Below are 4 sets of nouns. Identify the set that contains only common nouns.

Appeared in: GMCH - 2015

Explanation

The correct set consists entirely of common nouns: 'Girl', 'City', and 'County'.
A common noun is a generic name for a person, place, or thing (e.g., girl, city).
These nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title.
Unlike proper nouns, they do not refer to a specific, unique entity.

Option A: This set includes 'Mumbai', which is a proper noun as it is the specific name of a city.
Option B: This set consists entirely of proper nouns. 'Seema' is a specific person's name, 'Chandigarh' is a specific city, and 'Sunday' is a specific day of the week.
Option C: This set includes 'France', which is a proper noun as it is the specific name of a country.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Distinguishing between common nouns and proper nouns as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding grammar is crucial for clear and professional documentation in nursing, including patient charts, reports, and communication with colleagues.
Correct use of capitalization and nouns prevents ambiguity. For example, distinguishing between 'a nurse' (common) and 'Nurse Sharma' (proper) is essential for clarity.
What if? If a nurse wrote 'patient took medicine on tuesday', it is grammatically incorrect. The proper noun 'Tuesday' must be capitalized for professional and clear record-keeping.

How to Approach the Question

First, understand the question's goal: to find the set with ONLY common nouns.
Define 'common noun' (a general person, place, or thing, not capitalized) and 'proper noun' (a specific person, place, or thing, always capitalized).
Examine each set of words, one by one.
For each word, ask: 'Is this a general category or a specific, unique name?'
If a word is a specific name (like 'Mumbai' or 'France'), it's a proper noun. Any set containing a proper noun is incorrect.
The correct set will be the one where every word is a general, non-capitalized term.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full GMCH - 2015

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.