Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Pick the phrasal verb that matches 'no special plans' at home.

1. 'Goof off' = to pass time idly, doing nothing useful.
2. 'Pitch in' = help; 'iron out' = solve; 'slip up' = make a mistake – none fits relaxing at home.
3. Correct: I will stay home and goof off.

Trick: The clue 'no special plans' points to laziness – choose the 'do nothing' phrase.

Answer: (D) goof off

Concept: Future continuous = shall/will + be + verb-ing.

1. 'shall been holding' is wrong – 'been' cannot follow a modal directly with -ing in this sense.
2. Correct form: 'shall be holding a meeting'.
3. Other parts are fine.

Trick: After shall/will/can/may always use the base form: be, not been.

Answer: (B) shall been holding a meeting

Concept: A word that describes a verb must be an adverb, not an adjective.

1. Segment C has 'collaborating seamless', where 'seamless' modifies the verb 'collaborating'.
2. It needs the adverb: 'collaborating seamlessly'.
3. So the erroneous segment is C, given as option (A).

Trick: Ask 'how?' after the verb – the answer word usually needs -ly.

Answer: (A) C

Concept: The blank must match the result 'boring and dull'.

1. 'Drab' = dull, lacking colour or brightness – it causes a boring painting.
2. 'Vibrant', 'exceptional', 'exciting' are positive and contradict 'boring and dull'.
3. Correct: The artist's drab use of colour…

Trick: Effect is negative → choose the only negative option.

Answer: (A) drab

Concept: Cautious = taking care to avoid risk or danger.

1. Careful = attentive, avoiding mistakes → same meaning.
2. Heedless and Lax are opposites (careless, loose).
3. Elaborate = detailed – unrelated.

Trick: Investing in shares needs care – 'careful' fits the context directly.

Answer: (B) Careful

Concept: Idioms carry a figurative meaning, not the literal one.

1. The phrase comes from studying by oil-lamp late at night.
2. Meaning: to work or study till late at night.
3. Option D is the literal meaning – a common trap.

Trick: In idiom questions, first strike out the literal-sounding option.

Answer: (C) To work late into the night

Concept: Spell derived words from their root: sympathy → sympathetic.

1. Root: sym + pathy → 'sympathy'.
2. Add -etic: sympath + etic = sympathetic.
3. The given word has an extra 'h' after 'p' (symphathetic).

Trick: Only one 'h' – in 'th'; 'ph' does not appear in this word.

Answer: (C) sympathetic

Concept: Accurate = correct, without mistakes; its antonym shows error.

1. Faulty = having mistakes or defects → opposite.
2. Errorless and Correct are synonyms.
3. Careful is related but not opposite.

Trick: Remove the synonyms first; the one word with a negative sense is the antonym.

Answer: (A) Faulty

Concept: The noun of 'maintain' drops the 'i': maintenance.

1. Correct spelling: MAINTENANCE (main·ten·ance).
2. 'Maintenence' wrongly has 'e' in place of the second 'a'.
3. Embarrassment (rr, ss), Inadvertent, Necessary (one c, double s) are correct.

Trick: Maint-e-NANCE: think 'main-ten-ance' – the ending is -ance.

Answer: (C) Maintenence

Concept: Some words naturally pair together; 'standards' pairs with 'high'.

1. Maintain high standards = keep quality at a top level.
2. 'Confident', 'loyal', 'expensive' do not go with 'standards' in English usage.
3. Correct: maintain high standards of customer care.

Yaad rakhein: Common pairs: high standards, heavy rain, strong tea, make a decision.

Answer: (B) high

Concept: The replacement must keep the positive sense and use the correct article.

1. 'An exotic blend' = an unusual, striking blend – a positive idea like 'wonderful'.
2. 'An' is correct before the vowel sound of 'exotic'.
3. 'Bland' is negative; 'supernatural' and 'essential' do not suit spices here.

Trick: Check meaning first, then article – 'an' before vowel sounds.

Answer: (A) an exotic

Concept: 'Finally … his dream' needs a verb meaning 'achieved', in the past tense.

1. Accomplished = achieved successfully.
2. 'Forfeit' = lose; 'tried' does not show success after 'finally'.
3. 'Solved' is used for problems, not dreams.

Yaad rakhein: Collocation: accomplish/achieve/fulfil a dream; solve a problem.

Answer: (A) accomplished

Concept: Leisure = free time used for rest and enjoyment.

1. Relaxation = rest from work → same idea.
2. 'Unwind' in the sentence supports it.
3. Labour is opposite; Incarceration = imprisonment; Profit = gain.

Trick: Context word 'unwind' = relax → Relaxation.

Answer: (D) Relaxation

Concept: Farce = an absurd, laughable event or comic drama.

1. Its opposite in tone is Tragedy – a serious, sad event.
2. Mockery is close to farce (synonym), Chaos is disorder.
3. Charity is unrelated.

Yaad rakhein: Comedy/farce ↔ tragedy are the two classic opposite forms of drama.

Answer: (C) Tragedy

Concept: Diligent = hard-working and careful in one's work.

1. Inactive = not working, idle → opposite.
2. Persistent, Industrious and Hardworking all mean almost the same as diligent.

Trick: Three options share one meaning – the odd one out is the antonym.

Answer: (D) Inactive

Concept: The blank refers back to 'money' in the previous sentence.

1. People are sad 'because they don't have money'.
2. So money, i.e. wealth, is seen as the key to happiness or sorrow.
3. Next paragraph confirms: 'If wealth were the source of happiness…'

Trick: Look one sentence before and one after the blank – both point to wealth.

Answer: (B) wealth

Concept: The subject must be something that can provide material comforts.

1. Food, homes and conveniences are bought with money.
2. 'It cannot purchase true happiness' – 'purchase' fits money.
3. Love, success, knowledge are not about buying.

Trick: The verb 'purchase' is the giveaway – only money purchases things.

Answer: (B) money

Concept: The blank is listed with anxiety, fear and stress – it must be a negative feeling.

1. 'Plagued by ___, anxiety, fear, stress' → a negative word.
2. Sadness fits and echoes 'inner sadness' from the first line.
3. Success, happiness and contentment are positive.

Trick: Words in a list share the same tone – only one option is negative.

Answer: (C) sadness

Concept: 'In conclusion' restates the main argument of the passage.

1. The passage argues that wealth does not bring happiness.
2. So: 'wealth is unrelated to happiness'.
3. Joy and satisfaction are forms of happiness – they cannot be 'unrelated to happiness'.

Trick: A conclusion repeats the topic word – here, wealth.

Answer: (C) wealth

Concept: The blank is found 'within oneself rather than in external possessions'.

1. The passage says true joy comes from non-material things.
2. What lies within oneself is happiness.
3. Social status, financial help and success depend on outside factors.

Trick: 'Within' vs 'external' – pick the inner, non-material option.

Answer: (A) happiness