WH Questions Structure

english hum-1109 Hum-1109 Technical English

Part 1: The Rule Book (From Munshi Sir’s Slides)

Basic Structure: WH Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + (Extension)?

WH Word	Target (What it asks about)	Source Example
Who	Person (Subject)	Saad will hold a seminar. $\to$ Who will hold a seminar?
Whom	Person (Object)	The teacher rebuked the student. $\to$ Whom did the teacher rebuke?
Whose	Possession/Owner	The shop at the corner is mine. $\to$ Whose is the shop at the corner?
What	Thing/Action/Object	He wanted to sing. $\to$ What did he want?
Where	Place	He visited London, Paris, Bonn. $\to$ Which places did he visit?
When	Time	The train leaves at 8 PM. $\to$ When does the train leave?
Why	Reason	He is respected for his honesty. $\to$ Why is he respected?
How Old	Age	The boy is ten years old. $\to$ How old is the boy?

Part 2: PYQ Practice (Categorized by Question Type)

I have sorted 10 years of questions (2015–2024) by the WH Word required. The underlined portion (the answer) is italicized.

Type A: WHO (Person as Subject/Object)

2024 (CSE): I heard the girl singing. $\to$ Who did you hear singing?
2023: Kamal is the most intelligent boy. $\to$ Who is the most intelligent boy in the class?
2022: I met Karim on the platform. $\to$ Who did you meet on the platform?
2019: Mim wrote a letter yesterday. $\to$ Who wrote a letter yesterday?
2019: Lipi went to market. $\to$ Who went to market to buy vegetables?
2019: Shimu is very talented. $\to$ Who is very talented?
2019: They come hardly here. $\to$ Who comes hardly here?
2019: We want to know the reason. $\to$ Who wants to know the reason?

Type B: WHAT (Things, Objects, Professions, Actions)

2024 (CSE): Time waits for none. $\to$ What waits for none?
2024 (CSE): I have a Samsung TV set. $\to$ What kind of TV set do you have?
2024 (CSE): He delivered a good speech. $\to$ What kind of speech did he deliver?
2023: I went for a walk. $\to$ What did you go for?
2023: Infection on his vocal chord made him silent. $\to$ What made him silent?
2022: He is an engineer. $\to$ What is he?
2022: The lady looks an angel. $\to$ What does the lady look like?
2019: What did Mim write yesterday?
2018: We know what he will say. $\to$ What do we know?
2017: Her sole object in life is to become a travel writer. $\to$ What is her sole object in life?
2017: He thinks about money. $\to$ What does he think about?
2016: Dhaka is famous for mosque. $\to$ What is Dhaka famous for?
2016: Bangla is our mother tongue. $\to$ What is our mother tongue?
2016: The boy is playing with a toy. $\to$ What is the boy playing with?
2015: I like honest people. $\to$ What kind of people do you like?

Type C: WHEN (Time)

2024 (CSE): I got admitted into KUET in 2022. $\to$ When did you get admitted into KUET?
2021: It is fifteen minutes to ten now. $\to$ What time is it now?
2018: The class starts at 8 a.m. $\to$ When does the class start?
2016: We have achieved our independence in 1971. $\to$ When did we achieve our independence?
2015: It is half past twelve. $\to$ What time is it?
2015: The sun rises in the morning. $\to$ When does the sun rise?

Type D: WHERE (Place)

2024 (CSE): I got admitted into KUET in 2022. $\to$ Where did you get admitted in 2022?
2023: I found your brother on the platform. $\to$ Where did you find my brother?
2023: Her strength lies in her honesty and chastity. (Abstract place) $\to$ Where does her strength lie?
2023: Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. $\to$ Dhaka is the capital of which country? (Note: Specific variation).
2022: I met karim on the platform. $\to$ Where did you meet Karim?
2021: Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. $\to$ Dhaka is the capital of which country?
2019: Lipi went to market. $\to$ Where did Lipi go?
2019: They come hardly here. $\to$ Where do they come hardly?
2015: They planned to go on a picnic. $\to$ Where did they plan to go?

Type E: WHY (Reason/Cause)

2024 (CSE): On account of his illness he could not go there. $\to$ Why could he not go there?
2022: I read the book for pleasure. $\to$ Why do you read the book? (or What…for?)
2019: We want to know the reason. $\to$ What do we want to know? (Note: The underlined part is the object “the reason”, so ‘What’ is used. If “because…” was underlined, ‘Why’ would be used).
2018: He is arrested for his criminal offence. $\to$ Why is he arrested?
2015: As he is ill, he could not come. $\to$ Why could he not come?

Type F: HOW (Manner/Method/Condition)

2023: I unlocked the door with a key. $\to$ How did you unlock the door? (or With what…?)
2022: He shone in life by dint of hard work. $\to$ How did he shine in life?
2021: Liza is talented in her ways of life. $\to$ How is Liza in her ways of life?
2021: Habiba is hardworking in life. $\to$ How is Habiba in life?
2019: He has been working hard… $\to$ How has he been working?
2017: The proposal will go ahead despite strong objections. $\to$ Where will the proposal go…? (Note: Source says “Where”, but “How” is logically better for “ahead” in this context. Stick to the source for the exam).
2017: His legs felt weak. $\to$ How did his legs feel?

Type G: HOW MUCH / HOW LONG / HOW OLD (Measurement)

2021: Mom is five feet and six inches tall. $\to$ How tall is Mom?
2021: The pond is 10 feet deep. $\to$ How deep is the pond?
2019: He has been working hard for five hours. $\to$ How long has he been working hard?
2019: They come hardly here. (Frequency) $\to$ How often do they come here?
2018: Liza has been studying… for four years. $\to$ How long has Liza been studying…?
2017: Fifty miles is a long distance. $\to$ What is fifty miles? (Source asks “What is fifty miles?”, implying the subject is the answer. If “fifty miles” was the object, it would be “How far…”).
2016: He earns fifty thousand taka per month. $\to$ How much does he earn per month?
2016: Saad is 20 years and six months. $\to$ How old is Saad?
2015: Mr. Zahid is 6 feet tall. $\to$ How tall is Mr. Zahid?
2015: The flat has been sold at 20 lac taka. $\to$ How much has the flat been sold for?

Type H: WHOSE (Possession)

2022: I borrow karim’s books. $\to$ Whose books do you borrow?
2021: Mr. Rahim’s car crashed… $\to$ Whose car crashed against a tree?
2018: The book on the table is mine. $\to$ Whose is the book on the table? (or The book on the table is whose? - Source style).

Part 3: Expert Comments & Hacks

The Preposition Trap:
- If the underlined part starts with a preposition (e.g., with a key, to Karim), you have two choices:
  - Formal: Preposition at start (To whom are you speaking?).
  - Modern: Preposition at end (Who are you speaking to?).
- Exam Hack: The sources mostly show the preposition at the end or integrated into the phrase (e.g., What… with? or How…?). For “I speak to Karim”, the source explicitly uses “To whom are you speaking?” or “Who are you speaking to?“. Both are accepted.
How vs. What (Description):
- If the answer is an adjective describing appearance (e.g., looks an angel), use What… look like?
- Example: “The lady looks an angel” $\to$ “What does the lady look like?“.
Duration vs. Time:
- If the underline is a specific time (at 8 PM), use When.
- If the underline is a duration (for 2 hours), use How long.
- Example: 2019 PYQ distinguishes these clearly.
Source Error Alert (2017):
- In 2017, there is a question: “It is left deep.” $\to$ Answer: “How is it left?“.
- Expert Note: This sentence “It is left deep” is grammatically very strange and likely a typo in the original question paper (perhaps “It is 10 feet deep”). However, if this exact strange sentence repeats, memorize the provided answer: “How is it left?”
“What kind of” vs “Which”:
- If the underline describes a specific feature/quality of an object (e.g., Samsung TV set), use What kind of.
- Example: “I have a Samsung TV set” $\to$ “What kind of TV set do you have?“.

Study Strategy: Focus on Category B (What) and Category G (Measurements) from Part 2. These are the trickiest because the specific question word changes (How long, How far, How often, What kind of) based on the nuance of the underlined text. The “Person” and “Place” questions are usually straightforward marks.

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