Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: A plural subject takes a plural verb; general facts use the simple present.

1. Subject 'Edible flowers' is plural.
2. A general fact → present tense, so 'was/were' are out.
3. Plural present verb = 'are': 'Edible flowers are made up of…'.

Trick: Plural noun ending in -s → verb without -s / 'are'.

Answer: (A) are

Concept: The blank must be positive because it helped her 'attract' the judges.

1. Bewitching = extremely charming, captivating.
2. Repellent, repugnant, revolting = disgusting, pushing people away.
3. Only a pleasing quality matches 'attract the attention'.

Trick: Three options share one meaning (disgusting) – the odd positive word is the answer.

Answer: (B) bewitching

Concept: Abandon = to leave behind or give up completely.

1. Leave = go away from / give up – same sense.
2. Hold and Claim mean to keep – opposite in spirit.
3. Weave = to make fabric – unrelated.

Trick: Abandon a car = leave the car; substitute and the sentence still makes sense.

Answer: (C) Leave

Concept: In a word stressed on the last syllable ending in vowel + consonant, the consonant doubles before -ing.

1. al-LOT → allotting (double t).
2. So 'Alloting' is wrong.
3. Attendance, Accompany, Automatic are correct.

Trick: Same pattern: commit → committing, admit → admitted, allot → allotted.

Answer: (B) Alloting

Concept: Words from 'courage' keep the 'e' to keep the soft g sound.

1. courage + ous = courageous; + ly = courageously.
2. 'Couragiously' wrongly adds an i in place of e.
3. Categorically, Concurrently, Charmingly are correct.

Trick: Advantage → advantageous, outrage → outrageous – the 'e' stays before -ous.

Answer: (B) Couragiously

Concept: Succinct = brief and clearly expressed.

1. Its opposite = using too many words = long-winded.
2. Laconic, pithy and concise all mean brief – synonyms, not antonyms.

Trick: When three options are synonyms of the word, the remaining one is the antonym.

Answer: (B) Long-winded

Concept: An uncountable noun is singular; in the simple present it takes verb + s.

1. 'Pollution' is uncountable → singular subject.
2. General truth → simple present → 'damages'.
3. 'damaging' alone is not a finite verb; 'is damage' is ungrammatical.

Trick: Singular subject (he/she/it type) + present = verb + s/es.

Answer: (A) damages

Concept: The idiom means following a mistaken approach or belief.

1. Barking up the wrong tree = directing effort the wrong way / assuming wrongly.
2. So the colleague feels your way of convincing the boss is misdirected.
3. It does not ask you to quit the project or literally climb a tree.

Trick: Picture a dog barking at a tree the cat isn't in – effort in the wrong place.

Answer: (D) Your colleague thinks you are pursuing the wrong course of action or making a wrong assumption.

Concept: An adverb of manner should not separate a verb from its object.

1. 'refused' is followed by its object 'a second serving…'.
2. 'politely' must come before the verb (or after the object).
3. Correct: 'Jawed politely refused a second serving of the custard…'.

Trick: Verb + object should stay together – push the -ly word out of the gap.

Answer: (A) Jawed refused politely

Concept: English uses 'make' (not do/have) with 'decision'; the context is past.

1. Fixed pair: make a decision.
2. 'after careful consideration' shows a completed past action.
3. Past of make = made.

Trick: Make: a decision, a plan, a mistake; Do: homework, a favour, your duty.

Answer: (B) made

Concept: Scarce = in short supply, hard to find.

1. Opposite = plentiful = ample.
2. 'Less' means a smaller amount – similar, not opposite.
3. Tiny (size) and Heavy (weight) are unrelated.

Trick: Scarce ↔ Ample/Abundant/Plentiful – learn as a pair.

Answer: (C) Ample

Concept: Match each adjective to the noun it describes.

1. Grass → 'green'.
2. A retreat for busy people → 'peaceful'.
3. A park → 'spacious' (roomy).

Trick: Fix the easiest blank first ('green grass') – only option (a) has green in blank 2.

Answer: (A) (1) spacious; (2) green; (3) peaceful

Concept: Clandestine = secret, done in hiding.

1. Opposite = open, not hidden = overt.
2. Under the table, hush-hush and furtive all mean secret – synonyms.

Trick: Covert (hidden) ↔ Overt (open) – clandestine goes with covert.

Answer: (D) Overt

Concept: Insipid = lacking taste or interest.

1. Bland = mild, without strong flavour – same meaning.
2. Flavourful, spicy, tangy all suggest strong taste – opposites.

Trick: Insipid food = bland food; tasteless ≈ flat ≈ dull.

Answer: (A) Bland

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

1. Segment A reads 'He usual jogs in the early morning'.
2. 'usual' (adjective) is describing the verb 'jogs' – wrong.
3. Correct: 'He usually jogs…'. Other segments are fine.

Trick: Before a main verb, frequency words take the -ly form: usually, generally, rarely.

Answer: (A) A

Concept: Searching for life's meaning is an inward, reflective search.

1. Introspective = examining one's own thoughts and feelings – fits 'quest' for meaning.
2. Extrovert describes a person, not a quest.
3. Unthoughtful and superficial mean shallow – against the idea of deep searching.

Trick: Intro- = inward; a 'meaning of life' quest is inward.

Answer: (B) introspective

Concept: The blank sits in a list with 'kindness and love', so it needs a similar warm noun.

1. Compassion = sympathy for others' suffering – fits the list.
2. The next sentence's 'compassionate attitude' confirms it.
3. Apathy (indifference), remorse (regret), ignominy (shame) do not fit.

Trick: Words in a list share the same tone – look for the third 'kind' word.

Answer: (C) compassion

Concept: 'in all living beings' shows the suffering is found everywhere.

1. Pervasive = spreading through everything, widespread.
2. Abrasive (rough) and corrosive (destroying) describe effect, not extent.
3. Unfamiliar contradicts 'all living beings'.

Trick: 'All / everywhere' clue → pervasive / universal / ubiquitous.

Answer: (D) pervasive

Concept: 'Cultivating moral ___' must name good qualities (later called 'moral excellence').

1. Virtues = good moral qualities – fits.
2. Maleficences (evil deeds) and scourges (afflictions) are negative.
3. Advantage is a benefit, not a moral quality.

Trick: Moral excellence = virtue – the passage repeats the idea in its last line.

Answer: (C) virtues

Concept: The passage is about the 'meaning and purpose of life'; the conclusion must match.

1. Shared suffering + moral excellence → a life with purpose = meaningful.
2. Trivial and irrational are negative; diligent describes a person, not a life's value.

Trick: The last blank often echoes the opening line – 'meaning' → meaningful.

Answer: (A) meaningful