NDA (I) 2024 General Ability Test · Question 37 of 146

Correct — D, Preposition. In 'beyond our control', the word 'beyond' governs the noun phrase 'our control' and shows a relation of position or limit, which is exactly what a preposition does. It is not describing a noun (that would make it an adjective), it is not modifying a verb (an adverb), and it is not joining two clauses (a conjunction).

• (a)Adjective — 'Beyond' here is not describing or qualifying a noun; it takes the noun phrase 'our control' as its object, which is the work of a preposition, not an adjective.
• (b)Adverb — It is not modifying a verb, adjective or another adverb on its own; it governs the following noun phrase 'our control', so it is a preposition rather than an adverb.
• (c)Conjunction — It does not join two clauses or words of equal rank; it links the noun phrase 'our control' to the rest of the sentence, so it is a preposition, not a conjunction.

A part-of-speech item testing that 'beyond', when it takes a following noun phrase as its object, functions as a preposition.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Identify the part of speech of the word 'under' in: 'The cat is under the table.'

  • (a)Adverb
  • (b)Preposition
  • (c)Conjunction
  • (d)Adjective

  Answer(b) Preposition — it relates the noun 'the table' to the rest of the sentence.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  In 'She walked across the road', the word 'across' is a/an:

  • (a)Verb
  • (b)Preposition
  • (c)Adverb
  • (d)Noun

  Answer(b) Preposition — it governs the noun phrase 'the road'.