1.Give the meaning of the idiom given below:
Kick one’s heels
- Engage in a fight
- Do something adventurous
- To wait idly
- Take a brisk walk
The correct answer is: To wait idly.
Key Points
- The idiom ‘Kick one’s heels’ actually means ‘to wait idly. (‘बेकार बैठे रहना).
- For instance: “They were just kicking their heels, waiting for the boss to arrive.”
Therefore, the correct answer is: To wait idly.
John always gets the best deals during the sales, because he believes in the early bird catches the worm.
- Good things come to those who wait
- Those who act first have the advantage
- Birds of a feather flock together
- An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
The correct answer is “Those who act first have the advantage”.
Key Points
- The idiom “the early bird catches the worm” is commonly used to signify that individuals who take prompt action or make the first move are more likely to succeed or gain an advantage.
- It has its origins in the literal occurrence in nature where the bird that wakes up earliest is most likely to get the worm, thus gaining sustenance and survival advantage.
- For Example – Arriving early to the sale, he found the best deals; truly, the early bird catches the worm.
Therefore, the correct answer is “Option 2”.
3.Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the word given in brackets in the following sentence, to fill in the blank.
The new student was making a(n) _______(diffident) impression on everyone; he was so confident and friendly.
- timid
- same
- bold
- unsure
The correct answer is “bold”.
Additional Information
- The word given in brackets here is ‘diffident’, which means shy, lacking in confidence, or reluctant to assert oneself.
- ‘Bold’ means confident and courageous, willing to take risks.
- From these options, ‘bold’ is the best antonym for ‘diffident’.
- It carries a sense of confidence and fearlessness that is directly opposite to the shyness or lack of self-assuredness implied by ‘diffident’.
- Therefore, the completed sentence should read: “The new student was making a bold impression on everyone; he was so confident and friendly.”
Hence, the correct answer is “Option 3”.
Additional Information
- ‘Timid’: This means lacking in self-assurance or courage.
- ‘Timid’ is a synonym for ‘diffident’, not an antonym.
- ‘Same’: This word doesn’t work as an antonym or synonym for ‘diffident’.
- It suggests equality or likeness, and it isn’t used to describe a person’s manner or demeanor.
- ‘Unsure’: This means not confident or uncertain.
- ‘Unsure’ is another synonym for ‘diffident’ rather than an antonym.
4.Select the most appropriate synonym of the highlighted word.
He decided to broach the subject during their casual coffee conversation.
- Avoid
- Embrace
- Initiate
- Comprehend
The correct answer is ‘Initiate’.
Key Points
- The word “broach” means to bring up or begin to talk about something. (“आरंभ करना”)
- Example: She broached the subject of her retirement with the boss.
- The synonym “initiate” means to cause or facilitate the beginning of something. (“आरंभ करना”).
- Example: The government initiated a new scheme for the welfare of the society.
- Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3′.
Additional Information
- ‘Avoid’ means to keep away from or stop oneself from doing something (Hindi meaning: ‘बचना’).
- ‘Embrace’ refers to accept something willingly or enthusiastically (Hindi meaning: ‘अपनाना’).
- ‘Comprehend’ means to understand something (Hindi meaning: ‘समझना’).
5.Which of the following words is correctly spelled?
- Embraice
- Embrase
- Imbrace
- Embrace
The correct answer is “Embrace”
Key Points
- “Embrace” is spelled E-M-B-R-A-C-E.
- The word “Embrace” means to clasp in the arms, cherish, love.
Hence, the correct answer is ‘Option 4’.
- Beuatiful
- Irreplaceable
- Appearance
- Grammar
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. beuatiful.
Key Points
- Out of all the options, only ‘beuatiful‘ is incorrectly spelled.
- Beautiful is the correct spelling of ‘beuatiful’. Beautiful means pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
- Eg- Neha is a beautiful girl.
Additional Information
- Correction of other words given in the option and their meanings are as follows:
- Appearance is the correct spelling that means the way that someone or something looks.
- Grammar is the correct spelling which is the way we arrange words to make proper sentences.
7.Directions: In these questions, sentences are given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. Choose the correct alternative out of the four alternatives.
Many people reported _____a noise in the night.
- to hear
- having heard
- to have heard
- been hearing
The correct answer is “to have heard”.
Key Points
- “To have heard”, uses the perfect infinitive form (to have + past participle).
- This form is used to talk about something that happened before another action, or before a specific time.
- When “reported” is used combining with the perfect infinitive, it denotes that the first action (hearing a noise) occurred before the second action (reporting).
- In the sentence, “Many people reported to have heard a noise in the night,” the activity of hearing occurs before the reporting, which makes “to have heard” a suitable choice.
- While both “having heard” and “to have heard” can be used in such contexts, “to have heard” is more suitable when we talk about people reporting an action that was finished or completed in the past.
- So, the correct answer is “To have heard.”
- Hence, the complete sentence should be: “Many people reported to have heard a noise in the night.”
Therefore, the correct answer is “Option 3”.
8.Directions:. Choose the correct answer out of the given options
_______ she is clever, she often makes mistakes.
- Despite
- Since
- Although
- Yet
The correct answer is “Although”.
Key Points
- Here, the sentence is trying to juxtapose or contrast two contradictory ideas: being clever and still making mistakes.
- For such scenarios, you need a conjunction that signifies contrast or contradiction.
- “Although” is a conjunction used to contrast two ideas, which fits perfectly here.
- After “although,” we can directly use a subject and a verb, which corresponds to the pattern of the sentence.
- Given these explanations, “although” is the most suitable choice to fill in the blank.
- So, the correct sentence is: “Although she is clever, she often makes mistakes.”
- This sentence accurately expresses the contrast between being clever and making mistakes.
Therefore, the correct answer is “Option 3”.
Additional Information
- Despite: “Despite” is a preposition that denotes contrast, but it cannot be used here because it requires a noun or noun phrase after it, not a clause.
- You’d need to say “Despite being clever, she…,” which isn’t one of the choices.
- Since: “Since” can be used to imply a cause-and-effect situation, but in this sentence, we need an idea of contrast, so “since” is not appropriate.
- Yet: “Yet” can also express contrast, but usually when it’s used on its own, it tends to appear at the beginning of the second clause, not the first.
9.Identify the segment in the sentence which contains a grammatical error.
- have I
- to deposit fees?
- Where
- No Error.
The correct answer is ‘have I’.
Key Points
- The segment with the grammatical error is (B), “have I.” The error lies in the word order, which should be rearranged for proper grammar.
- The corrected sentence would be: “Where do I have to deposit fees?”
- The original sentence has an incorrect inversion in the word order, which happens often in questions when formed in English. In interrogative sentences, the correct structure typically follows this pattern: auxiliary/modal verb + subject + main verb + object or complement.
- In this case, “do” is the auxiliary verb required to form the question in the present tense, placed before the subject “I,” followed by the main verb “have” and then the rest of the sentence.
10.Directions: Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic error in it. The error will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer.
The gentleman (A)/ together with his (B)/ wife and daughter (C)/ were drowned (D)
- A
- B
- C
- D
The correct answer is “D”.
Key Points
- The phrase ‘were drowned’ is grammatically incorrect owing to the singular subject ‘the gentleman together with his wife and daughter.’
- This form of construction requires that the verb agrees with the first noun (The gentleman) used in the subject clause.
- The correct phrase in accordance with the rule of subject-verb agreement should therefore be ‘was drowned.’
- Hence, part D of the sentence contains the grammatical error.
- Therefore, the correct answer is “Option 4”.
Additional Information
- Options 1 (A), 2 (B), and 3 (C) do not contain any grammatical or idiomatic errors.
- These parts of the sentence are grammatically correct and logically sound.
11.Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined words in the given sentence.
No less than eight pedestrians were killed in the accident.
- No few than
- None less than
- No fewer than
- No lesser than
The correct answer is: No fewer than.Key Points
- In this context, the phrase “No less than” is used to emphasize a minimum quantity or number.
- However, when referring to a countable number of individuals (like pedestrians), the appropriate phrase is “No fewer than.”
- The phrase “no fewer than” means “at least” or “not less than”.
- It is used to indicate a minimum number or amount.
- In this sentence, “no fewer than eight” means that there were at least eight pedestrians killed in the accident.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 3
12.Choose the most appropriate one-word substitution for the below word.
“A speech made without preparation”
- Debate
- jockey
- Speech
- Extempore
The correct answer is “Extempore”.
Key Points
- An extempore speech means a speech delivered spontaneously, or without preparation.
- The term ‘extempore‘ comes from Latin and it essentially translates to ‘out of the moment’, which itself implies the lack of preparation.
- For Example – The professor asked the students to give an extempore speech on their favorite novels.
Therefore, the correct answer is “Option 4”.
13.Select the most appropriate word for the given group of words.
Pleasing in appearance.
- Comely
- Comedian
- Comatose
- Commutator
The correct answer is – ‘Comely’
Key Points
- ‘Comely’ is an ‘adjective’ which means ‘pleasant to look at; attractive (typically used of a woman)’
- Example: the comely Italian actress Valeria Golino
Hence ‘Pleasing in appearance’ is ‘Comely’
| WORDS | MEANING |
| Comedian | an entertainer on stage or television whose act is designed to make an audience laugh |
| Comatose | relating to or in a state of coma |
| Commutator | a device for reversing the direction of flow of electric current |
Additional Information
- The synonyms of the word ‘Comely’ are ‘sightly, beautiful, bonnie, fair, bonny’
- The antonyms of the word ‘Comely’ are ‘ugly, unflattering, improperly, dirty, indecent’
14.Improve the underlined part of the sentence. Choose ‘No improvement’ as an answer if the sentence is grammatically correct.
Don’t try to force the window open, or you might broken it.
- you might breaks
- you have break
- you might break
- No improvement
Key Points- The error is in the verb form “broken.”
- The correct form is “break,” as in “you might break it.”
Additional Information- Option 1 “you might breaks” and Option 2 “you have break” are incorrect grammatically.
15.Directions: A sentence has been given in Active/Passive Voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested below, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active Voice.
By now the winners will have been felicitated.
- They will felicitate the winners now.
- They have felicitated the winners by now.
- They will have been felicitated the winners by now.
- They will have felicitated the winners by now.
The correct answer is “They will have felicitated the winners by now.”
Key Points
- The original sentence “By now the winners will have been felicitated” is in passive voice.
- In a passive sentence, the focus is on the action and the receiver of that action (the winners, in this case).
- The entity undertaking the action is not explicit in the sentence.
- To convert this sentence to active voice, the actor of the sentence needs to be specified and put at the start, followed by the auxiliary verb (will have), the past participle verb form (felicitated), and finally the original subject (the winners).
- Judging by the available options and this paradigm, the correct conversion to active voice would be: “They will have felicitated the winners by now”.
- Structure: Original Sentence (Passive): “By now the winners will have been felicitated”
- Structure: Adverbial Phrase (By now) + Subject (the winners) + will have (a form of future perfect tense) + been + Past Participle (felicitated)
- Correct Conversion to Active: “They will have felicitated the winners by now”
- Structure: Subject (They) + will have (a form of future perfect tense) + Past Participle (felicitated) + Object (the winners) + Adverbial Phrase (by now)
- The transition from passive to active involves introducing the actor (in this case ‘They‘) and placing them at the beginning of the sentence.
- The subject ‘the winners’ of the passive sentence becomes the object in the active sentence.
- The verb form ‘been felicitated’ is transformed to ‘felicitated’ in active voice.
- The adverbial phrase ‘By now’ remains the same but is moved to the end of the sentence.
Therefore, the correct answer is “Option 4”.
Additional Information
- Let’s understand the other options:
- “They will felicitate the winners now.” – The verb tense has changed from future perfect (will have been felicitated) to simple future (will felicitate), which is not a correct transformation.
- “They have felicitated the winners by now.” – The verb tense here is present perfect (have felicitated), not future perfect.
- “They will have been felicitated the winners by now.” – This sentence is grammatically incorrect as it keeps the passive structure but reorders the sentence in a way that doesn’t make sense.
Directions: A sentence has been given in Active/Passive Voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested below, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active Voice.
He wasn’t given the information he needed.
- Somebody was not given the information he needed.
- The information he needed wasn’t given to him.
- He needed the information he wasn’t given.
- They didn’t give him the information he needed.
The correct answer is “They didn’t give him the information he needed.”
Key Points
- In the given sentence “He wasn’t given the information he needed.”, the sentence is in passive voice.
- In a passive sentence, the object of an action is promoted to the subject position.
- In this sentence, “He” is this object-turned-subject, the information is what he was supposed to receive (it is the logical object of “giving”), “the information he needed” is the action that was taken, and the action was “given”.
- The actor who gave the information is not specified.
- When we convert this into an active sentence, we need to promote an actor to the subject position.
- As the original sentence doesn’t specify who the actor is, we can use a generic pronoun like “They” or “Someone”.
- Hence, “They” is an appropriate, unspecified subject who did the action (from the original sentence) of not giving the necessary information to “him” (the recipient).
- So, the sentence “They didn’t give him the information he needed.” is the correct rephrasing of the original sentence from passive voice (“He wasn’t given the information he needed”) to active voice (“They didn’t give him the information he needed”).
- Here, the focus is shifted from the receiver of the action in the original sentence to the doer of the action.
- Other options are still in passive voice or they don’t preserve the same meaning as the original sentence, so they are incorrect.
Additional Information
- Given Sentence (Passive Voice): “He wasn’t given the information he needed.”
- Structure: Subject + auxiliary verb (was) + not + past participle (given) + object (the information he needed).
- Marked Answer (Active Voice): “They didn’t give him the information he needed.”
- Structure: Subject (They) + auxiliary verb (did) + not + base form of verb (give) + indirect object (him) + direct object (the information he needed).
- In this active voice sentence, the focus has shifted to the doer of the action (“They”) instead of the receiver (“him”).
- The subject (“They”) actively performs the action (“did not give”) on the object (“the information he needed”).
17.Direction: Given here are six parts of a sentence. S1 and S6 are the first and the last part, respectively. The rest of the parts, namely a, b, c and d are jumbled. Select the option that gives their correct order.
S1: Shakespeare is known as
a. to a black lady
b. and his friend;
c. the bard of avon;
d. his sonnets are addressed
S6: whose source is still unknown to many.
- cdab
- abcd
- dbca
- bcad
The correct answer is ‘cdab.’
Key Points
- While arranging the parts of the sentence given in the options, we have to find some grammatical or contextual connections between them, so let’s find out.
- In this sentence, we can see that there are different parts like Subject, verb, conjunction, and continuation of the object.
- The first part after S1 should be c as Shakespeare is popularly called the Bard of Avon.
- Now, the sonnets of Shakespeare are addressed to an unnamed attractive young man who represents beauty, love, and praise.
- So, the next pair must be d-a.
- Now, the last part must be b as it is connected with part ‘a’ and provides a sense to the sentence.
- Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.
Correct sentence: Shakespeare is known as the bard of avon; his sonnets are addressed to a black lady and his friend; whose source is still unknown to many.
18.DIRECTIONS Arrange the following sentences keeping first and the last sentence to be in their place
When I reached my office:
P. To get home early
Q. I phoned my mother
R. That I would not be able
S. To tell her
- QSRP
- PQRS
- RPQS
- SQPR
The correct answer is “QSRP“
Key Points
- The first sentence “When I reached my office” is the main clause and it sets the time frame for the following actions.
- The second sentence “I phoned my mother” is the first action that takes place after reaching the office.
- The third sentence “To tell her” is the purpose of the phone call.
- The fourth sentence “That I would not be able” is the reason for the purpose.
- The last sentence “To get home early” is the final outcome.
Thus, option 1 is the correct answer.
Correct sentence: When I reached my office Q. I phoned my mother S. To tell her R. That I would not be able P. To get home early
19.Change the following sentences to affirmative.
I don’t possess anything else.
- This is all I possess.
- My possession is not much.
- My possession are not better than others.
- None of the above
The correct answer is “This is all I possess”.
Key Points
- Affirmative sentence: An affirmative sentence is any sentence that is positive. It can be an assertive sentence or a declarative sentence that has no negative words.
- Example: Abhipsha likes icecream.
- In the given sentence, the contextually and meaningful sentence to change the sentence in the affirmative is only shown in option 1.
- All the options either contain “not” them.
Hence, option 1 is the correct answer.
- Luka is poor and she is miserable.
- Luka was poor but she is not miserable
- Luka is poor but she is not miserable
- Luka is poor because she is miserable.
The correct answer is “Luka is poor but she is not miserable.”
Key Points
- Given complex sentence:
- Although Luka is poor, she is not miserable.
- When we break this complex sentence into two parts, we get:
- Luka is poor.
- she is not miserable.
- Most poor people are miserable in nature.
- Here, the two independent clauses “Luka is poor” and “she is not miserable”, will be connected using the coordinating conjunction but.
Hence, the correct answer: Luka is poor but she is not miserable.
Additional Information
- Simple sentence: A Simple sentence is also called an independent clause. It contains a Subject and a Verb, and it expresses a complete thought.
- Some students like to study in the morning.
- Complex sentence: A complex sentence consists of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
- I am glad to know that he had succeeded.
- Compound sentence: A compound sentence is a sentence that connects two independent clauses, typically with a coordinating conjunction.
- I like coffee and Mary likes tea.