Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, not with nouns inside an 'of'-phrase.

1. Head noun = 'prevalence' (singular); 'of infectious diseases among vulnerable populations' is a modifier.
2. Singular subject → singular verb 'remains'.
3. 'Has remaining' is ungrammatical; 'remain/have remained' are plural.

Trick: Strip the 'of…' phrase: 'The prevalence ___ a constant concern' → 'remains'.

Answer: (D) remains

Concept: When the subject receives the action, use the passive (be + V3); the tense follows the time of the event.

1. A scroll cannot discover anything – it is discovered → passive.
2. 'Previously thought to be lost' shows a completed past event → simple past.
3. Singular subject 'scroll' → 'was discovered'.

Trick: Eliminate: 'discovers' (active), 'are' (plural), 'is' (present) – only 'was discovered' survives.

Answer: (A) was discovered

Concept: Yielding = giving way easily, submissive, soft.

1. Obdurate = stubbornly refusing to change one's mind → opposite of yielding.
2. Flexible, compliant, amenable all mean ready to agree/adjust → synonyms, not antonyms.

Trick: Three options share one meaning (agreeable) – the odd one out (obdurate) is the antonym.

Answer: (B) Obdurate

Concept: Hand and glove / hand in glove = in very close partnership (often in something dishonest).

1. A glove fits the hand perfectly – they work as one.
2. So the officials were very closely associated in the deal.

Yaad rakhein: Similar idioms – 'thick as thieves' (very close friends), 'in cahoots' (secretly working together).

Answer: (A) Very closely associated

Concept: 'The number of + plural noun' takes a singular verb; 'A number of + plural noun' takes a plural verb.

1. Subject = 'The number' (one figure) → singular verb.
2. 'were surprisingly low' → 'was surprisingly low'.
3. Error in part (3).

Trick: 'THE number' = one count → was/is; 'A number' = many → were/are.

Answer: (C) (3)

Concept: Active 'have/has to + V1' → Passive 'has/have to be + V3'.

1. Object 'this data add-on pack' becomes the subject (singular → 'has').
2. 'have to activate' → 'has to be activated' + 'by you'; 'manually' stays.
3. (B) and (C) are still active; (D) wrongly makes 'you' the receiver.

Trick: In a correct passive, the original object must begin the sentence – only (A) starts with 'This data add-on pack'.

Answer: (A) This data add-on pack has to be activated by you manually.

Concept: Cautious = careful to avoid risk or error.

1. Circumspect = wary, considering all consequences before acting → synonym.
2. Reckless, brash, unworried = careless/rash → near-opposites.

Yaad rakhein: Circum (around) + spect (look) = 'looking around' before acting – that is caution.

Answer: (D) Circumspect

Concept: 'Said to' → 'told'; past reporting verb backshifts the tense; pronouns change by speaker/listener.

1. 'said to me' → 'told me'; 'speaks' (simple present) → 'spoke'.
2. 'Your' (listener = me) → 'my'; 'me' (speaker = Rashmika) → 'her'.
3. Result: Rashmika told me that my brother spoke ill of her.

Trick: Pronoun rule SON: 1st person → as Subject, 2nd → as Object, No change for 3rd.

Answer: (D) Rashmika told me that my brother spoke ill of her.

Concept: 'is/are being + V3' (passive) → 'is/are + V-ing' (active); keep the tense.

1. Main clause: 'is being acknowledged by global leaders' → 'Global leaders are acknowledging'.
2. Inner clause: 'extreme weather events are being exacerbated' → active 'climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events'.
3. (B) simple present, (C) still passive, (D) future – tense errors.

Trick: Find the tense marker 'being' → answer must have '-ing' with is/are; only (A) keeps the present continuous.

Answer: (A) Global leaders are increasingly acknowledging the fact that climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events.

Concept: Latin comparatives (superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior, prefer) take 'to', never 'than/of/from'.

1. 'superior of' is wrong.
2. Corrected: 'Her performance was superior to every competitor's.'

Yaad rakhein: 'superior' is already comparative – never say 'more superior'.

Answer: (A) superior to

Concept: Pithy = short but full of meaning (a pithy remark).

1. Pithy ✓ – correct spelling.
2. Pithon ✗ (python), Pathatic ✗ (pathetic), Pithiy ✗ (extra i).

Yaad rakhein: Pithy comes from 'pith' – the essential core; its comparative is 'pithier', but the base form has no 'i' before y.

Answer: (A) Pithy

Concept: Order: introduce topic → causes → effects → conclusion.

1. 2 introduces the problem (opening, no pronoun).
2. 3 'It is driven by…' – 'It' refers to the problem in 2 → causes.
3. 1 'This incessant demand strains…' → effect; 4 'Ultimately…' → conclusion. Order: 2-3-1-4.

Trick: Sentences starting with 'It/This' can never open a paragraph; 'Ultimately' always closes – only 2-3-1-4 fits both.

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

Concept: General statement → specific tool → its effect → caution/contrast.

1. 2 is the general opener about central banks' monetary policy.
2. 3 'one such tool' – refers to policies in 2.
3. 1 'This can lead to…' – effect of cheaper borrowing; 4 'However…' – closing caution. Order: 2-3-1-4.

Trick: Link words: 'one such' needs a list before it; 'This' needs an action before it; 'However' adds a counterpoint at the end.

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

Concept: Mortuary = a place where dead bodies are kept until post-mortem, burial or cremation.

1. Sepulcher – a tomb/burial vault.
2. Crematorium – where bodies are burnt.
3. Sanctuary – a place of refuge or protection. So 'mortuary' fits.

Yaad rakhein: Mort = death (mortal, mortality, post-mortem) – links straight to 'mortuary'.

Answer: (D) Mortuary

Concept: Type-3 (unreal past) conditionals keep their form in reported speech, so the direct form is the same structure.

1. Inverted 'had the variables not been controlled' = 'if the variables had not been controlled'.
2. Main clause stays 'might have been skewed' (modal + have + V3).
3. (B) loses the past perfect, (C) is a type-1 conditional, (D) drops 'have'.

Trick: Type-3 formula: If + had + V3 → would/might/could + have + V3 – only (A) has both halves right.

Answer: (A) She concluded, "The experimental results might have been skewed if the environmental variables had not been rigorously controlled."

Concept: Restorative = bringing back energy, health or calm.

1. In the passage, stillness is said to renew the mind – a 'restorative' role.
2. Opposite = something that drains energy → 'exhausting'.
3. Energizing, refreshing, healing are all synonyms.

Trick: Three options are positive and alike – the lone negative word is the antonym.

Answer: (C) Exhausting

Concept: Locate the 'psychological level' lines of the passage.

1. The passage says time alone gives emotional balance.
2. It lets a person understand what they went through, free from comparing themselves or seeking approval.
3. That matches 'processing experiences calmly and clearly' – option (C).

Trick: Options with 'suppression', 'dependence' or 'isolating' contradict the passage's positive tone – eliminate them.

Answer: (C) By helping individuals process experiences calmly and clearly.

Concept: Find the sentence beginning 'Interestingly, individuals who regularly spend time alone…'.

1. Such people show stronger empathy and social connection.
2. They relate to others from a secure sense of self, not out of need → greater self-awareness.
3. So option (B); (A), (C), (D) are the reverse.

Trick: The passage says solitude is 'not withdrawal' – any option saying detached/lose interest is a trap.

Answer: (B) They tend to develop stronger empathy and self-awareness.

Concept: Look at the 'Culturally, however…' part of the passage.

1. Busyness and nonstop activity are glorified.
2. Communities that judge worth by output overlook the value of stillness.
3. So success is tied to productivity and visible activity → (D).

Trick: The key word 'output' in the passage = 'productivity' in the option – match keywords.

Answer: (D) Equates success mainly with productivity and visible activity.

Concept: Find what the passage blames for weakening our capacity to be alone.

1. The dominance of digital interaction is named as the cause.
2. Messages, feeds and online approval create endless distraction – self-reflection gives way to constant stimulation.
3. So option (B).

Trick: Options (A), (C), (D) are effects or unrelated ideas – the passage's only stated cause is digital overuse.

Answer: (B) Overreliance on digital communication and constant stimulation.