Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: A singular subject takes a singular verb; with 'neither…nor' the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

1. Part (1)–(2): 'Neither the students nor the teachers were' – nearer subject 'teachers' is plural, so 'were' is correct.
2. In part (4), the subject is 'the schedule' (singular).
3. 'have been changed' must be 'had been changed' (past sequence after 'were aware').
4. Hence part (4) contains the error.

Yaad rakhein: Find the real subject of each verb – here 'have' belongs to 'the schedule', not to 'students/teachers'.

Answer: (D) (4)

Concept: Pick the word with standard spelling.

1. Myriad (a very large number) – correct.
2. Correct forms of the others: Married, Middle, Murder.

Trick: Look for common words misspelt (Middel, Marder) – eliminate them first.

Answer: (A) Myriad

Concept: Pick the correctly spelt word.

1. Echolalia (automatic repetition of another person's words) – correct.
2. Corrections: Elastic, Egoist, Economical.

Trick: Unusual letters like 'k' in 'Elastik' or 'sh' in 'Egoisht' reveal errors at once.

Answer: (B) Echolalia

Concept: Dissident = a person who openly opposes official policy, especially of a government.

1. The sentence stresses criticising the government and rejecting its policies → dissident.
2. Activist = campaigns for a cause; Agitator = stirs up unrest; Protestor = takes part in a protest.

Yaad rakhein: Dissent (noun) = disagreement with official views.

Answer: (B) Dissident

Concept: Arrogance = an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.

1. Humility is its opposite; Prudence means wise caution.
2. 'Moderate' is an adjective/verb, not a quality noun.

Yaad rakhein: Related words: haughtiness, conceit, hubris.

Answer: (B) Arrogance

Concept: Thoroughgoing = complete and detailed.

1. 'A thoroughgoing analysis' = a full, detailed study.
2. 'Through-going', 'go-thorough', 'through-go' are not valid English words.

Trick: Don't confuse 'thorough' (complete) with 'through' (from one side to the other).

Answer: (A) thoroughgoing

Concept: For things use 'which/that'; for people 'who/whom'.

1. 'The proposal' is a thing → who/whom are out.
2. The clause adds extra (non-defining) information, so 'which' is used: 'The proposal, which was initially dismissed, later gained…'

Trick: Non-defining clause (set off by commas) never takes 'that'.

Answer: (B) which

Concept: Did + V1 (active) → Was/Were + subject + V3 + by…? (passive).

1. Object 'the company's revised financial policy' becomes the subject.
2. Passive: Was the company's revised financial policy approved by the board?
3. (A) wrong preposition 'from'; (B), (D) change the tense.

Trick: Keep the tense; only 'by' introduces the doer.

Answer: (C) Was the company's revised financial policy approved by the board?

Concept: A homonym uses the same word with a different meaning.

1. Given meaning: coiled tip of a young fern (plant).
2. Other meaning: a bishop's hooked staff – used in (B).
3. (A), (C), (D) still use the plant sense.

Trick: Pick the sentence whose context (bishop, procession) is far from the given meaning.

Answer: (B) The bishop carried an ornate silver crosier in the procession.

Concept: had been + V3 (passive) → had + V3 (active).

1. Doer 'the committee' becomes the subject.
2. Active: The committee had suppressed the findings for political reasons.
3. (B) simple past, (C) still passive, (D) past continuous.

Trick: Match the helping verb: 'had been' → 'had'.

Answer: (A) The committee had suppressed the findings for political reasons.

Concept: 'Abroad' is an adverb, so no preposition comes before it.

1. 'Going to abroad' is wrong.
2. Correct: 'The tourists are going abroad…'

Yaad rakhein: Same rule: go home, go upstairs, go abroad (no 'to').

Answer: (A) are going abroad

Concept: In 'look forward to', 'to' is a preposition → verb + ing.

1. 'looking forward to meet' is wrong.
2. Correct: 'She is looking forward to meeting you.'

Yaad rakhein: Same pattern: object to, used to (accustomed), committed to, with a view to + V-ing.

Answer: (B) is looking forward to meeting you

Concept: Neutrality is rejected because science now shapes society directly.

1. The passage says data, algorithms and biotechnology directly shape social realities, and scientists act as agents of change.
2. So research is tied to social and political forces – it cannot be neutral.

Trick: Options (A), (C), (D) make claims the passage never makes – eliminate.

Answer: (B) Modern research is influenced by social and political forces.

Concept: The author wants ethics built into science, not kept outside.

1. Ethics 'must be integrated within its very methodology'.
2. Ethical thinking is shown as a condition for real progress, not a barrier.

Trick: The author's whole argument pushes for ethics – options calling ethics a hindrance or obsolete contradict it.

Answer: (B) Ethical reflection is essential for genuine progress.

Concept: The phrase sums up 'what can be done' vs 'what should be done'.

1. Capability = technical ability (what science can do).
2. Conscience = moral responsibility (what one should do).
3. So: technical ability versus moral responsibility.

Yaad rakhein: Conscience = inner sense of right and wrong.

Answer: (A) Technical ability versus moral responsibility.

Concept: Tone = the author's attitude shown through word choice.

1. He reasons carefully about science's benefits and risks → analytical.
2. He warns about ignoring ethics → cautionary.
3. He neither condemns science nor praises it blindly.

Trick: Balanced, argued passages with warnings → 'analytical/cautionary' is the safe pick.

Answer: (B) Analytical and cautionary.

Concept: Discernment = the ability to judge well.

1. The passage contrasts mere discovery with discernment – wise judgement about using discoveries.
2. Confusion is the opposite; repetition and achievement don't fit.

Yaad rakhein: Discerning (adj.) = showing good judgement.

Answer: (B) Judgment

Concept: Reverse the backshift when converting reported speech to direct.

1. 'could' in reported speech → 'can' in direct speech.
2. 'one's' (general) → 'your' when the doctor speaks directly.
3. Only option (A) has both 'can' and 'your'; (B) keeps 'could', (C) drops the modal, (D) uses 'will'.

Trick: Backshift pairs: can → could, will → would, may → might.

Answer: (A) The doctor said, "Excessive screen time can harm your eyesight over time."

Concept: Past reporting verb → present continuous changes to past continuous.

1. 'said' is past → 'am learning' becomes 'was learning'.
2. 'I' → 'she'; add 'that'.
3. She said that she was learning French.

Trick: is/am/are + ing → was/were + ing.

Answer: (A) She said that she was learning French.

Concept: Find the opener, link examples to the general point, and end with the conclusion.

1. 1 opens: map-makers putting themselves at the centre.
2. 3 gives the colonial example of redrawing boundaries; 2 generalises it as knowledge used for domination.
3. 4 starts with 'Thus' → conclusion. Order: 1, 3, 2, 4.

Trick: A sentence beginning with 'Thus/Hence' is almost always the last one.

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