Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Speech of high praise = Encomium.

1. Encomium = a formal expression of great praise.
2. Elegy = poem of mourning; Sermon = religious talk; Soliloquy = speaking one's thoughts alone (in drama).

Yaad rakhein: Related words: Eulogy (praise, often for the dead), Panegyric (public praise).

Answer: (B) Encomium

Concept: 'Give up' a name/secret = reveal or hand it over.

1. The witness refused to give up (disclose) the names of the suspects.
2. Others: give way = break down or make room; give in = yield to pressure; give off = release gas/odour.

Trick: Give off → smoke/gas; give in → pressure; give way → floor/bridge; give up → secrets/habits.

Answer: (C) give up

Concept: Verbs joined by 'and' share the same subject and number.

1. Inside the that-clause, the subject 'the experimental results' is plural → 'contradict … and challenge'.
2. Part (2) wrongly has 'challenges'.
3. 'suggests' in part (3) is fine: a whole that-clause as subject is singular.

Trick: Parallel verbs after 'and' must match the first verb's form (contradict → challenge).

Answer: (B) (2)

Concept: Simple future passive: will be + V3.

1. Object 'the new city hall' becomes subject.
2. 'will design' → 'will be designed'.
3. Keep 'the renowned architect' unchanged — (D) wrongly uses 'a'; (B), (C) change the tense.

Trick: Check tense first, then articles — small changes like 'the' → 'a' make an option wrong.

Answer: (A) The new city hall will be designed by the renowned architect.

Concept: Truthful = honest, telling the truth.

1. Mendacious = given to lying, untruthful → opposite.
2. Genuine, Honest, Sincere are synonyms of truthful.

Trick: When three options mean the same as the word, the fourth is the antonym.

Answer: (D) Mendacious

Concept: 'Comprise' takes a direct object; it means 'consist of'.

1. Correct: The committee comprises members from various disciplines.
2. 'Comprises of' adds an extra 'of'; 'is comprised by' and 'is comprising' are wrong forms.

Trick: Comprise = consist of; never write 'comprise of'. (Also: 'is composed of' is correct.)

Answer: (C) comprises

Concept: Introduction → definition → supporters → critics.

1. 2 introduces the UBI debate — the opener.
2. 4 begins with 'It proposes…' — 'It' refers to UBI, so it follows 2.
3. 3 (proponents) comes before 1 (critics argue…) — 'such policies' refers back to UBI's benefits.

Trick: Sentence opening with 'It'/'This' can never be first — options (B), (D) quickly drop out.

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

Concept: Past reporting verb → present continuous becomes past continuous; pronoun changes with the speaker.

1. 'I' → 'he' and 'am going' → 'was going'.
2. So the reported clause reads: he was going to the park.
3. (A) tense not changed, (B) pronoun 'I' not changed, (D) wrong tense.

Trick: Rule: am/is → was in reported speech after 'said'.

Answer: (C) He said that he was going to the park.

Concept: Spot the misspelt word.

1. Correct word: Obfuscate (to make unclear or confusing).
2. Antidote, Infinitely, Personal are all spelt correctly.

Trick: Verbs in -ate: obfuscate, deviate, alleviate — '-ite' ending is the trap.

Answer: (D) Obfuscite

Concept: Look for the reason stated in the opening lines.

1. The passage says countries want to cut dependence on fossil fuels, and renewables help lower carbon emissions and fight climate change.
2. Other options (higher prices, promoting fossil fuels, less cooperation) are never said.

Yaad rakhein: Answer from what the passage actually says, not from general knowledge.

Answer: (B) To reduce carbon emissions

Concept: The 'However…' sentence introduces the problems.

1. Two challenges are named: high initial infrastructure cost and weather-dependent, inconsistent output.
2. Governments are shown as supportive, so (A) is wrong; (B) and (D) are not mentioned.

Trick: Words like 'However/But' usually signal the challenge or contrast the question asks about.

Answer: (C) High initial setup costs and inconsistent production

Concept: Find the sentence about governments.

1. Governments give subsidies, tax incentives and fund research → financial and policy support.
2. (A), (C), (D) contradict the passage.

Yaad rakhein: Answer from what the passage actually says, not from general knowledge.

Answer: (B) They provide financial and policy support to encourage its use

Concept: The passage speaks of a 'balanced approach' for the future.

1. Renewables are to be used while storage and grid technology keep improving — a balance, not total dependence on one source.
2. 'Only fossil fuels', 'entirely hydroelectric' and 'eliminate technology' are extreme claims.

Trick: Extreme words ('only', 'entirely', 'all') in RC options are usually wrong.

Answer: (C) It will balance renewable and traditional sources

Concept: Take the meaning that fits the sentence context.

1. 'Maintain this momentum' = keep up the progress already made (innovation, policy support, awareness).
2. So momentum = ongoing progress and drive, not mere speed, decline or instability.

Trick: Replace the word with each option in the sentence — 'maintain this ongoing progress' reads perfectly.

Answer: (B) Ongoing progress and drive

Concept: 'Implications of X' = the possible results/effects that come from X.

1. The leader wants voters to think about the long-term effects of the reforms → 'implications of the proposed reforms'.
2. 'Implications for' is used for the person/thing affected (implications for farmers).

Trick: OF → source (reforms); FOR → who is affected.

Answer: (B) of

Concept: 'Be opposed to' = be completely against.

1. 'was … fundamentally opposed to the principles' — adjective/participle after 'was' fits.
2. 'Averse to' is used for a person's dislike (averse to risk); 'opposite'/'opposing' do not fit 'fundamentally ___ to the principles'.

Trick: Parallel check: 'not only unconventional but also ___' needs an adjective-like word → opposed.

Answer: (A) opposed

Concept: 'Effective as of [date]' = in force starting from that date.

1. The rules take effect starting January 1st → 'effective as of January 1st'.
2. 'By' = no later than; 'with' is unidiomatic; 'on' marks one day, not a start onward.

Yaad rakhein: Formal notices use 'with effect from' or 'as of' for a starting date.

Answer: (C) as of January 1st

Concept: Tense of a proverb/universal truth does not change in indirect speech.

1. The proverb keeps its verb 'saves' (simple present).
2. Only 'that' is added; nothing else changes.
3. (B) wrongly changes to 'saved'; (A) is passive; (C) changes the reporting verb.

Trick: Universal truths, habits, proverbs, scientific facts → keep the tense.

Answer: (D) My grandma said that a stitch in time saves nine.

Concept: General statement first, then mechanism, then effects.

1. 1 introduces the brain's capacity to learn and adapt.
2. 2 names the cause: neuroplasticity ('its' = brain's; 'this remarkable faculty' = learning capacity).
3. 3 'This process allows…' gives the results; 4 says the re-wiring goes on throughout life.

Trick: Follow the pointers: 'its', 'this faculty', 'this process', 'this re-wiring' each link to the sentence before.

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

Concept: 'Barely/Hardly/Scarcely' is followed by 'when' (or 'before'), not 'then'.

1. Correct form: '…had barely finished … when the power went out'.
2. Error lies in part (2): 'then' → 'when'.

Trick: Hardly/Scarcely/Barely → WHEN; No sooner → THAN.

Answer: (B) (2)