Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Deception = misleading someone; tricking.

1. Chicanery = use of tricks to deceive – same meaning ✓.
2. Veracity (truthfulness), honesty and loyalty are opposite in sense.

Trick: Three options are 'positive' virtues and one is negative – the odd negative word matches 'deception'.

Answer: (B) Chicanery

Concept: Open (of a person/action) = not hidden, frank.

1. Furtive = secret, sly, done so as not to be noticed – opposite ✓.
2. Overt, frank and transparent all mean 'open' – synonyms, not antonyms.

Trick: Overt ↔ covert; for 'open' look for a word meaning 'secretive': furtive, clandestine, covert.

Answer: (C) Furtive

Concept: Idiom: pretending to be unafraid or hopeful in a frightening situation.

1. A scared person in the dark whistles to feel brave – the courage is only on the surface.
2. So it means showing a brave face while actually afraid.

Trick: Picture the scene literally – whistling alone in the dark = hiding fear.

Answer: (A) Put on a brave front despite fear

Concept: Idiom from Shakespeare's Macbeth: loud excitement with no real meaning or result.

1. 'Sound and fury' = much noise and anger that achieves nothing.
2. Options about truth, lasting impact or confession do not fit.

Yaad rakhein: Close cousins: 'much ado about nothing', 'a storm in a teacup'.

Answer: (A) Great uproar that signifies nothing

Concept: Prevaricate = avoid giving a direct/true answer; spelt P-R-E-V-A-R-I-C-A-T-E.

1. Prefix 'pre' + 'varic' + 'ate' – single r after va.
2. (A) uses 'veri', (B) 'pri', (C) doubles the r – all wrong.

Trick: Break it: PRE-VA-RI-CATE (4 syllables, each with one consonant start).

Answer: (D) Prevaricate

Concept: After insist/demand/suggest/recommend + that, the verb takes its base form for all subjects.

1. 'each member provides' → 'each member provide' (or 'should provide').
2. Other parts are correct.

Trick: Spot the trigger verb (insist, urge, demand…) + 'that' → no -s on the next verb.

Answer: (B) (2)

Concept: Simple past active → was/were + V3 in passive; tense must not change.

1. Active: The teacher gave (past) the students (indirect obj.) a detailed explanation (direct obj.).
2. Indirect object as subject: The students were given … by the teacher.
3. (B) present, (C) present perfect, (D) future – tense changed.

Trick: Match the helping verb to the tense first: 'gave' → 'were given'; this alone eliminates three options.

Answer: (A) The students were given a detailed explanation by the teacher.

Concept: Of two past actions, the earlier one is put in the past perfect.

1. The data collection was to happen before the explanation/delay (both past).
2. Passive past perfect: 'had not yet been collected'.
3. So part (4) 'was not yet collected' is wrong.

Trick: 'yet' with a past reference point usually signals the perfect tense (had … yet).

Answer: (D) (4)

Concept: Homonym = same spelling/sound, different meaning.

1. In the given sentence 'lead' = to guide/conduct (verb).
2. (B), (C), (D) use the same 'guide' meaning.
3. (A) 'a promising lead' = a clue (noun) – different meaning ✓.

Trick: Among four options, three sharing one sense are the 'same word'; the odd sense is the homonym.

Answer: (A) The detective followed a promising lead in the case.

Concept: 'Was + V3' (past passive question) → 'Did + subject + V1' in active.

1. Doer 'the internal team' becomes the subject.
2. Was … developed … or outsourced → Did the internal team develop … or outsource it?
3. (B) present perfect, (C) present continuous – tense changed; (D) changes the meaning.

Trick: Past simple question in active always starts with 'Did' – only (A) and (D) do, and (D) is nonsense.

Answer: (A) Did the internal team develop the new software or outsource it?

Concept: 'Do not + V1' (prohibition) → forbade + object + to + V1, or told/ordered + object + not to + V1.

1. A teacher's 'Do not make noise' is a prohibition → 'forbade them to make noise' ✓.
2. (A) 'told us not making' is wrong – after 'told + object' we need 'not to + V1'.
3. (C) keeps the direct-speech 'don't' and 'said them' – ungrammatical; (D) 'requested' turns an order into a polite plea.

Trick: With 'forbade', drop the 'not' – forbade already carries the negative.

Answer: (B) The teacher forbade them to make noise in the corridor.

Concept: Follow the life-cycle: proposal → public opinion → construction → result.

1. 1 opens with the proposal and early doubt.
2. 3 'Over time … gained support' follows the doubt.
3. 2 'Construction began' comes after support and clearances; 4 'Upon completion' ends.

Trick: Time-markers decide: 'initially' (start) → 'over time' → 'began' → 'upon completion' (end).

Answer: (B) 1-3-2-4

Concept: Find the line explaining how data is used.

1. The passage says algorithms track preferences and forecast behaviour to target ads.
2. This ability to predict and steer what people do makes data valuable.
3. Entertainment, government spending or preventing misuse are not mentioned as the reason.

Trick: In RC, choose the option that uses the passage's own key verb – here 'predict'.

Answer: (B) It helps predict and influence human behaviour

Concept: Locate the 'while … it also …' contrast sentence.

1. Convenience is the benefit; the cost named right after is serious privacy risk.
2. Personal data being traded without consent = invasion of privacy.
3. Connectivity, hardware cost and trade are never discussed.

Trick: A 'While X, Y' sentence puts the author's concern in Y.

Answer: (C) Invasion of individual privacy

Concept: The question marks (?) in the passage show the questions raised.

1. The author asks about ownership of personal data.
2. It also asks how far people should command their own online trail.
3. Option (B) combines both; others are not raised.

Trick: When the passage literally asks a question, the answer option usually repeats it almost word for word.

Answer: (B) Who truly owns personal data and controls its use?

Concept: Find where GDPR and India's DPDP Act are mentioned.

1. GDPR is said to empower users via transparency and consent.
2. India's Act aims to protect citizens' privacy while allowing responsible innovation.
3. Nothing about promoting ads, limiting internet or banning companies.

Yaad rakhein: India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act was passed in 2023.

Answer: (B) They safeguard user privacy through consent and transparency

Concept: Look for the 'However, legislation alone…' line.

1. The author says laws are not enough by themselves.
2. Also needed: public awareness, ethical behaviour by companies and digital literacy.
3. Surveillance, censorship or cutting tech use are not suggested.

Trick: 'However' after a list of solutions introduces the author's extra point – the answer lies right after it.

Answer: (B) Digital literacy and ethical corporate conduct

Concept: Fixed preposition: accuse someone OF something.

1. 'accused for stealing' → 'accused of stealing'.
2. 'charged with' is correct with 'charge', not with 'accuse'.

Trick: Pair them: accused OF, charged WITH, convicted OF, acquitted OF.

Answer: (A) of stealing

Concept: Reverse the back-shift: were → is/are, might → may/will.

1. Reported: 'if inflation were not curbed … might weaken'.
2. So the spoken words were a first conditional – present tense after if, 'will' in the main clause.
3. (C) keeps reported tenses; (B), (D) change the conditional type.

Trick: Direct speech of a real future warning = first conditional: If + present, will + V1.

Answer: (A) The economist said, "If inflation is not curbed, the currency will weaken further."

Concept: Opener names the topic; pronoun/connector sentences follow.

1. 3 introduces coral reefs – the only sentence naming the subject.
2. 1 'These vibrant ecosystems' refers back to reefs and gives their value.
3. 2 'However' brings threats; 4 calls for urgent action – conclusion.

Trick: Sentence with 'These…' or 'However…' can never be the first – so the order must start with 3.

Answer: (A) 3, 1, 2, 4