Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: To be out of one's depth = in a situation that is beyond one's knowledge or ability.

1. Example: In the advanced physics class, the new student felt out of his depth.
2. Option (A) is the literal sense; the idiom is figurative.

Yaad rakhein: Opposite idea: 'in one's element' – doing something one is very good at.

Answer: (C) To be in a situation too difficult for one's abilities

Concept: Solicitude = anxious care or concern for someone.

1. Correct spelling: S-O-L-I-C-I-T-U-D-E.
2. It comes from the same root as solicit / solicitous, so it keeps 'solicit-' + '-ude'.

Trick: Write 'solicit' first, then add 'ude' – solicit + ude = solicitude.

Answer: (D) Solicitude

Concept: Start with the sentence that introduces the topic; pronoun sentences ('They', 'Their') follow it.

1. 2 introduces smart baby monitors – opener.
2. 3 ('They provide live audio and video') gives the main use; 1 ('Their thermometers…') adds more features.
3. 4 ('Advanced models also…') ends with extra safety alerts ⇒ 2-3-1-4.

Trick: Sentences 1 and 3 begin with pronouns, so neither can open – only (C) starts with 2 and keeps 4's 'also' last.

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

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

1. Example: 'The more you learn, the more you realise how little you know.'
2. Conundrum, riddle and puzzle are just difficult questions/problems – no built-in contradiction.

Yaad rakhein: Oxymoron is a two-word paradox inside a phrase, e.g. 'deafening silence'.

Answer: (B) Paradox

Concept: A participle phrase ('while collecting…') must be followed by the subject that does that action.

1. The subject 'The volunteers' is left without a verb, while part (3) switches to passive with a new subject 'the storage facility'.
2. The facility cannot collect supplies. Correct: '…, inspected the storage facility for safety compliance.'

Trick: If a sentence starts with a person and a '-ing' phrase, the main verb should be active with that person as subject.

Answer: (C) (3)

Concept: Present perfect active 'has/have + V3' becomes 'has/have been + V3' in passive.

1. Object 'the final draft of the article' becomes the subject.
2. has approved → has been approved; add 'by the editor'.
3. (A) and (B) change the tense; (D) changes the meaning (rejected).

Trick: Keep the helping verb 'has' and just insert 'been' – the tense marker must not change.

Answer: (C) The final draft of the article has been approved by the editor.

Concept: Homonyms share spelling/sound but have unrelated meanings.

1. In the given sentence, 'watch' = to keep under observation (verb).
2. (C) and (D) use the same 'look at' sense; (A) 'keep watch' is the related noun of guarding.
3. (B) 'a golden watch' = a wristwatch/timepiece – a different meaning.

Trick: Find the option where the word names a different thing altogether (object vs action).

Answer: (B) He received a golden watch for his promotion.

Concept: For an unreal or imaginary situation after 'as if / as though / I wish / if only', use 'were' with all subjects.

1. He is not really the owner – the comparison is imaginary.
2. So replace 'was' with the subjunctive 'were' – 'as if he were …'.
3. (C) 'as though he was' repeats the same error.

Trick: Unreal condition = 'were' for I/he/she/it too (If I were you…).

Answer: (D) as if he were

Concept: To go back to direct speech, undo the tense backshift and change pronouns to the speaker's own.

1. Reported 'had finished' comes from simple past 'finished' in the direct speech.
2. 'she … her work' → 'I … my work'.
3. (B) wrongly makes it 'your work'; (C) uses the present; (D) keeps 'She'.

Trick: Past perfect in reported speech usually comes from simple past (or present perfect) in the direct form.

Answer: (A) She told me, "I finished my work before sunset."

Concept: 'An' before a vowel sound, 'a' before a consonant sound; a non-specific noun mentioned first takes a/an.

1. ancient artefact – vowel sound ⇒ an.
2. invaluable glimpse – vowel sound ⇒ an.
3. prehistoric civilization – consonant sound, not a specific one ⇒ a.

Trick: Look at the sound of the next word, not the noun: 'an ancient', 'an invaluable', 'a prehistoric'.

Answer: (B) an, an, a

Concept: Topic sentence → how it works → result → future/extension.

1. 2 names OLEDs and their impact – opener.
2. 1 ('They use organic compounds…') explains how; 3 ('This creates…') gives the result.
3. 4 ('Flexible screens…further') looks ahead – closing ⇒ 2, 1, 3, 4.

Trick: 'They' in 1 needs the noun OLEDs before it, and 'This' in 3 needs the process in 1 – so 2-1-3 is a fixed chain.

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

Concept: In passive, the whole object phrase becomes the subject; simple past 'questioned' → 'was questioned'.

1. Object = 'the assumption that the new material would remain stable under extreme temperatures' – move it intact.
2. Verb: was questioned; agent: by the scientist.
3. (B) splits the phrase and changes 'would' to 'will'; (C) and (D) distort the meaning.

Trick: Never break a noun + that-clause apart when making the passive.

Answer: (A) The assumption that the new material would remain stable under extreme temperatures was questioned by the scientist.

Concept: Gala = a festive celebration full of fun and joy.

1. Merriment = cheerful fun and festivity – closest meaning.
2. Ordinary and drab are near-opposites; 'function' is any event and lacks the joyous sense.

Trick: Choose the word that carries the 'mood' of the given word – gala is about gaiety, not just an event.

Answer: (D) Merriment

Concept: With 'said to + object', use 'told'; backshift shall → would; change pronouns and 'this' → 'that'.

1. said to his colleagues → told his colleagues that …
2. We → they; shall → would; this → that.
3. Result: Arjun told his colleagues that they would not discuss that topic again.

Trick: Scan for 'told … would … that topic' – any option with 'said his colleagues' or 'shall' is out.

Answer: (A) Arjun told his colleagues that they would not discuss that topic again.

Concept: General statement → examples ('for instance') → second example → conclusion ('Ultimately').

1. 2 states the general idea of strict naming rules for land and water animals – opener.
2. 3 gives terrestrial examples ('for instance'); 1 follows with aquatic ones.
3. 4 begins with 'Ultimately' – conclusion ⇒ 2, 3, 1, 4.

Trick: Connectors decide the frame: 'for instance' cannot open, 'Ultimately' always closes.

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

Concept: Use the passage's own explanation of the word.

1. The passage explains introspection as judging one's own values, patterns and limits honestly.
2. Looking inward at oneself = self-examination.
3. (A), (C), (D) all point outward, at others or things.

Trick: 'Intro' = inward, 'spect' = look – looking inside oneself.

Answer: (B) Self-examination

Concept: Look for the 'because' sentence that gives the author's reason.

1. The author says big resolutions give only short-lived excitement.
2. Repetition reinforces the brain's neural pathways, so deliberate effort becomes a habit – i.e. mental patterns are slowly rewired.
3. Nothing is said about instant results or skipping reflection.

Trick: Reason questions: find 'This is because…' in the passage and match its idea, not its exact words.

Answer: (B) They gradually rewire mental patterns

Concept: Find the part of the passage on self-compassion.

1. Self-criticism is said to create anxiety.
2. Being kind and patient with one's own imperfections builds resilience – gentle self-compassion.
3. Harsh criticism (A), indifference (B) and avoiding introspection (D) go against the passage.

Trick: Options with extreme words ('harsh', 'complete', 'avoidance') are usually wrong in tone-based RC questions.

Answer: (C) Gentle self-compassion and patience

Concept: Match the key word the author uses to describe the process.

1. The author calls self-improvement 'cyclical' – it needs reflection and recalibration from time to time, not a straight line.
2. Cyclical = circular; reflection + recalibration = learning and adjustment.
3. (A) 'straight path' is exactly what the passage rejects.

Trick: Cyclical ↔ circular; linear ↔ straight – a direct word match picks (B).

Answer: (B) As a circular process of learning and adjustment

Concept: The last line contrasts 'becoming someone else' with living by one's own values.

1. Real growth is not copying others or changing identity.
2. It means making everyday choices match one's own core values – authenticity and alignment.
3. (A), (C), (D) contradict this.

Trick: Final-sentence questions usually test the 'not X but Y' structure – the answer is Y.

Answer: (B) Improvement is about authenticity and alignment with one's values