Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Phrasal verb 'whip up' = make food fast.

1. 'Whipped up a meal in 30 minutes' – quick cooking fits.
2. Held up = delayed; kept up = maintained; hit up = ask someone for something.

Trick: A 'chef' + 'just 30 minutes' signals speed in cooking → whip up.

Answer: (A) whipped

Concept: He/She/It + simple present verb takes -s/-es.

1. Subject 'She' is singular ⇒ do → does.
2. Correct: She always does her work in time.
3. 'doing', 'done', 'will done' lack the right helping verb.

Trick: Singular subject → verb with s (she does/goes/plays).

Answer: (C) always does

Concept: Check each word's dictionary spelling.

1. 'consert' is wrong; correct is 'concert' (music show).
2. atmosphere, was, electric are correct.

Trick: Con-CERT: same 'c' as in 'certain'.

Answer: (A) consert

Concept: A verb is described by an adverb (-ly), not an adjective.

1. 'applied so effective' describes the verb 'applied' → needs 'effectively'.
2. B (surprisingly well), C (scarcely), D (softly enough) are correct.

Trick: Ask 'how was it applied?' – answer must be an -ly word.

Answer: (A) The solution was applied so effective that it resolved the issue immediately.

Concept: 'But' signals the opposite of the underlined word.

1. Deliberate = done on purpose.
2. Opposite = unintentional (by accident).
3. 'Planned' and 'prepared' mean the same as deliberate.

Trick: Prefix test: un-intentional directly reverses 'intentional' (= deliberate).

Answer: (D) unintentional

Concept: Strange = unusual, not normal.

1. Odd = unusual → same meaning.
2. Mild = gentle; stable = steady; safe = protected.

Yaad rakhein: Common pair: strange = odd = weird = peculiar.

Answer: (B) Odd

Concept: Coarse (of texture) = rough, not smooth.

1. Coarse leather = rough leather → Rough.
2. Brief = short; secure = safe; honest = truthful.

Yaad rakhein: Don't mix 'coarse' (rough) with 'course' (path/subject).

Answer: (B) Rough

Concept: 'Who' for a person acting as subject of the next verb.

1. Blank is followed by 'won' → needs a subject ⇒ who.
2. Whom = object; whose = possession + noun; which = things.

Trick: Replace with he/him: 'he won' sounds right → who (he = who, him = whom).

Answer: (C) who

Concept: Esoteric = known to only a few, specialised.

1. Opposite = common (known to all).
2. Cryptic, arcane, abstruse all mean hard/obscure – synonyms.

Trick: When three options mean the same thing, the odd one is the antonym.

Answer: (C) Common

Concept: Pick the adjective that fits the purpose of a holiday.

1. Recreational = for fun/relaxation → recreational vacation.
2. Tropic is a noun (adjective: tropical); notorious = famous for bad; expandable = can be enlarged.

Trick: 'Recreation' = leisure; a vacation is taken for leisure.

Answer: (D) recreational

Concept: 'Savvy' = smart/knowledgeable; spelt s-a-v-v-y.

1. Double 'v', single 'y' → tech-savvy.
2. Other forms (savee, saivy, tec-) are not standard.

Trick: Savvy follows the pattern of 'navvy': two v's, then y.

Answer: (A) tech-savvy

Concept: Bide one's time = wait patiently for the right moment.

1. Option C matches this meaning.
2. A = bite the bullet; B = jump on the bandwagon; D = let the cat out of the bag.

Trick: 'Bide' is an old word for 'wait' (cf. 'abide').

Answer: (C) To wait patiently for an opportunity

Concept: Frequency adverbs come after 'be' verbs and before main verbs.

1. D: 'is late often' – 'often' is misplaced.
2. Correct: Chandni is often late for work.
3. A, B, C place the adverb right after 'are'.

Trick: Pattern: Subject + is/are + always/often/usually + adjective.

Answer: (D) Chandni is late often for work.

Concept: The blank must match 'meticulously planned'.

1. Methodical = systematic, orderly → fits.
2. Erratic = unpredictable; negligent = careless; lax = loose.

Trick: Positive result in sentence ⇒ positive word; three negative options drop out.

Answer: (A) methodical

Concept: Abate = lessen, die down.

1. Opposite = intensify (make stronger).
2. Reduce is a synonym – the trap.

Trick: Storm abates (weakens) ↔ storm intensifies (strengthens).

Answer: (B) Intensify

Concept: A singular subject takes a singular verb.

1. Subject 'Effective communication' is singular ⇒ requires.
2. 'is natural / is fitting' cannot take the object 'proper etiquette'.

Trick: The blank is followed by a noun object, so a transitive verb is needed.

Answer: (C) requires

Concept: An adverb with a positive sense is needed ('sign of professionalism').

1. Promptly = quickly, without delay → professional.
2. Hurry is not an adverb; gradually/carelessly don't suit professionalism.

Trick: Quick replies = professional → promptly.

Answer: (A) promptly

Concept: 'Being ___ of' needs an adjective that pairs with 'of'.

1. Mindful of = careful about → fits the advice.
2. Indiscreet/heedless give a negative sense; 'watch' is a verb.

Trick: Fixed phrases: mindful of, aware of, conscious of.

Answer: (A) mindful

Concept: The noun must pair with 'courtesy' as a quality of communication.

1. Clarity = clear meaning → prevents misunderstandings.
2. Brightness, sharpness, visibility relate to light or images.

Trick: Previous line mentions misunderstandings → the cure is clarity.

Answer: (C) clarity

Concept: The participle must continue the positive sense of the clause.

1. Fostering = encouraging/building → positive relationships.
2. Suppressing, combating, impeding all mean stopping.

Trick: Three options mean 'stop' – a positive result needs the one that means 'grow'.

Answer: (D) fostering