Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: A word telling 'how' an action is done must be an adverb.

1. Segment B: 'articulating his thoughts clear' – 'clear' describes the verb 'articulating'.
2. Correct form: 'articulating his thoughts clearly'.
3. Other segments ('spoke passionately', 'about its themes', etc.) are fine.

Trick: Ask 'how?' after the verb – if the answer word lacks -ly where needed, that is the error.

Answer: (D) B

Concept: Words that sound alike are chosen by meaning.

1. 'Grey hair' = white hair of old age; the line means age alone doesn't bring wisdom.
2. heir = one who inherits; hare = rabbit-like animal; air = gas we breathe.

Trick: Only 'hair' can be grey on a person – visualise the phrase.

Answer: (D) hair

Concept: 'Across' = from one side of an area to the other.

1. A dog chasing a cat moves over the garden from side to side → 'ran across the garden'.
2. 'at' = a point/target, 'on' = resting on a surface, 'between' = needs two objects.

Trick: Running/walking over an open area (road, field, garden) → across.

Answer: (D) across

Concept: After 'to' we need a verb fitting 'a sin against God'.

1. Desecrate = to damage or insult a holy place.
2. modest and upright are adjectives; disapprove (of) only means 'not approve' – too weak.

Trick: Grammar first: only desecrate/disapprove are verbs; meaning picks desecrate.

Answer: (B) desecrate

Concept: Collocations are natural word partners.

1. English says 'clear instructions' (easy to understand).
2. 'careful/great/strong instructions' are not natural pairs.

Yaad rakhein: Other common pairs: clear idea, clear message, strong tea, heavy rain.

Answer: (D) clear

Concept: Arrogant = proud, thinking oneself superior.

1. Opposite: humble = modest, not proud.
2. creepy = scary; clumsy = awkward; average = ordinary – none is opposite.

Yaad rakhein: Arrogant ↔ Humble, Proud ↔ Modest – a fixed exam pair.

Answer: (D) Humble

Concept: Broad = having large width.

1. Wide means the same: large from side to side.
2. small is nearly opposite; particular and exact mean specific/precise.

Trick: Broad road = wide road – substitute and check.

Answer: (C) Wide

Concept: Idiom: a person with no real strength of character.

1. A straw man (scarecrow) looks like a man but is hollow inside.
2. So 'man of straw' = someone dismissed as weak or lacking morals/character.

Trick: Straw = weak and light → weak person.

Answer: (C) A person disregarded as lacking character or morality

Concept: Reflexive pronoun must match the subject.

1. Subject 'We' → 'ourselves'.
2. 'without external help' confirms the emphatic sense: we alone will do it.

Yaad rakhein: I–myself, we–ourselves, you–yourself/yourselves, they–themselves, it–itself.

Answer: (B) ourselves

Concept: Flaunt = show off proudly.

1. Opposite: hide = keep out of sight.
2. parade is a synonym (trap); wide and open don't fit.

Trick: Flaunt = show; antonym = conceal/hide.

Answer: (B) Hide

Concept: Check each sentence for misspelt words.

1. (C) 'essey' is wrong; correct spelling: essay.
2. cinematography, conference, pastries – all correct.

Yaad rakhein: essay, assay, delay – end in -ay.

Answer: (C) …an interesting essey on the topic.

Concept: Replace 'creatively and unconventionally' with an idiom.

1. 'Think outside the box' = think in new, original ways.
2. 'outside the law' = illegal; 'outside the wire/canvas' are not idioms for creativity.

Trick: The box = usual rules; going out of it = new ideas.

Answer: (C) outside the box

Concept: Fill the blank with the opposite of 'destruction'.

1. Destruction = ruining something; opposite = creation (bringing into being).
2. contribution, choice, condition are not opposites.

Yaad rakhein: Destroy ↔ Create, Destruction ↔ Creation.

Answer: (B) creation

Concept: Past main clause ⇒ dependent clause also in past.

1. 'Alka had been writing' is past perfect continuous.
2. So 'until she realises' must be 'until she realised'.
3. Part 3 'he was not interested' is already past.

Trick: Spot the lone present-tense verb in a past sentence – that's the error.

Answer: (C) to her boss until she realises

Concept: Build the word: assign + ment.

1. 'assign' has double s → assign + ment = assignment.
2. Options with -mant or 'e' at the start are wrong.

Trick: Noun suffix is -ment (agreement, judgement, assignment), not -mant.

Answer: (B) assignment

Concept: Choose a positive adjective; the writer enjoys the freedom.

1. The passage praises doing anything alone – singing, dancing, talking aloud.
2. 'pleasant' (enjoyable) fits; tedious, contemptuous, baleful are negative.

Trick: Read the whole passage's tone first; it decides most cloze blanks.

Answer: (A) pleasant

Concept: 'very ___ form' needs a positive adjective.

1. 'humour' is a noun – grammatically out.
2. miserable, detestable are negative; 'agreeable' (pleasing) matches the happy tone.

Trick: Remove the wrong part of speech first, then match tone.

Answer: (B) agreeable

Concept: Reflexive pronoun must match the subject 'you'.

1. Subject: 'You can talk to ___' → 'yourself'.
2. ourselves/herself/himself do not agree with 'you'.

Trick: Same subject and object → -self/-selves form of that subject.

Answer: (A) yourself

Concept: Preposition showing absence of something.

1. The arguer is imaginary, so no hit back can come → 'without fear of a counterstroke'.
2. 'with fear' reverses the meaning; 'in/for' make no sense.

Trick: Phrase 'without fear of' = safe from; a common usage.

Answer: (D) without

Concept: A list of alternatives is joined with 'or'.

1. 'sing or dance … or practise … , or play marbles' – all are choices.
2. yet/but show contrast; because shows reason – none fits.

Trick: Match the conjunction already used in the list – here 'or'.

Answer: (C) or