Question
Directions: The following items have four sentences, one of which is correct. Select the correct sentence.
NDA
General Ability
English
2026
NDA 2026 (Phase 1)
NDA General Ability Question (2026) — Solution
Options
- A. Hardly had I arrived at the airport than the plane departed.
- B. Scarcely had I arrived at the airport when the plane departed.
- C. Hardly I had arrived at the airport when the plane departed.
- D. Scarcely had I arrived at the airport then the plane departed.
Answer
B. Scarcely had I arrived at the airport when the plane departed.
Step-by-step solution
The adverbs 'hardly', 'scarcely', and 'barely' are followed by the conjunction 'when'. When a sentence begins with a negative adverb like 'hardly' or 'scarcely', the law of inversion applies, meaning the auxiliary verb comes before the subject (e.g., 'had I' instead of 'I had'). Option (a) is incorrect because it uses 'than' instead of 'when'. Option (c) is incorrect because it lacks the required inversion ('I had' instead of 'had I'). Option (d) is incorrect because it uses 'then' instead of 'when'. Option (b) correctly uses the inversion 'had I' and the conjunction 'when'.
Related: General Ability — English · All PYQ Banks