Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Words for hobbyists come from the thing they collect: Latin numisma = coin.

1. Coin collector/student → Numismatist.
2. Philatelist = stamp collector (common trap).
3. Hoarder = one who piles things up compulsively; Collector is too general.

Trick: Numis → 'money' (think of 'numismatics' = study of coins & currency); Phil-ately → post 'stamps'.

Answer: (D) Numismatist

Concept: Match the '-logy/-logist' word with the exact field of study.

1. Sociology = study of society, its groups and institutions → Sociologist.
2. Anthropologist studies human origin, evolution and culture.
3. Psychologist → individual mind; Historian → past events.

Trick: Socio = society (as in 'social'), Anthropo = man/humankind, Psycho = mind.

Answer: (C) Sociologist

Concept: 'Most of' needs a determiner (the/my/these) before a noun; without 'of' use 'most + noun'.

1. (b) says 'Most of coffee…' – no determiner after 'of'.
2. Correct: Most of the coffee sold in Europe… (or simply Most coffee …).
3. (a), (c), (d) are grammatically fine.

Trick: 'Of' in 'most of / some of / many of' always points to a specific group → add 'the'.

Answer: (B) Most of coffee sold in Europe comes from India.

Concept: 'Punish' takes 'for' before the reason/offence.

1. Reason here = breaking the school rules → punished for breaking…
2. 'With' shows the penalty itself (punished with a fine), not the cause.
3. 'To' and 'from' do not follow 'punish'.

Trick: Ask 'why was he punished?' – answer begins with 'for'. Same with blame for, thank for, praise for.

Answer: (B) for

Concept: 'Past' = beyond a stage; we 'move past' a stage or an age limit.

1. 'Moved after the age' is not idiomatic – 'after' marks a moment in time.
2. 'has moved past the age…' = has grown beyond the stage of needing a caretaker.
3. 'Over the age (of 18)' states a numeric limit; 'on the age' is wrong.

Trick: Grow/move past a stage = cross it; e.g. 'she is past the age of playing with dolls'.

Answer: (B) past the age

Concept: Homonym = same spelling and sound, unrelated meaning.

1. In the sentence, 'dash' = a short sprint race.
2. (a), (b), (d): 'dash' = quick rush/burst – same 'speed' sense.
3. (c) 'a dash of salt' = a tiny amount → totally different meaning.

Trick: Pick the odd one out: three options share the 'speed' idea; the fourth (quantity) is the homonym.

Answer: (C) The recipe calls for a dash of salt and pepper.

Concept: Imperative → passive: Let it be + V3; the that-clause also turns passive.

1. 'Ensure' → Let it be made sure that…
2. Clause: students have submitted assignments → assignments have been submitted by the students.
3. Keep 'before leaving' – (d) changes it to 'after'; (b) drops 'Let it be'; (c) drops 'made'.

Trick: Imperative passive always opens with 'Let'. Then check the small words (made, before/after).

Answer: (A) Let it be made sure that their assignments have been submitted by the students before leaving the classroom.

Concept: Present perfect: has/have + V3 → has/have been + V3.

1. The whole object phrase (the story + its 'on how to…' modifier) moves to the front unchanged.
2. 'has written' → has been written by Shraddha.
3. (a), (b) distort the phrase 'how to make'; (b) uses 'had'; (d) has 'of been'.

Trick: Tense never changes in voice change – 'has' stays 'has'; only 'been' is inserted.

Answer: (C) A beautiful story on how to make your nation proud has been written by Shraddha.

Concept: Past reporting verb → backshift: is/am → was, simple past → past perfect.

1. am going → was going.
2. did not call → had not called.
3. I/my/me → she/her/her. Only (a) does both changes.

Trick: Check two verbs only: first must be 'was', second must be 'had + V3' → option (a).

Answer: (A) Sneha said that she was going to carry all the luggage alone as she had not called her brother to help her.

Concept: After 'said', present continuous → past continuous; simple past → past perfect.

1. am not going → was not going.
2. took → had taken.
3. my purse/my permission → her purse/her permission. (b), (c), (d) keep present forms.

Trick: Any option with 'is' after a past 'said' is out at once – leaves only (a).

Answer: (A) Shreya said that she was not going to forgive Rahul as he had taken her purse without her permission.

Concept: Wh-question: said → asked; use the wh-word as connector; statement order; backshift.

1. Remove helping 'do'; 'have to say' → had to say.
2. you/your → he/his.
3. (a) 'was to say' and (c) 'is to say' change meaning; (b) 'will have' is not backshifted.

Trick: Indirect question = no 'do/does/did', no question mark; 'have' → 'had'.

Answer: (D) The officer asked what he had to say in his defence.

Concept: Was/were + V3 → simple past active (V2); missing doer → 'someone'.

1. 'was delivered' → delivered (past tense kept).
2. Subject: someone; object: the speech.
3. (b), (c) change tense to present; (d) makes the conference the speaker – illogical.

Trick: Tense must stay past → only options with 'delivered' survive; (d) is illogical → (a).

Answer: (A) Someone delivered the speech at the conference.

Concept: will have been + V3 (passive) ↔ will have + V3 (active).

1. No agent → use 'They'.
2. 'will have been announced' → will have announced; 'the results' becomes object.
3. (a) makes results announce; (b) loses 'have'; (d) changes tense.

Trick: In active just drop 'been' and keep 'will have' – matches only (c).

Answer: (C) They will have announced the results by the time the meeting ends.

Concept: 'asked if' → direct yes/no question with Do/Does; undo the backshift.

1. needed → need, so the question starts with 'Do you need…?'
2. his computer → my computer; my project → your project (speaker's view).
3. (b) 'to prepared', (c) 'to used', (d) keeps 'If' – all faulty.

Trick: Direct speech never keeps 'if/whether' and never puts V3/V2 after 'to'.

Answer: (A) Akshay said to me, "Do you need to use my computer to prepare your project?"

Concept: is/am/are + V3 = simple present passive.

1. 'is' = present form of 'be'; 'defined' = past participle.
2. Adolescence receives the action (it is defined by others) → passive.
3. Present continuous needs 'is defining'; present perfect needs 'has defined'.

Trick: be-verb + V3 → always passive; the tense comes from the be-verb (is → simple present).

Answer: (D) Simple Present Passive

Concept: Modal + V1 → modal + be + V3.

1. should guide → should be guided.
2. Object 'young students' becomes subject; 'by mentors' at the end.
3. (a), (c) lose 'should'; (d) misses 'be'.

Trick: Modals (can, should, must, may) stay as they are – just add 'be + V3'.

Answer: (B) Young students should be guided by mentors.

Concept: Find word meaning from neighbouring words.

1. 'insecurity' is paired with 'confusion' and wavering goals.
2. So it means self-doubt, lack of certainty → Uncertainty.
3. Confidence, Safety, Protection are opposites.

Trick: Prefix 'in-' = not; in-security = not secure/sure → uncertainty.

Answer: (C) Uncertainty

Concept: Enhance = increase or make better in quality.

1. Passions and acceptance 'enhance a teenager's spirit' – make it stronger/better.
2. Synonym → Improve.
3. Worsen, Reduce = opposite; Ignore = unrelated.

Trick: Positive context (passions, connections) → pick the only positive option.

Answer: (B) Improve

Concept: Answer only what the passage directly states.

1. Paragraph 2 says resilience in the young largely depends on steady validation plus a clear identity.
2. Option (c) repeats this.
3. (a) pressure and (d) only physical growth are never suggested; (b) is the opposite of the advice.

Trick: Look for the keyword 'resilience' in the passage – the answer sits in the same line.

Answer: (C) Ensuring consistent validation and a sense of identity

Concept: 'Spell' (noun) can mean a short period of time.

1. 'a spell of quiet reflection' = a short period of silent thinking.
2. Replacement → Moment.
3. Noise, Argument, Celebration clash with 'quiet'.

Trick: Spell of rain / spell of cold = a stretch of time – think 'period'.

Answer: (A) Moment