Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: 'Because of' is a preposition (takes a noun); 'because' is a conjunction (takes a clause).

1. After the blank we have 'he was exhausted' – subject + verb = a full clause.
2. A clause needs the conjunction: Because he was exhausted, he could not finish… (or Because of his exhaustion…).

Trick: Check: if a verb follows, drop 'of'. Noun follows → keep 'because of'.

Answer: (A) Because of

Concept: Nouns/verbs of trust take 'in': confidence in, faith in, belief in, trust in.

1. We trust in a person or his ability → 'confidence in his ability'.
2. 'With confidence' = confidently (a manner), not the object of trust; 'on/at' are not used.

Trick: Trust-words + 'in' – think 'I have faith IN you'.

Answer: (A) in

Concept: Pick the phrasal verb whose meaning fits 'easing rising tensions'.

1. Smooth over = make a problem or quarrel less serious; calm things down. ✔
2. Call off = cancel; set out = start a journey; bring up = raise a topic / rear a child.

Trick: Tensions are 'smoothed', plans are 'called off', topics are 'brought up' – match the noun.

Answer: (A) smooth over

Concept: Divergent = going in different directions; differing.

1. Distinct = clearly different/separate → same sense. ✔
2. Alike, parallel, consistent all suggest sameness – opposite group.

Trick: Three options mean 'same'; the odd one out (different) is the synonym.

Answer: (A) Distinct

Concept: Laconic = using very few words (brief speech).

1. Terse = short and to the point → exact synonym. ✔
2. Taciturn = by nature quiet/reserved (a personality), not 'brief words'. Verbose & loquacious = wordy (antonyms).

Yaad rakhein: Laconic comes from Laconia (Sparta), whose people were famous for one-line replies.

Answer: (C) Terse

Concept: Choose the idiom meaning 'avoid answering directly'.

1. Dance around the issue = avoid the main point, be evasive. ✔
2. Pay the piper = bear the cost; taste of own medicine = get the same bad treatment; spill the beans = reveal a secret.

Trick: The sentence already gives the clue 'avoided giving a direct answer' – find the idiom that repeats this idea.

Answer: (B) dance around the issue

Concept: Counterfeit = fake, a forged copy (e.g. counterfeit currency).

1. Opposite of fake = genuine (real, authentic). ✔
2. Straightforward, blunt, forthright describe honest speech, not real vs fake objects.

Trick: Fake ↔ Genuine; Forged ↔ Authentic – learn as pairs.

Answer: (B) Genuine

Concept: Never use 'most' with a superlative that already ends in -est.

1. 'Most lowest' is a double superlative → remove 'most'.
2. Wickets are counted, so say 'the lowest number of wickets'.
3. 'The lowest wickets' (D) is incomplete; 'the most number' (C) is wrong usage.

Trick: -est + most = error, always. Pick the option with only one superlative marker.

Answer: (B) the lowest number of

Concept: Key idea: rejected/ostracised by one's own society.

1. Outcast = a person driven out or rejected by his group. ✔
2. Alien = foreigner; asylum seeker = one seeking refuge abroad; visitor = guest.

Trick: Out + cast = 'cast out' of the group.

Answer: (D) Outcast

Concept: Order/request → reporting verb 'asked/told' + object + to + V1.

1. 'Students' (address) becomes the object 'the students'.
2. 'your' changes to 'their' (2nd person → object's person).

Trick: Imperative in indirect speech = 'to + V1' – reject any option with 'that' or past forms after 'to'.

Answer: (A) The teacher asked the students to finish their work and submit the files by evening.

Concept: Alacrity = cheerful readiness, eager speed.

1. Its opposite is sluggishness → lethargy. ✔
2. Eagerness, promptness, readiness are synonyms of alacrity.

Trick: Three options mean the same thing – the odd one out is the antonym.

Answer: (A) Lethargy

Concept: The suffix '-ful' has only one 'l'.

1. beauty + ful → beautiful (y → i, single l).
2. Sentence (D) has 'beautifull' → misspelt.

Yaad rakhein: 'Full' alone has two l's; as a suffix it always has one: careful, hopeful, useful.

Answer: (D) He described the idea in a simple yet beautifull manner.

Concept: Root 'recognise/recognize' + '-ition'.

1. Correct form: recog + nition = recognition.
2. Errors: '-sion' (A), extra 'i' after g (B), double 't' (C).

Yaad rakhein: Same family: cognition, recognition – both '-gnition'.

Answer: (D) recognition

Concept: Present perfect passive: Has + obj + been + V3 + by + doer → Active: Has + doer + V3 + obj?

1. Doer 'the scholar' becomes subject; 'been' is dropped.
2. Active: Has the scholar translated the ancient manuscript?

Trick: Keep the tense and question form same – only (A) does both.

Answer: (A) Has the scholar translated the ancient manuscript?

Concept: Modal + V1 (active) → modal + be + V3 (passive).

1. 'cannot solve' → 'cannot be solved'.
2. Object 'the puzzle' to front, 'she' → 'by her'.
3. Passive: The puzzle cannot be solved by her alone.

Trick: Modal stays as it is; just insert 'be + V3'.

Answer: (C) The puzzle cannot be solved by her alone.

Concept: Indirect → direct: remove 'that', add comma + inverted commas, undo the backshift.

1. Past perfect 'had occurred' → simple past 'occurred'.
2. Direct: The witness stated, "The incident occurred late at night."
3. (A) 'is occurred' and (C) 'have occurred' are wrong grammar; (D) misspells 'occurring'.

Trick: Indirect had + V3 ← direct V2 (past) – reverse the tense table.

Answer: (B) The witness stated, "The incident occurred late at night."

Concept: 'is believed to have + V3 + object' → object becomes subject, infinitive becomes 'to have been + V3'.

1. Inner idea: the proposal influenced public opinion.
2. (B) changes the structure to 'It is believed that…'; (C) changes tense; (D) is ungrammatical.

Trick: Keep 'is believed to' fixed; only the infinitive changes: to have V3 → to have been V3.

Answer: (A) Public opinion is believed to have been influenced significantly by the proposal.

Concept: 'Are' = present form of 'be' (am/is/are); general truths use simple present.

1. 'Forests are among the most valuable…' states a permanent fact → Present simple.
2. Past = were; present perfect = have been; future = will be – none used.

Yaad rakhein: am/is/are alone = simple present; was/were = past.

Answer: (B) Present simple

Concept: Active: subject does the action; passive: subject receives it (be + V3).

1. 'They' (forests) themselves help regulate the climate → subject is the doer.
2. Object 'the climate' is present, so (D) 'without an object' is wrong.

Trick: No 'be + V3' form in the verb → active voice.

Answer: (A) Active voice - the subject performs the action

Concept: Break the word: bio (life) + diversity (variety).

1. Biodiversity = variety of living organisms in an area.
2. Passage support: one hectare holds hundreds of tree species, insects, birds, mammals.

Trick: Root 'bio' = life (biology, biography) – eliminates soil, farming, weather.

Answer: (B) The variety of living organisms in an area