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Past Questions
Identify the word that gives the nearest meaning of the underlined word 'adjacent' in the sentence: 'KFC is adjacent to our building'
A)
adjoining
B)
immediate
C)
nearby
D)
opposite
"Adjacent" means next to or very near, especially sharing a common boundary or being immediately beside something. Among the options, "adjoining" is the closest in meaning because it means touching or next to. "Nearby" means close, but not necessarily directly beside. "Immediate" refers to something happening or existing at once, not a place. "Opposite" means on the other side, which is the opposite of adjacent.
Identify the correct usage of the word to fill in the blank: 'Please keep ___________!'
A)
Quit
B)
Quite
C)
Quiet
D)
Cute
The correct sentence is: "Please keep quiet!" Here, "quiet" is an adjective meaning silent or making no noise, which fits the command. The other options are incorrect: "quite" means completely or fairly, not suitable here; "quit" is a verb meaning stop or leave; and "cute" means attractive or charming, which does not fit the context.
Identify the word that gives the nearest meaning of the underlined word 'threatening' in the sentence: 'The dacoit was threatening the local people'
A)
frightening
B)
alarming
C)
cautioning
D)
bullying
"Threatening" here means behaving in a way that intimidates or menaces others. Among the options, "bullying" is the nearest meaning because a dacoit threatening local people is essentially intimidating them. "Frightening" means causing fear, which is a result of threatening but not the same meaning. "Alarming" means causing concern or shock, and "cautioning" means warning someone, which is different from threatening.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'To catch a tartar' as used in 'It took the Government a long investigation To catch a tartar'
A)
To trap wanted criminal with great difficulty
B)
To catch a dangerous person
C)
To meet with disaster
D)
To deal with a person who is more than one’s match
"To catch a tartar" means to encounter or deal with someone who is unexpectedly difficult, powerful, or more than one’s match. In the sentence, the Government needed a long investigation because the person was hard to handle, which fits option d.
Why the others are wrong:
- b) "To catch a dangerous person" is too general; the idiom specifically means a difficult opponent, not merely a dangerous one.
- a) "To trap wanted criminal with great difficulty" adds the idea of a wanted criminal and trapping, which is not the idiom’s meaning.
- c) "To meet with disaster" is unrelated to the idiom.
Identify the correct preposition to fill in the blank: 'You have to leave your shoes ______________the door when you enter the house.'
A)
In
B)
Over
C)
To
D)
By
The correct preposition is **"by"**: "You have to leave your shoes **by** the door" means place them near the door. This is the natural and idiomatic usage in English.
Why the others are incorrect:
- **to**: usually shows direction or movement toward something, not location.
- **over**: means above or across something, which does not fit here.
- **in**: would mean inside the door, which is incorrect in this context.
So, **d) By** is the correct answer.
Identify the word that gives the nearest meaning of the underlined phrase 'In the future' in the sentence: 'In the future we will all have access to Wi-Fi'
A)
approaching
B)
booked
C)
down the road
D)
destined
"In the future" means "at a later time" or "sometime ahead." The closest option is "down the road," which is an idiomatic phrase meaning later on or in the future.
Why the others are incorrect:
- "approaching" means coming near in time or space, but it does not directly mean "in the future" as a general phrase.
- "booked" means reserved or scheduled, which is unrelated.
- "destined" means fated or meant to happen, not simply "in the future."
Identify the word that gives the nearest meaning of the underlined word 'imminent' in the sentence: 'World War three is imminent!'
A)
gathering
B)
in view
C)
unavoidable
D)
sure to happen
"Imminent" means something that is about to happen very soon or is impending. In the sentence, "World War three is imminent!" it means the war is expected to happen soon, so the nearest meaning is "sure to happen" (d).
Why the others are incorrect:
- (a) "gathering" means assembling or coming together, not about to occur.
- (b) "in view" means visible or under consideration, which is not the same as imminent.
- (c) "unavoidable" means cannot be prevented, but it does not specifically convey the idea of happening very soon, which is the key meaning of "imminent."
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'A man of straw' as used in 'Julie married A man of straw'
A)
A man of no substance
B)
A very active person
C)
A worthy fellow
D)
An unreasonable person
"A man of straw" means a person who is weak, insignificant, or has no real substance or character. So in the sentence, Julie married a man of no substance. The other options are incorrect because "a very active person" does not match the idiom, "an unreasonable person" is not the usual meaning, and "a worthy fellow" is the opposite of the idiom's sense.
Identify the correct notion expressed by the sentence: 'Some people won’t eat spicy foods'
A)
exclamatory
B)
assertive
C)
affirmative
D)
Negative
The sentence "Some people won’t eat spicy foods" is a negative sentence because it contains the negative form "won’t" (will not), which denies or refuses the action. Hence, the correct notion is Negative.
Why the others are incorrect:
- exclamatory: Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion or surprise and usually end with an exclamation mark; this sentence does not.
- assertive: Although it states a fact, the exam is asking for the notion expressed, and the presence of "won’t" makes it specifically negative.
- affirmative: An affirmative sentence states something positively without negation; this sentence is not affirmative because it includes a negative word.
Identify the correct preposition to fill in the blank: 'David cleaned his room by stuffing everything _________________his bed.'
A)
In
B)
On
C)
Under
D)
Along
The correct preposition is **"under"**: "David cleaned his room by stuffing everything **under** his bed." This is the natural and idiomatic phrase, meaning he hid the items beneath the bed.
- **Along**: means beside or following the length of something, which does not fit here.
- **On**: would mean on top of the bed, which is not the intended meaning.
- **In**: would mean inside the bed, which is incorrect.
So, **under** is the only correct choice.
Based on the passage, poverty is the root of:
A)
all evils
B)
lethargy
C)
crime
D)
war
The passage identifies crime as a major consequence/root associated with poverty.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'put his hand to plough' as used in 'He was sorry that he put his hand to plough'
A)
To take up agricultural farming
B)
To take a difficult task
C)
To get entangled into unnecessary things
D)
Take interest in technical work
The idiom "put his hand to plough" means to begin a task or commit oneself to a difficult undertaking, with the sense that once started, one should not look back. In the sentence, he was sorry that he took up a difficult task. Option b is therefore correct. Option a is incorrect because the idiom does not literally mean farming. Option c is incorrect because it does not mean getting entangled in unnecessary matters. Option d is incorrect because it has nothing to do with technical work.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'Brow Beat' as used in 'Our History teacher always Brow Beat'
A)
to bully
B)
to respect
C)
to praise
D)
to rebuke
"Browbeat" means to intimidate, overpower, or bully someone into submission. So in the sentence, the history teacher always browbeat others means the teacher always bullied or intimidated them. Option (a) to bully is correct. The other options are incorrect: (b) to respect is the opposite in meaning, (c) to praise means to appreciate, and (d) to rebuke means to scold, which is not the same as bullying or intimidating.
Identify the correct preposition to fill in the blank: 'John needs to submit the report _________ his boss before 5 pm.'
A)
At
B)
To
C)
Of
D)
On
The correct preposition is "to": "John needs to submit the report to his boss before 5 pm." We use "submit something to someone" when indicating the recipient of the report. "Of" does not fit this verb pattern, "at" is used for specific places or times, and "on" is used for surfaces, days, or topics—not for the person receiving the report.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word 'pleasantly' in the sentence: 'I was pleasantly surprised when she showed up at the door unannounced.'
A)
Adverb
B)
Adjective
C)
Verb
D)
Conjunction
"Pleasantly" is an adverb because it modifies the adjective "surprised," telling us how she was surprised. Adverbs often end in -ly and describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. The other options are incorrect: an adjective describes a noun, a verb shows action or state, and a conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Here, "pleasantly" does none of those; it modifies the adjective "surprised."
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'run-of-the-mill' as used in 'My new car is run-of-the-mill'
A)
quite ordinary
B)
extra ordinary
C)
beautiful
D)
surprising
"Run-of-the-mill" means ordinary, average, or not special. So in "My new car is run-of-the-mill," it means the car is quite ordinary. The other options are incorrect because "beautiful" refers to appearance, "extra ordinary" means exceptional or unusual, and "surprising" means unexpected—none of which match the idiom.
Identify the correct preposition to fill in the blank: 'There is a bridge _____________ the river.'
A)
Near
B)
Across
C)
On
D)
Along
"Across" is correct because a bridge spans from one side of a river to the other, so it is said to be "across the river." The other options are incorrect: "near" only means close to the river, not spanning it; "on" is not the natural preposition for a bridge in this context; and "along" means following the length of something, which does not fit a bridge crossing a river.
Identify the correct notion expressed by the sentence: 'Jan is a student. She lives in a big city'
A)
exclamatory
B)
assertive
C)
affirmative
D)
negative
The sentence "Jan is a student. She lives in a big city" states facts and makes a positive statement, so it is an affirmative sentence. It is not exclamatory because it does not express strong emotion or end with an exclamation mark. It is not negative because it contains no negation such as "not" or "never." "Assertive" is sometimes used as a synonym for declarative, but in this question the intended notion is "affirmative," which is the correct option.
Analyse the sentence and choose the correct option: 'Most of the students are engineering majors, and they devote every minute of their spare time to their sport.'
A)
Simple sentence
B)
Complex sentence
C)
Compound sentence
The sentence is a compound sentence because it contains two independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "and": (1) "Most of the students are engineering majors" and (2) "they devote every minute of their spare time to their sport." Each clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. It is not a simple sentence because it has more than one independent clause. It is not a complex sentence because there is no dependent clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word 'mine' in the sentence: 'That policeman is a friend of mine.'
A)
Adjective
B)
Noun
C)
Pronoun
D)
Verb
The word 'mine' in 'That policeman is a friend of mine' is a possessive pronoun. It stands for 'my friend' and avoids repeating the noun phrase. Therefore, the correct part of speech is Pronoun.
Why others are incorrect:
- Noun: 'mine' is not naming a person, place, or thing here; it is replacing a noun phrase.
- Verb: it does not show action or state.
- Adjective: it is not directly describing a noun; instead, it functions independently as a pronoun.
Identify the word that gives the nearest meaning of the underlined word 'except' in the sentence: 'I’ll take all the flavours except orange'
A)
accept
B)
beside
C)
barring
D)
explicit
The correct answer is **c) barring**. In the sentence, **except** means **excluding** or **not including**: “I’ll take all the flavours except orange” = I’ll take all flavours **barring** orange.
Why the others are wrong:
- **a) accept** means to receive or agree to take, which is the opposite of the intended meaning.
- **b) beside** means next to or alongside, not excluding.
- **d) explicit** means clearly stated, not related to exclusion.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'away with the fairies' as used in 'She’s always away with the fairies'
A)
Not facing reality
B)
On the basis of reality
C)
Shocking stage
D)
Very sad
"Away with the fairies" means someone is absent-minded, dreamy, or not paying attention to reality. So in "She’s always away with the fairies," the correct meaning is "Not facing reality." The other options are incorrect: "Very sad" does not match the idiom, "Shocking stage" is unrelated, and "On the basis of reality" is the opposite of the idiom’s meaning.
Based on the passage, the word 'Manipulation' means:
A)
taking advantage
B)
influence cleverly
C)
bullying
D)
maltreating
Here, manipulation means influencing someone or something cleverly.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: 'Argus eyed' as used in 'The detective inspected the scene Argus eyed'
A)
Doubtful
B)
Very Confident
C)
Very Calm
D)
Careful
"Argus-eyed" means watchful, vigilant, or very careful. In the sentence, the detective inspected the scene with great attention, so "Careful" is the correct meaning. The other options are incorrect because "Very Confident" does not relate to close observation, "Very Calm" refers to a state of mind rather than careful watching, and "Doubtful" means uncertain, which is not the idiom’s meaning.
Identify the correct notion expressed by the sentence: 'Go ahead, make my day'
A)
imperative
B)
assertive
C)
affirmative
D)
negative
The sentence "Go ahead, make my day" is an imperative sentence because it gives a command or challenge to someone to do something. Imperative sentences are used to order, request, or urge action, which fits this phrase. The other options are incorrect: "affirmative" means a positive statement, not a command; "assertive" is not the standard grammatical category here and does not describe this sentence type; "negative" would express denial or refusal, which this sentence does not.