Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its correct spelling.

1. Diplomats, believe, delays, inevitable – correctly spelt in the sentence.
2. ‘buraucratic’ is misspelt; correct: bureaucratic (from bureau + cracy).
3. ‘inivitable’, ‘burocratic’, ‘beleave’ are themselves wrong spellings.

Yaad rakhein: bureau-cratic: keep ‘bureau’ (b-u-r-e-a-u) intact.

Answer: (D) bureaucratic

Concept: The compulsion to tell lies or exaggerate = Mythomania.

1. mytho (myth/story) + mania (compulsion) = pathological lying.
2. Pyromania = urge to set fire; Megalomania = obsession with power/one’s greatness; Nymphomania = excessive sexual desire in women.

Yaad rakhein: pyro = fire, megalo = big/great, mytho = myths/lies.

Answer: (D) Mythomania

Concept: Hindrance = something that obstructs or causes difficulty; its opposite is help, ease or relief.

1. In the sentence, ‘relief from the summer heat’ means ease from a difficulty – opposite of a hindrance.
2. Bringing, Blew = verbs of action; Refreshing = describes the breeze – none is the opposite of an obstacle.

Trick: Antonym of a ‘problem’ word → look for the word that removes/eases the problem.

Answer: (D) Relief

Concept: Sense/linking verbs (taste, smell, look, feel, sound) are followed by an adjective, not an adverb.

1. ‘Neem tastes a little bitterly’ is wrong – the adjective describes neem’s taste.
2. Correct: Neem tastes a little bitter, but is very useful.
3. Other parts are correct.

Trick: tastes sweet, smells good, looks happy – linking verb ke baad adjective.

Answer: (A) a little bitterly

Concept: A person who pretends to have moral standards but secretly does the opposite = Hypocrite.

1. The key idea is pretence of virtue + hidden contrary behaviour.
2. Sinner = one who does wrong (no pretence); Actor = performer; Spy = secret agent gathering information.

Yaad rakhein: Hypocrite = says one thing, does another (double standards).

Answer: (D) Hypocrite

Concept: Burn the midnight oil = to work or study late into the night.

1. ‘to work late in the night’ → ‘to burn the midnight oil’.
2. Take a back seat = take a less active role; blow a fuse = lose one’s temper; look through coloured glasses = see things with bias.

Yaad rakhein: Earlier, people burnt oil lamps to work at midnight.

Answer: (B) to burn the midnight oil

Concept: A person who does not eat (or use) any animal product, including milk, eggs and honey = Vegan.

1. A vegetarian avoids meat/fish but may take milk and eggs; a vegan avoids all animal products.
2. Veggie = informal for vegetarian/vegetable; Non-vegetarian eats meat.

Yaad rakhein: Vegan = vegetarian minus dairy, eggs and honey.

Answer: (C) Vegan

Concept: Lie in the bed you have made = accept and face the unpleasant results of your own actions.

1. You created the situation, so you must bear its consequences.
2. Options about literally sleeping in a bed are word-for-word meanings; ‘be contented always’ is unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: You made your bed, now lie in it = suffer the consequences.

Answer: (A) Face the unpleasant consequences of your own acts

Concept: The fixed phrase for something done personally with hands is by hand.

1. ‘through hand’ is incorrect usage.
2. Correct: The postman delivers the letters by hand, door to door.
3. Other segments are correct.

Yaad rakhein: by hand, by post, by mail – means of delivery takes ‘by’.

Answer: (D) through hand

Concept: Demolish = to pull down or destroy a building/structure.

1. Opposite = Fabricate (to construct, build, manufacture).
2. Annihilate = destroy completely (synonym trap); Inferior = lower in quality; Unmethodical = disorganised.

Yaad rakhein: demolish ↔ build/construct/fabricate.

Answer: (D) Fabricate

Concept: The phrase live by (doing) something = earn one’s living by means of it.

1. The next sentence repeats the pattern: ‘teachers live by selling knowledge’.
2. So: everyone lives by selling something.
3. over/of/into do not express means.

Trick: Check the passage itself – the same phrase is repeated just after the blank.

Answer: (A) by

Concept: Derive (from) = obtain or understand (a meaning) from something.

1. ‘What you can derive from this statement is that…’ = what you can infer from it.
2. Separate, revive, choose do not fit ‘___ from this statement is that…’.

Yaad rakhein: derive meaning/conclusion/benefit from something.

Answer: (B) derive

Concept: The sentence contrasts measuring the value of goods with judging the value of services → estimate (to judge/calculate roughly).

1. ‘possible to measure…, extremely difficult to estimate the true value of services’.
2. Extort = obtain by force; mock = ridicule; conceal = hide – illogical with ‘value’.

Trick: ‘measure’ ke contrast me same-field word: estimate/assess.

Answer: (D) estimate

Concept: The blank describes how we would give everything to save our lives → gladly, willingly.

1. The contrast ‘yet we might grudge paying a surgeon’ needs the opposite of grudging → willingly.
2. Thoroughly, perfectly, thoughtfully do not contrast with ‘grudge’.

Trick: ‘yet’ shows contrast: grudge ↔ willingly.

Answer: (A) willingly

Concept: The sentence states how society works: ‘The ___ of society are such that…’ → conditions (circumstances, rules).

1. The conditions of society are such that skills must be paid for like goods.
2. Obstacles and interferences are negative and illogical here; connections = relationships, not rules.

Yaad rakhein: ‘The conditions are such that…’ is a standard pattern.

Answer: (C) conditions

Concept: Identify the writing devices: the author calls stupidity ‘contagious… faster than the common cold’ and an ‘epidemic’.

1. Such comparisons are deliberate overstatement (exaggeration/hyperbole).
2. Lines like ‘Why bother using your brain…?’ and ‘don’t even get me started’ add mocking humour.
3. No real anecdotes, chronology or imitation of a specific work (parody) are used.

Trick: ‘epidemic of stupidity’ = hyperbole → humour and exaggeration.

Answer: (C) Humour and exaggeration

Concept: The final paragraphs state the remedy.

1. ‘We need to start valuing intelligence and critical thinking again… teach our children how to think, not just how to memorise.’
2. The passage criticises teaching to pass tests (not to think critically and solve problems), catchy slogans and misinformation – so options A, B, C are the problems, not the solution.

Trick: Solution questions → read the ‘We need to…’ lines at the end.

Answer: (D) Encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Concept: Tone = the author’s attitude shown through word choice.

1. Mocking lines: ‘Why bother using your brain when you can just rely on your gut feelings…?’, ‘That’s just a waste of time.’, ‘if you want to be stupid, go ahead.’
2. Such ironic ridicule is sarcasm.
3. Not melancholic (sad) or joyful; ‘serious’ misses the mocking irony.

Yaad rakhein: Saying the opposite of what you mean to mock = sarcasm.

Answer: (A) Sarcastic

Concept: List who the author blames.

1. Politicians – win with ‘catchy slogans and empty promises’.
2. Individuals – ‘it’s not just individuals who are to blame’; Education system – ‘is failing us as well’.
3. Children are shown as victims to be taught to think – not blamed.

Trick: NOT questions: tick each blamed group in the passage; the leftover one is the answer.

Answer: (D) Children

Concept: A title must cover the central idea of the whole passage.

1. The passage attacks the ‘epidemic of stupidity’ and ends by urging us to value intelligence and critical thinking.
2. ‘Evils of Social Media’ covers only one paragraph; ‘Benefits of Stupidity’ and ‘Joy of Living in Ignorance’ contradict the message.

Trick: Title = main message of the conclusion, not one example.

Answer: (D) The Importance of Critical Thinking