Nouns

Almost every noun question in MPSC papers is really a question about number: can this noun be counted, and does it take a plural?

The four types asked:

1. Uncountable nouns. information, advice, furniture, luggage, machinery, poetry, scenery, equipment, work, bread have no plural and take no "a". Count them with a container word: a piece of advice, two items of furniture.
2. Nouns that look plural but are singular. news, mathematics, physics, politics, economics, innings, measles take a singular verb: "The news is good."
3. Nouns that are always plural. scissors, trousers, spectacles, goods, premises, alms, surroundings take a plural verb: "The scissors are sharp."
4. Compound nouns and possessives. Pluralise the main word: mothers-in-law, passers-by, commanders-in-chief. For possession, a plural already ending in s takes only an apostrophe: the boys' hostel.

The single most common mistake is pluralising an uncountable noun — "many informations", "two advices", "all the furnitures". Marathi lets माहिती and सल्ला be counted freely, so the plural feels natural. How to spot it: try putting "one" in front of the noun. "One information" is impossible, so "informations" is impossible too, and many must become much or a lot of.

Uncountable (information, advice, furniture, luggage, equipment) → no plural, no "a", use much · news/mathematics/politics → singular verb · scissors/trousers/goods → plural verb · compound plural on the main word (mothers-in-law)

Spot the error: "He gave me many useful informations about the recruitment." → informations is wrong. "Information" is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes much, not many: "He gave me much useful information about the recruitment." Sanity check: you cannot say "one information", so the plural cannot exist. If you must count them, write "many useful pieces of information".