Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Keep the same person of pronoun throughout a sentence.

1. The sentence already uses 'in our homes' (first person plural).
2. So the parallel phrase must be 'in and on our bodies'.
3. 'your', 'their', 'my' would shift the person mid-sentence.

Trick: Look for a pronoun already used in the same sentence – the blank usually copies it.

Answer: (D) our

Concept: Fixed verb + preposition pairs.

1. We always 'comment on' something (a post, a remark, an issue).
2. Correct: 'I always make sure to like and comment on my friends' posts.'
3. 'comment by' tells who commented, not what was commented upon.

Yaad rakhein: On social media you post on a wall, comment on a post, and reply to a comment.

Answer: (B) on my friends' posts

Concept: The replacement must keep the meaning and fit grammatically after the article 'a'.

1. Self-reflection leads to a close study of oneself → 'a thorough analysis of oneself'.
2. 'a in-depth grasp' is wrong (vowel sound needs 'an').
3. 'expanded aware' uses an adjective where a noun is needed; 'compoundable knowledge' is not a natural phrase.

Trick: Read each option with the word before it ('a ___') – grammar alone removes (c) and (d).

Answer: (B) thorough analysis

Concept: Sagacious = wise, having sharp judgement (बुद्धिमान).

1. Obtuse = slow to understand, dull-witted – the opposite.
2. Discerning, Sensible, Sage are all near-synonyms of 'sagacious'.

Trick: 'Saga-cious' ≈ 'sage' (a wise person). When three options mean 'wise', the odd one is the antonym.

Answer: (C) Obtuse

Concept: Spot the misspelt word.

1. Correct form: a-pp-reciation (double p, like 'appreciate').
2. Dedication, Committee (double m, double t, double e) and Expressed are correct.

Trick: Words starting with 'ap-' + a root often double the p: appreciate, approve, appear, apply.

Answer: (B) Apreciation

Concept: Exquisite = extremely beautiful and delicate (अति सुंदर, उत्कृष्ट).

1. Beautiful is the closest meaning.
2. Rough, Crude and Ordinary are near-opposites.

Trick: Three options carry a 'low-quality' sense; the only positive word is the synonym.

Answer: (B) Beautiful

Concept: Prudent = careful and wise in planning (विवेकशील).

1. Unwise = lacking good judgement – direct opposite.
2. Sensible and Careful are synonyms; Probable means 'likely' (unrelated).

Trick: An option formed with 'un-' on a synonym (un + wise) is often the antonym.

Answer: (D) Unwise

Concept: Meaning of a common proverb.

1. The proverb advises not to form opinions only from outer looks.
2. So its meaning is 'Appearances can be deceiving.'
3. Options (b), (c), (d) encourage trusting looks – the opposite advice.

Yaad rakhein: Similar proverb: 'All that glitters is not gold.'

Answer: (A) Appearances can be deceiving.

Concept: Upbraid = to scold sharply (डाँटना, फटकारना).

1. Extol = to praise highly – the opposite.
2. Criticising and blaming are similar in meaning; beating is a harsher action, not an opposite.

Trick: Three options are 'negative' actions; the only positive one is the antonym.

Answer: (C) extolling

Concept: 'Farther' = more physical distance; 'further' = more time, extent or degree.

1. Postponing is about time, not distance.
2. Correct segment B: 'been postponed further due to'.
3. Segment B is option (c).

Trick: 'Farther' has 'far' – use it only when you can measure in km/metres.

Answer: (C) B

Concept: A verb is described by an adverb, not an adjective.

1. 'speaks' is a verb → needs the adverb 'well'.
2. 'good' is an adjective (a good speaker).
3. Correct: 'her brother speaks German well.'

Trick: Ask 'how does he speak?' – the answer word must be an adverb (well, fluently).

Answer: (A) her brother speaks German good.

Concept: Spot the misspelt word.

1. Correct: con-ve-ni-ent → 'convenient' (no 'ei').
2. Harmony, Leisure, Precise are spelt correctly.

Trick: Say it in parts: con + ve + ni + ent – each vowel sound has one letter, so no extra 'i' after 'e'.

Answer: (D) Conveinient

Concept: Choose the word that explains the result (poor marks).

1. Nonchalant = casual, careless, showing no worry – leads to poor scores.
2. Enthusiastic and concerned would improve marks; deliberate (intentional/slow) doesn't explain the result.

Trick: 'unable to score … due to their ___' needs a negative trait – only one option is negative.

Answer: (D) nonchalant

Concept: An action finished before 'now' takes the simple past.

1. 'but it's fixed now' shows the problem existed earlier.
2. So: 'They had a problem with the internet connection.'
3. We 'have' a problem, not 'make' or 'do' one.

Trick: A contrast word 'now' at the end signals the past for the first clause.

Answer: (B) had

Concept: Brazen = bold and shameless (बेशर्म, ढीठ).

1. Timid = shy, lacking courage – the opposite.
2. Anxious/Concerned mean worried; Distinct means different – not opposites.

Yaad rakhein: 'Brazen-faced' = shameless; antonyms: timid, shy, modest.

Answer: (B) Timid

Concept: 'Which' introduces extra information about things.

1. 'Plastic products' are things → 'which'.
2. The commas show a non-defining clause: 'Plastic products, which are often designed for single use, …'.
3. 'whose' needs a noun after it; 'where/when' refer to place/time.

Trick: Blank followed directly by a verb ('are') and referring to a thing → 'which'.

Answer: (B) which

Concept: 'For' + a period of time; 'since' + a starting point.

1. 'hundreds of years' is a duration.
2. So: 'persist in landfills and oceans for hundreds of years'.
3. 'across/among' are about place or groups.

Trick: Ask 'how long?' → for. Ask 'from when?' → since.

Answer: (D) for

Concept: Correlative conjunctions come in pairs: both…and, either…or, neither…nor.

1. The blank stands before 'wildlife and humans'.
2. The 'and' calls for 'both': 'posing risks to both wildlife and humans'.
3. because/yet/but cannot pair two nouns this way.

Trick: See 'and' joining two nouns right after the blank? Fill 'both'.

Answer: (C) both

Concept: After 'the' and before 'of', a noun is needed; it must agree with the verb.

1. 'The ___ of plastic is overshadowed' → singular noun.
2. 'convenience' is the singular noun (usefulness, ease).
3. 'conveniently' is an adverb; 'conveniences' is plural; 'conveniency' is not standard.

Trick: 'the ___ of' pattern ⇒ noun; singular verb 'is' ⇒ singular noun.

Answer: (D) convenience

Concept: 'A' before a consonant sound with a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time.

1. 'collective effort' – singular, countable, not specific.
2. 'collective' starts with the /k/ sound → 'a'.
3. Correct: 'requires a collective effort'.

Trick: Go by sound, not letter: a collective, a university, an hour.

Answer: (C) a