Q1. Fill in the blank: Regular exercise helps to ___ stress.
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Answer: C. relieve
'Relieve' (verb) means to lessen pain or stress. 'Relief' is the noun, 'relive' means to experience again, and 'believe' does not fit.
SSC CGL English Comprehension Intermediate Practice Set 7
25 intermediate questions. Tap an option to check it, or open “Show answer” for the explanation.
Topics: Fill in the Blanks, Spelling, Synonyms, Antonyms, Active and Passive Voice, Idioms and Phrases, One-word Substitution, Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement
Score: 0 / 0
Q2. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'a person whom one knows slightly'.
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Answer: C. Acquaintance
The correct spelling is 'Acquaintance', with 'acq-' at the start and '-ance' at the end.
Q3. Choose the synonym of 'DEFER'.
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Answer: C. Postpone
'Defer' means to put off to a later time, which is what 'Postpone' means. 'Hasten' means the opposite.
Q4. Choose the antonym of 'IMPETUOUS'.
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Answer: C. Cautious
'Impetuous' means acting quickly without thought; its opposite is 'Cautious'. 'Rash', 'Hasty' and 'Impulsive' are synonyms.
Q5. Choose the correct passive form of: 'Did she invite you to the party?'
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Answer: C. Were you invited to the party by her?
In a simple past question, 'did' is replaced by 'was/were' to agree with the new subject 'you': 'Were you invited to the party by her?'
Q6. Choose the antonym of 'AUGMENT'.
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Answer: B. Diminish
'Augment' means to make greater; its opposite is 'Diminish' (to make smaller). The other options are synonyms.
Q7. What does the idiom 'a feather in one's cap' mean?
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Answer: B. An achievement to be proud of
'A feather in one's cap' is an achievement or honour that one can be proud of.
Q8. A person who knows everything is called:
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Answer: B. Omniscient
'Omniscient' means all-knowing. Omnipotent means all-powerful, omnipresent means present everywhere, and omnivorous means eating all kinds of food.
Q9. A person who never drinks alcohol is called a:
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Answer: C. Teetotaller
A 'teetotaller' abstains completely from alcohol. A glutton eats too much, an epicure enjoys fine food and drink, and an ascetic gives up all worldly pleasures in general.
Q10. Identify the error: 'Let you and I finish the work before lunch.'
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Answer: A. 'I' should be 'me'
'Let' takes an object, so the objective case is needed: 'Let you and me finish the work before lunch.'
Q11. A place where coins are made is called a:
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Answer: A. Mint
A 'mint' is where a government makes coins. A mine yields minerals, a treasury stores funds and a quarry yields stone.
Q12. Improve the bracketed part: 'She [sings very sweet] at every function.'
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Answer: A. sings very sweetly
'Sweet' is an adjective; to modify the verb 'sings' we need the adverb 'sweetly'. The singular subject 'She' keeps 'sings'.
Q13. The scientific study of birds is called:
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Answer: D. Ornithology
'Ornithology' is the study of birds. Entomology is the study of insects, anthropology of human societies, and herpetology of reptiles and amphibians.
Q14. What does the idiom 'to put the cart before the horse' mean?
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Answer: C. To do things in the wrong order
'To put the cart before the horse' means to do things in the wrong order, for example planning a celebration before the result is known.
Q15. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'the way in which a word is spoken'.
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Answer: C. Pronunciation
The correct spelling is 'Pronunciation'. The verb is 'pronounce', but the noun drops the 'o': pro-nun-ci-a-tion.
Q16. Improve the bracketed part: 'The manager [made me to wait] for an hour.'
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Answer: D. made me wait
In the active voice, 'make', 'let' and 'see' take the bare infinitive after the object: 'The manager made me wait for an hour.'
Q17. The study of handwriting, especially to judge a person's character, is called:
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Answer: C. Graphology
'Graphology' is the study of handwriting. Calligraphy is decorative writing, cartography is map-making, and orthography is the spelling system of a language.
Q18. Choose the correct passive form of: 'Do not insult the weak.'
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Answer: D. Let the weak not be insulted.
A negative imperative is made passive as 'Let' + object + 'not be' + past participle: 'Let the weak not be insulted.'
Q19. Fill in the blank: The lawyer's arguments were so ___ that the entire bench was convinced.
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Answer: B. cogent
'Cogent' means clear, logical and convincing. 'Flimsy', 'vague' and 'trivial' arguments would not convince a bench.
Q20. Fill in the blank: The government has decided to ___ a new tax on luxury goods.
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Answer: D. impose
To 'impose' a tax is to officially put it into force. 'Expose' means to reveal, 'depose' to remove from power and 'compose' to create or write.
Q21. Identify the error: 'The board will discuss about the proposal tomorrow.'
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Answer: B. 'about' should be removed
'Discuss' is a transitive verb and takes a direct object: 'The board will discuss the proposal tomorrow.' ('A discussion about' is correct, but 'discuss about' is not.)
Q22. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'continued effort in spite of difficulties'.
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Answer: A. Perseverance
The correct spelling is 'Perseverance': per-se-ver-ance.
Q23. The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially of a particular nation or ethnic group, is called:
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Answer: D. Genocide
'Genocide' is the mass killing of a national or ethnic group. Homicide is the killing of one person by another, regicide the killing of a king and suicide the killing of oneself.
Q24. Fill in the blank: The soldier was awarded a medal for his ___ on the battlefield.
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Answer: B. valour
'Valour' means great courage in the face of danger, which is what earns a soldier a medal. The other options are negative qualities.
Q25. Fill in the blank: The minister tried to ___ the angry protesters with promises of compensation.
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Answer: C. appease
'Appease' means to calm or satisfy someone by giving them something they want. 'Alienate' would push them further away, and 'accuse' and 'abandon' do not fit 'with promises'.