Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: To specify a kind or variety of something, standard formal usage is 'noun + of + noun' – 'flavour of ice cream'.

1. 'What flavour ice cream' omits the needed preposition.
2. Correct: What flavour of ice cream do you want? (like 'What kind of book…?').
3. 'flavours ice cream' is ungrammatical; 'ice cream flavoured' changes the meaning.

Trick: What kind/type/flavour/colour of + noun.

Answer: (C) flavour of ice cream

Concept: Sufficiency = an adequate amount, enough. Antonym = Dearth (scarcity, lack).

1. The sentence says the ban made the corrupt ministers feel the opposite – a shortage – of money; the word asked is the antonym of sufficiency.
2. Plenty and Enough are synonyms of sufficiency.
3. 'Indeficiency' is not a standard English word.

Trick: Dearth = death of supply → shortage.

Answer: (D) Dearth

Concept: Correct spelling: charisma (compelling charm) – with 'i', not 'e'.

1. ch-a-r-i-s-m-a; adjective: charismatic.
2. narcissist, self-admiration and treachery are correctly spelt.
3. Hence 'charesma' is the misspelt word.

Yaad rakhein: Charisma → Charismatic: the 'i' stays in both.

Answer: (C) charesma

Concept: A sight to behold = something remarkable, beautiful or impressive to look at.

1. 'Behold' = to look at, see (with admiration).
2. The serenity (calmness) of the river was beautiful to look at → 'pleasant to see'.
3. 'confusing for all', 'ready to be sold', 'inviting for boating' do not fit the meaning.

Trick: Behold = see → a sight to behold = a delight to see.

Answer: (D) pleasant to see

Concept: Ordinal numbers (first, second, last…) take the definite article the.

1. 'first' is an ordinal adjective → 'the first man'.
2. Correct: Mr. Prabhakar was the first man to arrive at the venue.
3. Other parts are correct.

Trick: the + first/second/last/only/superlative.

Answer: (A) was first man

Concept: A full clause (subject + verb) after a contrast word needs the conjunction though/although; 'despite/in spite of' take a noun or gerund, not a clause.

1. 'mother’s milk is vital…' is a clause (subject + 'is').
2. 'Inspite' is not even one word ('in spite of'); 'Despite' cannot introduce a clause.
3. Without any conjunction (A) the two clauses cannot be joined.
4. Correct: Though mother’s milk is vital to a child’s health, …

Trick: Though + clause; Despite + noun.

Answer: (C) Though mother’s milk

Concept: Spill the beans = to reveal secret information, often accidentally.

1. Example: Don’t spill the beans about the surprise party.
2. It has nothing to do with excuses, shock or happy times.

Trick: Spilled beans can’t be hidden again – the secret is out.

Answer: (D) To expose a secret

Concept: Cat’s in the cradle (from Harry Chapin's song) describes a strained, neglected relationship – usually between parent and child – because one person is always too busy for the other.

1. The speaker complains: You never make time for me.
2. This points to a troubled, complicated relationship caused by neglect.
3. 'Busy in your work' is only the cause; the phrase itself describes the relationship.

Yaad rakhein: Cradle = child; the song’s father never had time → strained bond.

Answer: (C) Complicated relationship

Concept: Pompous = showy, self-important, trying to impress. Synonym = pretentious.

1. A million-dollar wedding shown off to impress others is a pretentious (ostentatious) display.
2. Prestigious = respected; Outrageous = shocking; Mock = fake/imitation – none means 'showy'.

Trick: Pompous = pomp + show → pretentious.

Answer: (D) pretentious

Concept: Philogynist = a person who loves or admires women (philo = love, gyn = woman).

1. Misogynist = one who hates women (opposite).
2. Philologist = one who studies languages; Monogamist = one who has only one spouse.

Yaad rakhein: Philo = love, Miso = hate, Gyn = woman.

Answer: (C) Philogynist

Concept: Up the ante = to raise the stakes or demands, to increase what is at risk or required.

1. 'Ante' is the stake put in before a poker hand; raising it increases the demand.
2. Example: The union upped the ante by demanding a 20 percent raise.
3. Cost cutting, mediocre and expensive are unrelated.

Trick: Ante up → stakes go up → demands increase.

Answer: (A) Increase demands

Concept: Correct spelling: redressed (re + dress + ed) – double 's'.

1. Redress = to set right a wrong or grievance.
2. dress → dressed, so redress → redressed.
3. Correct: Grievances cannot be redressed unless they are known.

Yaad rakhein: Re + dress keeps 'ss'.

Answer: (B) be redresed

Concept: Frequency 'per day' is expressed with the indefinite article: four times a day.

1. 'a' here means 'per/each': twice a week, three times a day.
2. 'the day' is incorrect in this sense.
3. Correct: Mr. Raghav brushes his teeth four times a day.

Trick: Rate/frequency → a/an = per (60 km an hour, twice a day).

Answer: (B) times the day

Concept: Hysterics = a wild, uncontrolled outburst of emotion (crying/laughing). Antonym = Calm.

1. Breaking down in hysterics means losing emotional control.
2. Aghast = shocked; 'Cray' (crazy) and Insanity are closer in meaning, not opposite.

Trick: Hysteria ↔ composure/calm.

Answer: (C) Calm

Concept: Correct spelling: receive – the rule 'i before e except after c'.

1. After 'c' we write 'ei': receive, deceive, ceiling.
2. reseive, resieve, recieive are all wrong.
3. Correct: She is going to receive a package in the mail today.

Yaad rakhein: I before E, except after C.

Answer: (B) receive

Concept: Dishearten = to make someone lose hope or enthusiasm. Its antonym is encourage.

1. In the sentence, 'encouraged' means given support and confidence – the opposite of disheartened.
2. Greatest, Pieces and Inspired are not opposites of dishearten ('inspired' here means 'drawn from').

Trick: Dis-hearten = take heart away; En-courage = put courage in.

Answer: (D) Encouraged

Concept: Sarcastic = using mocking, cutting remarks. Antonym = Courteous (polite, respectful).

1. Sardonic is a synonym of sarcastic.
2. Humorous (funny) and Unsavoury (unpleasant) are not opposites.
3. Polite courtesy is the opposite of mocking sarcasm.

Trick: Sarcastic ↔ courteous; sarcastic ≈ sardonic.

Answer: (B) Courteous

Concept: Destitute = extremely poor, without money or basic necessities. Synonym = Broke (having no money).

1. 'Broke' (informal) = penniless.
2. 'Broken' = damaged – a different word.
3. Corrupt and Firm are unrelated.

Trick: Destitute = penniless = broke (not 'broken').

Answer: (C) Broke

Concept: Kith and kin = one's friends and relatives; 'kin' means family by blood.

1. At a funeral, the deceased’s relatives gather – 'blood relatives'.
2. Office colleagues, secret enemies and special students do not match 'kin'.

Yaad rakhein: Kin = kinship = family.

Answer: (D) blood relatives

Concept: Disguise = to change appearance so as to hide one’s identity. For animals blending with surroundings the exact word is camouflage.

1. A chameleon changes colour to blend in and hide from predators – camouflage.
2. 'changes', 'transposes', 'swaps' do not carry the idea of hiding.

Trick: Disguise/camouflage = hide by changing appearance.

Answer: (B) camouflages