Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: A synonym keeps the same sense when put in place of the given word.

1. Responsibilities = duties one must carry out.
2. Obligations = things one is bound to do → same sense.
3. Preferences/Choices = what one likes; Opportunities = chances – no idea of duty.

Trick: Test by replacing: 'fulfills her obligations sincerely' reads naturally; the others do not.

Answer: (A) Obligations

Concept: Find the word meaning the same as 'forsake', ignoring the 'not' in the sentence.

1. Forsake = give up / leave for good.
2. Abandon = give up completely → exact match.
3. Maintain is its opposite (antonym), the 'not' only tempts you towards it.

Trick: Synonym is asked for the word itself, not for the meaning of the whole sentence – so ignore 'not'.

Answer: (D) Abandon

Concept: A singular noun shows possession with apostrophe + s ('s).

1. The function belongs to 'this year' → possessive needed.
2. 'this years' (no apostrophe) is wrong.
3. Correct: for this year's annual function.

Trick: 'this' is singular, so it can never be followed by plural 'years' – error found instantly.

Answer: (C) for this years

Concept: Had + subject + V3 …, subject + would have + V3 (past unreal condition).

1. 'Had she' = 'If she had' (inversion).
2. After 'had' we need V3: take → took → taken.
3. Correct: Had she taken the right turn, she would have reached on time.

Trick: 'had' is always followed by V3 – spot a V2 (took, went, ate) after 'had' and you've found the error.

Answer: (B) took the right turn

Concept: Movement from inside to outside is shown by 'out of'.

1. Travellers were inside the cave and left at sunrise.
2. Leaving an enclosed place → came out of the cave.
3. 'into' = inside movement; 'across' = side to side; 'beyond' = farther than.

Trick: Pair the opposites: into (enter) ↔ out of (exit). The story says exit.

Answer: (C) out of

Concept: Some nouns go with fixed verbs; 'send tremors/shock waves through' = cause sudden alarm.

1. An unexpected merger shakes the market.
2. Tremors = shaking / shock → 'sent tremors through the market'.
3. Rumours are spread, anecdotes are stories, giggles are laughter – none fits a market shock.

Yaad rakhein: Similar idiom: 'send shivers down one's spine' = cause fear.

Answer: (D) tremors

Concept: Accomplice = a partner in a crime.

1. Break it: ac + com + plice.
2. Double 'c' at the start, single 'm', ending '-plice'.
3. Other options double m/o or end in '-plise'.

Trick: Think 'ac-COMPLICE' – it shares its ending with 'complicit'.

Answer: (D) Accomplice

Concept: Garrulous = excessively talkative.

1. Split: gar + ru + lous.
2. Double 'r', single 'u' in the middle, ending '-ulous'.
3. Ending is '-ulous' as in 'fabulous', not '-olous' or '-uluos'.

Trick: Rhymes with 'querulous' – same '-rr-…-ulous' pattern.

Answer: (C) Garrulous

Concept: 'Since' + point of time; 'for' + length of time (with perfect tenses).

1. After the blank comes a duration (9 years), not a starting point.
2. A span of time needs for: …since → …for 9 years.
3. 'till' = up to an end; 'across' = from side to side – neither measures a span.

Trick: Ask 'since when?' → date/year (2016, Monday). 'how long?' → for (9 years, two days).

Answer: (B) for

Concept: 'Dedication' and 'devoted' take the preposition 'to'.

1. Wrong: dedication for the sport.
2. Correct: dedication to the sport.
3. 'with' and 'into' are never used after dedication.

Yaad rakhein: Same pattern: committed to, devoted to, dedicated to.

Answer: (A) Dedication to

Concept: Past reporting verb → every past-tense verb inside the quotes becomes past perfect.

1. said to → told; add 'that'.
2. phoned → had phoned; passed → had passed.
3. this → that; you (assistant) → him.

Trick: Count the 'had's – both verbs must change, so the option with two 'had's wins.

Answer: (C) Riya told the assistant that she had phoned the manager to sign that document, but he had just passed it to him.

Concept: Tense stays the same; an unnamed doer becomes 'someone'.

1. 'has been purchased' = present perfect passive.
2. Active present perfect = has purchased.
3. No agent given → subject 'Someone': Someone has purchased a new bicycle for the school.

Trick: Keep 'has' – only option (B) retains the present perfect in active form.

Answer: (B) Someone has purchased a new bicycle for the school.

Concept: In direct speech a question needs auxiliary before subject and a '?'.

1. 'had left' (backshifted) returns to simple past → did … leave.
2. 'my position' (speaker = I) → 'your position' when the manager speaks.
3. Question order: Why did you leave …?

Trick: Reject any option with 'why you …' – a direct question never keeps statement order.

Answer: (A) The manager said, "Why did you leave your previous position?"

Concept: Maudlin = foolishly sentimental, tearful.

1. Correct spelling: m-a-u-d-l-i-n.
2. Sentences A, B, C use it correctly.
3. D writes 'moddlin' → misspelt.

Trick: Three options share one spelling; the odd one out is the error.

Answer: (D) His moddlin behaviour surprised the audience.

Concept: Past continuous passive = was/were + being + V3.

1. Main verb: 'were answering' (past continuous).
2. Object 'the difficult questions' (plural) → subject → were being answered.
3. Agent 'by the diligent candidates', 'during the entrance test' remains.

Trick: Continuous tense in active → 'being' must appear in passive; B and D have it, D is present tense, so B.

Answer: (B) The difficult questions were being answered by the diligent candidates during the entrance test.

Concept: A sentence with only one finite verb (one clause) is simple, however long.

1. Finite verb: only permits (subject: careless dumping).
2. 'to drift…' = infinitive; 'triggering…', 'threatening…' = participle phrases – no finite verb.
3. No conjunction joining clauses → simple sentence.

Trick: Count finite verbs: 1 = simple; 2 joined by and/but = compound; with who/that/because = complex.

Answer: (A) Simple sentence

Concept: For a yes/no question, move the existing auxiliary before the subject.

1. Verb: have become.
2. Shift 'have' to the front.
3. Have plastic products become essential to daily routines?

Trick: Do not change tense or helping verb – just swap the auxiliary and subject.

Answer: (D) Have plastic products become essential to daily routines?

Concept: Use the clause after 'as' to decode the word in context.

1. Coasts 'accumulate vast tides of debris' → they get harmed easily.
2. Susceptible = easily affected; prone to harm.
3. Strong / clean are opposites; remote has no link with debris.

Yaad rakhein: Susceptible to = vulnerable to; antonym: immune / resistant.

Answer: (C) Prone or liable to harm

Concept: 'Alleviate' = make pain or stress less severe.

1. The sentence lists two benefits: alleviates stress, curbs oil demand.
2. Both reduce something → Relieves.
3. 'Increases' is opposite; 'describes', 'ignores' do nothing to stress.

Trick: 'not only … but also' links two similar ideas – 'curbs' (reduces) hints that 'alleviates' also reduces.

Answer: (C) Relieves

Concept: Answer only from what the passage states.

1. The passage links the coasts' weakness to huge amounts of waste that sea currents keep bringing ashore.
2. The word 'as' introduces this reason → option C.
3. Plastic production, regulation, people's habits are not mentioned for coasts.

Trick: Look for a reason-word (as, because, since) near the key term – the answer sits right there.

Answer: (C) They often accumulate large amounts of debris from ocean currents.