WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-10 MCQs on the Usage of "Till" and "Up" as Different Parts of Speech

 

10 MCQs on the Usage of "Till" and "Up" as Different Parts of Speech

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1. "She waited at the bus stop till her friend arrived from the other side of town." — What part of speech is "till"?

• A) Preposition
• B) Noun
• C) Verb
• D) Conjunction

Answer: D) Conjunction ("Till" introduces the subordinate clause "her friend arrived from the other side of town" and connects it to the main clause — it functions as a subordinating conjunction meaning "until.")

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2. "The shop remains open till midnight on all days of the week." — What part of speech is "till"?

• A) Conjunction
• B) Verb
• C) Noun
• D) Preposition

Answer: D) Preposition ("Till" introduces the noun "midnight" and indicates the time up to which the shop remains open — it functions as a preposition of time meaning "up to" or "until.")

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3. "The farmer began to till the dry and hard soil before the onset of the rains." — What part of speech is "till"?

• A) Preposition
• B) Conjunction
• C) Noun
• D) Verb

Answer: D) Verb ("Till" means to plough or prepare land for cultivation — it functions as the main action verb of the sentence expressing what the farmer did to the soil.)

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4. "The cashier counted the money carefully and placed it back in the till." — What part of speech is "till"?

• A) Verb
• B) Conjunction
• C) Noun
• D) Preposition

Answer: C) Noun ("Till" refers to a cash drawer or register in a shop — it functions as a noun, the object of the preposition "in.")

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5. "He refused to give up till he had achieved everything he had set out to do." — What part of speech is "till"?

• A) Preposition
• B) Noun
• C) Verb
• D) Conjunction

Answer: D) Conjunction ("Till" introduces the subordinate clause "he had achieved everything he had set out to do" — it functions as a subordinating conjunction connecting the condition to the main clause.)

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6. "She walked up the steep hill without stopping to rest even once." — What part of speech is "up"?

• A) Adverb
• B) Adjective
• C) Noun
• D) Preposition

Answer: D) Preposition ("Up" introduces the noun phrase "the steep hill" and indicates the direction of movement towards a higher point — it functions as a preposition of direction.)

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7. "The sun was already up when the travellers set off on their long journey." — What part of speech is "up"?

• A) Preposition
• B) Noun
• C) Verb
• D) Adjective

Answer: D) Adjective ("Up" follows the linking verb "was" and describes the state of the sun as having risen — it functions as a predicate adjective indicating that the sun was above the horizon.)

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8. "He jumped up from his chair when he heard the unexpected good news." — What part of speech is "up"?

• A) Preposition
• B) Adjective
• C) Noun
• D) Adverb

Answer: D) Adverb ("Up" modifies the verb "jumped" and indicates the direction of the movement — it functions as an adverb of direction showing upward movement.)

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9. "The manager decided to up the targets for the entire sales team this quarter." — What part of speech is "up"?

• A) Preposition
• B) Adverb
• C) Adjective
• D) Verb

Answer: D) Verb ("Up" means to increase or raise — it functions as the main action verb of the sentence expressing what the manager decided to do with the targets.)

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10. "Life has its ups and downs and one must learn to face both with courage." — What part of speech is "ups"?

• A) Verb
• B) Adverb
• C) Adjective
• D) Noun

Answer: D) Noun ("Ups" is used here in the idiomatic expression "ups and downs" referring to good and bad periods in life — it functions as a noun, part of the compound noun phrase that serves as the object of the verb "has.")