WBPSC Clerkship English Previous Year Questions with Answers

Correct Answer: (A) for

The verb search takes the preposition for when we name the thing being looked for, so the sentence reads “The customs were searching for drugs at the airport.” Here customs means the customs department, so it takes a plural verb (were).

Exam Facts

• Rule: search for something = try to find it; search someone or a place = examine it (e.g. “They searched the bags“).
• Search for pairs with look for, hunt for and seek (seek takes no preposition).
• Example: “Police are searching for the missing child.”
• Search on (option B) is used for websites, e.g. “search on Google”, not for the object being sought.
• Search in (option C) names the place searched, e.g. “searched in the drawer”, not the thing wanted.
• Search at (option D) names a location, e.g. “searched at the airport”, so it cannot introduce “drugs”.
• Customs (always plural in this sense) = the government department that checks imported goods and collects duties.
• Related: in search of = looking for, e.g. “He went in search of work.”
• Prepositional verbs to remember: long for, wait for, apply for, pray for, yearn for.
• Exam tip: decide whether the noun after the blank is the thing sought (for) or the place searched (in/at).

Correct Answer: (D) to

Explanation

The verb accede (= agree to a request or demand) is always followed by to, so the sentence reads “He acceded to my request.” This is a fixed verb + preposition combination listed in Wren & Martin.

Exam Facts

• Rule: accede to a request, demand, proposal or treaty; also accede to the throne = become king or queen.
• Synonyms of accede: agree, consent, assent, comply; all except comply also take to (comply takes with).
• Antonyms: refuse, reject, decline, turn down.
• Example: “The government acceded to the workers’ demands.”
• Noun form: accession, e.g. “accession of a state to India”, “accession to the throne”.
• For (option A) goes with verbs like ask for, apply for, not accede.
• Of (option B) goes with approve of, consist of, never with accede.
• On (option C) goes with insist on, depend on, rely on.
• Do not confuse accede with exceed (go beyond) or concede (admit or yield, takes that or an object).
• Similar fixed pairs: assent to, consent to, object to, succumb to, yield to.

Correct Answer: (A) Ambiguous

Explanation

Equivocal means open to more than one interpretation, deliberately vague or unclear, so its synonym is Ambiguous. An equivocal reply avoids committing to a clear answer.

Exam Facts

• Origin: Latin aequus (equal) + vox (voice): “speaking equally” for two meanings.
• Synonyms: ambiguous, vague, evasive, noncommittal, cryptic, obscure.
• Antonyms: unequivocal, clear, definite, explicit, categorical.
• Verb: equivocate = to speak vaguely to avoid the truth; noun equivocation.
• Example: “The minister gave an equivocal answer about the price rise.”
• Equal (option B) means the same in amount or value; it only looks similar in spelling.
• Clear (option C) is in fact an antonym of equivocal.
• Vocal (option D) means expressing opinions loudly or relating to the voice.
• Common phrase: “unequivocal support” = full, clear support with no doubt.
• Exam tip: do not be misled by look-alike roots (equi-, voc-); always go by the meaning.

Correct Answer: (A) Adjective

Explanation

In “men of like build and stature”, like qualifies the nouns build and stature and means similar or of the same kind, so it is used as an Adjective. Wren & Martin lists this adjectival use, as in “like causes produce like effects”.

Exam Facts

• Rule: a word that qualifies a noun is an adjective; here like = similar.
• Like as preposition: “He runs like a deer” (followed by a noun or pronoun object, meaning “in the manner of”).
• Like as verb: “I like music.”
• Like as noun: “We shall not see his like again”; “likes and dislikes”.
• Like as conjunction (informal): “Do it like I told you” (formal: as).
• Like as adverb is rare and informal (“It’s like cold today”), not the case here.
• Option B (Noun) would need like to act as a naming word, which it does not here.
• Option C (Preposition) would need like to govern an object; here it stands before nouns as a qualifier.
• Related adjectives: alike (predicative only), likely, unlike; proverb “like father, like son”.
• Exam tip: the same word can be different parts of speech; decide by its function in the sentence.

Correct Answer: (D) bear

Explanation

Bear as a verb means tolerate or endure, so “He could not bear to see his brother in any kind of distress” is correct. The other options are homophones or wrong forms.

Exam Facts

• Rule: cannot bear + to-infinitive or -ing = cannot tolerate, e.g. “I can’t bear waiting.”
• Verb forms: bear – bore – borne (carry, endure); born is used only for birth in the passive.
• Bare (option A) means uncovered or naked (adj.) or to uncover (verb), e.g. “bare feet”.
• Beer (option B) is an alcoholic drink, unrelated in meaning.
• Bore (option C) is the past tense of bear, but “could not” needs the base form; bore also means to make dull or drill.
• Rule: after modals (could, can, should) use the bare infinitive (base form) of the verb.
• Synonyms of bear (endure): tolerate, stand, put up with, abide, brook.
• Bear as a noun = the animal; bear market = falling share prices (Economy term).
• Other homophone pairs: fair/fare, pair/pear, stationary/stationery.
• Exam tip: check both meaning and verb form in spelling-based blanks.

Correct Answer: (B) So do I.

Explanation

To agree with a positive statement whose verb is like (simple present, auxiliary do), the short response is So + auxiliary + subject, i.e. “So do I.” The auxiliary must match the tense and verb of the original statement.

Exam Facts

• Rule: positive agreement = So + aux + subject (So do I, So am I, So have I, So can I).
• Negative agreement = Neither/Nor + aux + subject, e.g. “I don’t like tea.” “Neither do I.”
• “I am tired.” → “So am I.” (be verb); “I like ice-cream.” → “So do I.” (main verb uses do).
• So am I (option A) is wrong because the statement does not use the verb be.
• So I do (option C) has the wrong order; it means “yes, indeed I do”, not agreement with another person.
• I also like (option D) is incomplete since like is transitive and needs an object (I also like it).
• Informal alternatives: “Me too“, “Same here“.
• Past tense: “I liked the film.” → “So did I.”
• Perfect tense: “I have finished.” → “So have I.”
• Exam tip: find the auxiliary in the statement; if none, use do/does/did.

Correct Answer: (D) pack

Explanation

The collective noun for wolves is a pack: “a pack of wolves”. Packs also apply to hounds and dogs and, by extension, to cards and lies.

Exam Facts

• Collective noun rule: groups of particular animals have fixed names (Wren & Martin list).
• Pack is used for wolves, hounds, dogs, cards (a pack of cards) and lies (a pack of lies).
• Herd (option A) is for cattle, elephants, deer, buffaloes.
• Colony (option B) is for ants, bats, penguins and rabbits.
• Drove (option C) is for cattle or sheep being driven, and for oxen.
• Other common ones: a pride of lions, a swarm of bees, a flock of sheep or birds, a school of fish.
• Also: a gaggle of geese, a troop of monkeys, a litter of puppies, a brood of chickens.
• Group of people: a crowd of people, a band of musicians, a gang of thieves, a bench of judges.
• Collective nouns usually take a singular verb: “A pack of wolves is roaming the hills.”
• Exam tip: learn collective nouns in sets (animals, people, things).

Correct Answer: (C) pronoun

Explanation

Me stands in place of the speaker’s name, so it is a pronoun; specifically the objective case of the first person personal pronoun “I”, used here as the object of the verb meet.

Exam Facts

• Personal pronouns: I/me, we/us, you, he/him, she/her, it, they/them.
• Me is in the objective (accusative) case: object of a verb (meet me) or of a preposition (with me).
• Noun (option A) names a person, place or thing; me only replaces a noun.
• Adverb (option B) modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, e.g. “come quickly“.
• Modal verb (option D) means can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must.
• Common error: “Between you and I” is wrong; correct is “between you and me“.
• Possessive forms: my (possessive adjective) and mine (possessive pronoun).
• Reflexive form: myself, e.g. “I hurt myself.”
• In the sentence, my in “my office” is a possessive determiner (adjective).
• Exam tip: identify part of speech by function: replacing a noun = pronoun.

Correct Answer: (B) Bee

Explanation

A drone is the male honeybee, whose main role is to mate with the queen; the female is simply the bee (worker bee or queen bee), so the feminine of drone is Bee. This pair appears in standard gender lists (Wren & Martin).

Exam Facts

• Masculine drone – feminine bee (queen bee lays eggs; worker bees are sterile females).
• Duck (option A) is the feminine of drake.
• Filly (option C) is the feminine of colt (young horse); adult pair is stallion – mare.
• Doe (option D) is the feminine of buck (deer, rabbit, hare); also stag – hind.
• Other animal pairs: gander – goose, cock – hen, bull – cow, dog – bitch, ram – ewe, boar – sow.
• Drones have no sting and do not collect nectar or pollen.
• Drones develop from unfertilised eggs (parthenogenesis).
• A colony is led by a single queen; the rest are mostly workers (female).
• Modern meaning of drone also = unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Correct Answer: (B) put his foot down

Explanation

To put one’s foot down means to take a firm stand and refuse to change one’s position, which matches “he refused to yield.” So the sentence becomes “I begged him to reconsider his decision but he put his foot down.”

Exam Facts

• Idiom: put one’s foot down = be firm, insist, refuse to give way.
• Example: “When the children asked to stay up late, their mother put her foot down.”
• Took to his heels (option A) = ran away.
• Turned his head (option C) literally = looked aside; “turn someone’s head” = make someone proud or vain.
• Took to heart (option D) = was deeply affected or upset by something.
• Synonyms of refuse to yield: stand firm, dig one’s heels in, hold one’s ground, stick to one’s guns.
• Antonyms: give in, give way, back down, cave in.
• Related idiom: put one’s best foot forward = try one’s best.
• Related idiom: put one’s foot in one’s mouth = say something embarrassing.
• Exam tip: replace the underlined part with each idiom and check that the meaning stays the same.

Correct Answer: (A) The wall is being built by the mason.

Explanation

“The mason is building the wall” is in the present continuous tense, whose passive is is/are + being + past participle, so the passive is “The wall is being built by the mason.” The object the wall becomes the subject.

Exam Facts

• Rule: present continuous passive = am/is/are + being + V3.
• Steps: object becomes subject, verb changes to passive form, subject becomes agent with by.
• Past participle of build is built (build – built – built).
• Option B (is been build) is ungrammatical: is been is not a valid form and build is not the participle.
• Option C (The mason build wall) is active, ungrammatical (no -s, no article) and not passive.
• Option D (The mason is built by the wall) reverses the meaning.
• Simple present passive: “The wall is built by the mason.”
• Present perfect passive: “The wall has been built by the mason.”
• Simple past passive: “The wall was built by the mason.”
• Exam tip: keep the tense unchanged when converting active to passive.

Correct Answer: (A) Selfish

Explanation

Magnanimous means generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival or a less powerful person, so its antonym is Selfish (or mean, petty). The word comes from Latin magnus (great) + animus (soul): “great-souled”.

Exam Facts

• Synonyms: generous, charitable, big-hearted, noble, benevolent.
• Antonyms: selfish, mean, petty, small-minded, vindictive.
• Noun form: magnanimity, e.g. “He showed magnanimity in victory.”
• Generous (option B) is a synonym, not an antonym.
• Courageous (option C) means brave; its antonym is cowardly.
• Ignoramus (option D) is a noun meaning an ignorant person, so it cannot be an antonym of an adjective.
• Example: “The magnanimous king pardoned the rebels.”
• Related: pusillanimous = cowardly, timid (“small-souled”), the classic opposite in roots.
• Antonym questions must keep the same part of speech (adjective for adjective).

“He replied that he worked whenever he liked” has one main clause (He replied) and subordinate clauses (that he worked, a noun clause; whenever he liked, an adverb clause), so it is a Complex sentence.

Exam Facts

• Complex sentence = one main clause + one or more subordinate clauses.
• Subordinating words: that, whenever, because, if, when, who, which, although.
• That he worked is a noun clause, object of replied.
• Whenever he liked is an adverb clause of time modifying worked.
• Simple sentence (option A) has only one finite verb; this has three (replied, worked, liked).
• Compound sentence (option B) joins independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, so).
• Exclamatory sentence (option D) expresses strong feeling and ends with !
• Compound example: “He worked hard and he passed.”
• Simple version: “He replied about working at his own convenience.”
• Exam tip: count the finite verbs and spot the conjunction type.

Correct Answer: (A) pulled down

Explanation

To pull down a building means to demolish or knock it down, so “The building was pulled down last year” keeps the meaning. Pull down is a transitive phrasal verb used in the passive here.

Exam Facts

• Phrasal verb: pull down = demolish, raze, knock down, tear down.
• Example: “The old cinema hall was pulled down to build a mall.”
• Turned down (option B) = rejected or refused, e.g. “turned down the offer”; also lowered volume.
• Gone down (option C) = decreased, sunk or been received, e.g. “prices have gone down“; it is intransitive and cannot be passive.
• Made down (option D) is not a standard English phrasal verb.
• Synonyms of demolish: raze, level, flatten, dismantle, bulldoze.
• Antonyms: build, construct, erect, put up.
• Other uses of pull: pull up (stop a vehicle), pull through (recover), pull off (succeed).
• Noun: demolition.
• Exam tip: only transitive phrasal verbs can take the passive (was pulled down).

Correct Answer: (A) This story is not incomplete.

Explanation

The question is flawed: “This story is incomplete” is already an affirmative sentence, and no option keeps its exact meaning, but the official WBPSC answer key (Series A, 20.02.2025) marks (A) “This story is not incomplete“, treating the required change as a change of form with not. The grammatically correct transformation of the given sentence would be the negative “This story is not complete“, which is not among the options.

Exam Facts

• Rule for transformation: change the form (affirmative ↔ negative) but never the meaning.
• Affirmative to negative: use not + the antonym, e.g. “He is honest” → “He is not dishonest“.
• Negative to affirmative: remove not and use the antonym, e.g. “This story is not complete” → “This story is incomplete“.
• So the question appears to have been set in reverse; the examiner’s intended pair is complete/incomplete.
• Option A (not incomplete) adds a double negative, which logically means “complete”, the opposite sense.
• Option B (This story is complete) also reverses the meaning of the original.
• Option C (Completeness is there) changes the meaning and is awkward.
• Option D (totally complete) changes the meaning and adds an intensifier.
• Prefixes that make negatives: in- (incomplete), un- (unhappy), dis- (dishonest), im- (impossible), il- (illegal), ir- (irregular).

Correct Answer: (D) come off

Explanation

Come off means to succeed or to take place as planned, so “The plan did not come off” keeps the meaning of “did not succeed”. It is an intransitive phrasal verb.

Exam Facts

• Phrasal verb: come off = succeed, happen as planned; also = become detached (a button came off).
• Example: “The surprise party came off perfectly.”
• Come on (option A) = hurry up or encouragement; also start (a light came on).
• Come in (option B) = enter; also arrive or become fashionable.
• Come along (option C) = accompany, or make progress (“How is the work coming along?”).
• Synonyms of succeed: work out, pay off, pan out, click.
• Antonyms: fail, fall through, flop, misfire.
• Related: fall through = fail to happen (“The deal fell through“).
• Other come phrasal verbs: come across (find by chance), come by (obtain), come round (regain consciousness).
• Exam tip: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the tense (did not + base form).

Correct Answer: (D) He was refused admittance by the guard.

Explanation

“The guard refused him (indirect object) admittance (direct object)” has two objects; in the passive the indirect object usually becomes the subject, giving “He was refused admittance by the guard.” The tense (simple past) and the words are kept unchanged.

Exam Facts

• Rule: simple past passive = was/were + past participle (refused).
• With two objects, either can become the subject: “He was refused admittance” or “Admittance was refused to him“.
• The personal object as subject is the more natural and preferred form.
• Option A (The guard refused to let him in) is still in the active voice.
• Option B (Admission was not granted) changes the verb (refused → not granted) and the noun.
• Option C (He was not admitted) changes the verb and drops admittance.
• Similar verbs with two objects: give, offer, tell, show, deny, grant.
• Example: “They offered me a job” → “I was offered a job.”
• Admittance = permission to enter; admission = entry or acceptance (to a school, etc.).
• Exam tip: in voice change, the verb itself must stay the same; only its form changes.

Correct Answer: (D) was all ears

Explanation

To be all ears means to listen eagerly and attentively, so “He was all ears when his boss spoke” correctly replaces “listened”. It is an idiom that takes the verb be.

Exam Facts

• Idiom: be all ears = listen with full attention.
• Example: “Tell me your plan; I am all ears.”
• Heard carefully (option A) is a plain phrase, not an idiom, and hear is not the same as listen.
• Paid his ears (option B) is not an English idiom; the correct expression is pay attention or pay heed.
• Gave his ears (option C) is wrong; the idiom is “give ear to” (listen) or “would give one’s ears” (want very badly).
• Related idioms: lend an ear = listen sympathetically; turn a deaf ear = refuse to listen.
• Related: play it by ear = act without a plan; up to one’s ears = deeply involved or busy.
• Related: walls have ears = someone may be overhearing.
• Synonyms of listen: heed, attend, hearken.
• Exam tip: idioms have fixed wording; any change (his ears, paid) breaks the idiom.

Correct Answer: (C) diseases of the eye.

Explanation

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specialises in diseases and surgery of the eye. The word comes from Greek ophthalmos (eye) + -logy (study).

Exam Facts

• Spelling tip: oph-thal-mol-o-gist has two hs (ph and th).
• Optometrist tests eyesight and prescribes lenses; an optician makes or sells spectacles.
• Option A (brain): a neurologist treats brain and nerve disorders; a psychiatrist treats mental illness.
• Option B (respiratory system): a pulmonologist treats lung and breathing diseases.
• Option D (skin disease): a dermatologist treats skin; a leprologist treats leprosy specifically.
• Other specialists: cardiologist (heart), nephrologist (kidney), hepatologist (liver), orthopaedist (bones).
• More: paediatrician (children), gynaecologist (women’s reproductive system), oncologist (cancer).
• ENT or otorhinolaryngologist treats ear, nose and throat.
• Common eye disorders: cataract, glaucoma, myopia (short sight), hypermetropia (long sight).

Correct Answer: (B) can, as, as, on

Explanation

The correct sentence is “A man can live as satisfactorily as he does at present on half his present income.” It uses the comparison as + adverb + as and the prepositional verb live on (subsist on an amount of money).

Exam Facts

• Rule: equal comparison = as + adjective/adverb + as, e.g. “as fast as“.
• Live on = depend on an income or a food for survival, e.g. “live on a pension”, “live on rice”.
• Can expresses present ability or possibility, matching “he does at present”.
• Option A (could, very, as, by) breaks the as…as pattern and “live by” means follow a rule (“live by one’s principles”).
• Option C (would, as, like, with) wrongly uses like in a comparison clause with a verb; formal English uses as.
• Option D (will, very, since, by) gives no comparison; since means because or from a time.
• Negative comparison: not so/as … as, e.g. “He is not so tall as his brother.”
• Like vs as: like + noun (“like a hero”); as + clause (“as he does”).
• Similar: “She can live on a small salary.”
• Exam tip: in multi-blank items, test the fixed pairs first (as…as, live on) to eliminate options fast.

Correct Answer: (D) burnt his fingers

Explanation

To burn one’s fingers means to suffer as a result of meddling in something or taking a foolish risk, so “He burnt his fingers by interfering in his neighbour’s affairs” fits. The idiom matches “got himself into trouble”.

Exam Facts

• Idiom: burn one’s fingers (or get one’s fingers burnt) = suffer loss or harm from rash action.
• Example: “He burnt his fingers in the share market.”
• Strained every nerve (option A) = tried as hard as possible.
• Took to heart (option B) = was deeply hurt or affected by something.
• Out of spirits (option C) = sad, depressed, low; it also does not fit the grammar of the sentence.
• Synonyms of get into trouble: land in hot water, get into a fix, come to grief.
• Related idiom: poke one’s nose into = interfere in others’ affairs.
• Related: play with fire = take a dangerous risk.
• Related: in hot water = in trouble.
• Exam tip: the replacement must fit the tense and structure (got → burnt, past tense).

Correct Answer: (D) can

Explanation

The modal can expresses permission or possibility, and the present-tense condition “if we wish” shows a still-valid policy, so “The online store informed that we can cancel the order we placed, if we wish” is correct.

Exam Facts

• Rule: can = ability, permission, possibility; could = its past or polite form.
• In indirect speech, a universal or still-true statement may keep the present tense (can).
• Shall (option A) expresses future or obligation in formal style, mainly with I/we; it does not give permission here.
• Would (option B) is conditional or past of will; “would cancel” means we were going to cancel, not that we are allowed to.
• Will (option C) expresses future intention or certainty, not permission.
• Example: “You can return the product within 7 days.”
• Modals of permission: can, could, may, might.
• Modals of obligation: must, have to, should, ought to.
• Modals are followed by the bare infinitive (cancel), never “to cancel”.
• Exam tip: read the if-clause; “if we wish” signals a choice, i.e. permission.

Correct Answer: (C) given up

Explanation

To give up means to stop doing something, especially a habit, so “I have given up smoking” correctly replaces “stopped”. Give up is followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).

Exam Facts

• Phrasal verb: give up = quit, abandon, stop; also surrender.
• Example: “He gave up sugar for health reasons.”
• Given in to (option A) = surrendered or yielded to (someone or a demand), e.g. “gave in to pressure”.
• Given to (option B) = having a habit or tendency, e.g. “He is given to exaggeration”.
• Given on (option D) is not a standard phrasal verb.
• Synonyms of stop (a habit): quit, kick (informal), abandon, renounce, abstain from.
• Antonyms: take up, start, continue, resume.
• Other give phrasal verbs: give away (donate or reveal), give off (emit), give out (distribute or fail).
• Present perfect: have + past participle (given).
• Exam tip: check the verb form after have (given, not gave).

Correct Answer: (C) Compound sentence

Explanation

“The moon was bright” and “we could see our way” are two independent (main) clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction and, so it is a Compound sentence. Neither clause depends on the other.

Exam Facts

• Compound sentence = two or more main clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions.
• Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
• Complex sentence (option A) needs a subordinate clause, e.g. “As the moon was bright, we could see our way.”
• Simple sentence (option B) has one finite verb, e.g. “Because of the bright moon, we could see our way.”
• Exclamatory sentence (option D) expresses strong emotion, e.g. “How bright the moon was!“
• Finite verbs here: was and could see (two clauses).
• Each clause in a compound sentence can stand alone as a sentence.
• Semicolon can also join clauses: “The moon was bright; we could see our way.”
• Transformation: compound to complex by replacing and with as/since/because.
• Exam tip: and/but/or/so signal compound; that/when/because/if signal complex.

Correct Answer: (B) Glorious

Explanation

The adjective formed from the noun glory is glorious (glory → glori + -ous), meaning having or deserving great fame, or very beautiful. For example, “a glorious victory”.

Exam Facts

• Word family: glory (noun), glorify (verb), glorious (adjective), gloriously (adverb), glorification (noun).
• Suffix -ous forms adjectives: fame → famous, danger → dangerous, courage → courageous.
• Spelling rule: final y after a consonant changes to i before a suffix (glory → glorious).
• Gloried (option A) is the past tense of the verb glory (“gloried in his success”).
• Glorification (option C) is a noun (the act of glorifying).
• Gloriously (option D) is an adverb (“the sun shone gloriously”).
• Synonyms of glorious: magnificent, splendid, illustrious, celebrated.
• Antonyms: shameful, ignominious, inglorious, dull.
• Example: “India’s glorious past.”
• Exam tip: identify the part of speech by its suffix (-ous adjective, -ly adverb, -tion noun).

Correct Answer: (B) had to

Explanation

The first clause “The car broke down” is in the past tense, so the obligation must also be past: “we had to get a taxi”. Had to is the past form of have to and of must for obligation.

Exam Facts

• Rule: must has no past form; use had to for past necessity.
• Sequence of tenses: past action (broke down) is followed by past obligation (had to).
• Have to (option A) is present tense and does not agree with broke down.
• Must (option C) refers to present or future obligation.
• Got to (option D) is informal and needs have: “have got to” (present).
• Example: “The bus was late, so I had to walk.”
• Future obligation: will have to, e.g. “We will have to wait.”
• Negative: didn’t have to = no necessity; mustn’t = prohibition.
• Phrasal verb break down = stop working (machine) or collapse emotionally.
• Exam tip: match the modal or semi-modal to the tense of the main clause.

Correct Answer: (B) fallen out

Explanation

To fall out (with someone) means to quarrel and stop being friendly, so “He has fallen out with her” keeps the meaning. Fallen is the past participle of fall (fall – fell – fallen).

Exam Facts

• Phrasal verb: fall out with = quarrel, have a disagreement; noun falling-out.
• Example: “The two partners fell out over money.”
• Fallen in (option A) = (of soldiers) lined up, or (of a roof) collapsed inward; fall in love is a separate idiom.
• Fallen over (option C) = tripped and fell to the ground, toppled.
• Fallen down (option D) = dropped to the ground; collapsed.
• Synonyms of quarrel: argue, squabble, wrangle, row, bicker.
• Antonyms: make up, reconcile, patch up.
• Other fall phrasal verbs: fall through (fail), fall back on (rely on in need), fall for (be deceived by or fall in love with).
• Present perfect: has + fallen.
• Exam tip: phrasal verbs with the same verb (fall in/out/over/down) are classic distractors; learn their meanings in sets.

Correct Answer: (B) latter

Explanation

Latter means the second of two or the last part of something divided in two, so “The latter half of the play was uninteresting” is correct. Its pair is former (the first of two).

Exam Facts

• Rule: late – later – latest refer to time; late – latter – last refer to order/position.
• Later (option A) means afterwards in time, e.g. “I will call you later.”
• Latest (option C) means most recent, e.g. “the latest news”.
• Late (option D) means after the proper time, or recently deceased (“the late Mr Sen”).
• Former/latter pair: “Ram and Shyam came; the former is my brother, the latter my friend.”
• Fixed phrases: latter half, latter part, in the latter days.
• Last = final in a series; latest = newest.
• Other confusing comparatives: elder/older, farther/further, less/fewer.
• Example: “The latter half of the 19th century saw the Bengal Renaissance flourish.”
• Exam tip: when two parts are compared (half, two items), choose former/latter.

Correct Answer: (A) He was laughed at by all his friends.

Explanation

“All his friends laughed at him” is simple past active with the prepositional verb laugh at; its object him becomes the subject He, and the preposition at stays with the verb: “He was laughed at by all his friends.”

Exam Facts

• Rule: simple past passive = was/were + past participle.
• With prepositional verbs (laugh at, look after, send for), keep the preposition after the verb in the passive.
• So “laughed at by” contains two prepositions together, which is correct.
• Object pronoun him changes to subject pronoun he; subject all his friends becomes the agent by all his friends.
• Option B (His friends laughed at him) is still active and drops “all”.
• Option C (were laughing at him) is active and changes the tense to past continuous.
• Option D (He laughed at all his friends) reverses who did the action.
• Similar: “They looked after the child” → “The child was looked after by them.”
• Similar: “She sent for the doctor” → “The doctor was sent for by her.”
• Exam tip: never drop the preposition of a prepositional verb in the passive.

Correct Answer: (C) Simile and Alliteration

Explanation

“Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale” compares life to a story told twice using as … as, which makes it a Simile; the repeated t sound in “tedious”, “twice-told tale” is Alliteration. The line is from Shakespeare’s King John (Act III, Scene 4), spoken by Lewis the Dauphin.

Exam Facts

• Simile: an explicit comparison using like or as, e.g. “as brave as a lion”.
• Alliteration: repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, e.g. “Peter Piper picked”.
• Metaphor (option A) is an implied comparison without like/as, e.g. “Life is a twice-told tale”; so option A is wrong.
• Apostrophe (option B) is addressing an absent person or thing, e.g. “O Death, where is thy sting?”
• Hyperbole (option B) is deliberate exaggeration, e.g. “I have told you a million times.”
• Personification (option D) gives human qualities to non-living things, e.g. “The wind whispered.”
• Full lines: “Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale / Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.”
• Tedious = boring, wearisome; a twice-told tale = a story heard before, hence dull.
• Other figures: oxymoron (bitter-sweet), onomatopoeia (buzz), irony, metonymy.
• Exam tip: “as … as” or “like” = simile; then look for repeated sounds for alliteration.

Correct Answer: (A) looking

Explanation

The sentence is in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense, whose structure is have/has + been + verb-ing. After “have been” the verb must take the -ing (present participle) form, so “I have been looking at the painting” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) borrow-lend

Explanation

Borrow means to take something with the promise of returning it, while lend means to give something for a time. They describe the same transaction from opposite sides, so borrow-lend is the only pair of antonyms; the other pairs are synonyms.

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Correct Answer: (C) bored

Explanation

Bored is the -ed participial adjective that describes how a person feels, while boring describes the thing that causes the feeling. Since “people” are the ones feeling the emotion after “get”, the correct word is “bored“.

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Correct Answer: (C) The peon opened the gate.

Explanation

“The gate was opened by the peon” is in the passive voice (simple past). In the active voice the agent “the peon” becomes the subject, “the gate” becomes the object, and “was opened” becomes the simple past “opened“: The peon opened the gate.

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Correct Answer: (C) on

Explanation

The preposition “on” is used for something resting on the surface of another thing. A phone lying on top of the bed is on its surface, so “He left his phone on the bed” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) Adjective Clause

Explanation

The underlined part “which has a broken handle” begins with the relative pronoun “which” and describes the noun “umbrella“. A clause that works like an adjective by qualifying a noun is an Adjective (Relative) Clause.

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Correct Answer: (A) I am not better than he is.

Explanation

“He is as good as I am” means the two are equal, so neither is better. To express this in a negative form without changing the meaning, we write “I am not better than he is.” This is the standard positive → negative transformation.

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Correct Answer: (A) The Romans expected to conquer Carthage.

Explanation

The sentence “It was expected by the Romans that they would conquer Carthage” is passive; the doers are “the Romans“. In the active voice they become the subject: “The Romans expected that they would conquer Carthage”, which is shortened with an infinitive to “The Romans expected to conquer Carthage.“

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Correct Answer: (B) Deer

Explanation

Deer has the same form in singular and plural: one deer, many deer. “Deers” is incorrect in standard English.

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Correct Answer: (B) antithesis

Explanation

“United we stand, divided we fall” places two opposite ideas (united/divided, stand/fall) side by side in a balanced structure. This deliberate contrast is Antithesis.

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Correct Answer: (D) run into

Explanation

To incur debt means to get into debt. The idiom “run into debt” has exactly this meaning, so “He has run into debt” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Explanation

“Will have been studying” follows the pattern will/shall + have been + verb-ing, which is the Future Perfect Continuous Tense. It shows an action continuing over a period up to a point in the future (when he gets his degree) with the duration “for four years“.

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Correct Answer: (C) step up

Explanation

The phrasal verb “step up” means to increase the amount, speed or intensity of something. So “He must step up the production” correctly replaces “increase”.

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Correct Answer: (C) Hearing

Explanation

“Hearing” is the present participle (verb + -ing) that introduces the participial phrase “Hearing the noise”. It works like an adjective qualifying the subject “the boy“, so it is the participle.

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Correct Answer: (D) Parliament

Explanation

Parliament is a collective noun (a body of elected representatives treated as one unit), not an abstract noun. Goodness, youth and poverty are abstract nouns because they name a quality or state that cannot be touched.

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Correct Answer: (B) No other boy is as heavy as him.

Explanation

A superlative “the heaviest of all the boys” becomes positive by saying no one else equals him: “No other boy is as heavy as him (he).” This keeps the meaning that he is the heaviest.

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Correct Answer: (A) Present Perfect Tense

Explanation

“Have you read” uses have + past participle (read), which is the Present Perfect Tense. It asks about an experience at some time up to now, without naming the time.

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Correct Answer: (A) and

Explanation

The two clauses “We carved not a line” and “we raised not a stone” express two similar negative facts, so they are joined by the cumulative (coordinating) conjunction “and”. The line is from Charles Wolfe’s poem “The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna“: “We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone.”

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Correct Answer: (B) Set the Thames on fire

Explanation

The idiom “set the Thames on fire” means to do something remarkable or achieve great success. It is mostly used in the negative (“He will never set the Thames on fire“), which fits the sentence exactly.

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Correct Answer: (D) Discent

Explanation

“Discent” is not a valid English word, so it is the incorrect spelling. Dissent, decent and descent are all correctly spelt words with different meanings.

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Correct Answer: (C) Was he not a villain to do such a deed?

Explanation

The sentence is assertive and affirmative, so it is changed into a negative interrogative without changing the meaning: “Was he not a villain to do such a deed?” The question expects the answer “Yes, he was”, which keeps the original sense.

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Correct Answer: (C) The little

Explanation

“The little” means the small amount that there was (all of it, though not much). The sentence says the whole small quantity of grain they had was damaged, so “The little grain they had was damaged by sea-water” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (A) He is too weak to walk.

Explanation

The sentence “He is so weak that he cannot walk” contains a negative (cannot). Using the “too … to” construction removes “not” and expresses the same idea: “He is too weak to walk.”

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Correct Answer: (D) had

Explanation

“Have” meaning to suffer from (an illness) is a stative use, so it is not used in the continuous form here, and the main clause “stayed” is in the past. By the sequence of tenses, the reason clause is also in the past: “He stayed at home because he had a cold.”

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Correct Answer: (A) This book is more interesting than any other book I have read.

Explanation

A superlative “the most interesting book” becomes comparative with “more … than any other“: “This book is more interesting than any other book I have read.” This keeps the sense that it is the best of all.

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Correct Answer: (B) Lexicographer

Explanation

A Lexicographer is a person who compiles or writes dictionaries. The word comes from Greek lexikon (word-book) and graphein (to write).

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Correct Answer: (D) rang

Explanation

The main clause “I rushed” is in the simple past, so the time clause also takes the simple past: “when the doorbell rang“. Ring is an irregular verb: ring – rang – rung.

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Correct Answer: (B) Nothing ever happens by chance

Explanation

English follows the order Subject + Verb + Adverbial, and adverbs of frequency such as “ever” come before the main verb. So “Nothing ever happens by chance” is the only correct sentence.

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Correct Answer: (D) Antithesis

Explanation

“To err is human, to forgive divine” sets two opposite ideas side by side in balanced clauses: erring (a human weakness) against forgiving (a divine virtue). This deliberate contrast is Antithesis, which the official key accepts. The line is also often quoted as an epigram, but the figure it is built on is the antithesis between human and divine.

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Correct Answer: (D) Breach

Explanation

Among the options, “Breach” is the noun that comes from the same Old English root as “break” and means a break, gap or violation (a breach of contract, a breach in the wall). The official key gives Breach; “breaking” is only the gerund/verbal noun, and “broken” and “broke” are verb forms.

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Correct Answer: (A) their

Explanation

The subject “Birds” is plural, so the possessive adjective must also be plural: “their“. A pronoun or possessive must agree in number with its antecedent, so “Birds build their nests in trees” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) could

Explanation

“Could have + past participle” expresses an action that was possible in the past but did not happen, often used to show criticism or regret. The speaker means the listener was able to help more but did not, so “You could have done a bit more to help” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (A) put off

Explanation

Put off is a phrasal verb meaning to postpone or delay something to a later time. So “Please put off the decision till Monday” correctly replaces “postpone”.

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Correct Answer: (D) You are older than your sister.

Explanation

A negative interrogative (“Aren’t you…?”) expects a positive answer, so its assertive form is an affirmative statement in the same tense. “Aren’t you older than your sister?” therefore becomes “You are older than your sister.“

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Correct Answer: (B) Hadn’t they been waiting for her for two hours?

Explanation

To change an affirmative statement into a negative question that keeps its meaning, the first auxiliary is placed before the subject with “not“, and the tense is kept. The Past Perfect Continuous “had been waiting” becomes “Hadn’t they been waiting for her for two hours?”

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Correct Answer: (D) Proof

Explanation

Evidence means the facts, signs or information that show whether something is true or valid. Its closest synonym is “proof“.

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Correct Answer: (A) off an on

Explanation

The idiom “off and on” (also “on and off“) means occasionally or from time to time, not regularly. Option (A) prints it as “off an on”, a misprint of “off and on“, so “He visits me off and on” is the intended answer.

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Correct Answer: (A) The wall is being built by the mason.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the Present Continuous Tense, whose passive form is is/am/are + being + past participle. The object “the wall” becomes the subject, so it becomes “The wall is being built by the mason.“

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Correct Answer: (B) sells

Explanation

With a third-person singular subject (“She“) in the Simple Present Tense, the verb takes -s/-es. The verb is “sell“, so “She sells sea-shells by the sea-shore” is correct; it is also the famous English tongue-twister.

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Correct Answer: (B) Lazy

Explanation

Languid means slow, relaxed and lacking energy or effort. Its closest synonym among the options is “lazy“.

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Correct Answer: (A) by

Explanation

The preposition “by” is used to show the means of transport: by bus, by train, by air. So “I travel to my office by the metro railway” is the correct choice.

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Correct Answer: (C) on

Explanation

The verb “rely” always takes the preposition “on” (or “upon”), meaning to depend on someone or something with trust. So “We should rely on our own efforts” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (D) bull

Explanation

“A bull in a China shop” is an idiom for a person who is clumsy, careless or tactless in a situation that needs care. Hence the missing word is “bull“.

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Correct Answer: (A) should

Explanation

“Should” expresses moral obligation, duty or advice. Since breaking the camera creates a responsibility to replace it, “you should buy him a new one” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) find out

Explanation

Find out is a phrasal verb meaning to discover or learn a fact by enquiry or investigation. So “Experts are trying to find out the cause of the accident” correctly replaces “discover”.

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Correct Answer: (B) Cut-off

Explanation

Severed is the past form of “sever“, meaning to cut off completely or break off a relationship. So the meaning is “cut-off“.

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Correct Answer: (D) got away

Explanation

Get away means to escape, and the sentence is in the past tense (“escaped”), so the past form “got away” is needed. “The thieves got away with the stolen money” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) Variance

Explanation

Discrepancy means a lack of agreement or a difference between two things that should match, such as figures or statements. Its closest synonym is “variance“.

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Correct Answer: (C) take off

Explanation

Take off is a phrasal verb meaning to remove clothes, shoes or anything worn. So “Please take off your socks before you enter the room” correctly replaces “remove”.

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Correct Answer: (D) The resources will be consulted by me at the archives and a tour across the city will be undertaken.

Explanation

In the passive, each object becomes a subject and the verb becomes will be + past participle; the agent “I” becomes “by me” (objective case). So the full passive is “The resources will be consulted by me at the archives and a tour across the city will be undertaken.“

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Correct Answer: (B) hay

Explanation

The proverb “Make hay while the sun shines” means one should make good use of an opportunity while it lasts. Hay is dried grass, which can only be made in sunny weather, so the missing word is “hay“.

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Correct Answer: (B) Hypocritical

Explanation

Janus was the two-faced Roman god of doors, gates and beginnings, who looks both forward and backward. So “Janus-headed” or “Janus-faced” describes a two-faced, deceitful person, which matches “hypocritical“.

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Correct Answer: (A) swapped

Explanation

Swap means to exchange one thing for another. If reports were mixed up at a diagnostic centre, they were “swapped” (exchanged by mistake), which fits the sentence.

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Correct Answer: (A) food was

Explanation

“Food” is normally an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb, so “The food was cooked by him” is correct. “Foods” is used only for different kinds of food, and “fooding” is not a standard English word.

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Correct Answer: (C) This shirt is less expensive.

Explanation

A superlative with “least” changes to a comparative with “less“, keeping the sense that this shirt costs less than the others. Among the options, only “This shirt is less expensive.” uses the comparative degree; the full form is “This shirt is less expensive than any other shirt.”

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Correct Answer: (B) OMPN

Explanation

The sentence starts with the subject and verb (O: Alok Shukla led a successful campaign), followed by the purpose (M: to protect the Hasdeo Aranya forests), the description of the forests (P: known as the “lungs of Chhattisgarh”) and finally “from coal mining” (N). So the order is OMPN.

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Correct Answer: (A) resembles

Explanation

With a third-person singular subject (“Sita“) in the Simple Present Tense, the verb takes -s, so “Sita resembles her mother” is correct. “Resemble” is a stative verb, so it is not used in the continuous form.

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Correct Answer: (B) The two brothers are like each other.

Explanation

“Not unlike” is a double negative, and two negatives make a positive. So “The two brothers are not unlike each other” means “The two brothers are like each other“, i.e. they are similar.

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Correct Answer: (C) In view of

Explanation

“In view of” means because of or considering a particular fact. So “In view of the urgency of the case, we must act quickly” correctly replaces “Considering”.

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Correct Answer: (B) in

Explanation

“In due course” is a fixed phrase meaning at the appropriate time or eventually, without hurry. So “We will let you know about the process in due course” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (A) Homonym

Explanation

A homonym is a word that is spelt or pronounced like another word but has a completely different meaning, such as bank (river bank) and bank (money). The term comes from Greek homos (same) + onyma (name), so (A) Homonym is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) Herbivorous

Explanation

An animal that feeds on plants is herbivorous (Latin herba = grass/plant + vorare = to devour). Cows, goats, deer and elephants are typical herbivores, so (B) Herbivorous is the one-word substitute.

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Correct Answer: (C) Restriction

Explanation

The noun form of the verb restrict is restriction, formed with the noun suffix -ion (e.g. “There is a restriction on parking here”). So (C) Restriction is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) since

Explanation

With the present perfect continuous tense (“have been working“), a point of time takes since and a period of time takes for. “This morning” is a starting point, so the sentence is “We’ve been working since this morning”, option (C).

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Correct Answer: (C) pride

Explanation

The collective noun for lions is a pride: “a pride of lions“. So (C) pride is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) latter

Explanation

Latter means “the second of two” or “the later part” of something. A century is divided into two halves, so “the latter half of the eighteenth century” is correct, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (C) When evening came

Explanation

A clause is a group of words with a subject and a finite verb. In “Neha played when evening came”, “When evening came” is the subordinate (adverb) clause of time introduced by the conjunction when, so (C) is the clause asked for.

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Correct Answer: (B) Daughters-in-law

Explanation

In compound nouns like daughter-in-law, the plural is formed by changing the principal word, which is “daughter”. So the plural is daughters-in-law, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (A) Both (i) and (iii)

Explanation

To conform means to comply with rules or follow accepted standards. Its opposites are rebel (to resist authority) and conflict (to be in opposition or disagree), so (A) Both (i) and (iii) is correct.

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Correct Answer: (D) Abstract

Explanation

Wisdom is the name of a quality that cannot be seen or touched, so it is an abstract noun, option (D). Abstract nouns name qualities, states, actions or ideas.

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Correct Answer: (B) He said that he had passed the examination.

Explanation

When the reporting verb is in the past tense (“said”), the present perfect “have passed” changes to past perfect “had passed“, “I” becomes “he“, and that is used as the conjunction. So the indirect speech is “He said that he had passed the examination“, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (B) Adjective and Adjective

Explanation

Red-hot combines two adjectives, red and hot, to describe something so hot that it glows red. So it is a compound formed by Adjective + Adjective, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (D) Connotation

Explanation

The correct spelling is connotation, with double n and single t. It means the suggested or associated meaning of a word beyond its literal meaning, so option (D) is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) patrolled

Explanation

To patrol means to keep watch over an area by moving around it regularly, which is what an army does when a curfew is in force. So “The army patrolled the troubled places” is correct, option (C).

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Correct Answer: (C) Both (A) and (B)

Explanation

A simple sentence has only one finite verb. Both “In spite of not being confident he appeared for the interview” and “In spite of lacking in confidence he appeared for the interview” turn the first clause into a phrase with “in spite of”, leaving one finite verb (appeared). So (C) Both (A) and (B) is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) Easy

Explanation

Gruelling means extremely tiring and demanding, as in “a gruelling 10-hour march”. Its antonym is easy, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (C) (b), (c), (d), (a)

Explanation

The subject is “A gentleman” (b), described by the relative clause “who wishes to go abroad” (c), followed by the verb “has a dog” (d) and the infinitive “to sell” (a). The sentence is “A gentleman who wishes to go abroad has a dog to sell“, order b, c, d, a, option (C).

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Correct Answer: (D) Gerund

Explanation

In “The making of the plan is in hand”, “making” is the -ing form of the verb “make” used as the subject of the sentence, i.e. a gerund (verbal noun), option (D). Strict grammarians call it a verbal noun because it takes “the” before it and “of” after it, which makes option A arguable, but the standard answer is gerund.

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Correct Answer: (A) Truth

Explanation

Verisimilitude means the appearance of being true or real, i.e. truthfulness / likeness to truth (Latin verus = true + similis = like). Of the options, (A) Truth is closest.

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Correct Answer: (B) turn up

Explanation

Turn up means to arrive or appear, often unexpectedly or late. So “She did not turn up for the interview on time” replaces “appear”, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (A) Hypotheses

Explanation

Nouns ending in -is form their plural by changing -is to -es. So hypothesis → hypotheses, option (A).

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Correct Answer: (C) One who does not believe in the existence of God.

Explanation

An atheist is one who does not believe in the existence of God (Greek a- = without + theos = god). So option (C) is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) will be

Explanation

“One of my friends” takes a singular verb because the subject is “one“. With “this summer” (future time), the correct form is “One of my friends will be visiting me this summer” (future continuous), option (B).

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Correct Answer: (C) flock

Explanation

The proverb is “Birds of a (the same) feather flock together“, meaning people of similar character or interests associate with one another. So (C) flock is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) besides

Explanation

Besides means “in addition to“. “Our Sir teaches Mathematics besides English” means he teaches English and Mathematics too, so option (C) is correct.

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Correct Answer: (A) No other king as good as Alfred ever reigned in England.

Explanation

“Alfred was the best king that ever reigned in England” is a superlative statement. Its form using a negative (“no other“) with the positive degree is “No other king as good as Alfred ever reigned in England“, option (A).

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Correct Answer: (B) Hide

Explanation

To lurk means to hide or wait in a concealed place, usually with bad intent, as in “a thief lurking in the shadows”. Its synonym is hide, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (B) Verb

Explanation

In “That is a fault that will right itself”, “right” follows the auxiliary “will” and takes the object “itself“, so it is a verb meaning “to correct / set right“, option (B).

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Correct Answer: (B) He succeeded although his success was not expected.

Explanation

A complex sentence has one main clause and at least one subordinate clause. “He succeeded although his success was not expected” has the subordinate clause introduced by although, so option (B) is complex.

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Correct Answer: (B) Maps

Explanation

Cartography is the study and practice of making maps (French carte = map + Greek graphein = to write/draw). So (B) Maps is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) in

Explanation

The adjective successful takes the preposition in before a gerund or activity: “successful in completing the job”. We succeed in something and are successful in an attempt, so in is the only idiomatic choice.

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Correct Answer: (C) Begin

Explanation

Commence means to begin or to start, so Begin is its synonym. It is a formal word often used for official events, e.g. “The examination will commence at 10 a.m.”

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Correct Answer: (B) up

Explanation

Give up is a phrasal verb meaning to stop trying or to abandon an effort. Deepak could not solve the problem, so he decided to give up.

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Correct Answer: (C) credulous

Explanation

Credulous means too ready to believe things, i.e. gullible. A man who believed that God Himself had drunk the milk offered was credulous, so option C fits the sense.

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Correct Answer: (D) had heard

Explanation

When two past actions are mentioned, the earlier one takes the past perfect (had + V3) and the later one the simple past. He had heard the news first and then rushed to the hospital, so had heard is correct.

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Correct Answer: (D) He told me that he had never seen such a brilliant boy in his life.

Explanation

In indirect speech, “said to” becomes told, inverted commas are removed and that is added. The first person I becomes he, my becomes his, and the present perfect have seen becomes the past perfect had seen, giving option D.

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Correct Answer: (A) They laughed at the crazy girl.

Explanation

“The crazy girl was laughed at” is a passive with no agent; the hidden doer is they (people). In the active voice the object the crazy girl follows the prepositional verb laughed at: “They laughed at the crazy girl.”

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Correct Answer: (B) Cactus

Explanation

A cactus is a plant of hot, dry (desert) regions whose leaves are reduced to spines to cut water loss, while its thick green stem stores water and carries out photosynthesis. Hence option B fits the description.

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Correct Answer: (C) defend

Explanation

To attack is to act aggressively against someone; its opposite is to defend, i.e. to protect against an attack. Hence defend is the antonym.

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Correct Answer: (D) Huge

Explanation

Enormous means very large in size, amount or degree, so its synonym is Huge. Example: “an enormous elephant” or “an enormous amount of work”.

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Correct Answer: (C) smuggler

Explanation

A smuggler is a person who secretly and illegally takes goods into or out of a country to avoid customs duty or bans. This matches the definition exactly, so option C is correct.

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Correct Answer: (C) transformed

Explanation

The magician turned the handkerchief into a bird, i.e. changed its form completely. Transformed means changed in form or appearance, so it best replaces “turned”.

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Correct Answer: (A) with

Explanation

The adjective preoccupied takes the preposition with: to be preoccupied with something is to be completely absorbed in it. The pattern “too … to” then shows he could not think of other matters.

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Correct Answer: (C) Kites are being flown by the boys in the sky.

Explanation

The active sentence is in the present continuous (“are flying”), so the passive uses is/are + being + V3. The object kites becomes the subject: “Kites are being flown by the boys in the sky.”

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Correct Answer: (D) under

Explanation

Under means beneath or below something. A tired hawker would sit under the tree for shade, which is the natural meaning, so option D is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) between

Explanation

Traditional grammar uses between for two persons or things and among for more than two. Sita and Meera are two people, so they quarrelled between themselves.

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Correct Answer: (B) Call on

Explanation

To call on someone means to visit that person, usually briefly or formally. “He decided to call on him at his home” keeps the meaning of “visit”.

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Correct Answer: (A) at

Explanation

The adjective good takes at for skill in a subject or activity: “Ram was good at Chemistry”. Hence option A is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) Have you had your dinner?

Explanation

To make an interrogative from a sentence with have/has + V3 (present perfect), move the auxiliary have before the subject: “Have you had your dinner?” The tense and meaning stay the same.

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Correct Answer: (D) of

Explanation

The verb approve takes the preposition of when it means to think something is good or acceptable: “did not approve of her returning home so late”. Hence option D.

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Correct Answer: (C) was

Explanation

With neither … nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Here both Lata and Sujata are singular, and the time is past (“on 14th October”), so the singular past was is correct.

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Correct Answer: (A) except

Explanation

Except means excluding or other than: “All except Alok were present” means everyone came but Alok. The other options are look-alike words with different meanings.

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Correct Answer: (A) Exaggerate

Explanation

The correct spelling is Exaggerate, with double g and -erate. It means to make something seem larger, better or worse than it really is.

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Correct Answer: (D) Vital

Explanation

Essential means absolutely necessary or indispensable, and Vital has the same meaning. Example: “Water is essential/vital for life.”

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Correct Answer: (C) blood

Explanation

In cold blood is an idiom meaning deliberately and without pity or emotion. “The old lady was murdered in cold blood” means she was killed ruthlessly and on purpose.

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Correct Answer: (A) by

Explanation

After verbs such as seize, catch, hold and pull, the part of the body is introduced by by: “seized him by his arm” (more idiomatically “by the arm”). Hence option A.

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Correct Answer: (D) Hyphenated

Explanation

The correct spelling is Hyphenated, from the noun hyphen + -ated. It means joined with a hyphen, as in “well-known” or “mother-in-law”.

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Correct Answer: (A) stead

Explanation

Stand someone in good stead is an idiom meaning to be very useful or helpful to someone over time. His old shoes served him well during his travels, so stead completes it.

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Correct Answer: (D) illegible

Explanation

Illegible means impossible or hard to read because the writing is unclear. The examiner could not understand the handwriting because it was illegible.

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Correct Answer: (D) sufficient

Explanation

Adequate means enough or satisfactory for the purpose, and sufficient has the same meaning. “The time allowed should have been sufficient” keeps the sense.

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Correct Answer: (D) beside

Explanation

Beside means next to / by the side of, so “The cat sneaked in and sat beside the little girl” means it sat next to her. Besides means in addition to, and is a common trap; “under” changes the sense and “into” shows movement inside something, which does not fit “sat”.

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Correct Answer: (D) earth

Explanation

The idiom is move heaven and earth, meaning to make every possible effort to achieve something. So “He moved heaven and earth to get bail for his friend” means he tried everything possible. The other words (hell, sky, cosmos) do not form any standard idiom with “heaven”.

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Correct Answer: (B) The behaviour of the children was not up to the mark.

Explanation

The subject is “The behaviour”, a singular uncountable noun; “of the children” is only a phrase qualifying it. So the verb must be singular: “The behaviour of the children was not up to the mark”. The verb agrees with the head noun, not with the nearer noun “children”.

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Correct Answer: (C) Ronny was taught Mathematics by the tutor for two years.

Explanation

“Taught” takes two objects: Ronny (indirect object, a person) and Mathematics (direct object). When the personal object becomes the subject, the other object stays right after the verb: “Ronny was taught Mathematics by the tutor for two years”. The past simple active becomes was/were + past participle in the passive.

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Correct Answer: (A) The poor children will be helped by the society with money.

Explanation

The active sentence is future simple (will help), so the passive is will be + past participle. The object “the poor children” becomes the subject: “The poor children will be helped by the society with money”. Option C changes the verb to “receive”, and B and D reverse the meaning.

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Correct Answer: (D) has been appointed

Explanation

“Have you heard” is in the present perfect, and the news of the appointment is recent with a present result, so the matching passive form is “has been appointed”. Mr. Basu is singular, so “has” is used. “Had being”, “were appointed” and “was been” are all ungrammatical forms.

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Correct Answer: (C) nail

Explanation

The idiom is fight tooth and nail, meaning to fight very fiercely and with all one’s strength. So “The women fought tooth and nail for liberation” means they fought with full determination. Tongue, mouth and hand do not complete this fixed pair.

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Correct Answer: (C) was

Explanation

Neither of + plural noun takes a singular verb in standard grammar, because “neither” means not one and not the other. The action is in the past (“yesterday”), so the singular past form “was” is correct: “Neither of the two brothers was found suitable”. “Were” and “are” are plural, and “have been” does not fit a past time marker.

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Correct Answer: (C) Safe

Explanation

Dangerous means likely to cause harm or injury, so its opposite is safe (free from danger). Terrible is close to a synonym, while quiet and gentle are opposites of other qualities (noisy, rough).

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Correct Answer: (B) had stopped

Explanation

When two past actions are mentioned, the action that happened first takes the past perfect (had + V3), and the later action takes the past simple. The rain stopped before we reached home, so “By the time we reached home the rain had stopped“. “Rain stopped” is intransitive here, so the passive “had been stopped” is wrong.

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Correct Answer: (C) mind

Explanation

The idiom is make up one’s mind, meaning to decide. “She could not make up her mind about what to buy” means she could not decide. “Make up her decision”, “logic” or “heart” are not standard English expressions.

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Correct Answer: (A) Ambitious

Explanation

The correct spelling is Ambitious, meaning having a strong desire for success or achievement. It ends in -tious, like ambition (-tion). The other options drop or change letters.

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Correct Answer: (C) eligible

Explanation

Eligible means qualified or fit to be chosen, so a list of eligible candidates for an admission test is the natural sense. Illegible (not readable) is the confusable trap, and “honourable” or “ideal” do not fit a test list.

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Correct Answer: (B) Bully

Explanation

A bully is a person, especially a boy, who frightens, hurts or threatens weaker people. This matches the given definition exactly. A tramp is a homeless wanderer, a hypocrite pretends to have virtues, and a trespasser enters property without permission.

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Correct Answer: (A) Satellite

Explanation

The correct spelling is Satellite, with double l and a single t before it: s-a-t-e-l-l-i-t-e. A satellite is a body orbiting a planet, natural (the Moon) or artificial (communication satellites).

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Correct Answer: (A) illegal

Explanation

The government punishes people for breaking the law, so illegal activities (activities against the law) is the best fit. Antisocial (harmful to society) is also possible in everyday English, but the official key accepts illegal because legal punishment follows unlawful acts. “Charitable” is positive and “shameful” is a moral judgement, not a ground for government punishment.

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Correct Answer: (D) One may accomplish many things by a little effort.

Explanation

In the passive “Many things may be accomplished by a little effort” no real doer is named, so the active uses the indefinite subject “One”: “One may accomplish many things by a little effort“. The modal may stays, the article “a” before “little effort” is kept, and the normal word order (verb + object + phrase) is used.

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Correct Answer: (D) of

Explanation

The adjective afraid is always followed by the preposition “of”: “The deer is afraid of the tiger”. “Afraid from”, “afraid by” are wrong, and “afraid for” means worried about someone’s safety, which is not the meaning here.

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Correct Answer: (D) Had she time to finish all the questions?

Explanation

To change an assertive sentence with “had” as the main verb into a question, traditional grammar inverts the subject and “had”: “Had she time to finish all the questions?” This keeps the meaning and is the direct interrogative form. Option B adds “no” and changes the meaning, while A and C change the words.

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Correct Answer: (C) Careful

Explanation

Cautious means careful to avoid danger or mistakes, so its synonym is careful. Wise is related but means having good judgement, peaceful means calm, and courageous means brave, which is nearly the opposite of cautious.

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Correct Answer: (A) Respect

Explanation

Esteem means respect and admiration, so its synonym is respect. Enmity means hostility (nearly the opposite), elegance means gracefulness, and “famous” is an adjective, not a noun meaning respect.

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Correct Answer: (D) makes

Explanation

In the proverb the subject is the whole habit “early to bed and early to rise”, treated as one idea, so it takes a singular verb “makes”. The proverb states a general truth, so the simple present is used: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

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Correct Answer: (B) inexplicable

Explanation

Inexplicable means impossible to explain or account for, which exactly matches “an action … almost impossible to explain”. Indescribable is used for feelings or sights too great to describe, unavoidable means cannot be avoided, and incoherent means unclear or illogical.

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Correct Answer: (B) over

Explanation

The verb rule takes the preposition “over” when it means to govern a country or people: “The Emperor Akbar ruled over a vast kingdom”. “Rule” can also be used without a preposition, but “with”, “on” and “by” are incorrect here.

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Correct Answer: (C) illiterate

Explanation

A person who cannot read or write is illiterate; the clue is “she can’t even sign her name”. Literate is the opposite, while strange and deaf have no link with writing her name.

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Correct Answer: (C) abnormal

Explanation

Laughing loudly and frequently for no reason is not normal behaviour, so the man seems abnormal. Happy and cheerful would need a reason or good mood, and admirable means deserving praise, which does not fit “for no reason”.

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Correct Answer: (A) at

Explanation

Look at means to direct one’s eyes towards something, so “Ratan entered the room and looked at the painting on the wall” is correct. “Look up” means to search for information or raise the eyes, “look down” means to lower the eyes, and “look in” means to pay a short visit.

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Correct Answer: (B) Butcher

Explanation

A butcher is a person who cuts and sells meat, so we buy meat from a butcher. A greengrocer sells vegetables and fruit, a baker sells bread and cakes, and a broker is an agent who buys and sells for others.

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Correct Answer: (A) believable

Explanation

Stories about ghosts and witches are hard to accept as true, so “Amit’s story … is not believable” is the logical choice. “Not strange” or “not wild” contradict the idea of ghosts, and “not relevant” needs a context of relevance.

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Correct Answer: (C) Think about

Explanation

Keep in mind means to remember and consider, so “think about” the person’s likes and dislikes is the closest meaning. Invent means create something new, ignore is the opposite, and admire means regard with approval.

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Correct Answer: (C) Make hay

Explanation

The complete proverb is “Make hay while the sun shines”, which means make full use of a favourable opportunity while it lasts. Farmers can dry cut grass into hay only in sunny weather, so they must work while the sun is out.

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Correct Answer: (A) hold in

Explanation

To check one’s temper means to restrain or control it, and the phrasal verb with this meaning is hold in (“He could not hold in his temper”). Hold in means to keep a feeling from showing.

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Correct Answer: (D) fiction

Explanation

The saying is “Truth is stranger than fiction”, meaning real events can be more surprising than invented stories. It comes from Lord Byron’s poem Don Juan (1823): “‘Tis strange, but true; for truth is always strange; stranger than fiction.”

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Correct Answer: (A) extant

Explanation

Extant means still in existence, surviving, so “The relics of the Mughal empire are extant in India” means they still exist. The other options are confusables: extent is a noun meaning size or degree, and extend is a verb meaning to stretch.

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Correct Answer: (A) We are giving a little party, on Mnday next.

Explanation

Option (A) is the printed key’s answer and the nearest to correct, since it has a single comma and ends with a full stop; the ideal sentence is “We are giving a little party on Monday next.” with no comma at all. The question is flawed because (A) also misprints “Monday” as “Mnday”, but (B), (C) and (D) all have clearly wrong punctuation.

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Correct Answer: (B) peace

Explanation

Peace means calm, freedom from war or disturbance, so “People generally want peace” is correct. The other options are homophones or misspellings: piece (a part), peas (vegetables), and pices (no such word).

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Correct Answer: (B) iron is hot

Explanation

The proverb is “Strike while the iron is hot”, meaning act promptly when the opportunity is favourable. A blacksmith must hammer iron while it is red-hot and soft enough to shape.

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Correct Answer: (C) what

Explanation

“My father is a teacher” gives the profession of the father, and the question word for occupation is What: “What is your father?” (or “What does your father do?”). Which asks for a choice, why for reason and where for place.

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Correct Answer: (B) of

Explanation

The adjective aware always takes the preposition of: “I am aware of his motive.” It means having knowledge of something.

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Correct Answer: (D) adversity

Explanation

Misfortune means bad luck or an unfortunate event, and its nearest synonym among the options is adversity, which means difficult or unlucky circumstances. Prosperity is the opposite.

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Correct Answer: (B) in lieu of

Explanation

In lieu of means instead of or in place of (“Give me this in lieu of that”). It comes from the French “lieu”, meaning place.

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Correct Answer: (A) for

Explanation

Account for means explain or give a reason for, so “I cannot account for his absence” means I cannot explain why he is absent.

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Correct Answer: (B) Decent

Explanation

Vulgar means crude, rude, indecent or lacking good taste, so its opposite is decent, meaning proper, respectable and in good taste. The printed key also gives (B) Decent.

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Correct Answer: (B) pull

Explanation

Warp means to bend or twist out of shape, and in nautical use it means to haul or pull a ship with a rope (a warp). Of the given options, pull is the only word close in meaning, which is also the printed key’s answer.

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Correct Answer: (B) calm

Explanation

Excited means stirred up, agitated or very enthusiastic, so its opposite is calm, meaning quiet and composed. Unhappy and sorrowful are opposites of happy, not of excited.

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Correct Answer: (A) Stay

Explanation

Dwell means to live or stay in a place, so its meaning is stay. Leave and go are its opposites, and help is unrelated.

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Correct Answer: (B) They said that they were happy.

Explanation

In indirect speech, the reporting verb said is in the past tense, so the present are changes to the past were, and the first person we changes to they to match the subject: “They said that they were happy.”

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Correct Answer: (C) disregarded

Explanation

To set aside an objection means to disregard or ignore it, so “He disregarded all objections and granted the prayer” keeps the meaning. The tense also matches, because set aside here is past tense and disregarded is past.

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Correct Answer: (A) with

Explanation

The verb deal takes with when it means to be concerned with or to handle: “Great books deal with persistently unsolved problems of life.”

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Correct Answer: (D) ghost

Explanation

The standard simile for someone very pale is “as pale as a ghost” (also “as pale as death”). A ghost is imagined as white and bloodless.

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Correct Answer: (D) got into

Explanation

Entered (a vehicle) is best replaced by got into, since “into” shows movement from outside to inside a closed space: “I got into the train.” The printed key also gives (D) got into.

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Correct Answer: (C) reverse

Explanation

Opposite as a noun means the contrary or the reverse, so “His brother is just the reverse” keeps the meaning. Apposite is a look-alike word meaning appropriate.

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Correct Answer: (B) brief

Explanation

A brief is the written summary of facts and points of law that a lawyer uses when arguing a case in court. A lawyer who takes up a case is said to “hold a brief” for the client.

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Correct Answer: (A) in

Explanation

The verb persist takes in before a gerund or noun meaning to continue firmly: “He persisted in hoping against hope.”

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Correct Answer: (B) as yet

Explanation

As yet means up to now or so far, and it goes with the present perfect: “Nobody has been arrested as yet.” Till tomorrow is a future time, which cannot go with the present perfect.

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Correct Answer: (A) Cobbler

Explanation

A cobbler is a person who mends shoes. A shopper buys goods, a repairer mends things in general, and a grocer sells food items.

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Correct Answer: (C) Depart

Explanation

Reach means to arrive at a place, so its opposite is depart, meaning to leave a place. The printed key also gives (C) Depart.

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Correct Answer: (A) had

Explanation

This is a third conditional (an unreal past condition): If + had + past participle, followed by would have + past participle. So “If Ram had helped him, he would have passed.”

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Correct Answer: (D) fell on

Explanation

To fall on (or fall upon) means to attack, often suddenly and violently, so “The soldiers fell on the enemy” keeps the meaning.

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Correct Answer: (B) When

Explanation

The answer to the question is the time word tomorrow, and time is asked with When, so the interrogative form is “When shall you go to Delhi?” (in direct conversation, “When will you go to Delhi?”). A Wh-question is formed by replacing the information we want with the matching Wh-word and putting the auxiliary before the subject.

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Correct Answer: (C) variety

Explanation

The complete saying is “Variety is the spice of life”, meaning that change and new experiences make life interesting. It comes from William Cowper’s poem The Task (1785): “Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavour.”

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Correct Answer: (D) had left

Explanation

The sentence describes two past actions: the train leaving happened before we found out, so the earlier action takes the past perfect “had left”. The printed key shows (B) “has left”, but the present perfect cannot follow the past tense “found” in reported narration, so the correct answer is (D) had left.

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Correct Answer: (A) benefited

Explanation

The standard spelling is benefited, because the stress in BEN-e-fit falls on the first syllable, so the final t is not doubled.

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Correct Answer: (C) by

Explanation

The fixed expression is “live by” something, meaning to earn one’s living or survive by means of it, so “He lives by honest means” is correct. “By” is the preposition of means or method.

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Correct Answer: (A) The educative value of Travelling is also too great.

Explanation

A sentence of simple subject and predicate needs no internal comma, so “The educative value of Travelling is also too great.” with only a full stop at the end is correctly punctuated. The other options insert needless commas, dashes or an exclamation mark.

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Correct Answer: (A) I told the boy that I liked him.

Explanation

In indirect speech, “said to” becomes “told”, the inverted commas are replaced by “that”, the pronouns change (I → I, you → him) and the present tense “like” becomes “liked”, giving “I told the boy that I liked him.”

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Correct Answer: (C) from

Explanation

The adjective far is followed by from to show distance away from a place, so “The trees are far from the house.” is correct.

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Correct Answer: (B) fanciful

Explanation

Imaginary means existing only in the imagination, not real, and its closest replacement is fanciful, so “fears of fanciful dangers” keeps the meaning.

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Correct Answer: (A) set about

Explanation

The phrasal verb set about means to start or begin doing something, so “I must set about my packing” replaces “start” exactly.

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Correct Answer: (B) made after

Explanation

Make after means to chase or pursue, so “The cat made after the rat” replaces “chased” correctly.

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Correct Answer: (A) to

Explanation

The noun access is followed by to, meaning the right or opportunity to enter or use something, so “We have free access to the library.”

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Correct Answer: (B) Inferior

Explanation

The opposite of superior (higher in rank or quality) is inferior (lower in rank or quality).

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Correct Answer: (C) many a slip

Explanation

The proverb is “There’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip”, meaning that plans can go wrong before they are completed. “Many a” is followed by a singular noun and a singular verb.

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Correct Answer: (B) going without

Explanation

Devoid of means lacking or without something, and the phrasal verb go without means to live without something one needs, so “She has been going without food for three days.”

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Correct Answer: (B) not in years

Explanation

The quotation is “We live in deeds, not years”, meaning that life is measured by what we do, not by how long we live. It is from Philip James Bailey’s poem Festus (1839).

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Correct Answer: (C) stranger

Explanation

A stranger is a person whom one does not know, so it is the one-word substitute for “an unknown person”.

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Correct Answer: (A) saved

Explanation

Put aside means to save money for later use, and with “has” the correct form is “has saved”, so (A) fits both meaning and grammar.

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Correct Answer: (D) repulsive

Explanation

Attractive means pleasing or appealing, and its opposite is repulsive, meaning causing strong dislike or disgust.

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Correct Answer: (D) drinkable

Explanation

Potable means safe to drink, so it describes something drinkable, as in “potable water“.

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Correct Answer: (A) pushed roughly

Explanation

Jostle means to push or bump against others roughly in a crowd, so “pushed roughly” gives its meaning.

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Correct Answer: (A) fell ill

Explanation

A sentence needs a finite verb, and only “fell ill” supplies a complete predicate: “Some workers of the factory fell ill.”

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Correct Answer: (B) normal

Explanation

After “is not”, the blank needs a predicative adjective describing the boy, and “normal” is the only option that is grammatical and sensible: “The boy is not normal.”

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Correct Answer: (B) Longing

Explanation

Yearn means to have a strong desire or longing for something, so the nearest word is longing.

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Correct Answer: (B) by

Explanation

The standard idiom is “What is the time by your watch?”, because by means according to a watch or clock.

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Correct Answer: (C) to

Explanation

Standard grammar books list “beneficial to” as the fixed preposition, so “Swimming is beneficial to health.” The printed key shows (B) “for”, which is common in everyday modern usage, but the standard collocation in Wren and Martin’s list of appropriate prepositions is to, so (C) is taken as the answer.

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Correct Answer: (A) Happy

Explanation

Cheerful means happy and in good spirits, so its meaning is happy.

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Correct Answer: (A) Bed

Explanation

A quilt is a warm bed covering made of padding stitched between layers of cloth, so it is associated with a bed. The printed key shows (C) “Seat”, but a quilt has nothing to do with a seat, so the correct answer is (A) Bed.

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Correct Answer: (B) Decrease

Explanation

The direct opposite of increase (to become greater) is decrease (to become smaller).

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Correct Answer: (C) adopt

Explanation

Adopt means to take up and use a method or course, so “Students should not adopt unfair means in the examination.” The paper misprints “not” as “no”.

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