ENGLISH QUIZZES SOLUTION SETS

PARTS OF SPEECH AND GENERAL GRAMMAR RULES

1. b We are looking for pronoun that will function as an object of the preposition to in the
prepositional phrase To the preoccupied Rose and ____________. Therefore, we must
choose the pronoun in the Objective Case. Among the choices, only me is in the
objective case.
. b The proper pronoun to use is its, which is singular, because crowd is a collective noun
an! is singular in this case. Its is also in the thir! person, which is the person of the noun
crowd, which its replaces.
". ! We must fill the blank with a pronoun in the #ominative Case because it woul! be the
$ubject of the verb phrase must learn. Among They an! We, which are both in the
nominative case, we choose We because of the possessive pronoun our near the en! of the
sentence, which in!icates that the speaker or speakers belong to the group Filipinos.
%. ! Choose letter ! because both blanks are Objects of the preposition to. We know that
when a pronoun is the object of the preposition, it must be in the Objective Case.
&. b 'enerally, nouns en!ing in f are plurali(e! by removing the f an! a!!ing -ves instea!.
$o elf an! shelf become elves an! shelves, respectively. )owever, dwarf is an e*ception.
+t becomes plural by the a!!ition of s.
,. b +n the first blank, we are looking for a pronoun that woul! replace each of the alumnae.
The rule for proper pronoun use says that a pronoun must agree with its antece!ent in
person, number an! gen!er. Each of the alumnae is singular, feminine, an! is in the thir!
person. $o among the choices, only her fits the first blank. +n the secon! blank, we are
looking for a verb that woul! agree with the subject scissors. Scissors is a special noun
that is always plural. Therefore, the verb following must be plural as well. Among
choices a an! b, both of which have her for the first wor!, only b has the plural verb
were.
-. a $ince John an! Susie jointly own the yacht, the rule for joint possession applies. To
in!icate joint possession by John an! Susie of the yacht, a!! an apostrophe s .s/ to the
last name.
0. a The presence of the wor! amon in!icates that the subject she is being compare! to
many. Thus, the superlative !egree of comparison must be use!.
1. c All the blanks nee! a preposition of time. In is the answer to the first blank because its
object is a month2 at is the answer to the secon! blank because its object is an e*act an!
specific time of the !ay2 an! on is the answer to the thir! blank because its object is the
specific !ate or !ay.
13. a 4or specific a!!resses .!"#$ %aha&ain Street/, we use the preposition at. 4or lan!5
areas .'ue(on )ity/, we use the preposition in.
11. b To in!icate a !ifference of opinion or belief with another person, you use the phrasal verb
differ with. To in!icate the !ifference of one thing from another .difference of ones
thouhts to anothers/, use differ from.
1. a The subject is the plural mem&ers. Therefore, use a plural verb. 6etween cut, which is in
the present tense, an! have cut which is in the present perfect tense, choose cut because
the wor! always in the sentence in!icates that the action keeps on occurring. The
sentence is therefore a general statement of fact.
1". c Tag 7uestions re7uire the verb use! in the main statement, plus the pronoun that refers to
the subject of the same main statement.
1%. a Indices here is use! as a wor! in itself, an! shoul! thus be singular. it must also be in the
present tense because it is a general statement.
1&. c 8oney is always consi!ere! as a singular subject. Whereas the secon! person you is
always consi!ere! to be plural.
1,. ! *rocter and +am&le is the name of one company, an! is therefore a singular subject.
,ne, which is also singular, is the subject of the secon! sentence.
1-. ! $ince the satin remaine!, much or many cannot be use!. -ittle is the answer because
&leach, which the missing a!jective mo!ifies, is a non5countable .cannot be counte!/
noun.
10. ! The whole sentence is e*pressing the sentiment 9asi!e from: but also.; Thus, the
answer is the correlative conjunction not only. &ut also.
11. a 'rammatically speaking, only letter a fits the blank. Its is an abbreviation for It is,
which is inappropriate for the blank. It has an! It was are also incorrect.
3. c The conte*t is not clear on whether the a7uarium contains !ifferent types of fish .whence
you use fishes/ or just one type .whence you use fish/. Thus, any of the two will !o.
1. a We nee! the noun advice rather than the verb advise. A!visory is inappropriate for the
conte*t, as it means some kin! of perio!ic report or warning. One may argue for
advisin which may be a gerun!, an! thus a noun form. 6ut since a better wor! .a!vice/
is among the choices, one must not choose the inferior advisin.
. c Further is use! for e*plaining more or elaborating on a subject matter. Farther is for
going forwar! .pertaining to !istance/. We !o not use the superlative because there<s no
comparison among many things.
". a =se the a!jective ood instea! of the a!verb well when it comes after a linking verb that
pertains to sense. =sing well woul! make the sentence mean you have a well-honed
sense of smell, not the compliment to you that it was suppose! to be.
%. a =se the a!jective &ad instea! of the a!verb &adly after a linking verb that pertains to
sense. =sing &adly woul! mean there<s something wrong with the speaker<s sense of
feelings, not what it was meant to be, which is that the speaker was sa!!ene! by the
circumstances.
&. c /lternative may be a noun or an a!jective. As an a!jective, it means different which is
what we nee! for the blank.
,. c We use &esides, which means aside from.
-. a We use the plural verb here because of the wor! dishes at the en! of the sentence. This
tells us that macaroni an! cheese are consi!ere! as two separate !ishes by the speaker.
0. b We use the singular form of the verb because in fractional e*pressions, we follow the
object of the preposition of, in number. )ere, the object of the preposition of in the
prepositional phrase that follows the fractional e*pression, is the collective noun class.
Collective nouns are generally consi!ere! singular. We !o not use &e which is in the
subjunctive moo! because the statement is in the in!icative moo! .just stating a fact/.
1. a =se &e which is in the subjunctive moo! because the !epen!ent clause that a ruler____
ood is stating a re7uirement or con!ition. we know that for such cases, we must use the
subjunctive moo!.
"3. a =se were, which is in the subjunctive moo!. The !epen!ent clause If I ____ a horse is
e*pressing a wish. Thus it ought to be in the subjunctive moo!.
"1. c =se the past perfect tense had studied because in this statement, the stu!ying is a
precursor to passing the =>CAT. Therefore, two actions .as the sentence in!icates that
the chance for both have alrea!y passe!/ woul! have occurre! in succession .ha! they
occurre!/. =se the past perfect for the earlier action.
". b +n such sentences, use There are if the subjective complement is plural. +n this case, the
complement of there is mountains, which is plural. We !o not use the past tense because
this is a general statement.
"". a =se the future perfect tense will have finished because the finishin will occur before a
!efinite time in the future.
"%. c We nee! the intransitive .that which !oes not nee! an object/ verb an! in the past tense
.because of last month/. Thus the answer is lay, which is the past tense of the verb lie.
"&. a We nee! the transitive verb .since the missing verb has an object issue/ an! we nee! it is
the past or past perfect tense. The transitive verb is lay an! its past tense is laid. Thus,
the answer is laid.
",. c We nee! the intransitive rise up because the missing verb nee!s no object.
"-. ! +ncorrect pronoun case. ?eplace him with the nominative he because this un!erline!
pronoun is being compare! to the nominative I.
"0. a This un!erline! wor! is the subject of the sentence. therefore, this form of the who must
be in the nominative case. ?eplace it with Whosoever.
"1. c +ncorrect pronoun case. This pronoun is being compare! to the negate! in!efinite
pronoun 0o one, which is in the nominative case. Therefore, this un!erline! pronoun
must also be in the nominative case. ?eplace than her with than she.
%3. ! @etter ! is a case of misplace! mo!ifier. As it is, the sentence means that the &onus will
arrive durin the meetin yesterday. This is plainly illogical.
%1. b 1ni2ue is one of the a!jectives that !o not take to comparison. One is either uni7ue or
not uni7ue. There<s no more uni2ue or most uni2ue.
%. b This is one e*pression where the a!jective always comes after the noun it mo!ifies.
?eplace apparent heir to heir apparent.
%". a Wrong use of i!iomatic preposition. $ince the speaker is angry with a person, the
preposition with must be use! instea! of at. The latter is use! only if the object of anger
is a thing, an! not a person.
%%. ! Wrong use of i!iomatic preposition. $ince the argument is between groups of people, the
preposition with shoul! be use! instea! of a&out.
%&. e
%,. a +ncomplete i!iomatic e*pression. -oo3in forward goes with the preposition to, which is
missing here.
%-. c Wrong verb tense. The a!verb of time today in!icates that the verb shoul! be in the
present tense. ?eplace were with are.
%0. b =se the past perfect tense because the past action of ivin up occurre! before the other
past action of comin &ac3.
%1. a The secon! person pronoun 4ou is 7uite unnecessary in this imperative sentence.
?emove it.
&3. e
&1. b The subject of the sentence may be compoun! but one of the subjects is affirmative or
positive .The committee mem&ers/ while the other is negative .not the chair/. +n such
positive an! negative conjugations, the verb follows the positive subject in number. The
committee mem&ers is plural. Therefore, we must change has areed with have areed.
&. e
&". c @etter c has the right progression of verb tenses. 4or the earlier past action, the past
perfect was use! .had wal3ed/. 4or the later past action, the simple past tense is use!
.ave out/. The limiting a!verb only is also correctly place! before fifteen miles.
&%. a This sentence follows the general or!er of a!verbial phrases that are of !ifferent kin!s.
4irst comes the a!verb of manner .enthusiastically/, then the a!verb of place .to the
park/, then the a!verb of fre7uency .every morning/, then the a!verb of time .before
breakfast/, an! finally the a!verb of purpose .to e*ercise his heart/.
&&. b This sentence follows the prescribe! or!er for a!verbial phrases of !ifferent kin! an! of
same kin!. The a!verb of place comes before the a!verb of time. An! between the
a!verbs of place, the more specific .to +taly/ comes before the more general a!verb of
place .in Aurope/. Then comes the more specific a!verb of time .in Bune/ followe! by
the more general a!verb f the same kin! .ne*t year/.
SYNTAX AND MECHANICS
1. b The comma belongs insi!e 7uotation marks, even the comma that is separating a !irect 7uotation
from a narration.
. c >arenthetical e*pressions like this oneC9 as well as my father;Care usually prece!e! an!
conclu!e! by a comma.
". ! =se a comma in a series. Aven if the conjunction and separates the last element from the rest,
parallelism re7uires that a comma still prece!e it. #ote though that it is acceptable for the comma
to be omitte!. )owever, the best answer is still the one with a comma.
%. b To separate two in!epen!ent clauses that are not joine! by a coor!inating conjunction like and,
&ut, yet, an! so on, us the semi5colon instea! of the comma to avoi! a run5together sentence or a
comma splice.
&. ! 5owever .or therefore, thus, moreover, nevertheless, etc./ is not a very strong connective. Thus
when it joins two clauses, we must use a semi5colon before it, an! a comma after it.
,. ! When namely intro!uces an enumeration, use a semi5colon before it an! a comma after it.
-. b =se a comma before not to be clear on which this a!verb of negation is mo!ifying.
0. a =se a comma after Ever since so as to avoi! making the sentence into a fragment.
1. a A colon is appropriate because following the !irect 7uotation is a comment on the 7uotation. The
colon comes after the close 7uotation mark, because the rules of mechanics say that a colon
belongs outsi!e 7uotation marks.
13. a To show possession, a!! s to the en! of a noun, may it be simple or compoun!.
11. b -ord shoul! be followe! by an e*clamation mark, seeing as it is followe! by an interjection.
1. b The wor! and is use! in itself .that is, and is use! as a wor! an! not a connective/. To make it
plural, it is appropriate to a!! an apostrophe before s.
1". ! =se the colon instea! of the semi5colon because an enumeration follows.
1%. a This is a !angling prepositional phrase. +t is !angling because the prepositional phrase In e6am-
ta3in has nothing to mo!ify in the sentence.
1&. b This is an in!irect 7uotation an! shoul! not therefore be enclose! in 7uotation marks.
1,. a This is the title of a book. Thus, the significant wor!s must all begin in capital letters. The small
caps prince shoul! be change! to *rince.
1-. e
10. a At the beginning of sentences, numerical e*pressions shoul! be spelle! out. Change *$78 to Two
hundred fifty pesos.
11. c The pronoun he has an ambiguous reference, as it may refer to either father or Jim.
3. c =se a comma to separate the appositive clause that I can ive you all my &est to the wor! it
mo!ifies thin.
1. ! A comma shoul! come after rapidly because it prevents this a!verb from becoming a s7uinting
mo!ifier2 that is a mo!ifier that may either mo!ify runnin or thro&&ed .running rapi!ly, or
rapi!ly throbbe!/.
. a This is the sentence that has the most parallel structureC$ubject5Derb5#oun Clause. The first
clause has philosophers for a subject, an! the secon! clause has *lato, another philosopher, as its
subject. The use of the verb &elieved in both clauses makes the sentence consistent in content.
The right punctuation .the comma/ was also use! before the subor!inating conjunction while.
This is in accor!ance with rules of mechanics. The mo!ifier only is properly locate! imme!iately
before the preposition throuh, which only mo!ifies.
". ! All the other sentences are fragments There is no verb after the wor! de&ris.
%. c @etters b an! ! are fragment infinitive phrases. @etter a has an inappropriate punctuation, the
colon. @etter c is properly punctuate! an! is not a fragment.
&. c @etters a an! b unnecessarily repeats riht hand. @etter ! incorrectly capitali(es Riht. @etter c is
within the boun!s of correct sentence construction.
,. ! @etter a unnecessarily shifts from the thir! person to the secon! person when it replace! the thir!
person academic spirit with the secon! person your. @etter b incorrectly capitali(es /cademic.
@etter c unnecessarily shifts from the secon! person your to the thir! person academic spirit.
-. a @etter b has a !angling participial phrase an! an unclear reference in )allin out to any&ody who
would listen9 see3in out her lost sons. @etter c incorrectky uses a semi5colon instea! of a comma.
@etter c uses the pronoun She without naming its antece!ent first. @etter a has none of these
outline! problems.
0. c @etters a an! b have inappropriately place! mo!ifiers For ettin the first pri(e. which seems to
mo!ify the school. @etter ! has an unnecessary shift in subject from +reory to %ost ,utstandin
Student /ward. @etter c clearly in!icates that +reory got the first pri(e an! thus was given an
awar! by the school for this accomplishment.
1. b @etter a contains a !angling infinitive phrase To et what is dreamed of because it !oesn<t mo!ify
anything in the sentence. +t cannot logically mo!ify avenues. @etter c incorrectly uses the comma
to separate the in!epen!ent clause you must fiht all fihts from the rest of the sentence. @etter !
unnecessarily shifts from the thir! person one to the secon! person you. @etter b, on the other
han! !oes not contain a !angling mo!ifier, !oes not shift in person, an! is rightly punctuate!.
"3. c @etters a an! b have misplace! elliptical clauses When a youn irl which seems to mo!ify
+randfather. @etter ! uses she which has an ambiguous reference as it may refer to either the irl
or her randmother. @etter c has no ambiguity an! !oes away with the elliptical clause.
"1. b @etter a has an illogical coor!ination as it uses and an! makes the rest another in!epen!ent clause,
thereby weakening the whole sentence. +t coul! have been simply The Institute for the :lind
stood in the pla(a rounds throuh the efforts of the city officers. @etter c is lacking a comma after
officers to mark the en! of the parenthetical e*pression. @etter ! incorrectly capitali(es *la(a.
@etter b correctly subjugates the prepositional phrase Throuh the efforts of the city officers to the
rest of the sentence, an! uses proper punctuations besi!es.
". c E@etter a uses pronoun it which is ambiguous in reference as it may refer to either ;epEd or
/:); school. @etter b is an illogical sentence because it lacks the wor! respectively an! thus
!oes not properly allocate who ha! no business registration an! who ha! no license to teach.
@etter ! is unnecessarily wor!y an! therefore weak. @etter c is the best sentence as it has no
ambiguity an! unnecessary wor!iness.
"". c @etter a improperly uses a comma instea! of a semi5colon before however which connects two
clauses. @etter b places only before the prepositional phrase at my face, thus making only
incorrectly mo!ify this aforementione! phrase. Fou may very well ask the 7uestionE Where else
!oes the speaker want his forgiveness thrown backG @etter ! incorrectly places all my pride
between the phrasal verb ave up, an! misplaces only, too. @etter c has none of the
abovementione! problems. +t notably places only in an acceptable place.
"%. a The sentence clearly e*presses an enumeration of the automobiles. +n such cases, one might very
well use the !ash. @etter c makes it seem as if there was a truck, a se!an an $=D, an! another
three automobiles. @etter ! misplace! the enumeration an! use! the wrong punctuation.
"&. ! These sentences have monster constructions which ought to be separate! by semi5colons. The
non5use of these semi5colons in the other sentences make them confusing an! open to
misun!erstan!ing.
",. a @etter a has a parallel construction, has the proper use of punctuations, an! correct sentence or!er
an! construction.
"-. a @etter a !oes not misplace the mo!ifying clause which I had &rouht from the li&rary an! thus,
this clause clearly mo!ifies the &oo3. This cannot be sai! for letters b an! c. @etter !, on the other
han! uses an awkwar! wor! or!er by placing the a!verbial phrase from the li&rary between the
phrasal verb &rouht &ac3 an! its object a precious &oo3. @etter ! also lacks the relative pronoun
that between &oo3 an! I.
"0. a This is the sentence which correctly places the mo!ifying clause which had &een uninha&ited for
years after the wor! it mo!ifies ca&in, an! which has an elegant sentence construction by
following the natural or!er of sentencesE $ubject5Derb5Complement. @etter b has an awkwar!
sentence construction, as it uses an ineffective transpose! or!er. +t also uses the preposition on
instea! of the correct preposition in. @etter c misplaces the mo!ifying clause as this clause comes
after cliff. @etter ! is missing a comma after years.
"1. b This sentence is consistent in the use of the imperative moo! all over the sentence. @etter a
unnecessarily shifts from the imperative to the a!vising tone. @etter c shifts from the a!vising to
the imperative tone. @etter ! is an e*ample of primer sentences. +t !ivi!es a perfectably
acceptable single construction into two very 9elementary; sentences.
%3. c @etter c is clearly an! effectively constructe!, as well as being a parallel construction when and
joine! similar constructions .infinitive phrases/. @etter a is an unclear construction, carelessly
using the pronoun them which in the same clause refers first to nurses an! then to patients. @etter
b lacks a comma after patients. @etter ! suffers from weakness !ue to an awkwar! construction.
%1. b @etter a shifts from one subject to another, from answer to child. @etter c is an awkwar!
construction by unnecessarily using It as the subject when the appositive the answer to your
2uestion woul! !o as well. @etter ! has a misplace! mo!ifier when it places &ein o&vious after
2uestion. +t seems here that the 7uestion, not the answer, is obvious. @etter b !oes not shift in
subject, an! is clear an! effective in construction, too.
%. b @etter a is confuse! in tenses, using the present an! the past tense simultaneously without any
clear cause an! effect or progression from the past to the present. @etter c<s first sentence has no
subject an! is thus a fragment. @etter ! is another fragment. Only letter b is consistent in tense,
an! contains no fragment elements.
%". b @etter a is an incomplete construction. After has shoul! have been the past participle form of the
verb to be &een because the present or base form &e in the compoun! verb has and always will &e
will not !o. @etter b, however, is correctly constructe! because the verbs is an! will &e are both
complete in themselves. @etter c lacks the preposition to which must have come before /nyone.
@etter ! has no sentence construction problems but has wrong capitali(ation. +t capitali(es the first
letter of a common noun education.
%%. ! @etter a uses an incorrect punctuation, the semi5colon when no punctuation or a comma woul!
have been more proper. @etter b is an incomplete construction, as it lacks the preposition of after
disapproved. This sentence is actually saying disapproved with me, which is an error in i!iomatic
prepositions. @etter c uses the present form disapproves when the past participle form
disapproved woul! have been more appropriate. @etter ! uses all the correct verb forms,
punctuations, an! prepositions.
%&. b @etter a is an incomplete comparison because it omitte! as in the comparative construction as.as.
Another as shoul! have been place! after stu&&orn to make this sentence correct. @etter c uses the
comparative more stu&&orn, instea! of the correct superlative most stu&&orn. @etter ! is missing a
comma after the secon! as. @etter b, as you can see, is a complete comparison with both as
present. +t also has a comma after the secon! as. 4urthermore, it uses the superlative most
stu&&orn.
%,. a Only this sentence logically compares the speaker<s pride with the pri!e .replace! by the pronoun
that/ of those who sail manufactured &oats. The rest of the sentences illogically compares the
speaker<s pride with those who sail manufactured &oats. These sentences use illogical comparison
because they compare an abstract i!ea .pri!e/ to people .represente! by the pronoun those/.
%-. b @etter a is a mi*e! construction because it uses a mo!ifying phrase With lare num&ers in a class
as a subject. @etter c places the mo!ifying clause in a very weak position, at the en! of the
sentence. @etter ! makes lare num&ers in class a party to the !iscussion that the teachers an!
stu!ents are suppose! to be having. @etter b correctly makes the phrase With lare num&ers in a
class function as the mo!ifying phrase it is, placing it at the beginning of the sentence, to be
imme!iately followe! by it which it mo!ifies.
%0. ! @etter ! is the only sentence that !oes not weaken itself with an e*cess of trailing subor!inate
constructions, thereby retaining its clarity an! effectiveness.
%1. a This sentence is compose! of two in!epen!ent clauses joine! by the coor!inating conjunction &ut,
which is correctly prece!e! by a comma. The number of years ,ne hundred fifty is also properly
spelle! out since it comes at the beginning of the sentence. @etter b contains a mechanical error
because it begins the sentence with a numerical e*pression. @etter c uses a singular verb is when
the subject is plural / twin3le to a star and three lifetimes. @etter ! lacks a comma before &ut.
&3. b @etters a an! c are mi*e! constructions. @etter a uses The reason. &ecause construction which is
an unacceptable construction. The presence of The reason necessitate! that a substantive .a noun
or a noun form/ fulfill it, not &ecause. @etter a may have been mo!ifie! to be The reason the
population is increasin very rapidly is the fact that people are no loner dyin li3e flies9 not the
supposition that they are reproducin li3e ra&&its. @etter c uses another unacceptable construction
:ecause. thats why. :ecause makes the clause it belongs to a subor!inate one. 6ut in this
construction, this subor!inate or !epen!ent clause :ecause people are no loner dyin li3e flies9
not &ecause they reproduce li3e ra&&its actually has no principal or in!epen!ent clause to !epen!
upon. +t is a re!un!ant construction since Thats why the population is increasin very rapidly
!oes not nee! the aforementione! clause. This sentence may be restate! to say The population is
increasin very rapidly &ecause people are no loner dyin li3e flies9 not &ecause they reproduce
li3e ra&&its. @etter ! is actually grammatically okay. Compare! to letter b, however, the latter
comes out the better construction.
DICTION AND VOCABULARY
1. c ,&streperous is a formal wor! meaning noisy an! unruly. The conte*t in!icates that this is the
correct wor! since the noise woul! have in!uce! the teacher to yell to &e heard.
!iscreet H cautious, pru!ent2 subtle
morose H ba!5tempere! an! unhappy2 sullen
truculent H aggressive an! !efiant
. b The conte*t in!icates we nee! a verb, an action, that is similar to tellin the team to try harder in
the face of overwhelmin odds. We nee! a wor! that is similar to ure. The answer is e6hort
because it means to urge strongly.
emulate H a formal wor! meaning to try to !o as well or better by imitation
flout H to !efy or to show contempt .for the law/
instigate H to bring about2 to provoke, especially to a wrong!oing
". c The conte*t in!icates that some kin! of flowers are being !iscusse!. Thes flowers are apparently
somethin to #ew Anglan!. This being so, the speaker hasn<t seen them before. The answer
coul! only be indienous which means native or belonging naturally to an area.
e*igent H a formal wor! for urgent
fluent H able to speak or write a foreign or secon! language with ease an!
competence
ingenuous H clever, inventive or resourceful.
%. c The sentence says that Ro&erto pretended to 3now a lot a&out the opera. The blank is looking for
a wor! that restates ?oberto<s 7uality of preten!ing about the opera. The answer is dilettante
which is a name for a !abbler in a subject, usually the arts.
catalyst H anything that spee!s up change
chimera H an impossible or fanciful i!ea or image
supernumerary H a formal wor! for someone or something e*tra
&. b The sentence provi!es these cluesE forceful e6pression of opinions which apparently put off the
professor<s stu!ents for them to begin leavin the course. The answer is domatic which means
the 7uality of asserting opinions arrogantly.
cre!ible H believable an! convincing
!ormant H inactive
luci! H clear an! enlightene!
,. c The clue wor! in the sentence is trou&le. What wor! !o we usually associate with this wor!G An!
the answer is instiatin which is synonymous to provoking .trouble, usually/. This, among all
other wor!s, is the best wor! because the sentence also suggests that the chil! has calmed down
later in life. Thus, appeasing, curtailing, an! mortifying har!ly fit.
appeasing H pacifying
curtailing H restricting, limiting
mortifying H shameful, humiliating
-. c We get in trouble for making pe<orative remarks. >ejorative means insulting or unpleasant.
benign H kin!
blithe H happy, gay, cheerful2 insensitive .because cheerful an! gay remarks
in inappropriate situations are !eeme! insensitive/
pensive H !eeply or sa!ly thoughtful
0. ! A person who has never been to an art museum may be a person who has no knowle!ge about the
fine arts. A person thus, is !escribe! as a philistine, which is a name appropriate for a person who
!oesn<t un!erstan! or a!mire music, art, or literature.
he!onist H self5in!ulgent2 a wor! that !escribes a man concerne! with his
pleasures
martyr H a person who woul! rather suffer !eath than renounce a faith or
belief
patrician H refine!, aristocratic2 an aristocrat
1. b The whole sentence provi!es the conte*t. There is a jury, in!icating that a man is on trial for
suppose! wrong!oing. The only wor! appropriate for the conte*t is e6onerated, which means
free! from blame or obligation.
augmente! H increase!, supplemente!
e*patriate! H e*ile!2 a wor! which !escribes a man who left his own country an!
resi!es in another.
subjugate! H con7uere! or controlle!
13. c When people hear horrid news, they are usually !isturbe! an! negatively affecte! by it. %alaise
is the answer, as you woul! have known ha! you looke! at its prefi* mal, which means &ad.
8alaise is actually a feeling of !iscomfort, uneasiness or !epression.
blasphemy H impious or !isrespectful statement about sacre! things
largess H gifts or money generously given
11. c The wor! &ecame in the sentence clues us in to the fact that we are looking for a wor! that
signifies a change. The answer, therefore, is metamorphosis, which means a change of form or
character.
accola!e H an awar! or honor2 much praise an! approval
epithet H an a!jective or !escriptive phrase substitute! for a person<s name
milieu H social surroun!ings or environment
1. ! When a subject coul! not be un!erstoo! by anyone, it must be a comple* subject that must re7uire
much stu!y an! e*pertise to be !eciphere!. The answer is esoteric, which !escribes a subject
matter that is likely to be un!erstoo! only by those with a special knowle!ge or interest.
auspicious H favorable, promising
austere H severe, harsh .con!itions/2 serious, stern, self5!iscipline! .person/
e7uitable H fair, just, impartial
1". ! The clause no one is sure hell &e wor3in there ne6t month in!icates uncertainty. an! as this
uncertainty pertains to Shermans hold on his <o&, the conte*t in!icates that $herman<s hol! on his
job is 7uite weak for his job to so uncertain. Thus, the answer to this item is tenuous, which
means !elicate, flimsy, slight, an! weak.
eminent H !istinguishe!, famous .person/2 outstan!ing, remarkable .thing or
characteristic/
putative H suppose! or assume!
seren!ipitous H acci!ental2 a chance !iscovery
1%. b The answer is culminated, which means reache! the highest proportion or conclusion. This can
only be the answer because of the reference to perfect season that en!s in a championship win.
alleviate! H lessene! or ease!
fomente! H arouse! or stirre! up .trouble or !iscontent/
fulminate! H proteste! lou!ly an! bitterly
1&. c The e*pression see-throuh implies that a lie or a front must have been put up that coul! be seen
through. An! since the lawyers are !oing the lying, their lies must have soun!e! genuine. The
wor! we are looking for is specious, which means superficially plausible but actually wrong or
false.
onerous H troublesome2 re7uiring much effort
palpable H able to be seen or felt2 obvious
stoic H a !escription for someone who shows great self5control, especially in
times of trouble
1,. b When one coul!n<t follow even the most simple of !irections, one must obviously be stupi!. The
answer is o&tuse, which means !ull5witte!, simple5min!e!, an! stupi! when use! in reference to a
person.
can!i! H frank, outspoken, honest
officious H too rea!y to offer services or a!vice2 bossy an! interfering
opulent H lu*urious or showy wealth
1-. a When is it not a goo! i!ea to take balloon ri!esG When the weather, of course, is ba! or stormy.
The answer is adverse, which means unfavorable, hostile, or contrary.
affable H frien!ly an! amiable, polite
malleable H easily influence! or change!2 able to be hammere! or presse! into
shape
10. c The whole sentence, is obviously an e*pression of won!er. The answer is enima, which means a
pu((ling person or thing, a mystery.
antipathy H a feeling of strong !islike or hostility, an aversion
archetype H the i!eal or original form2 mo!el or prototype
i!iosyncrasy H a manner of thought or behavior peculiar to an in!ivi!ual2 a 7uirk or
eccentricity.
11. b Replete with means full of an! is thus the answer.
resolute H firmly !etermine!2 stea!fast
virulent H !angerous, harmful .!isease/2 bitterly hostile .attack or action/
3. a The actions &owed and scraped in!icate e*treme humility on the part of the prime minister. This
great humility may be appropriately given by a man of power I the >rime 8inister I to a 'ueen.
1. a The sentence in!icates that the ba! situation was ma!e worse, !ue to the presence of the wor!s
only an! an already &ad situation. The answer is e6acer&ated, which means ma!e a problem,
!isease, pain, etc., worse. +t is also synonymous to aggravate!.
obfuscate! H ma!e confusing or !ifficult to un!erstan!2 clou!e! or !arkene!
preempte! H prevente! something by taking a!vance action2 forestalle!
. ! The tone of the sentence is subtly hostile or negative. A!mitte!ly, !is!ain is a negative wor!.
)owever, temerity is more appropriate for the blank= The answer therefore is temerity, which is a
formal wor! for rashness, au!acity, an! effrontery.
!iscretion H free!om to act accor!ing to one<s own ju!gment
!is!ain H scorn, contempt, or !islike
surfeit H too much of something, especially of foo! an! !rink.
". b When everyone falls asleep within five minutes of a lecture, only one thing can be sai! for that
lecture. +t must be very boring. The answer, therefore, is &anal, which means not interesting, !ull,
or trite.
ascetic H self5!enying an! austere, with severe self5!iscipline2 a person lea!ing
such a life especially for religious reasons
astute H shrew!, having keen insight
ineffable H a formal wor! for too great or too scare! to be e*presse! in wor!s.
%. ! When a couple !eci!es to get marrie!, the parties concerne! usually think !eeply about it. The
sentence implies that the ;arwin couple took months to think about their future before !eci!ing to
get marrie!. Among the choices, the wor! we are looking for is ruminated, which means
pon!ere! or me!itate! .upon something/. #ote too, that only letter ! can be use! in the blank
without committing an error in the use of i!iomatic prepositions. Fou !on<t say deferred upon but
deferred to2 incited upon but incited to2 precluded upon but just precluded or precluded from.
!eferre! H yiel!e! to a person<s knowle!ge or wishes
incite! H urge! to action2 provoke! or agitate!
preclu!e! H prevente! 2 ma!e impossible
&. a The task, to be challenging, must be either !ifficult or large. Among the choices, enormity is the
only possible answer, as it means the 7uality of being large or huge.
hiatus H a break in continuity2 an interruption
lethargy H an e*treme lack of energy an!Jor interest, feeling, etc.
omen H an event suppose!ly pre!icting future goo! or evil
,. b The presence of the wor! mysterious an! a comma before the blank means that we are looking for
a wor! that is similar in meaning to or compatible with mysterious. 4urthermore, we nee! a wor!
that may !escribe music that charms the listeners. The answer is ethereal, which means eerie,
otherworl!ly, an! !elicate.
sanguine H confi!ent, optimistic2 cheerful
viable H feasible2 practical
-. ! The answer is salient, which means most noticeable, or most important an! significant.
gratuitous H unwarrante! or uncalle! for2 given or !one free of charge
perfunctory H unthinking, automatic, mechanical2 !utiful
0. b The teacher<s job is to e!ucate his or her pupils. The answer is edify, which means to improve the
min! or to e!ucate.
comprise H inclu!e, encompass2 contain
stipulate H to specify, to lay !own .rules or con!itions/2 to re7uire or to !eman!
1. c 4armers plant a secon! crop to try to counteract the effects of a ba! farming year. The answer is
mitiate, which means to alleviate, to lessen, or to ease. ?emember that you can<t !estroy the
effects of a ba! year, you may only try to ease it. that<s why the answer remains to be letter c.
censure H to critici(e or to repriman!
!ecimate H to !estroy or to annihilate
obliterate H to wipe out or to !estroy
"3. c @ying on the couch an! watching TD all !ay speaks of a very la(y person an! inactive lifestyle.
4rom a previous item, we know that lethary means e*treme la(iness or inactivity. Thus, lethargy
is the answer.
animosity H hostility or hatre!
futility H uselessness or pointlessness
reticence H reserve or uncommunicativeness
"1. c Cacophony an! harmony are mean opposite things. Cacophony means harsh, unpleasant
!iscor!ant soun!s. 4rom the choices, only miniscule .small or minute/ an! gargantuan .gigantic/
are antonyms an! thereby show the same relationship as cacophony an! harmony.
e!ucation an! e!ification H both lea! to improvement of the min! or learning
e7uality an! or!er H maybe relate! because e7uality .fairness/ may
lea! to or!er .peaceful arrangement/
subjugation an! labor H subjugation means !efeat, an! labor means work.
These are not antonyms.
". b Dacillating an! in!ecisive are synonymous to each other. Dacillating an! in!ecisive may !escribe
a person who keeps changing his or her opinions. +mpecunious an! impoverishe! are also
synonyms. 6oth mean poor or the state of being low in fun!s or money.
capricious an! pre!ictable H are antonyms. Capricious means unpre!ictable,
which is e*actly the opposite of pre!ictable.
inept an! competent H are another set of antonyms. +nept means
incompetent.
vacant an! brilliant H may also be thought of as antonyms. Dacant
may mean stupi! or !ull5witte!. 6rilliant, as we
know, means e*actly the opposite.
"". ! Kisparage an! commen! are antonyms. Kisparage means to belittle, whereas commen! is a
formal wor! that means to praise. $urreptitious an! can!i! are also antonyms. $urreptitious
means secretive or stealthy, whereas can!i! means open an! honest.
auspicious an! favorable H are synonyms.
obscure an! hi!!en H are also synonyms, as they both mean not
obvious or not apparent.
relegate an! sen! away H are 7uite similar as well. ?elegate means to
!emote or to move !own to a lower rank or
position. $en! away clearly in!icates a
movement away from a focal point.
"%. a or b Con!one an! overlook are synonyms. To con!one means to overlook or to !isregar!,
especially wrong!oings an! misbehaviors. Assi!uous is the formal wor! for persevering or
!iligent, an! it is synonymous to ambitious. Aru!ite is a wor! !escribing a learne!, or scholarly
man.
frenetic an! serene H are antonyms. 4renetic means frantic an! hectic.
being such, it is opposite to serene, which means
tran7uil or peaceful.
sagacious an! obtuse H are also antonyms. $agacious is a formal wor!
for shrew!. This is opposite to obtuse, which
means stupi! an! !ull5witte!.
"&. c +nnate an! inherent are synonyms. 6oth pertain to natural characteristics. A*igent .the formal
wor! for urgent/ is similar in meaning to !eman!ing.
corporal an! spiritual H are not synonyms. Corporal means of the bo!y.
$piritual means of the spirit.
ephemeral an! eternal H are antonyms. Aphemeral means short5live! or
temporary, while eternal means permanent an!
everlasting.
spurious an! authentic H are antonyms. Authentic means genuine or true,
whereas spurious means not genuine, not real, or
false.
",. b $crupulous an! lacka!aisical contra!ict each other. $crupulous may mean very careful or e*act
.!iligent/, whereas lacka!aisical means without !etermination or enthusiasm, or just plain la(y.
+mmutable an! impermanent also oppose each other in meaning. +mmutable means cannot be
change!, or permanent. +mpermanent is obviously not permanent.
e*traneous an! irrelevant H are synonyms. A*traneous .from the wor! e*tra/
means unrelate! or irrelevant to the matter at
han!.
impetuous an! impulsive H are also synonyms. They both !escribe a person
who acts rashly an! without much thought.
inane an! senseless H are synonyms, too. +nane means absur!, foolish,
or senseless.
"-. ! Abstemious an! ascetic are similar in meaning. 6eing abstemious means one is being mo!erate,
especially in eating an! !rinking. Ascetic !escribes a person who !enies himself of e*cesses an!
pleasures .self5!enying/. Dirulent an! !ea!ly are also synonyms. Dirulent, when use! with
!isease, means harmful or !ea!ly.
amorphous an! !istinct H are antonyms. Amorphous means shapeless an!
in!efinite, an! therby in!istinct.
!ubious an! positive H are antonyms. Kubious means !oubtful or
uncertain. >ositive may on usage mean certain.
negligent an! conscientious H are antonyms. One who is negligent fails to give
proper attention or care. One who is
conscientious has a clear sense of obligation, an!
is thereby !iligent.
"0. a Assuage an! provoke oppose each other. To assuage means to ease or to take the e!ge off .of an
e*plosive situation, for e*ample/. To provoke means to incite or to aggravate .make worse/.
Abstruse an! straightforwar! show the same relationship as the aforementione!. Abstruse means
!ifficult to un!erstan!, or obscure. $traightforwar!, of course, is the opposite.
belligerent an! 7uarrelsome H are synonyms. A belligerent an! 7uarrelsome person is
hothea!e! an! is always rea!y to fight an!
7uarrel.
lugubrious an! morose H are synonymous, too. @ugubrious an! morose
both mean mournful an! !oleful.
mercurial an! unpre!ictable H are synonymous. 8ercurial means lively or
changes very 7uickly. An unpre!ictable person
also 7uickly changes his min! an! !esires from
one moment to another.
"1. a Cryptic an! !efinite are 7uite antonyms. $omething is cryptic when the meaning is har! to
!ecipher because it is hi!!en or obscure. Thus, it cannot be !efinite .e*plicit or clear/ at the same
time. Ar!uous an! easy are antonyms. Ar!uous means har!, which is the opposite of easy.
!iffi!ent an! timi! H are synonyms. Kiffi!ent means hesitant or timi!.
circumspect an! severe H have no relationship. Circumspect means
cautious an! pru!ent. $evere means harsh or
stern.
purporte! an! suppose! H are synonyms. To purport something is to
suppose or to allege something.
%3. a Dilify an! malign are synonyms. To vilify someone is to speak evil of this person. To malign
someone is to slan!er or to speak evil of this person, too. A*uberant an! ebullient are synonyms,
as both mean in high spirits.
surrogate an! original H are not synonyms. $urrogate means substitute or
replacement .as in surrogate mother/, whereas
original is the real thing, that which is replace!.
vitiate an! purify H Ditiate is the formal wor! that means to weaken,
spoil, or harm. +t is not synonymous to purify,
which means to cleanse or saniti(e.
(ealous an! in!ifferent H are also not synonyms. Lealous means
enthusiastic or eager. +n!ifferent means lacking
interest, care, or concern.
%1. b Change crabby .which is a slang wor!/ with irritable.
%. ! This is too full of jargon. ?eplace it with cake or brea! or whatever the pro!uct of the baking
skills maybe.
%". ! This is pretentious language, as it unnecessarily uses a foreign phrase for something that coul! be
state! in Anglish. replace entre nous with &etween the two of us.
%%. b =nnecessary an! awkwar! repetition of the wor! matter.
%&. b +nappropriate !iction. Ko not use domicile which connotes legal action an! the courts. =se
house9 instea!, which connotes structure an! buil!ing materials.
%,. c Wrong choice of wor!. replace affect with effect.
%-. c Wrong choice of wor!. ?eplace further with farther as the sentence is talking about !istance.
%0. a Wrong gen!er. ?ebesa, from the sentence, is a female. $he is therefore an alumna, not an
alumnus.
%1. e
&3. e
READING COMPREHENSION
1. b Idyllic is the answer since the whole passage !escribes a restful, peaceful, an! countrifie! scene.
. ! 4rom the passage, the ol! newspaper soare! above the rooftops. Only a particularly strong gust of
win! coul! have lifte! it as high as that.
". b This main i!ea can be foun! at the topic sentence, which is the last sentence of the passage.
%. b The first paragraph is a specific illustration of the passage. The illustration came first before the
generali(ation.
&. a $elf5e*planatory.
,. b The actual comparison is between *reparation for fihtin a war an! preparation for ta3in a
cruise in a small &oat. Therefore, remove preparation for an! we see that fihtin a war is
compare! to ta3in a cruise or sailin a small &oat, letter b.
-. c The fifth sentence of the passage is the answer to the 7uestion.
0. ! The first sentence is the clue to this 7uestion.
1. ! We know that as summer en!s an! winter approaches, the nights lengthen an! the !ays shorten.
The lengthening nights therefore symboli(e a transition in seasons, an! thus, the passing of time.
13. a 4rom the si*th sentence onwar!s, the whole passage becomes a recurring a!monition to move.
Thus this implies that the author is a!vising !ecisiveness.
11. b +n the secon! life, his replaces an! refers to love foun! in the first line.
1. b The poem tells the rea!er to follow an! yield. This means that the rea!er may choose to follow or
yield or concede. One is therefore not helpless .as letter a supposes/. @etter c won<t !o as well.
Fiel!ing an! following intimate surren!er, not a fight. The fact that the rea!er will suffer .letter !/
might be true, but that is not at all the point of the author.
1". ! @ook at the fourth sentence for the answer.
1%. c +nference, remember, is resolving something using the !etails provi!e! in the passage. The fact
that people are moving in large numbers to !evelope! countries is not actually a response to
liberali(e! policies in these countries. The liberali(e! policies only took away the stopper that
inhibite! the movement of people from !eveloping to !evelope! countries. >eople, of course,
woul! like to move to the !evelope! countries because of the higher wages.
1&. b @ook at the first sentence for the answer.
1,. b $elf5e*planatory. The whole passage is about the problem &rain-drain.
1-. a ?egion +D in!ee! has the largest population among all the regions.
10. c There<s no population !ata !ifferentiate! for gen!er so the rea!er has no basis for saying if this
statement is true or not.
11. b This statement is false. +f we arrange the regions accor!ing to population si(e, we<ll fin! out that
?egions D+++ an! + actually have me!ian, an! not e*treme, population.
3. c As there<s no !ata for the population of chil!ren, there<s really no basis for saying whether this
statement is true or not.
1. c As this is !ata for the year 333 only, we cannot say whether the population of the >hilippines has
increase! through time.
. b The !ifference between the population of $outhern Tagalog an! the population of #ational Capital
?egion is 1,0,1,333. The !ifference between the population of Central @u(on an! #ational
Capital region is 1,011,,1&. Obviously, the latter is greater. This makes the statement false.
". c The tonue an! pen stan! for saying alou! an! writing !own, respectively, both of which are ways
of e*pressing feelings. The feeling in It miht have &een is regret an! longing for what !i! not
come about. The figurative e*pression is therefore saying, the sa!!est feeling that can be
e*presses is the longing for lost opportunities.
%. ! The misun!erstan!ing !oes not come because of the greatness. #or !oes being misun!erstoo! the
mark of being great. What the statement wants to say is that few people can un!erstan! the
sentiments of great persons. 8ost people misun!erstan! the great person.
&. c 6y we cannot insure our own prosperity e6cept &y insurin that of everyone else, the figurative
e*pression is saying that in or!er to personally succee!, he must help other people succee!, too.
This is another way of saying that a person must have concern for other people. The line %an3ind
has &ecome so much one family simply means that men are inter!epen!ent.
,. b Of course man owns his bo!y. The product of his hands can only refer to the result of his labors.
8an<s property then is !etermine! by his labors.
-. c The e*amination is use! in lieu of what was actually meant, reflection. When a life is not worth
livin, it must lack meaning. Thus, if the une*amine! life is not worth living, $ocrates is
cautioning us that ?eflection is the key to a truly meaningful life.
0. ! We mean here that man<s personality affects an! influences what he knows an! learns. That<s
letter !.
1. ! / man is the center of his own universe means that man is self5centere! an! self5focuse!. There
are as many universes as there are men means that all people think of himself first before thinking
of others.
"3. ! +f love increases with convenience an! !ecreases with inconvenience, then the factor that
!etermines the love a person feels is convenience.
"1. b This statement is obviously the opening sentence. +t is supporte! by the rest of the sentences
which outline the confession.
". a The presence of /side from which makes this sentence the natural successor to sentence letter !. +t
a!!s to the confession ma!e in sentence !.
"". ! After cleaning the area to be painte! .c/ an! before applying the first coating of paint .b/, one
shoul! prime the brush an! !ip it into pre5treate! paint.
"%. a This is the sentence that naturally follows the thir! sentence .b/. The recurrence of the wor!
coatin roun!s it off nicely.
"&. c C is the first sentence. A is ne*t because of eyes, repeate! from the first sentence. The use of they
an! those roun!s the transition to sentence !. They an! those both refer to eyes which have been
roaming insi!e the room. $entence ! comes after. The wor! mirror reinforces the connection to
sentence !.
",. c The rest of the sentences are an aca!emic !iscussion of &irth. $entence c is a personal comment.
"-. a The rest of the sentences ha! a recurring themeE feeling of belonging. @etter a is 7uite far
remove! from this themes an! talks about the opening of a play.
"0. ! The rest of the sentences !iscuss what are necessary if one is to pass a college entrance e*am.
@etter ! is irrelevant to the topic as it !iscusses review centers that offer =>CAT review services.
"1. ! This sentence is about opportunities. The rest of the sentences are about regrets.
%3. c This group of sentences may take two !irectionsE the father<s happiness over the speaker<s
gra!uation, or what e*actly happene! at the gra!uation rites. $ince the first !irection is supporte!
by a, b, an! !, while the latter !irection is supporte! only by letters a an! c, we take the first
!irection. We throw over sentence c an! !eclare it irrelevant to the !irection we have taken.