer

No longer is the idiom, not not longer.

30.The latter continued: “You see how is it- Ralston filled the place up with young men.” (UHS MDCAT 2017)

  1. Latter
  2. How is it
  3. Up
  4. With
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Correct answer: (b) How is it

In an indirect question the subject comes before the verb: how it is.

31.A tree slid down the slope, leaned against and settled heavily to the ground. (UHS MDCAT 2017)

  1. Down
  2. Leaned against
  3. Heavily
  4. To the ground
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Correct answer: (d) To the ground

The tree leaned against something; the phrase needs an object, so leaned against is the fault... the sentence is complete only at to the ground.

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