Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The fixed phrase is 'seldom if ever' (= almost never).

1. 'Seldom' is already negative in sense; adding 'never' creates a double negative.
2. Correct: He seldom, if ever, visits his family …

Yaad rakhein: Similar fixed pairs: 'seldom or never', 'little or nothing', 'few if any'.

Answer: (A) (1)

Concept: Use 'whose' to show possession (the professor's reputation).

1. The reputation belongs to the professor → possessive needed.
2. Who = subject; whom = object; when = time.

Trick: If you can replace the blank with 'his/her/their' + noun, use 'whose'.

Answer: (C) whose

Concept: Start with the general idea, then explanation, result and conclusion.

1. 2 introduces the topic (growth through challenges) → opener.
2. 3 explains setbacks as chances to learn; 4 ('these experiences') refers back to 3.
3. 1 ('these lessons') closes with reflection → 2-3-4-1.

Trick: Pronoun links decide order: 'these experiences' (4) needs 3 before it; 'these lessons' (1) needs 4 before it.

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

Concept: Verbs like recommend, suggest, insist, demand + that → base form of verb (should optional).

1. '… recommended that the proposal is reviewed' is wrong.
2. Correct: '… that the proposal (should) be reviewed by an independent expert'.

Trick: Mnemonic RIDS: Recommend, Insist, Demand, Suggest + that → (should) + V1/be.

Answer: (B) (2)

Concept: Simple present passive: object + is/are + V3 + by + subject.

1. Object 'the plants' (plural) → 'are'.
2. waters → are watered; add 'by the gardener'.
3. The plants are watered by the gardener every morning.

Trick: First check who does the action — options (A) and (B) make the plants the doer, so reject them at once.

Answer: (C) The plants are watered by the gardener every morning.

Concept: In reported wh-questions: said → asked, statement word order, tense backshift.

1. said → asked; keep 'where' as the joining word.
2. Question order 'will they hold' → statement order 'they would hold' (will → would).
3. He asked where they would hold the annual conference.

Trick: Reported question = no question order, no question mark. (A) keeps 'would they' → wrong.

Answer: (C) He asked where they would hold the annual conference.

Concept: Find the sentence where 'amice' is not used for the priest's vestment.

1. In the given sentence, amice = a white linen cloth worn by a priest around the neck and shoulders.
2. (A), (C), (D) refer to that same church garment (vestry, bishop, embroidery).
3. (B) uses 'amice' for a character's scarf — a general wrap, a different use.

Trick: In such questions, three options usually share one context (here: church); the odd context is the answer.

Answer: (B) The writer compared her character's scarf to an amice.

Concept: Submissive = ready to obey others; meek, yielding.

1. Complaisant = willing to please others or to accept what they want – the closest synonym.
2. Insecure and anxious show worry; vigilant means watchful – none show obedience.

Yaad rakhein: Complaisant (= obliging, yielding) ≠ complacent (= self-satisfied) – don't confuse the two.

Answer: (B) Complaisant

Concept: Change both passive parts into active, keeping the tense.

1. 'It is expected by the management' → 'The management expects'.
2. '… streamlined by the new software' → 'the new software will streamline …'.
3. Join both parts using 'that'.

Trick: Only (D) puts both doers (management, software) first; (A) and (B) still contain passive forms.

Answer: (D) The management expects that the new software will streamline operations.

Concept: Stative verbs (know, believe, own, love) are not used in -ing (continuous) forms.

1. 'had been knowing' is wrong → use past perfect 'had known'.
2. Correct: … the scientist had known the solution … for months.

Trick: Even with 'for months', a stative verb takes perfect, not perfect continuous: had known, not had been knowing.

Answer: (A) known the solution

Concept: 'Keep a good table' = regularly serve plenty of good food.

1. The 'table' here means the meals served at home.
2. Wrong options: humble pie → admitting you were wrong; extra mile / shoulder-to-wheel → putting in more effort.

Yaad rakhein: 'Table' idioms: 'keep a good table' (good food), 'turn the tables' (reverse a situation).

Answer: (B) Keeps a good table

Concept: Honor = high respect; its opposite is disgrace.

1. Opprobrium = public shame, disgrace and harsh criticism → opposite.
2. Respect, esteem, dignity all mean nearly the same as honor.

Trick: When three options are synonyms of the given word, the fourth (often a hard word) is the antonym.

Answer: (B) Opprobrium

Concept: Undo the backshift: past perfect in reported speech usually comes from present perfect.

1. admitted that he → said, "I …".
2. had overlooked → have overlooked; had impacted → has impacted.
3. Result: "I have overlooked a crucial detail, and that oversight has significantly impacted the final outcome."

Trick: Backshift chart: present perfect → past perfect (direct → indirect); reverse it for direct speech.

Answer: (B) The designer said, "I have overlooked a crucial detail, and that oversight has significantly impacted the final outcome."

Concept: Purpose: 'so that' + may/might (can/could); past main verb → might/could.

1. Main verb 'studied' is past → use 'might'.
2. so that he might pass the difficult examination.

Trick: Sequence of tenses: present → may/can; past → might/could after 'so that'.

Answer: (B) so that he might pass

Concept: Cause → effects → further effect → final consequence.

1. 2 introduces the internet's arrival → opener.
2. 3 gives the first effect: new industries.
3. 1 ('This led to') builds on 3 — demand for skilled workers; 4 ('Consequently') ends with education → 2-3-1-4.

Trick: Connectors like 'This led to' and 'Consequently' can never start a paragraph — 'Consequently' usually comes last.

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

Concept: The main idea covers the whole passage, not one detail.

1. The passage follows time from a natural rhythm to a measured, money-like resource (industrial age → digital age).
2. It also shows the human cost: alienation, no stillness.
3. (A) is about natural resources, (C) about accuracy, (D) about equating work and leisure — none is discussed.

Trick: Pick the option whose key word appears throughout: 'time' + 'commodity' run from first line to last.

Answer: (B) It examines how technological and social changes have commodified time and altered human experience.

Concept: A paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a truth.

1. Trying to 'save' time makes people schedule and optimise every moment.
2. This constant pressure leaves them feeling they never have time — the opposite of the aim.

Trick: For 'what does the author mean' questions, choose the option that keeps the contradiction — more effort, less result.

Answer: (B) The more people try to optimize time, the more they feel deprived of it.

Concept: Locate the line on pre-industrial societies and match it.

1. The passage says they saw time as cyclical and collective, tied to harvest, tide and moon.
2. Modern digital time is called uniform and fragmented — the contrast in (B).
3. Nothing says they ignored time (A) or had more accurate clocks (C).

Trick: Direct-detail questions: the correct option paraphrases the passage; extreme words like 'completely' (A) are usually traps.

Answer: (B) They perceived time as cyclical and harmonious with nature rather than mechanical and fragmented.

Concept: Use the passage's words on instant communication and notifications.

1. Instant messaging is said to breed impatience; late replies cause anxiety.
2. Notifications create a false feeling of constant urgency.
3. (A), (B), (D) say the opposite — patience, calm, contemplation.

Trick: Three options are positive and one negative — the passage's tone here is negative, so the answer is quick.

Answer: (C) It creates impatience, anxiety, and a constant sense of urgency.

Concept: The remedy is stated in the last sentence of the passage.

1. The author says better scheduling is not enough — so (B) is out.
2. He asks for a new way of seeing time: being present and finding meaning, not spending it like money.
3. He never proposes limiting technology (A) or going back to old farming (D).

Trick: Remedy/solution questions are usually answered in the concluding line — read it first.

Answer: (C) Reimagining time as a space for presence, reflection, and meaning rather than as a commodity.