MDCAT English MCQs 2026 — Answers & Explanations

Q1. Convert to passive voice: 'The cat chased the mouse.'

1. A The mouse was chased by the cat.
2. B The mouse has been chased by the cat.
3. C The mouse is chased by the cat.
4. D The mouse had been chased by the cat.

Answer: A — Simple past active becomes simple past passive: subject + was/were + past participle + by + agent.

Active and Passive Voice

Q2. Which sentence is in passive voice?

1. A She wrote a beautiful poem.
2. B A beautiful poem was written by her.
3. C She writes poems daily.
4. D She has been writing poetry.

Answer: B — Passive voice: subject receives the action. 'A beautiful poem was written by her' -- the poem receives the action.

Active and Passive Voice

Q3. Identify the adverb in: 'She sings beautifully.'

1. A She
2. B None of these
3. C beautifully
4. D sings

Answer: C — 'Beautifully' is an adverb modifying the verb 'sings,' telling how she sings.

Adverbs

Q4. Choose the correct form: 'She performed _____ in the exam.'

1. A best
2. B better
3. C well
4. D good

Answer: C — 'Well' is the adverb form of 'good.' Adverbs modify verbs; 'performed well' is correct.

Adverbs

Q5. Choose the correct meaning of 'benevolent':

1. A Kind and generous
2. B Lazy
3. C Cruel
4. D Dishonest

Answer: A — Benevolent means well-meaning, kindly, and generous.

Contextual Clues and Vocabulary

Q6. The word 'ubiquitous' means:

1. A Rare and unique
2. B Invisible
3. C Ancient
4. D Present everywhere

Answer: D — Ubiquitous means found everywhere or being present in all places at the same time.

Contextual Clues and Vocabulary

Q7. Convert to indirect speech: 'She said, "I am happy."'

1. A She said that she is happy.
2. B She said that I was happy.
3. C She said that I am happy.
4. D She said that she was happy.

Answer: D — In indirect speech, present tense changes to past: 'am' becomes 'was,' and the pronoun 'I' changes to 'she'.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Q8. Convert to indirect speech: 'He said, "I will come tomorrow."'

1. A He said that he would come tomorrow.
2. B He said that he would come the next day.
3. C He said that he will come tomorrow.
4. D He said that he will come the next day.

Answer: B — 'Will' changes to 'would' and 'tomorrow' changes to 'the next day' in indirect speech.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Q9. Identify the gerund in: 'Swimming is good exercise.'

1. A is
2. B exercise
3. C Swimming
4. D good

Answer: C — 'Swimming' is a gerund (verb + -ing used as a noun), functioning as the subject.

Gerund and Gerund Phrases

Q10. Identify the infinitive in: 'She wants to study medicine.'

1. A to study
2. B medicine
3. C she
4. D wants

Answer: A — 'To study' is the infinitive form (to + base form of the verb).

Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

Q11. Which sentence uses the infinitive correctly?

1. A He made her to cry.
2. B He made her cried.
3. C He made her cry.
4. D He made her crying.

Answer: C — After causative 'make,' the bare infinitive (without 'to') is used: 'made her cry'.

Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

Q12. Choose the correct preposition: 'She is good _____ mathematics.'

1. A at
2. B in
3. C with
4. D on

Answer: A — The correct collocation is 'good at' when referring to a skill or subject.

Prepositions

Q13. Select the correct sentence:

1. A He has been absent before three days.
2. B He has been absent for three days.
3. C He has been absent from three days.
4. D He has been absent since three days.

Answer: B — 'For' is used with a duration of time (three days). 'Since' is used with a point in time.

Prepositions

Q14. Choose the correct sentence:

1. A Every student must bring their own book.
2. B Every student must bring his or her own book.
3. C Every student must bring our own book.
4. D Every student must bring its own book.

Answer: B — The singular indefinite pronoun 'every student' requires the singular pronoun 'his or her' for formal agreement.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Q15. Identify the error: 'Neither the teacher nor the students forgot to bring their lunch.'

1. A The sentence is correct.
2. B 'their' should be 'his'
3. C 'forgot' should be 'forget'
4. D 'Neither' should be 'Either'

Answer: A — When 'neither...nor' connects a singular and plural noun, the pronoun agrees with the nearer noun (students = plural), so 'their' is correct.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Q16. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

1. A It's a beautiful day.
2. B Its' a beautiful day.
3. C It is' a beautiful day.
4. D Its a beautiful day.

Answer: A — 'It's' is the contraction of 'it is.' 'Its' (without apostrophe) is the possessive form.

Punctuation

Q17. Where should the comma be placed? 'After finishing dinner we went for a walk.'

1. A After finishing, dinner we went for a walk.
2. B After finishing dinner, we went for a walk.
3. C No comma is needed.
4. D After finishing dinner we went, for a walk.

Answer: B — A comma is placed after an introductory phrase ('After finishing dinner') before the main clause.

Punctuation

Q18. Identify the sentence type: 'Close the door.'

1. A Declarative
2. B Interrogative
3. C Imperative
4. D Exclamatory

Answer: C — Imperative sentences give commands or requests. 'Close the door' is a command.

Sentence Classes and Phrases

Q19. Which is a compound sentence?

1. A She sang a song.
2. B Because she was tired, she went to bed.
3. C She sang a song, and he played the guitar.
4. D The girl who won the prize is my friend.

Answer: C — A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.).

Sentence Classes and Phrases

Q20. Choose the correct inverted sentence:

1. A Never have I seen such beauty.
2. B Never I have seen such beauty.
3. C Never I seen have such beauty.
4. D Never seen I have such beauty.

Answer: A — When a negative adverb (never, rarely, seldom) begins a sentence, subject-auxiliary inversion occurs: Never have I...

Sentence Inversion

Q21. Select the correct inverted form: 'She not only sings but also dances.'

1. A She not only does sing but also dances.
2. B Not only she sings but also dances.
3. C Not only does she sing but she also dances.
4. D Not only sings she but also dances.

Answer: C — When 'not only' begins a clause, inversion occurs: Not only does she sing...

Sentence Inversion

Q22. Choose the synonym of 'elated':

1. A Bored
2. B Depressed
3. C Overjoyed
4. D Confused

Answer: C — Elated means extremely happy and excited; overjoyed is its synonym.

Synonyms (Irony, Parody, Satire)

Q23. Which word is a synonym of 'arduous'?

1. A Delightful
2. B Brief
3. C Strenuous
4. D Simple

Answer: C — Arduous means involving great effort or difficulty; strenuous is its synonym.

Synonyms (Irony, Parody, Satire)

Q24. Identify the tense: 'She writes a letter every day.'

1. A Present Perfect
2. B Simple Past
3. C Present Continuous
4. D Simple Present

Answer: D — 'Writes' is the simple present tense, used for habitual actions indicated by 'every day'.

Tenses

Q25. Choose the correct form: 'They _____ to school yesterday.'

1. A have gone
2. B went
3. C goes
4. D go

Answer: B — 'Yesterday' indicates past time, so the simple past tense 'went' is correct.

Tenses

Q26. Which transitional word shows contrast?

1. A However
2. B Furthermore
3. C Moreover
4. D Additionally

Answer: A — 'However' is a transitional word that introduces a contrast or opposing idea.

Transitional Devices

Q27. Choose the best transition: 'She studied hard; _____, she failed the exam.'

1. A nevertheless
2. B consequently
3. C moreover
4. D therefore

Answer: A — 'Nevertheless' shows contrast between the expected result (passing) and the actual result (failing).

Transitional Devices

Q28. In the sentence 'The boy was so famished after the long hike that he ate three plates of food,' what does 'famished' mean?

1. A Extremely hungry
2. B Tired
3. C Angry
4. D Happy

Answer: A — Context clue: eating three plates of food after a long hike indicates extreme hunger.

Deducing Meanings from Context

Q29. In 'The teacher's mellifluous voice calmed the anxious students during the exam,' 'mellifluous' most likely means:

1. A Harsh and loud
2. B Monotonous
3. C Shaky and nervous
4. D Sweet and smooth sounding

Answer: D — The context clue 'calmed the anxious students' suggests a pleasant, soothing quality of voice.

Deducing Meanings from Context

Q30. Identify the figure of speech in: 'The world is a stage.'

1. A Personification
2. B Simile
3. C Metaphor
4. D Hyperbole

Answer: C — This is a metaphor because it directly compares the world to a stage without using 'like' or 'as'.

Figurative Language Analysis

Q31. Which figure of speech is used in 'She runs like the wind'?

1. A Simile
2. B Onomatopoeia
3. C Alliteration
4. D Metaphor

Answer: A — A simile uses 'like' or 'as' to compare two unlike things. Here 'like the wind' compares her speed to wind.

Figurative Language Analysis

Q32. What is the primary purpose of scanning a text?

1. A To summarize the entire passage
2. B To read every word carefully
3. C To locate specific information quickly
4. D To identify the author's bias

Answer: C — Scanning is a reading technique used to find specific information without reading every word.

Scanning and Short Questions

Q33. When scanning a bus timetable for the 3:00 PM departure, you should:

1. A Read the footnotes before scanning
2. B Memorize all the routes first
3. C Look only at the column showing departure times
4. D Read the entire timetable from top to bottom

Answer: C — Scanning involves directing your eyes to the specific column or section that contains the information you need.

Scanning and Short Questions

Q34. Which word is spelled correctly?

1. A Accomodate
2. B Acommodate
3. C Acomodate
4. D Accommodate

Answer: D — The correct spelling is 'accommodate' with double 'c' and double 'm'.

Errors of Functions and Spellings

Q35. Choose the correctly spelled word:

1. A Occurrence
2. B Ocurrence
3. C Occurence
4. D Occurance

Answer: A — The correct spelling is 'occurrence' with double 'c' and double 'r'.

Errors of Functions and Spellings

Q36. Identify the error: 'Running down the street, the rain soaked my clothes.'

1. A Fragment
2. B Run-on sentence
3. C No error
4. D Dangling modifier

Answer: D — The participial phrase 'Running down the street' modifies 'rain,' which doesn't make sense. It should modify a person.

Faulty Sentence Structure

Q37. Which sentence contains a run-on error?

1. A I like tea she likes coffee.
2. B I like tea; she likes coffee.
3. C I like tea, and she likes coffee.
4. D I like tea. She likes coffee.

Answer: A — A run-on sentence joins two independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunction.

Faulty Sentence Structure

Q38. Find the error: 'The principle of the school gave an excellent speech.'

1. A No error
2. B 'an' should be 'a'
3. C 'gave' should be 'give'
4. D 'principle' should be 'principal'

Answer: D — 'Principal' refers to the head of a school. 'Principle' means a fundamental truth or rule.

Proofreading and Editing

Q39. Identify the error: 'He could of done better in the examination.'

1. A 'done' should be 'do'
2. B 'of' should be 'have'
3. C 'better' should be 'best'
4. D No error

Answer: B — 'Could of' is a common error; the correct form is 'could have' (could've sounds like 'could of').

Proofreading and Editing

Q40. Choose the correct form: 'The list of items _____ on the table.'

1. A were
2. B are
3. C is
4. D have been

Answer: C — The subject is 'list' (singular), not 'items.' A singular subject takes a singular verb: 'is'.

Subject-Verb Agreement