Q1. A form of government in which power rests with a small group of people is called:
Show answer
Answer: D. Oligarchy
'Oligarchy' is rule by a few. 'Monarchy' is rule by a king or queen, 'autocracy' by one person with absolute power, and 'theocracy' by religious authorities.
One-word Substitution · medium
Q2. Read the passage and answer the question.
Passage: Translation is often imagined as a mechanical exchange of words, as though every term in one language had an exact twin in another. Any seasoned translator knows otherwise. Words carry histories, connotations and rhythms that refuse to travel intact. A pun that delights readers in Bengali may fall flat in French; a term of respect in Japanese may have no equivalent at all. The translator must therefore make choices, sacrificing literal accuracy here to preserve tone there. Far from being a lesser, derivative art, translation demands the sensibility of a writer and the scruples of a scholar. It is perhaps the closest reading a text can ever receive.
Question: Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?
Show answer
Answer: D. Translation is a demanding, creative craft rather than a mechanical substitution of words.
The author rejects the view of translation as mechanical word-exchange and argues that it requires judgement, a writer's sensibility and a scholar's care. The other options are either details or contrary to the passage.
Reading Comprehension · hard
Q3. What does the idiom 'to keep the wolf from the door' mean?
Show answer
Answer: D. To earn just enough to avoid hunger and want
'To keep the wolf from the door' means to have enough money or food to avoid starvation or extreme poverty.
Idioms and Phrases · hard
Q4. An abnormal fear of confined or enclosed spaces is called:
Show answer
Answer: B. Claustrophobia
'Claustrophobia' is the fear of enclosed spaces. 'Agoraphobia' is fear of open or public places, 'xenophobia' is fear or dislike of foreigners, and 'hydrophobia' is fear of water.
One-word Substitution · medium
Q5. A statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but may express a truth is called a:
Show answer
Answer: A. Paradox
A 'paradox' is a seemingly self-contradictory statement that may be true. 'Hyperbole' is exaggeration, a 'euphemism' is a mild substitute for a harsh expression, and a 'tautology' is needless repetition.
One-word Substitution · hard
Q6. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'a meeting at an agreed time and place'.
Show answer
Answer: A. Rendezvous
The correct spelling is 'Rendezvous' (ren-dez-vous), from French.
Spelling · hard
Q7. Choose the antonym of 'PAROCHIAL'.
Show answer
Answer: D. Cosmopolitan
'Parochial' means having a narrow, local outlook; 'cosmopolitan' means broad-minded and familiar with many cultures. The other options are near-synonyms.
Antonyms · hard
Q8. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. The doctor advised him [to abstain liquor] for at least six months.
Show answer
Answer: A. to abstain from liquor
'Abstain' is always followed by 'from': one abstains from something. Hence 'to abstain from liquor'.
Sentence Improvement · medium
Q9. Read the passage and answer the question.
Passage: Cities are often several degrees warmer than the countryside around them, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island. Concrete and asphalt absorb sunlight by day and release it slowly through the night, while the scarcity of trees deprives streets of shade and of the cooling effect of evaporation. Air-conditioners, ironically, worsen the problem by pumping yet more heat outdoors. The consequences are not merely uncomfortable: heatwaves in dense neighbourhoods claim lives, particularly among the elderly and the poor. Remedies need not be expensive. Reflective roofs, tree-lined avenues and restored water bodies can lower local temperatures appreciably, suggesting that the heat of our cities is less a natural fate than a consequence of design.
Question: Why does the author say that air-conditioners 'ironically' worsen the problem?
Show answer
Answer: D. Devices meant to give relief from heat end up adding to the heat outdoors.
The irony lies in the fact that air-conditioners, meant to relieve heat, pump more heat outdoors and so worsen the very problem they are used to fight.
Reading Comprehension · hard
Q10. What does the idiom 'to sail close to the wind' mean?
Show answer
Answer: C. To behave in a way that is almost illegal or improper
'To sail close to the wind' means to take risks by acting in a way that is nearly dishonest, illegal or dangerous.
Idioms and Phrases · hard
Q11. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error: 'Before I left for college, / my uncle gave me / many valuable advices / about managing money.'
Show answer
Answer: C. many valuable advices
'Advice' is an uncountable noun and has no plural form. It should be 'much valuable advice' or 'many valuable pieces of advice'.
Error Spotting · medium
Q12. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. I [would rather die than to beg] for mercy.
Show answer
Answer: A. would rather die than beg
'Would rather' is followed by the bare infinitive, and the verb after 'than' is also a bare infinitive: 'would rather die than beg'.
Sentence Improvement · hard
Q13. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'involving disrespect towards something sacred'.
Show answer
Answer: B. Sacrilegious
The correct spelling is 'Sacrilegious', from 'sacrilege' (sacri + lege). It is often misspelt as 'sacreligious' by confusion with 'religious'.
Spelling · hard
Q14. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error: 'At yesterday's meeting, / the members of the panel / discussed about the proposal / at great length.'
Show answer
Answer: C. discussed about the proposal
'Discuss' is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without 'about'. It should be 'discussed the proposal'.
Error Spotting · hard
Q15. The killing of one's own father is called:
Show answer
Answer: D. Patricide
'Patricide' is the killing of one's father. 'Genocide' is the killing of a whole group or race, 'infanticide' the killing of an infant, and 'suicide' the killing of oneself.
One-word Substitution · hard
Q16. Rearrange the sentences P, Q, R and S to form a coherent paragraph.
P: There it performs a curious figure-of-eight movement known as the waggle dance.
Q: The duration of the waggle, meanwhile, tells its sisters how far they must fly.
R: The angle of the dance relative to the vertical indicates the direction of the food with respect to the sun.
S: When a forager bee discovers a rich source of nectar, it returns to the hive to share the news.
Show answer
Answer: C. SPRQ
S introduces the bee and the hive; P ('There') follows, naming the waggle dance; R explains what the angle of the dance shows; Q, with 'meanwhile', adds the second piece of information (distance).
Para Jumbles · hard
Q17. Read the passage and answer the question.
Passage: Translation is often imagined as a mechanical exchange of words, as though every term in one language had an exact twin in another. Any seasoned translator knows otherwise. Words carry histories, connotations and rhythms that refuse to travel intact. A pun that delights readers in Bengali may fall flat in French; a term of respect in Japanese may have no equivalent at all. The translator must therefore make choices, sacrificing literal accuracy here to preserve tone there. Far from being a lesser, derivative art, translation demands the sensibility of a writer and the scruples of a scholar. It is perhaps the closest reading a text can ever receive.
Question: With which of the following statements would the author most likely agree?
Show answer
Answer: B. A good translation may depart from the literal meaning in order to stay true to the spirit of the original.
The author says the translator may sacrifice 'literal accuracy here to preserve tone there', so he would agree that departing from literal meaning can keep faith with the original's spirit. He explicitly denies that translation is a lesser art.
Reading Comprehension · medium
Q18. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Not a single word [was spoken] by the accused during the entire trial.
Show answer
Answer: B. No improvement
'Not a single word' is singular and the sentence is in the passive voice (by the accused), so 'was spoken' is correct. 'Has spoken' and 'was speaking' are active forms that make no sense with 'word' as subject.
Sentence Improvement · hard
Q19. A person who is filled with excessive and uncritical zeal, especially for a religious or political cause, is called a:
Show answer
Answer: D. Fanatic
A 'fanatic' is a person with excessive, uncritical enthusiasm for a cause. A 'sceptic' doubts, an 'agnostic' holds that God's existence cannot be known, and a 'pacifist' opposes war.
One-word Substitution · hard
Q20. Choose the antonym of 'PROLIX'.
Show answer
Answer: C. Succinct
'Prolix' means using too many words, tediously lengthy. Its opposite is 'succinct' (brief and clearly expressed). 'Tedious', 'rambling' and 'diffuse' are close in meaning to prolix.
Antonyms · hard
Q21. Choose the best replacement for the bracketed part of the sentence. Choose 'No improvement' if it is already correct. Were he to [apologise now], we might forgive him.
Show answer
Answer: C. No improvement
'Were + subject + to + base verb' is a correct formal way of expressing a hypothetical future condition. 'To' must be followed by the base form, so 'apologise now' is already correct.
Sentence Improvement · hard
Q22. Choose the synonym of 'RECONDITE'.
Show answer
Answer: A. Abstruse
'Recondite' means little known or difficult to understand, i.e. abstruse. 'Obvious', 'trivial' and 'popular' suggest the opposite.
Synonyms · hard
Q23. Choose the synonym of 'SAGACIOUS'.
Show answer
Answer: C. Discerning
'Sagacious' means having keen mental discernment and sound judgement, i.e. discerning. 'Gullible' (easily deceived), 'impetuous' (rash) and 'frivolous' (not serious) are unrelated or opposite.
Synonyms · hard
Q24. What does the idiom 'to rest on one's laurels' mean?
Show answer
Answer: C. To be content with past achievements and make no further effort
'To rest on one's laurels' means to be satisfied with what one has already achieved and stop striving for more.
Idioms and Phrases · medium
Q25. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named, as in buzz or sizzle'.
Show answer
Answer: D. Onomatopoeia
The correct spelling is 'Onomatopoeia' (ono-mato-poe-ia), from Greek 'onoma' (name) and 'poiein' (to make).
