Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: 'Equipment' is a mass noun: it has no plural form.

1. Count it with a unit word: 'a piece of equipment', 'pieces of equipment'.
2. Option A says 'pieces of equipments' – the extra -s is wrong.
3. Correct: These pieces of equipment are handled by trained technicians.
4. B, C, D are grammatically fine.

Trick: Furniture, luggage, baggage, information, advice, equipment, scenery – never add -s; pluralise the counter word instead.

Answer: (A) These pieces of equipments are handled by trained technicians.

Concept: Verb and pronoun of a collective noun must agree with each other – both singular or both plural.

1. 'The jury was undivided' treats the jury as one unit (singular).
2. So the pronoun must also be singular: 'its verdict', not 'their verdict'.
3. Correct: The jury was undivided in its verdict…
4. A (percent + plural noun → plural verb), B (time amount → singular), C are correct.

Trick: Collective noun acting as one body → is/was + its. Members acting separately → are/were + their. Never mix the two.

Answer: (D) The jury was undivided in their verdict to imprison the person.

Concept: 'Invest' is always followed by the preposition 'in'.

1. We invest money/time in a project, business, shares, etc.
2. Sentence: She invested heavily in green technology projects last year.
3. 'invest on/at' are wrong usages; 'from' gives the wrong direction.

Trick: Fixed pairs to learn: invest in, believe in, persist in, succeed in, interested in.

Answer: (C) in

Concept: When the second clause goes against what the first clause suggests, use a contrast conjunction.

1. Clause 1: patient did well (positive).
2. Clause 2: diagnosis is still unclear (unexpected).
3. Contrast → yet (= but still).
4. thus / so show result; since shows reason – they don't fit.

Trick: Positive idea + opposite idea → but / yet / still / however. Cause–effect → so / thus / since.

Answer: (C) yet

Concept: Fact = something that is real and can be proved.

1. Truth = the quality of being real/correct → same sense.
2. Mirage (illusion) and Fantasy (imagination) are opposites.
3. Testimony = a statement by a witness, not necessarily a fact.

Trick: Eliminate the two 'unreal' words (mirage, fantasy) first; between the rest pick the one with the exact meaning.

Answer: (D) Truth

Concept: Spot the misspelt word part by part.

1. Part A has 'comitee'.
2. Correct spelling: committee – double m, double t, double e.
3. organize, festival, diversity, talents are correct.

Trick: Committee = 2-2-2: mm, tt, ee.

Answer: (A) A

Concept: Modern = of the present time, new.

1. Obsolete = out of date, no longer used → opposite.
2. Contemporary, Current, Recent all mean 'of present times' – synonyms, not antonyms.

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

Answer: (C) Obsolete

Concept: A verb is modified by an adverb, not an adjective.

1. 'has … become popular' – the word sits before the verb 'become'.
2. 'certain' is an adjective → change to adverb 'certainly'.
3. 'most certainly' = definitely, without doubt.
4. 'very certainly' is not idiomatic; 'maybe' changes the meaning.

Trick: Word describing a verb → usually needs -ly.

Answer: (A) most certainly

Concept: Person guided by ideals rather than practical matters = Idealist.

1. Idealist – follows ideals/principles even if impractical.
2. Pessimist – always expects the worst.
3. Fatalist – believes everything is decided by fate.
4. Opportunist – exploits chances for self-gain.

Trick: The clue word 'ideals' is inside the answer: ideal → Idealist.

Answer: (C) Idealist

Concept: Coax = to persuade gently with soft words.

1. Bully = to force someone using threats → opposite way of persuading.
2. Cajole is a synonym of coax.
3. appeal and attract have no sense of force.

Trick: Coax ≈ Cajole (both start with 'C' and mean 'sweet-talk') – so it can't be the antonym.

Answer: (C) Bully

Concept: Going back to direct speech, undo the tense back-shift and restore question form.

1. had been revising → Have you been revising (present perfect continuous).
2. would be prepared → will you be prepared.
3. 'she' (the listener) becomes 'you'; 'whether/if' is dropped; add '?'.
4. Only A has both changes correctly.

Trick: Indirect → Direct: go one step forward in tense (had → have, would → will).

Answer: (A) Have you been revising … will you be prepared … ?

Concept: Passive 'will have been + V3' becomes active 'will have + V3'.

1. No doer is given → use general subject 'They'.
2. Object of active = 'the revised plan'.
3. Active subject 'They' + will have discussed + object.
4. B keeps plan as subject; C, D change the tense.

Trick: Remove 'been' and bring in a subject – the tense stays future perfect.

Answer: (A) They will have discussed the revised plan …

Concept: In indirect speech, 'said to' → 'told'; past reporting verb back-shifts 'will' → 'would'.

1. 'You' in the quote refers to the listeners = 'us' → becomes 'we'.
2. will → would (reporting verb is past).
3. Result: He told us that we would be successful.

Trick: SON rule: 1st person → Subject, 2nd person → Object, 3rd → No change. 'You' follows the object 'us' → we.

Answer: (B) He told us that we would be successful.

Concept: Present continuous passive = is/are + being + V3.

1. Object 'the students' (plural) becomes subject → 'are'.
2. Add 'being' + V3 'guided'.
3. The students are being guided by the teacher.
4. A is past, B is simple present, D is present perfect.

Trick: Continuous tense in passive always keeps 'being'.

Answer: (C) The students are being guided by the teacher.

Concept: Simple present passive = is/are + V3; the active object becomes the subject.

1. Object 'their robust character' (singular) → subject + 'is'.
2. 'praise' → 'is often praised'; doer goes after 'by'.
3. The phrase 'for the depth of flavour they provide' stays the same.
4. B, C, D change the meaning or the object.

Trick: Check that the subject of the passive is the old object – only A begins with 'Their robust character' + is praised.

Answer: (A) Their robust character is often praised by culinary experts for the depth of flavour they provide.

Concept: Past perfect = had + V3.

1. believe → had believed.
2. possesses → had possessed.
3. As asked, both verbs are put in past perfect: 'Many had believed it had possessed…'
4. A and B change only one verb; D uses past perfect continuous.

Trick: Count the verbs: two verbs in the sentence → both need 'had + V3'.

Answer: (C) Many had believed it had possessed medicinal properties beyond mere seasoning.

Concept: Provenance = place of origin / source of something.

1. The passage links spices to their 'regional origins' – provenance carries this idea.
2. Cuisine = style of cooking; Aroma = smell; Texture = feel of a surface.

Trick: Provenance comes from French 'provenir' = to come from.

Answer: (A) Provenance

Concept: Connoisseurship = expert knowledge and refined judgement in a field.

1. A connoisseur is an expert judge of taste (food, art, wine).
2. Casual = informal; Potency = strength; Examination = inspection.

Trick: Connoisseur → expert judge; add '-ship' → the skill of such an expert.

Answer: (C) Connoisseurship

Concept: Locate the exact phrase in the passage.

1. The paragraph on vanilla pods calls them luxurious, hand-cured and 'more a finishing accent than a routine ingredient'.
2. Turmeric, asafoetida and ground spices are described as common in daily cooking.

Trick: Scan for the quoted words – the sentence just before tells you the subject (vanilla pods).

Answer: (C) Vanilla pods

Concept: Arrange as: inspiration → work → result → purpose.

1. R: the artist gets inspiration from her mother's photo (opening).
2. Q: months of chiselling follow.
3. P: the 'final figure' – the finished sculpture.
4. S: the artwork as a tribute – conclusion.

Trick: 'The final figure' (P) must come after the work (Q); 'She' in R needs no earlier noun if it starts the story – options with P first fail.

Answer: (B) R, Q, P, S