Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: The correct idiom is as keen as mustard – very eager and enthusiastic.

1. Mustard is sharp/pungent, and 'keen' once meant sharp – hence the simile.
2. 'As keen as butter', 'as keen as a bee', 'as keen as salt', 'as keen as sugar' are not English idioms ('as busy as a bee' is a different one).
3. Correct: She is as keen as mustard – so she should join the team.

Trick: Keen (sharp) ↔ mustard (sharp taste).

Answer: (B) as keen as mustard

Concept: The ordinal of twelve is spelt twelfth (t-w-e-l-f-t-h).

1. Twelve → the 've' changes to 'f' and '-th' is added: twelfth.
2. 'Twelth' (in the sentence) misses the 'f'.
3. Twellth, Twwelfth and Tweltth add or swap letters wrongly.

Trick: Five → fifth, twelve → twelfth: 'v' becomes 'f' before -th.

Answer: (C) Twelfth

Concept: What a small world! is said when you unexpectedly meet someone you know, or discover a surprising connection – i.e. what a coincidence!

1. Example: You meet your school friend on a train in another country – 'What a small world!'
2. It does not describe the size, greatness or beauty of the world.
3. 'The world is a village' is close to 'global village', a different idea.

Trick: Unexpected meeting/link → 'small world' = coincidence.

Answer: (D) What a coincidence!

Concept: An antidote is a medicine taken to counteract a particular poison, e.g. snake venom.

1. Antidote = remedy that neutralises the effect of a poison – exact match.
2. Antiseptic prevents infection in wounds; it does not neutralise venom.
3. Anti-serum is blood serum containing antibodies – more specific/technical and not the standard one-word answer; remedy is too general.

Trick: anti (against) + dote (given) → 'given against' poison.

Answer: (D) antidote

Concept: An asset is something valuable that one owns or that is useful; its opposite is a liability – a debt or a disadvantage.

1. Asset = property, advantage, benefit.
2. Liability = debt/obligation or a burden – the accounting opposite of asset.
3. Wealth is a synonym; Mole and Refuge are unrelated.

Trick: Balance sheet: Assets on one side, Liabilities on the other.

Answer: (B) Liability

Concept: The correct spelling is miniature (m-i-n-i-a-t-u-r-e) – a very small copy of something.

1. 'Miniture' drops the 'a' before 'ture'.
2. Merriment (fun), Yearn (long for) and Zenith (highest point) are spelt correctly.

Trick: mini + a + ture – say it as 'min-i-a-ture'.

Answer: (D) Miniture

Concept: Placid means calm, peaceful and not easily disturbed; its opposite is turbulent – violently disturbed, agitated.

1. Placid = calm, tranquil (a placid lake).
2. Turbulent = rough, stormy, unsettled – direct opposite.
3. Pensive = thoughtful; Pristine = pure/unspoilt; Destined = fated – none is the opposite.

Trick: Placid lake ↔ turbulent sea.

Answer: (A) Turbulent

Concept: Set (one’s) sights on something means to decide firmly to achieve it and work towards it.

1. Ravi has a strong desire, a clear target and is working hard for it → he has set his sights on the college hockey team.
2. Rise to the occasion = perform well in a sudden challenge.
3. Make the cut = actually get selected (he has not yet).
4. Move the goal posts = unfairly change the rules.

Trick: Like aiming a rifle: you set the sights on the target.

Answer: (C) Set sights on

Concept: The Italian dish is spelt pizza (p-i-z-z-a), with double 'z' and no 't'.

1. 'Pitza' is written as it sounds ('peet-sa'), but the spelling is pizza.
2. Bread, Pasta and Noodle are spelt correctly.

Trick: In Italian, 'zz' is pronounced 'ts' – so the sound is 'peet-sa', but the letters are p-i-z-z-a.

Answer: (D) Pitza

Concept: The choice between a and an depends on the first sound: a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound.

1. Mercedes /m/, Jaguar /dʒ/, Fiat /f/ – all begin with consonant sounds.
2. So each takes a: a Mercedes, a Jaguar and a Fiat.
3. Options with 'an Jaguar', 'an Mercedes' or 'an Fiat' are wrong.

Trick: Say the word aloud – vowel sound → an (an hour, an MLA); consonant sound → a (a university, a Jaguar).

Answer: (C) There are three cars parked outside: a Mercedes, a Jaguar and a Fiat.

Concept: The word meant here is congestion (traffic congestion) – an overcrowded, blocked state of traffic. Its synonym is gridlock.

1. Traffic congestion = traffic jam.
2. Gridlock = a traffic jam so severe that vehicles cannot move – same idea.
3. Amplification = increase; Diversion = re-routing; Laxity = looseness – none means a jam.

Trick: Traffic + jam word → congestion = gridlock.

Answer: (C) Gridlock

Concept: Recurrent means occurring again and again, i.e. happening repeatedly.

1. Recurrent (re = again + current = running) – e.g. a recurrent problem.
2. Recuperate = recover from illness.
3. Rapport = friendly relationship; Regression = going back to an earlier state.

Trick: Recur = happen again → recurrent.

Answer: (B) Recurrent

Concept: Pen and ink is (Cockney) rhyming slang for stink – 'ink' rhymes with 'stink'. So 'stinks and smells foul' can be replaced by '(is) pen and ink'.

1. Rhyming slang replaces a word by a phrase whose last word rhymes with it: ink → stink.
2. An old flame = a former lover.
3. An iron will = very strong determination.
4. Lame excuse = a weak, unconvincing reason.

Trick: Pen and ink = stink (rhyme).

Answer: (C) pen and ink

Concept: Check each part for subject–verb agreement, tense, articles and pronouns.

1. I wanted to buy a candle holder – correct past tense and article.
2. but the store didn't have one – 'one' correctly replaces 'a candle holder'; 'didn't have' is correct.
3. So, I got a cake – correct past tense; it is grammatically fine (only odd in meaning).
4. Hence the sentence has no grammatical error.

Trick: Error spotting tests grammar, not logic – a funny meaning is not an error.

Answer: (A) No error

Concept: Back to square one means back to the starting point after a failure, with no progress made.

1. Two months of work failed → we must start again → back to square one.
2. In (the) seventh heaven = extremely happy – opposite of the mood.
3. On the fly = quickly, while busy; around the bend = crazy.

Trick: Board game: a bad move sends you back to square one.

Answer: (B) back to square one

Concept: A blessing in disguise is something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good.

1. Not pursuing the degree seemed a loss, but the job market for it is now very limited → it proved good → a blessing in disguise.
2. Airy fairy = vague, impractical.
3. A cut above = superior to others.
4. An elevator pitch = a very short sales/idea presentation.

Trick: Bad-looking decision + good result = blessing in disguise.

Answer: (D) a blessing in disguise

Concept: An atheist is a person who believes that God does not exist.

1. Atheist (a = without + theos = God).
2. Fanatic = person with extreme, unreasonable zeal.
3. Epicurean = one devoted to refined pleasure, especially food; Hedonistic = pleasure-seeking (an adjective).

Trick: Theist believes in God; atheist = without God; agnostic = not sure.

Answer: (A) Atheist

Concept: Discordant means harsh, jarring, not in harmony (of sounds). Its antonym in the sentence is melodious – pleasant and tuneful.

1. Discordant = unharmonious, clashing.
2. The sentence describes the 'sweet melodious symphony' – harmonious sound, the exact opposite.
3. Filled, Transporting and Emotion have no opposite relation with discordant.

Trick: Dis-cord (out of tune) ↔ melodious (in tune).

Answer: (B) Melodious

Concept: When two qualities of the same person or thing are compared, we use more + positive adjective + than + positive adjective, not the -er form.

1. Here 'fast' and 'smart' are two qualities of 'he'.
2. So: He is more fast than smart (not 'faster than smarter').
3. 'fast than smart' lacks 'more'; 'faster than being smart' still uses the -er form.

Trick: Same person, two qualities → more + adj + than + adj (He is more brave than wise).

Answer: (A) more fast than smart

Concept: A completed past action with 'ago' takes the simple past; an action that will be completed by a future point takes the future perfect (will have + V3). A by the time clause uses the simple present.

1. You arrived two days ago – 'ago' → simple past: correct.
2. By the time you leave – time clause, simple present for future: correct.
3. you will have spent nine days here – future perfect for a period completed before leaving: correct.
4. No part has an error.

Trick: By the time + present simple, main clause → future perfect.

Answer: (B) No error