Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: 'Apologise' is followed by 'to' for the person and 'for' for the fault.

1. Part A has 'apologised of' – 'of' never follows apologise.
2. Correct form: He apologised for his mistake.
3. Parts B, C, D (promised that he would be more careful in the future) are error-free.

Trick: Apologise to a person, for a thing – remember 'to-for'.

Answer: (A) He apologised of

Concept: Pick the idiom whose figurative sense is 'racing to finish before time runs out'.

1. Against the clock = hurrying to finish something before a deadline.
2. At sixes and sevens = in a mess/confused.
3. By and large = generally; On cloud nine = very happy.

Trick: 'Clock' in the idiom points to time pressure – the only option connected with a deadline.

Answer: (C) against the clock

Concept: Synonym = word with the same meaning. Unlucky = having bad fortune.

1. Hapless = unfortunate, ill-fated → same as unlucky.
2. Morose = sullen, bad-tempered; Hopeful = expecting good; Proud = self-satisfied.
3. None of the others is about luck.

Trick: 'Hap' is an old word for luck (as in happen, perhaps) – hap-less = without luck.

Answer: (C) Hapless

Concept: Idioms carry a figurative meaning, not the literal meaning of their words.

1. Take something in stride = handle a difficulty calmly, without getting upset, and continue.
2. A and C use 'stride' literally (walking/stepping) – wrong.
3. D means avoiding the problem – the idiom means facing it calmly.

Trick: When an option simply repeats the literal word (stride = step), it is usually the trap.

Answer: (B) To deal with a problem calmly without letting it upset you.

Concept: 'Saw' can be past tense of 'see', a cutting tool (noun), the verb 'to cut', or an old proverb.

1. In 'I saw a beautiful shooting star', saw = past of see (looked at).
2. D: 'We saw a massive whale' – again past of see. ✔
3. A: tool; B: to cut wood; C: an old saying – different senses.

Trick: Replace 'saw' with 'looked at/spotted' – it fits only in the given sentence and option D.

Answer: (D) We saw a massive whale across the ocean surface yesterday.

Concept: A 'defining feature' question is answered from the passage's opening definition.

1. First lines: the seller keeps no stock; customer orders go to a supplier who ships to the buyer.
2. That matches option C exactly.
3. A and B are the opposite of the model; D clashes with 'online selling model'.

Trick: Look for the 'Instead of …' sentence – it usually states the core idea.

Answer: (C) Orders are passed to suppliers who ship directly to buyers

Concept: Find the cause linked to 'lowers initial investment' in the passage.

1. The seller does not buy or store goods in advance (no inventory).
2. So money is not blocked in stock → lower starting cost.
3. Marketing, guaranteed profit and lower demand are not stated; profits are actually called thin.

Trick: Option C uses 'guarantees' – extreme words rarely match a balanced passage.

Answer: (B) It avoids the cost of maintaining inventory

Concept: Match the benefit 'wide range of products' with its reason in the passage.

1. Passage: sellers can offer many products because they need not handle storage or logistics.
2. No storage = no inventory management → option C.
3. Warehouses, control over suppliers, exclusive contracts – none mentioned; control is actually 'limited'.

Trick: Options A and B contradict the passage's own words ('limited control', no storage) – eliminate them first.

Answer: (C) Absence of inventory management

Concept: Customer-related problems appear in the 'limitations' part of the passage.

1. Passage: limited control over quality and delivery time may cause customer dissatisfaction.
2. Option C restates this directly.
3. A and B are positives not claimed; D (personal interaction) is not discussed.

Trick: In 'issue/problem' questions, discard every option that sounds like a benefit.

Answer: (C) Possible dissatisfaction due to delivery and quality issues

Concept: Locate the sentence about profit in the passage.

1. Passage: profit margins are often thinner because of high competition.
2. That is option B word for word in meaning.
3. Storage cost does not exist here; product variety and reach are shown as strengths.

Trick: Scan for the keyword 'profit' – the answer sits in that very sentence.

Answer: (B) Thin profit margins due to competition

Concept: Spot the word that does not follow standard English spelling.

1. 'Beurokrat' is wrong; correct spelling is bureaucrat (a government official).
2. It is built on French bureau (office) + -crat (ruler).
3. Blunder, Beautiful, Blatant are spelt correctly.

Trick: Write it as bureau + crat – 'bureau' stays intact, ending '-crat' as in democrat.

Answer: (D) Beurokrat

Concept: Check prefix, root and suffix of each word.

1. 'Irrisistable' is wrong; correct form is irresistible.
2. Prefix 'ir' + root 'resist' (with e) + suffix '-ible'.
3. Impurity, Iteration, Imagination are correct.

Trick: resist → resistible: words from 'resist', 'access', 'permit' take '-ible'.

Answer: (B) Irrisistable

Concept: Use the sentence context: friends since kindergarten → closeness.

1. As thick as thieves = extremely close friends who share secrets.
2. Context 'two best friends … since kindergarten' confirms closeness.
3. B and C take 'thieves' literally; A is the opposite.

Trick: 'Thick' = close (thick friends). Ignore 'thieves' – it only adds rhyme/colour.

Answer: (D) Very close or friendly

Concept: Science-specialist names come from Greek roots + '-logist'.

1. Insect study = entomology; the expert = entomologist.
2. Botanist – plants; Ornithologist – birds; Geologist – rocks/earth.

Trick: Do not mix entomology (insects) with etymology (word origins) – 'n' for 'insect'.

Answer: (B) Entomologist

Concept: Antonym = opposite meaning. Misery = deep unhappiness.

1. Felicity = great happiness, bliss → opposite of misery.
2. Gloom, Sorrow – similar to misery; Anger – a different negative emotion.

Trick: Three options are 'sad' words – the odd positive one is the antonym.

Answer: (C) Felicity

Concept: 'Dis-' reverses a meaning: disown = refuse to accept as one's own.

1. Opposite = accept (take as one's own).
2. Reject and Repudiate are synonyms of disown.
3. Ignore = not pay attention – not an opposite.

Trick: Two options mean the same thing (reject = repudiate) – both drop out instantly.

Answer: (A) Accept

Concept: Choose the word that covers storing things and finding them again.

1. Repository = a place where things are kept and can be retrieved.
2. Archive – only historical records; Registry – official registers.
3. Cabinet – a cupboard, not a 'place' in general.

Trick: Repository ~ 'repose' (rest): things rest there till needed – also used for code (GitHub repository).

Answer: (A) Repository

Concept: Imperative passive 'Let + object + be + V3' becomes active 'V1 + object'.

1. Remove 'Let … be'.
2. Turn 'made' (V3) into 'Make' (V1) and place the object after it.
3. Result: Make the final announcement immediately.
4. B and D are still passive; C adds a subject not in the original.

Trick: Imperative active always begins with a bare verb – pick the option starting with V1.

Answer: (A) Make the final announcement immediately.

Concept: Past reporting verb 'said' → every reported verb shifts one tense back.

1. We → they; cannot → could not.
2. worries (present) → worried.
3. will be taken → would be taken.
4. Only B changes all three; A changes none, C misses 'worries', D misses 'will'.

Trick: Check the last verb first: only B and C have 'would'; then 'worried' leaves only B.

Answer: (B) The spokesperson said that they could not ignore the warning signs any longer, and that the situation worried everyone involved, but corrective steps would be taken soon.

Concept: In 'one of + plural noun + who', 'who' refers to the plural noun, so the verb is plural.

1. 'who' = 'those writers' (plural).
2. Plural subject takes base verb: focus.
3. Correct: She is one of those writers who focus on realistic themes.
4. focusing/focused/to focus cannot be the main verb of the clause.

Trick: Flip the sentence: 'Of those writers who focus on realistic themes, she is one.'

Answer: (C) focus