Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Be over and done with means to be completely finished. It can replace 'finish' in the sentence.

1. Be over one's head – too difficult to understand.
2. Over and over – repeatedly.
3. Over a barrel – in a helpless situation, forced to accept terms.
4. The boss wanted to get the case over and done with before the inspection team arrived.

Trick: 'Over and done with' = finished completely, nothing left.

Answer: (A) be over and done with

Concept: Cruise means a journey by sea on a ship, especially for pleasure. Its synonym is voyage (a long journey by sea or in space).

1. Bounce – to spring back after hitting a surface.
2. Fall – to drop down.
3. Distance – the length between two places, not a journey.
4. Hence Voyage is the synonym.

Trick: Cruise ship, voyage ship – both are sea journeys.

Answer: (D) Voyage

Concept: Let bygones be bygones means to forget past quarrels or problems and move on; to ignore the past.

1. 'Bygones' = things that are past.
2. Nancy held a grudge, but finally decided to forget it – she chose to ignore the past.
3. 'Change the past' is impossible; 'take revenge' is the opposite; 'flatter someone' is unrelated.
4. So the meaning is: Ignore the past.

Trick: Bygone = gone by → let what is gone stay gone.

Answer: (D) Ignore the past

Concept: 'Whatever labour that was available' means the labour was not plentiful – only what little was there. This idea is best expressed as limited labour.

1. 'Whatever … that' is also redundant; the sentence needs a crisp phrase.
2. Amalgamated / united labour – combined labour; meaning changes.
3. Dispersed labour – scattered labour; meaning changes.
4. Correct: Farmers have harvested wheat by using limited labour.

Trick: Keep the meaning of the original; 'whatever was available' = limited.

Answer: (B) by using limited labour

Concept: To eat humble pie means to admit one's mistake and apologise, often feeling humiliated.

1. Rahim started a quarrel over a trifle (small matter), so later he had to accept his fault.
2. The idiom has nothing to do with food – 'remain without food' and 'take simple food' are literal traps.
3. 'Be punished' is different from admitting and apologising.
4. Meaning: to feel sorry and apologise for a mistake.

Trick: Humble = modest; eating humble pie = being made humble by saying sorry.

Answer: (D) To feel sorry and apologise for a mistake

Concept: A verb ('does') is modified by an adverb, not an adjective. 'Good' is an adjective; its adverb form is well.

1. 'She does it ___' – the blank describes how she does the job → adverb needed.
2. 'Better' and 'best' are comparative/superlative forms – no comparison here.
3. 'Nice' is an adjective, same error as 'good'.
4. Correct: Malati has a difficult job, but she does it well.

Trick: Good → noun (a good job); Well → verb (does well).

Answer: (B) well

Concept: Fierce means violent, aggressive or very intense. Its synonym is furious (extremely angry, violent or intense).

1. Lame – unable to walk properly; weak (as an excuse).
2. Lavish – rich, expensive, generous.
3. Strange – unusual.
4. A fierce storm = a furious storm → Furious.

Trick: Fierce lion, furious lion – both wild and violent.

Answer: (D) Furious

Concept: Faithful means remaining true and constant to a person, cause or duty. Its synonym is loyal.

1. Daring – bold, brave.
2. Unfaithful – the opposite (antonym) of faithful – a trap option.
3. Cheerful – happy.
4. A faithful dog = a loyal dog → Loyal.

Trick: Watch out for antonym traps (Unfaithful) in synonym questions.

Answer: (D) Loyal

Concept: Make it big means to become very successful and famous.

1. Yamini is a great singer – her talent will bring her success and fame.
2. 'Financially sound' covers only money; 'educated and rich' adds education, not implied.
3. 'Migrate and settle' is unrelated.
4. Meaning: Succeed and become famous.

Trick: Make it big = hit the big time = become a star.

Answer: (A) Succeed and become famous

Concept: Malice means the desire to harm others; ill will or spite. Its opposite is kindness.

1. Torsion – twisting of an object.
2. Haughtiness – arrogance, pride.
3. Tremor – a shaking movement.
4. Only Kindness (goodwill towards others) is the opposite of malice.

Yaad rakhein: Malice ↔ Kindness / Benevolence.

Answer: (C) Kindness

Concept: Piece (a part of something) and peace (calm, tranquillity) sound the same but differ in meaning. The sentence needs 'peace'.

1. He travelled the world but found calm and contentment at home → peace.
2. 'Piece' (a part) makes no sense here.
3. 'Peach' is a fruit; 'prize' is an award – both illogical.
4. Correct: He travelled the whole world, but found peace at home.

Trick: A piece of pie; peace is the opposite of war.

Answer: (D) peace

Concept: Trousseau (a French-origin word) means the clothes, linen and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.

1. The word is related to wedding preparation, not trousers.
2. 'Single leg side of a trouser' is a sound-based trap.
3. 'Being true to oneself' and 'a large cabinet' are unrelated.
4. Meaning: the clothes, linen and belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.

Trick: Trousseau = bride's wedding collection (like 'dahej ka saaman' of clothes).

Answer: (B) The clothes, linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage

Concept: Omnipotent means all-powerful, having unlimited power (omni = all, potent = powerful).

1. Omniscient – all-knowing (scient = knowing) – close trap, but the sentence says 'all-powerful'.
2. Voracious – very greedy, eating large amounts.
3. Incorrigible – that cannot be corrected or reformed.
4. Correct: Since God is an omnipotent creator…

Trick: Omni-potent = power; Omni-scient = science/knowledge; Omni-present = everywhere.

Answer: (B) Omnipotent

Concept: 'At some point in the past' refers to an indefinite, distant time in the past. The best substitute is Long ago.

1. 'One upon a time' is a wrongly written form of the phrase 'Once upon a time', so it cannot be chosen.
2. 'Before now' is vague and does not suit narration of an old scene.
3. 'In the past few years' indicates recent time, which changes the meaning.
4. Correct: Long ago, there were rows of temporary shops…

Trick: Check the exact spelling of fixed phrases – a single wrong letter makes the option wrong.

Answer: (D) Long ago

Concept: A pergola is a garden structure of posts and cross-beams over which climbing plants grow, forming a shaded walkway.

1. Tomb – a grave or burial chamber.
2. Outhouse – a small building outside the main house (shed or outdoor toilet).
3. Treehouse – a structure built in the branches of a tree.
4. Climbing plants + walkway under it = Pergola.

Yaad rakhein: Pergola = garden arch/tunnel of creepers.

Answer: (C) Pergola

Concept: Yearn for means to have a strong, intense desire or longing for something. It equals keenly desiring.

1. 'Leaving for' = departing – different meaning.
2. 'Deeply repenting' = feeling sorry – unrelated.
3. 'Saving money for' – adds a new idea not in 'yearning'.
4. Correct: She was keenly desiring a trip to the mountains.

Trick: Yearn = long for = crave = keenly desire.

Answer: (C) keenly desiring

Concept: Hold your horses means to wait, be patient and not act hastily.

1. You wanted to speak but controlled yourself and waited → you held your horses.
2. Pin drop silence – complete silence (not an idiom about self-control).
3. Drag your feet – do something slowly or unwillingly.
4. Herculean task – a very difficult job.

Trick: A rider pulls the reins to hold the horses back → hold back yourself.

Answer: (D) Held your horses

Concept: Step up to the plate (from baseball, where the batter steps up to the home plate) means to take responsibility and take control of a situation when needed.

1. It is about coming forward to act and handle the situation yourself.
2. 'Think about a crisis' and 'plan for better performance' are only thinking/planning, not taking charge.
3. 'Implement a plan' is narrower and misses the idea of taking responsibility.
4. Best meaning: Take control of a situation.

Trick: Batter steps up to the plate = it's your turn to act and take charge.

Answer: (D) Take control of a situation

Concept: Under someone's nose means right in front of someone; in full view of them (often without their reacting).

1. He ate the grapes openly in front of all of us – in full view.
2. 'Secretly' is the opposite trap.
3. 'After much persuasion' and 'sharing equally' are unrelated.
4. Meaning: In full view of somebody.

Trick: Something under your nose is so close you can see it clearly.

Answer: (B) In full view of somebody

Concept: When a two-syllable verb is stressed on the last syllable and ends in vowel + consonant, the final consonant is doubled before -ed: preFER → preferred.

1. 'Prefered' is wrong; correct spelling is Preferred.
2. Revered (revere + d) – correct.
3. Answered (stress on first syllable, no doubling) – correct.
4. Reference (stress shifts to first syllable, single r) – correct.

Trick: Stress on last syllable → double: preferred, referred, occurred; stress on first → single: answered, offered.

Answer: (A) Prefered