Question 1

Fill in the blank (degree modifier pattern “too … to”)  “The luggage was ______ heavy for him to lift.”  Choose the correct degree word.

Accepted Answer

Given data“… heavy for him to lift” implies impossibility.Concept/ApproachUse the fixed pattern “too + adjective + to-infinitive” to express that something cannot be done.Option analysistoo — correct: “too heavy to lift.”very/so — intensifiers, but do not convey impossibility.much — ungrammatical before an adjective without “too.”Final Answertoo

Question 2

Fill in the blank (collocation with “thunder”)  “While walking at three o’clock, I heard the ______ of thunder.”  Choose the most natural noun to complete the collocation.

Accepted Answer

Given dataPerception verb “heard” + thunder.Concept/ApproachCommon collocations: “the rumble of thunder,” “a clap/peal of thunder.” “Rumble” is the most general here.Option analysisrumble — correct and idiomatic.sound — generic; acceptable but less specific than “rumble.”voice — not used with thunder.echo — secondary effect, not the thunder itself.Final Answerrumble

Question 3

Fill in the blank (proverb completion)  “A stone that goes on rolling ______ no moss.”  Choose the correct verb to complete the well-known proverb.

Accepted Answer

Given dataStandard English proverb about restlessness and accumulation.Concept/ApproachThe fixed proverb is “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”Option analysisgathers — correct set phrase.collects/assembles/produces — not the established wording.Final Answergathers

Question 4

Fill in the blank (article choice)  “The earth is at present in great danger of becoming uninhabitable because of ______ environmental pollution which is going on at an incredibly rapid pace.”  Choose the correct article.

Accepted Answer

Given dataSpecific, known, ongoing phenomenon: environmental pollution.Concept/ApproachUse the definite article the for a specific, widely recognized phenomenon (“the environment,” “the pollution”).Option analysisthe — correct for a particular, universally known referent.a/an — would suggest an unspecified instance.that — demonstrative; changes the tone and is unnecessary.Common pitfallsAvoid “an environmental pollution,” which is unidiomatic.Final Answerthe

Question 5

Fill in the blanks (passive verb + business term)  “Moreover, a fact-finding mission ______ by BSN to India in January this year strongly recommended that the French group should go it alone, and not hand over ______ to an Indian partner.”  Choose t…

Accepted Answer

Given dataBlank 1 requires a passive verb fitting “mission ______ by BSN.”Blank 2 concerns what should not be handed over in partnering.Concept/Approach(1) A company sends a mission; passive “was sent by …” is idiomatic. (2) “Go it alone” suggests avoiding dilution or joint ownership; not handing over equity to a partner fits standard business English.Option analysissent … equity — both collocations are natural and coherent.dispatched … authority — possible first word, but “hand over authority” is less precise here.conducted … technology — “conducted by” doesn’t fit an external mission; and “hand over technology” changes the implication.made … control — “mission made by” is awkward; “hand over control” is plausible but the first half is off.Final Answersent … equity

Question 6

Fill in the blank (noun for market rivalry)  “There is a keen ______ in each trade.”  Choose the most appropriate noun.

Accepted Answer

Given dataNoun needed after “a keen …” to describe rivalry in trade.Concept/ApproachCompetition is the abstract noun meaning rivalry; “keen competition” is a fixed collocation.Option analysiscompetition — correct abstract noun.competitor — a person, not the state of rivalry.competitive — adjective, not a noun.competed — past verb form, ungrammatical here.Final Answercompetition

Question 7

Fill in the blank (collocation for income)  “Now, the management graduate can expect to have a prosperous life on a ______ income without depending on a family business or tending paternal estates.”  Choose the best descriptive adjective.

Accepted Answer

Given dataDescribing an income that supports a prosperous life.Concept/ApproachIn formal English, a well-paying salary is often described as a “handsome income.”Option analysishandsome — correct and idiomatic with “income.”heavy — informal/awkward with “income.”bulky/fat — nonstandard or slangy in this context.Common pitfallsAvoid literal adjectives that collocate with objects, not earnings.Final Answerhandsome

Question 8

Fill in the blank (preposition with “fell ___”)  “The boy fell ______ the bicycle.”  Choose the correct preposition.

Accepted Answer

Given dataMotion away from a surface/vehicle is implied.Concept/ApproachThe correct preposition for separation from a surface/vehicle is “off.”Option analysisoff — correct: “fell off the bicycle.”from — possible in some contexts but less idiomatic here.of — incorrect.down — lacks the complement and changes meaning.Final Answeroff

Question 9

Fill in the blank (subject–verb agreement)  “The French ______ reputed to have a very good sense of humour.”  Choose the correct verb form.

Accepted Answer

Given data“The French” is a plural demonym referring to people in general.Concept/ApproachWhen referring to a nation’s people (e.g., “the French,” “the English”), use a plural verb: “are.”Option analysisare — correct plural agreement.is/has been — singular; mismatched.were — past tense; sentence is in present reputation.Final Answerare

Question 10

English usage: choose the correct response for the location question in direct speech  Context: Someone calls out, "Johny, where are you?" Complete the reply naturally for spoken English: "______ up this tree."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataPrompt: “Johny, where are you?”Reply begins “______ up this tree.”Concept/ApproachIn natural English, deictic adverbs here and there refer to proximity to the speaker/listener. The idiomatic response introducing one’s presence is Here I am (subject after verb not required; the fixed expression is conventional).Option analysisHere I am — correct fixed expression; also matches the deictic “up this tree” (speaker’s current location). ✅Here am I — rare/poetic inversion; sounds stilted in conversation.There I am / There am I — would point away from the speaker; incongruent with “up this tree” as a direct self-location.Common pitfallsUsing inverted “Here am I” in everyday speech.Final AnswerHere I am

Question 11

Vocabulary nuance: identify the best noun to complete a judgment about the poor being happy  Context: A claim states “the poor in our country are happy.” Complete the evaluative sentence: "That the poor in our country are happy is ______."  Choose t…

Accepted Answer

Given dataWe assess a statement about widespread happiness among the poor.Concept/ApproachIllusion means something that appears to be true but is not; it implies a deceptive or unrealistic belief. Compared with dream or vision (aspirational) and ideal (standard of perfection), illusion directly indicates falsity in the present claim.Option analysisan illusion — correct; denotes a false belief. ✅a dream / a vision — imply aspiration, not a verdict on truth.an ideal — moral goal/standard, not a comment on current reality.Common pitfallsConfusing aspirational terms with truth-value terms.Final Answeran illusion

Question 12

Prepositions after passive verbs: complete the sentence about moving prisoners  Context: Robbers were arrested and then moved to a destination. Fill the blank with the correct preposition phrase: "The robbers were arrested and ______ prison yesterda…

Accepted Answer

Given dataStructure: passive voice + motion to a place (prison).Concept/ApproachUse take someone to for conveying a person to a destination; in passive it becomes “were taken to.” Bring depends on deictic perspective (toward the speaker) and sounds odd in narrative passive here. Into stresses entry, but the idiom is “taken to prison.”Option analysistaken to — correct collocation: “taken to prison.” ✅brought to — less natural in this passive narrative.brought into / taken into — focus on movement inside, not standard here.Final Answertaken to

Question 13

Collocation with "cinema": choose the verb that best fits offering relief from city life  Context: Cinema provides relief from cramped and dull city life; Indians are avid movie-goers. Complete the sentence: "The cinema ______ a welcome escape from …

Accepted Answer

Given dataSubject: “The cinema” as an institution/activity.Predicate: provides a welcome escape.Concept/ApproachOffer collocates with abstract nouns like “escape,” “opportunity,” “relief.” Other verbs do not express provision to the audience in this sense.Option analysisoffers — correct; “offers an escape.” ✅depicts — means portrays; not the intended meaning.highlights — means emphasizes; wrong sense.follows — irrelevant here.Final Answeroffers

Question 14

Preposition with "take revenge": complete the idiomatic expression  Context: The speaker threatens retaliation against someone. Fill the blank with the correct preposition: "I shall take revenge ______ you."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataVerb–noun expression: “take revenge ___ someone.”Concept/ApproachThe fixed preposition with take revenge is on: “take revenge on someone.” A more formal variant is “revenge oneself on someone,” and “upon” is archaic/poetic.Option analysison — correct idiom: “take revenge on you.” ✅upon — old-fashioned; acceptable in very formal style, but on is standard.from / of / over — incorrect prepositions in this collocation.ExamplesHe took revenge on his rivals.Final Answeron

Question 15

Noun choice: identify the correct word to mean something added to a collection  Context: A new book will improve the holdings of a library. Complete the sentence: "This book is a useful ______ to our library."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataWe describe a new item joining a collection (library).Concept/ApproachAddition = something added to an existing set. Edition = a particular version of a book. Additive = a substance added to something else (chem./food). Adjunction = the act of joining (rare in everyday usage).Option analysisaddition — correct collocation: “a useful addition to our library.” ✅edition — wrong meaning (version/printing).additive — wrong part of speech/semantic field.adjunction — overly technical; not idiomatic here.Final Answeraddition

Question 16

Preposition after "cured": complete the medical collocation correctly  Context: Recovery from an illness is being described. Fill the blank: "The boy was cured ______ typhoid."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given dataVerb: cured; illness: typhoid.Concept/ApproachThe standard construction is cure someone of a disease: “cured of typhoid.” From is sometimes heard but is nonstandard in careful usage; off and with are incorrect here.Option analysisof — correct idiom. ✅from — informal/wrong for this verb phrase.off — not used with diseases.with — would mean “treated with,” not “cured of.”Final Answerof

Question 17

Critical vocabulary: choose the noun that signals outright denial of inherited noble values  Context: A communalist is said to oppose everything noble in our cultural inheritance. Complete the sentence: "The communalist represents the ______ of ever…

Accepted Answer

Given dataThe subject “represents” the opposite of noble values.Concept/ApproachNegation = denial or contradiction; it directly expresses opposition. Affirmation = support; quintessence = purest example; apotheosis = elevation to divine status — all contradict the intended meaning.Option analysisnegation — correct semantic opposite. ✅affirmation — wrong polarity.quintessence / apotheosis — denote the highest embodiment, not opposition.Final Answernegation

Question 18

Adjective choice: pick the word meaning highly responsive to light  Context: The person never leaves the house without sunglasses. Complete the sentence: "He is so ______ to light that he never leaves the house without sunglasses."  Choose the corre…

Accepted Answer

Given dataBehavior: always wears sunglasses due to reaction to light.Concept/ApproachSensitive to means easily affected by a stimulus (here, light). Antonyms like indifferent, immune, and impervious indicate the opposite (unaffected).Option analysissensitive — correct collocation: “sensitive to light.” ✅indifferent — unconcerned; wrong meaning.immune — protected from; opposite sense.impervious — not allowing something to pass through; figuratively unaffected.Usage noteMedical/technical terms include photosensitive or photophobic, but the general term is simply sensitive to light.Final Answersensitive

Question 19

Word choice (truthfulness): select the noun that best fits verification of a statement  Context: People without access to official records cannot check a minister’s claim. Complete the sentence: "The ______ of the Minister's statement cannot be veri…

Accepted Answer

Given dataFocus: whether a statement is true.Concept/ApproachVeracity = truthfulness/factual accuracy of a statement. Validity concerns logic/legality/justification, not necessarily truth of factual content. Clarity is about how clear something is; verbosity is excessive wordiness.Option analysisveracity — correct focus on truth value. ✅validity — may be tested by argument form or authority, but differs from truthfulness.clarity / verbosity — unrelated to truth.Final Answerveracity

Question 20

Fill in the blank using the correct phrasal-verb meaning “to pay” (collocation with “__ it up”)  “But the introductory fee does not stop after the initial handshake; brokers have to ______ it up after each transaction.”  Choose the most appropriate …

Accepted Answer

Given dataContext: brokers must pay an introductory fee repeatedly after each transaction.Pattern in the sentence: “______ it up”.Concept/ApproachIn idiomatic English, cough it up means “to pay money unwillingly or under obligation.” This fits a recurring fee better than alternatives like “bring it up” (which means “mention a topic”).Option analysiscough — forms the idiom “cough it up,” i.e., pay the fee.bring — “bring it up” = mention; wrong meaning.boost — “boost it up” is non-idiomatic here.give — “give it up” = surrender/stop; wrong sense.Common pitfallsConfusing “bring it up” (talk about) with “cough it up” (pay).Final Answercough

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