Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: An adjective is needed before the noun 'changes'; spell it correctly.

1. Curriculum (noun) → curricular (adjective): c-u-r-r-i-c-u-l-a-r.
2. Pattern: double r, single c in the middle, single l, ending '-ar'.

Trick: Split it: cur + ric + u + lar. Any option with 'iu' swap, an extra l or r in place of l is wrong.

Answer: (B) curricular

Concept: Lanky = tall, thin and awkward in build.

1. Opposite build = plump (round, slightly fat).
2. Rectangular (shape), rare (uncommon), congenital (by birth) do not describe body build.

Yaad rakhein: Synonyms of lanky: gangly, skinny, lean.

Answer: (A) Plump

Concept: Chastise = punish or scold severely.

1. Flog = beat with a whip as punishment → closest in sense.
2. Praise, laud, compliment all mean appreciate — opposites.

Trick: Three options mean 'praise' — words of the same meaning cannot all be right, so pick the odd one: Flog.

Answer: (C) Flog

Concept: Baroque = highly decorated, elaborate in style.

1. Opposite = plain (simple, without decoration).
2. Florid and ornate mean the same as baroque; gilt (gold-coated) adds decoration.

Trick: Florid and ornate are synonyms of each other — both out; gilt is also decorative → Plain.

Answer: (B) Plain

Concept: Plural subject takes 'are'; an ongoing action uses present continuous.

1. 'Researchers' is plural → are + verb-ing.
2. Work going on now, with results expected 'in the near future' → are developing.
3. 'has been' and 'was' are singular; 'develop' alone does not show an ongoing action.

Trick: First remove singular verbs (has, was) for a plural subject — only B and C remain.

Answer: (C) are developing

Concept: The replacement must keep the meaning and the past-tense verb form.

1. Pondered = thought about / discussed carefully.
2. 'Talk over' = discuss thoroughly → 'talked over the matter' (past tense, matches 'did not take').
3. 'pondering' cannot act as the main verb; 'thought down', 'grinned in' are not valid phrases.

Yaad rakhein: Similar phrasal verbs: think over, mull over, deliberate on — all mean 'consider carefully'.

Answer: (D) talked over the matter

Concept: Some verbs naturally pair with certain nouns (collocations).

1. 'Face difficulties/problems' = to deal with a hard situation.
2. The company is facing financial difficulties due to falling sales.
3. 'Doing/directing difficulties' are not used; 'challenging' changes the meaning.

Yaad rakhein: Common pairs: face a crisis, face criticism, face the music (accept punishment).

Answer: (B) facing

Concept: Check each word against its standard spelling.

1. Correct form: e-x-q-u-i-s-i-t-e ('qu' after ex-).
2. 'Exiuisite' drops the q → wrong.
3. Accolades, Restaurants, Cuisine are correctly spelt.

Trick: In English, 'q' is almost always followed by 'u' — 'ex-qui-site'.

Answer: (A) Exiuisite

Concept: Idioms have fixed words; they cannot be replaced.

1. 'Burn the midnight oil' = study or work late into the night.
2. It fits Mark, who had been working hard for weeks.

Yaad rakhein: Origin: people once worked at night by oil lamps.

Answer: (D) oil

Concept: Fatuous = silly, foolish, pointless.

1. Opposite = brilliant (very intelligent).
2. Sappy, dim and lamebrain all suggest foolishness — synonyms.

Trick: When three options share one meaning (stupid), the odd one out is usually the antonym.

Answer: (D) Brilliant

Concept: After 'will' we need a base verb that suits the subject and object.

1. Farmers + fields → plough (turn the soil before sowing).
2. 'Tropical' is an adjective, 'isotope' a noun; 'collide' does not fit fields.

Trick: Parts of speech first: only 'plough' and 'collide' are verbs; only one makes sense with fields.

Answer: (B) plough

Concept: To modify an adjective/adverb like 'fast', use an adverb, not an adjective.

1. 'usual' is an adjective; it cannot qualify 'fast'.
2. Correct: 'was unusually fast' (faster than normal).
3. Other parts are correct.

Yaad rakhein: Adverb usually = adjective + -ly: usual → usually, unusual → unusually.

Answer: (A) was usual fast.

Concept: A finished time marker (last night, yesterday) needs simple past.

1. 'Last night' → past action.
2. Past of 'go' = went: My grandmother went to the temple alone last night.
3. 'goes', 'is going' are present; 'have gone' is present perfect and plural.

Trick: Spot the time word: 'last ___' / 'yesterday' / 'ago' → V2 (went).

Answer: (C) went

Concept: With a negative verb, 'much' expresses quantity; 'such more' is not English.

1. Correct: 'He doesn't travel much these days'.
2. 'Such' is used before a noun for degree/kind (such a hot day).
3. Other parts are correct.

Yaad rakhein: 'Much' is mostly used in negatives/questions: I don't eat much. Do you read much?

Answer: (C) He doesn't travel such more

Concept: Tedious = long, dull and tiring.

1. 'Boring and tiresome' matches exactly.
2. 'Exciting', 'inspiring' are opposites; 'brief' relates only to length.

Yaad rakhein: Synonyms: monotonous, dreary, wearisome.

Answer: (B) Boring and tiresome

Concept: Choose the adjective that can describe a shareholder's stake.

1. A share is measured by size → 'biggest shareholder'.
2. That explains why the US traditionally picks the bank's president.
3. Tallest, longest, brightest measure height, length, light/cleverness.

Yaad rakhein: World Bank HQ: Washington, D.C.; it was created at the Bretton Woods Conference (1944).

Answer: (D) biggest

Concept: Find the verb that a government can do to a person for a post.

1. 'Nominated by Washington' = proposed/chosen for the post by the US government.
2. Radiated (gave out rays), culminated (reached a peak), ruminated (thought deeply) do not fit.

Trick: The phrase 'a citizen ___ by Washington' needs an action of appointing — only 'nominated' works.

Answer: (A) nominated

Concept: The word must pair with 'from' to show leaving a system.

1. 'Move away from X' = shift from an old model to something else.
2. 'During/beside from' and 'along from' are not used.

Trick: See 'from' right after the blank → 'away from' is the natural pair; the later 'towards' (Q79) completes the idea.

Answer: (C) away

Concept: 'Away from A … towards B' shows a change of direction.

1. The states want to leave the donor model and move to a partnership → 'towards'.
2. 'Lest' (conjunction), 'liable' (adjective), 'behind' (position) do not show direction.

Trick: Pair words: away from ↔ towards.

Answer: (C) towards

Concept: After 'partial or total' we need a noun for a change in an institution.

1. 'Reform' (noun) = change made to improve a system.
2. Next line 'already happening under its new president' confirms a change.
3. Resign, reckon, redeem are verbs and do not fit the meaning.

Trick: 'partial or total ___ of' needs a noun — only 'reform' works as a noun here.

Answer: (B) reform