Question 1

Fill in the blank (idiom: keeping life running smoothly)  “'Please' and 'Thank you' are the little courtesies by which we keep the ______ of life oiled and running smoothly.”  Choose the best word to complete the idiom.

Accepted Answer

Given dataIdiomatic phrase describing smooth day-to-day functioning.Concept/ApproachThe fixed English idiom is “the wheels of life/industry/etc.,” often paired with “oiled.”Option analysiswheels — correct idiomatic choice (“keep the wheels … oiled”).gears — mechanical but not the usual collocation in this idiom.routes/paths — do not fit the “oiled and running” metaphor.Final Answerwheels

Question 2

Fill in the blank (phrasal verb meaning “switch off”)  “I put ______ the light and slept.”  Choose the correct particle to complete the phrasal verb.

Accepted Answer

Given dataPhrasal verb used with “the light.”Concept/ApproachStandard usage: “put out the light/candle” = extinguish or switch off.Option analysisout — correct with “light.”off — common in “switch off,” but idiomatically we say “put out” the light.on/up — incorrect meanings here.Common pitfallsAvoid mixing “put off the light,” which is nonstandard in formal English.Final Answerout

Question 3

Fill in the blank (fixed phrase)  “______ all intents and purposes, the manager is the master of the firm.”  Choose the correct preposition to complete the fixed expression.

Accepted Answer

Given dataWell-known legal/formal phrase ending with “all intents and purposes.”Concept/ApproachThe set expression is “for all intents and purposes,” meaning “in effect” or “essentially.”Option analysisFor — correct fixed phrase.To/In/With — unidiomatic in this expression.Final AnswerFor

Question 4

Fill in the blank (sequence with “before”)  “The pilot had been warned about the storm, before he ______.”  Choose the verb form that creates a correct time sequence.

Accepted Answer

Given dataPast warning precedes the action of departure.Concept/ApproachUse simple past for the later action and past perfect for the earlier state: “had been warned … before he took off.”Option analysistook off — correct; follows the past-perfect clause.had taken off — would mean the takeoff happened even earlier, which clashes with “before he …” here.was taking off — progressive aspect is unnecessary and awkward.has taken off — present perfect does not match a past-time narrative.Final Answertook off

Question 5

Fill in the blank (correlative with “Hardly … when”)  “Hardly had he arrived ______ it started raining.”  Choose the correct connector.

Accepted Answer

Given dataSentence begins with “Hardly had …” indicating an immediate subsequent event.Concept/ApproachThe fixed correlative is “Hardly had X happened when Y happened.”Option analysiswhen — correct pairing.than — pairs with “no sooner … than,” not “hardly …”then/that — ungrammatical here.Final Answerwhen

Question 6

Fill in the blank (verb + infinitive pattern)  “I ______ a car to be absolutely necessary these days.”  Choose the verb that best fits this formal structure.

Accepted Answer

Given dataStructure: Verb + object + infinitive (“a car to be”).Concept/ApproachConsider commonly takes an object + infinitive (or object + complement): “consider X to be Y.”Option analysisconsider — grammatically natural and formal.think/suppose/guess — usually take a clause (“I think that a car is …”), not an object + infinitive here.Final Answerconsider

Question 7

Fill in the blank (preposition with “deals ___”)  “Besides other provisions, that shopkeeper deals ______ cosmetics.”  Choose the correct preposition.

Accepted Answer

Given dataVerb–preposition collocation required after “deals.”Concept/ApproachIn commercial contexts the standard collocation is “deal in (goods).”Option analysisin — correct collocation: “deals in cosmetics.”with — means “handle” people/things, but not the goods traded.at/by — incorrect after “deal” in this sense.Final Answerin

Question 8

Fill in the blank (page layout term)  “Leave a two inch ______ on each page for the teacher's remarks.”  Choose the correct noun.

Accepted Answer

Given dataInstruction about leaving space at page edges.Concept/ApproachThe technical term for reserved white space along page edges is “margin.”Option analysismargin — correct publishing/formatting term.boundary — means a limit, not the white space itself.gap/blank — generic and imprecise; not the standard term.Final Answermargin

Question 9

Fill in the blank (team psychology)  “The team was well trained and strong, but somehow their ______ was low.”  Choose the most appropriate noun.

Accepted Answer

Given dataDespite strength, the team lacks psychological readiness/enthusiasm.Concept/ApproachMorale means the level of confidence and enthusiasm of a person or group.Option analysismorale — correct term for team spirit/confidence level.moral/morality — relate to right/wrong, not enthusiasm.spirit — close in meaning, but the fixed expression is “low morale.”Common pitfallsConfusing moral (ethical) with morale (confidence).Final Answermorale

Question 10

Vocabulary in context: choose the best adjective to describe a secret love affair  Context: The lovers met each other secretly; soon everyone came to know about it. Complete the sentence meaningfully: "The lovers were meeting each other secretly, bu…

Accepted Answer

Given dataLovers met secretly.The affair later became widely known.Concept/ApproachClandestine means kept secret, especially for illicit purposes. It strongly collocates with affair (“a clandestine affair”).Option analysisclandestine — correct; commonly used for secret relationships. ✅covert — hidden/concealed in general, but the fixed collocation “covert affair” is less idiomatic than “clandestine affair.”unknown — merely “not known”; weaker and not idiomatic with “affair.”candid — frank/open; the opposite of secret.Common pitfallsChoosing a near-synonym without considering collocation strength.Final Answerclandestine

Question 11

Word choice (legal vs personal): select the correct verb for a king's formal act of mercy  Context: A king performs an official, legal act regarding a rebel. Complete the sentence: "The king ______ the rebel."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataSubject: a king (official capacity).Object: the rebel (likely a legal/penal context).Concept/ApproachA ruler’s formal act of remission is a pardon. Forgive is personal/moral; excuse suggests justification of a minor fault, not remission of punishment.Option analysispardoned — correct legal term for remission of penalty. ✅forgave — personal absolution, not necessarily legal.excused — treats as not requiring blame; not appropriate for rebellion.none of these — incorrect because a correct option exists.Final Answerpardoned

Question 12

Prepositions with "call": choose the correct preposition for visiting a person  Context: The speaker plans to visit someone tomorrow. Complete the sentence with the correct preposition of phrasal usage: "I shall call ______ you tomorrow."  Choose th…

Accepted Answer

Given dataAction: to visit a person.Time: tomorrow.Concept/ApproachIn standard English, call on means “to visit (a person).” Call at is used for visiting a place (“call at the office”). Call with is non-idiomatic in this sense; call by (drop by) is possible but far less standard in this structure.Option analysison — correct: “call on you” (visit you). ✅at — used for places, not people.with — unidiomatic here.by — could mean “stop by,” but the natural, taught collocation is “call on (a person).”Final Answeron

Question 13

Phrasal verb meaning "be noticeable": pick the best completion  Context: Height and flaming red hair make someone noticeable in a crowd. Complete the sentence: "She ______ from the crowd because of her height and flaming red hair."  Choose the corre…

Accepted Answer

Given dataCause: distinctive height and hair colour.Concept/ApproachStand out means “to be easily noticeable or prominent.”Option analysisstood out — correct; she was conspicuous. ✅stood off — means kept a distance.stood up — rose to a standing position or failed to keep an appointment.stood by — remained nearby or offered support.Final Answerstood out

Question 14

Fixed expression: supply the correct particle with "cut ____ from nature"  Context: Life in big cities distances people from the natural world. Rewrite and complete the sentence: "In large cities, people are cut ______ from nature."  Choose the corr…

Accepted Answer

Given dataUrban living causes separation from nature.Concept/ApproachThe fixed phrase is cut off from meaning “isolated/separated from.”Option analysisoff — correct in the phrasal construction “cut off from.” ✅out — “cut out” means remove/omit; wrong here.up — unrelated.away — “cut away” means remove by cutting; wrong preposition after “from.”Common pitfallsWriting “In a large cities …” — corrected to “In large cities …”.Final Answeroff

Question 15

Word choice (positive psychology): select the adjective that completes the parallel structure  Context: Actions and thoughts should align and form a whole for greater happiness. Complete the sentence: "The more your action and thought are allied and…

Accepted Answer

Given dataParallel structure: “allied and ______”.Concept/ApproachIntegrated means “combined to form a whole,” perfectly matching “allied.”Option analysisintegrated — correct; aligned and unified. ✅divergent — separating in different directions; opposite of allied.unravelled — coming apart; opposite of integration.invincible — unconquerable; unrelated to alignment of thought/action.Final Answerintegrated

Question 16

Collocation with weather: choose the natural noun for a short period of warmth  Context: Unseasonal warm weather occurred in February. Complete the sentence: "We had a ______ of warm weather in February."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataShort period of a particular weather condition.Concept/ApproachThe standard collocation in English is a spell of warm/cold/dry weather.Option analysisspell — correct fixed collocation: “a spell of warm weather.” ✅time — too generic; not an idiomatic fit.length — measures extent; not idiomatic for weather.phase — used for stages, not typical with weather.Final Answerspell

Question 17

Semantic contrast: select the noun that best completes "physically neighbours, psychologically ______"  Context: Despite physical proximity, emotional/mental distance remains. Complete the sentence: "Physically we are now all neighbors, but psycholo…

Accepted Answer

Given dataOpposition between physical closeness and mental distance.Concept/ApproachStrangers captures lack of familiarity or connection, contrasting “neighbors.”Option analysisstrangers — correct antithesis to “neighbors.” ✅primitives — unrelated; describes cultural development (and can be pejorative).complimentary — “giving praise” or “free of charge”; wrong word (and different from “complementary”).cowards — denotes lack of courage; irrelevant.Final Answerstrangers

Question 18

Verb choice after exams: pick the verb that matches gleeful discontinuation of books  Context: After examinations, children stop using their study books. Complete the sentence: "When their examinations are over, the children gleefully ______ the boo…

Accepted Answer

Given dataEmotional tone: “gleefully” after exams (no longer needed).Concept/ApproachAbandon means to give up completely or desert, matching the idea of putting study books aside after exams.Option analysisabandon — correct; stop using/give up. ✅shelve — literally put on a shelf; could fit physically but does not capture “give up” and is less idiomatic with “gleefully.”sidetrack — a verb meaning to divert attention; wrong object usage.overthrow — remove from power; wrong meaning entirely.Final Answerabandon

Question 19

Degree with "too + adjective + to": supply the correct degree modifier  Context: The child's size prevents starting cricket now. Complete the sentence: "Chintu is ______ small to start playing cricket now."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataStructure: degree + adjective + infinitive of result (“to start”).Concept/ApproachThe standard pattern expressing excess preventing an action is too + adjective + to + verb (too small to start).Option analysistoo — correct: “too small to start.” ✅very — “very small” is fine, but “very small to start” is ungrammatical without a different structure.much — needs “too much” or a comparative; alone it is incorrect here.more — comparative requires “than,” not “to + verb.”Common pitfallsUsing “very … to” instead of the fixed “too … to” construction.Final Answertoo

Question 20

Fill in the blank (verb choice for theft)  “The thief ______ all the money.”  Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence.

Accepted Answer

Given dataSimple past narrative about a thief and money.Concept/ApproachSteal is used with the thing taken as its object (“stole the money”). Rob normally takes the person/place as object (“robbed the bank”).Option analysisstole — correct; simple past with a direct object (“money”).has stolen — present perfect usually needs a context link to the present.robbed — wrong object type (should be “robbed someone/some place”).looted — possible in riots/war contexts, not the best here.Final Answerstole

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