Verbal Ability – 1 P-1(BS)

Synonyms, Antonyms, Fill in the Blanks, Analogy and Odd Word Out
Answers and Explanations

1 c 2 d 3 c 4 d 5 a 6 c 7 a 8 b 9 c 10 a
11 d 12 b 13 c 14 a 15 c 16 d 17 a 18 a 19 b 20 c
21 a 22 c 23 d 24 d 25 c 26 c 27 c 28 d 29 d 30 c
31 a 32 c 33 b 34 b 35 b 36 b 37 d 38 b 39 d 40 b
41 c 42 a 43 a 44 b 45 c 46 c 47 d 48 b 49 b 50 c
51 a 52 c 53 d 54 a 55 b 56 c 57 b 58 d 59 d 60 a
Practice Questions
1 c 2 d 3 c 4 b 5 c 6 c 7 b 8 c 9 b 10 c
11 b 12 c 13 b 14 c 15 b 16 c 17 c 18 d 19 c 20 d
21 d 22 c 23 c 24 d 25 b 26 d 27 d 28 b 29 b 30 d
31 c 32 d 33 b 34 a 35 d 36 b 37 d 38 c 39 c 40 c
41 c

1. c 'Prim' is an adjective which means to be stiffly formal
and proper. Hence, the appropriate synonym would
be 'groomed'.
2. d To be 'keen' is to be eager or enthusiastic about
something. Therefore, the correct answer is option (d).
Option (b), ‘rogue’, refers to someone who is dishonest
or immoral.
3. c ‘Haughty' is an adjective and is used to describe
someone who is scornfully and condescendingly
proud. Therefore, 'arrogant' is its suitable synonym.
Option (d), ‘subservient’, means too willing to obey
people.
8. b ‘Paradigm’ is something that serves as a model or
example. Therefore, option (b) is its perfect synonym.
Option (d), ‘paranormal’, means something which is
beyond the range of normal experience or scientific
explanation.
9. c ‘To assuage’ is to have a soothing effect; to pacify or
calm. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer. Option
(b), ‘prohibit’, means to prevent someone from doing
something.
10. a ‘Innocuous’ is something which has little or no adverse
effect. Therefore, option (a), ‘harmless’, would be its
correct synonym.

4. d ‘Contemptuous’ means feeling or showing hatred or
disapproval. Its synonym is ‘disdain’, which means a
feeling of disapproval for something you do not feel
deserves respect. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
11. d 'Compliant' means willing to do whatever you are asked
or ordered to do; ready and willing to comply. 'Yielding'
means tending to do or willing to do what other people
want you to do. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.

5. a 'Sympathy' is the feeling that you care about and are
sorry about someone else’s trouble, grief misfortune
etc. Hence, the correct answer is option (a),
‘compassion’.
6. c ‘Tenebrous’ means shut off from the light; dark.
Therefore, option (c), ‘gloomy’, is its correct synonym.
7. a ‘Morbid’ means something unhealthy or characterized
by disease. Hence, option (a), ‘unwholesome’, is its
appropriate synonym.
12. b To ‘abominate’ is to abhor or dislike intensely. Hence,
the appropriate word to replace it would be ‘detest’.
13. c To ‘fabricate’ is to fake or concoct. Hence, ‘forged’
would be suitable to replace it.
14. a ‘Abject’ means terrible and without hope. Hence, option
(a) correctly replaces it.
15. c ‘Pandemonium’ is a state of noisy disorder. Hence, its
suitable synonym would be ‘commotion’.

VA / Exercise - 1 CEX-5321/P1BS/17 / Page 1

16. d An ‘erudite’ person is very knowledgeable. Hence, its
antonym would be ‘ignorant’. 'Uncouth' means rude or
socially unacceptable. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
17. a ‘Craven’ means cowardly. So its antonym is ‘brave’.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
18. a To be ‘laconic’ is to be very precise and curt, ‘verbose’
is to use too many words. Hence, option (a) is the
correct answer.
19. b ‘To exculpate’ is to free from blame or guilt. So, the
opposite would be ‘incriminate’, which means to charge
with or show evidence of involvement in a crime.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
20. c ‘Boost’ is to encourage while its opposite is
‘discourage’. ‘Bolster’ is a long pillow or cushion.
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
21. a A ‘doltish’ person is a stupid or slow-witted person.
So, the correct antonym should be option (a), ‘clever’.
22. c To ‘castigate’ is to rebuke or criticize in a severe manner.
Its opposite is ‘praise’. Therefore, option (c) is the
correct answer.
23. d ‘Dull’ means lacking in force, intensity or sharpness.
So, its appropriate antonym is ‘sharp’. Hence, option
(d) is the correct answer. 'Azure' refers to the blue
color of the sky.
24. d To be ‘pertinent’ is to have a clear decisive relevance
to the matter at hand. Hence, the opposite should be
option (d), ‘irrelevant’.
25. c ‘Execrable’ is something that is hateful. Hence, its
opposite has to be option (c), ‘admirable’, which means
something great, marvelous. Hence, option (c) is the
correct answer.
26. c To ‘ratify’ a treaty is to make it legal, whereas to ‘annul’
a treaty is to make it void or to cancel the validity.
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
27. c ‘Adhere’ means to stick to, while detach is just the
opposite. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
28. d To ‘refute’ an idea is to contradict it and fight, to
‘endorse’ an idea is to support it. Hence, option (d) is
the correct answer.
29. d The word ‘delicate’ means fragile or breakable. Hence,
its correct opposite is option (d), ‘rugged’, which means
strongly built or constituted.
30. c ‘Slender’ is to be slim, ‘stout’ is to be heavyset. Hence,
option (c) is the correct answer.
CEX-5321/P1BS/17 / Page 2
31. a ‘Adept’ means skilled; ‘adapt’ means to adjust, ‘adopt’
means to take as your own, and ‘aloft’ means in the
air. Hence, option (a) is correct.
32. c ‘Ensure’ means to make sure, ‘assure’ means to
guarantee, ‘insure’ means to protect against loss or
damage, and ‘abjure’ is to reject formally. Hence, option
(c) is correct.
33. b ‘Boar’ is a wild pig, ‘bore’ is a tiresome person, ‘boor’ is
a rude or insensitive person, and ‘burr’ is something
that is prickly and irregularly spherical. Only option (b)
logically fits in the given sentence.
34. b A gang of thieves cannot be respectful. So, options
(a) and (c) are negated. ‘Distinguished’ is used for a
person who seem important and worth respect. So,
option (d) is also incorrect. ‘Notorious’, which means
well know for something bad, correctly fills in the
blank.
35. b ‘Meet’ means to encounter, ‘mete’ means to measure,
‘meat’ refers to flesh as food, and ‘meek’ means not
violent or strong. Hence, option (b) is the correct
answer.
36. b It is clearly hinted in the sentence that the concerned
person is feeling bored because of isolation and so it
can lead to the development of negative emotions
within her. Option (b) is correct because ‘ennui’ means
‘boredom’ and ‘discontentment’ means ‘dissatisfied’ or
‘not content’.
37. d Refer to the later part of the sentence which states
that the ‘bite has proved dangerous’. Hence the word
which will fit in the first blank is ‘venomous’. Similarly
‘The Copperhead’ is a singular subject and the correct
pronoun which can replace it is ‘its’. Hence, the correct
answer is option (d).
38. b ‘Plain Jane’ refers to someone who is plain. So a ‘flashy’
ring will be no use to him. Similarly the usage of phrases
such as ‘Kangra painting’ and ‘Mithila painting’ indicate
that the word in the second blank would be ‘antique’.
39. d Since the sentence talks about speed and
understanding, option (d) is the best answer. Moreover,
in the later part of the sentence a direct hint is given
(comprehending whatever you are reading).
40. b We are looking for a positive word for the first blank.
So ‘toughness’ and ‘well being’ both fit. However, for
the second blank only ‘vulnerability’ would fit. ‘Prone’
is incorrect as the blank requires a noun while it is an
adjective. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
41. c ‘Fuel’ is processed by the ‘engine’ to provide energy
for the functioning of automobiles. Similarly ‘food’ is
processed by the ‘stomach’ to provide energy for the
functioning of the body.
VA / Exercise - 1
42. a Just like a ‘cartographer’ makes ‘maps’, an ‘architect’
makes ‘designs’.
43. a Just like ‘insecticides’ protect crops from ‘insects’,
‘antiseptic’ protects wounds from ‘germs’.
44. b ‘Abrogate’ and ‘annul’ are synonyms. They mean to
end in an official way. Similarly, ‘abdicate’ and
‘renounce’ are synonyms. They mean to formally give
up something. ‘Acerbate’ means irritate.
45. c Just like ‘tennis’ is played in the ‘court’, a ‘drama’ is
performed on a ‘stage’.
46. c Just as a ‘bouquet’ is made of ‘flowers’, a ‘book’ is
made of ‘pages’.
47. d Just as ‘study of birds’, is known as ‘ornithology’,
‘study of plants’ is known as ‘botany’.
48. b Just as ‘plutocracy’ is the government by the wealthy,
‘democracy’ is the government by the people.
‘Oligarchy’ refers to the government or control by a
small group of people.
49. b Just as a ‘clue’ (plays the role of a helping device)
helps in solving a mystery, a ‘key’(plays the role of a
helping device) helps in opening a lock.
50. c Just like ‘hiss’ is the sound of a ‘snake’, ‘trumpet’ is the
sound of an ‘elephant’.
51. a Options (b), (c) and (d) are used for identification and
indication of a particular thing. However, 'call' implies
'sound'.
52. c Options (a), (b) and (d) refer to showing good or
outstanding judgment or understanding. However,
option (c) is the antonym of the rest of the words.
‘Superficial’ means ‘affecting only the surface’.
53. d ‘Thrilling’ is extremely exciting. ‘Humiliating’,
‘shameful’ and ‘upsetting’ are its antonyms, which mean
‘embarrassing’ or ‘annoying’.
54. a Options (b), (c) and (d) refer to a clumsy, stupid person.
However, option (a) is the antonym of the rest.
55. b Options (a), (c) and (d) refer to enthusiastic approval
or acclaim. However, option (b) is the antonym of the
rest.
56. c Options (a), (b) and (d) refer to bulky appearance.
However, option (c) is the antonym of the rest.
57. b Options (a), (c) and (d) refer to a feeling of anxiety.
Option (b) is the antonym of the rest.
58. d Options (a), (b) and (c) refer to rationality in behaviour
or decision. However, option (d) is the antonym of the
rest.
VA / Exercise - 1
59. d Options (a), (b) and (c) refer to something that is short-
lived. Option (d) is their opposite.
60. a Option (a) is not related to Geography like the rest of
the choices. ‘Chorography’ is the science or art of
describing and mapping a region or district and
‘topography’ is the detailed mapping or charting of the
features of a relatively small area, district, or locality.
Practice Questions
1. c The correct answer is head waiter.
2. d Option (a) and (c) are irrelevant. Option (b) is the
meaning of FIDUCIAL. Hence, the correct answer is
option (d).
3. c Options (a), (b) and (d) are irrelevant. Option (c) is the
correct answer. The literal meaning of the phrase is
end of a cycle.
4. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are irrelevant. Cornucopia
means ‘horn of plenty’. Hence, option (b) is the correct
answer.
5. c Options (a) and (b) are irrelevant. Option (d) is the
commercial name of a bicycle. Hence, the correct
answer is option (c).
6. c The correct answer is option (c). Other options are all
wrong.
7. b The correct answer is option (b).
8. c The correct answer is option (c). Often used to
describe a young lady.
9. b The correct term for option (a) is ‘hosier’ options (c)
and (d) are irrelevant. The correct answer is option
(b).
10. c The correct answer is option (c).
11. b The correct answer is option (b).
12. c The word prelate means a priest, generally of a high
rank. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
13. b The word portend means to indicate in advance future
events. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
14. c Options (b) and (d) are irrelevant. One kills if one stabs
with a knife. Hence option (a) is incorrect. The correct
answer is option (c).
15. b Omen means a sign of events to come. Hence, option
(b) is the correct answer.
16. c A maelstrom is huge whirlpool occurring in an ocean.
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
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17. c Dudgeon means resentment. Hence, the opposite is 29. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are nouns. Only option (b) is
delight. verb.
30. d Options (a), (b) and (c) pertain to food grains. Option
18. d Options (a) and (b) are synonyms. Option (c) is
(d) is the correct answer.
irrelevant. Hence, the correct answer is option (d).
31. c Options (a), (b) and (d) pertain to energy. Option (c)
19. c Options (b) and (d) are almost synonyms of spartan. which pertains to life is the correct answer.
Option (a) is the literal meaning. Hence, the correct
answer is option (c). 32. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are verbs. Option (d) can be
used only as an adjective and hence is the correct
20. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are synonyms. The correct answer.
answer is option (d).
33. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are collective nouns. Option
(b) is the correct answer.
21. d Options (a) and (b) are synonymous. Option (c) is an
old meaning. The correct answer is option (d). 34. a Options (b), (c) and (d) are adjectives. Option (a) is a
noun and hence the correct choice.
22. c Options (a), (b) and (d) are synonyms. Option (c) is
the correct answer. 35. d The emu is a flightless bird and hence option (d) is the
correct choice.
23. c Laconic means using very few words. Options (a)
and (b) mean the same. Option (d) has nothing to do 36. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are verbs. Option (b) is a noun
with words. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer and therefore the correct answer.
which means verbose.
37. d Options (a), (b) and (c) represent clothing. Option (d)
24. d Inveterate means ‘having a firmly established habit’. represents a weapon and hence is the correct
Hence, options (a), (b) and (c) are irrelevant. Thus answer.
option (d) is the correct answer.
38. c Masons, Bricklayers and Joiners work on buildings.
25. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are similar. Option (b) being Carpenters make furniture. Hence option (c) is the
antonymous is the correct answer. correct answer.

26. d Philander means to dangle after women. Hence option 39. c Option (a), (b) and (d) are local winds. Option (c)
(d) which means one who hates women, is the stands for a cyclone and is the correct answer.
correct answer.
40. c Options (a), (b) and (d) can be used as verbs. Option
27. d Options (a), (b) and (c) all pertain to men’s clothes. (c) can be used only as a noun. Hence, the right
Option (d), which means one who provides armour is answer.
the correct answer.
41. c Options (a), (b) and (d) refer to opinion. Option (c)
28. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are similar. Hence, option (b) is refers to a climb. Hence option (c) is the correct
the right answer. answer.

CEX-5321/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 1

 Verbal Ability – 2 P-1(BS)

Cloze Test, One Word Substitution and Spellings

Answers and Explanations

1 d 2 c 3 b 4 c 5 b 6 c 7 b 8 c 9 a 10 b
11 c 12 d 13 a 14 a 15 b 16 b 17 c 18 b 19 d 20 d
21 b 22 c 23 a 24 b 25 b 26 a 27 d 28 d 29 b 30 d
31 a 32 c 33 d 34 a 35 d 36 d 37 a 38 b 39 c 40 c
41 b 42 b 43 c 44 c 45 d 46 a 47 c 48 b 49 c 50 d
51 a 52 c 53 a 54 a 55 d
Practice Questions
1 d 2 c 3 c 4 b 5 b 6 c 7 b 8 d 9 c 10 a
11 d 12 c 13 b 14 d 15 b 16 b 17 b 18 a 19 c 20 c
21 d 22 b 23 c 24 d 25 a 26 c 27 d 28 b 29 c 30 a
31 b 32 d 33 a 34 c 35 d 36 b 37 d 38 a 39 c 40 c
41 d 42 b 43 c 44 b 45 c 46 d 47 a 48 c 49 d 50 b
51 d

1. d The purpose of brand ambassadors is to show India
in the best light. This means that they ‘project’ India in
the best possible way. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
2. c Options (a), (b) and (d) can be ruled out since they
render an incorrect meaning to the sentence. It is India’s
‘uniqueness’ that it is a cultural-soft superpower.
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
3. b Option (b) is the correct answer. Responsibility can
be ‘important’. It cannot be ‘reluctant’ or ‘hesitant’.
‘Matured’ is incorrect because it is in the past tense.
4. c Only option (c) ‘power’, fits in grammatically. Hence, it
is the correct answer. Options (a), (b) and (d) will
render the sentence incorrect.
5. b It is clear from the passage that the Indian icons are
gaining popularity, and therefore, we can say that
they are becoming global icons. Thus, option (b) is the
correct answer.
6. c The sentence gives examples of two well-known
Indians and hence, option (c), ‘popular’, is the most
appropriate word to fill in the blank.
7. b Since the brand ambassadors touched the hearts of
the people across continents, the approach has to be
‘simple’ and not ‘casual’, ‘royal’ or ‘rustic’. Hence, option
(b) is the correct answer.
8. c The sentence means that the image the brand
ambassadors created for themselves has lived more
than the brand ambassadors themselves. Hence, the
correct answer is option (c).
9. a Refer to the later part of the sentence which talks
about a popular poll. Only the word ‘select’ is in sync
with ‘poll’. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
10. b In the previous sentence, the author talks about a ‘poll’
for selecting a brand ambassador. Here he goes on to
asking a question that if such polls are conducted,
who will you vote for. Hence, option (a) is the correct
answer.
11. c ‘Descend’ means to be inherited or transmitted, as
through succeeding generations of a family. Hence, it
fits well in the blank.
12. d ‘Breakthrough’ refers to a significant advance,
development, achievement in a particular field or
situation. In the given sentence it is used for the
advancement in information about the descent of
humans.
13. a The passage talks about the commonality between
sea sponges and humans. So, the blank will take
‘connection’ to make the sentence grammatically
correct.
14. a ‘Lineage’ refers to lineal descent from an ancestor.
Hence, it fits the blank.
15. b The sentence refers to the line of descent that was
beyond the expectations of scientists. Hence,
‘expected’ fits the blank.
16. b ‘Pour’ is the correct option. ‘bestow into’ is
grammatically wrong. ‘Fell’ (to cause to fall by striking;
cut or knock down) does not fit in the meaning of the
sentence. ‘Downturn’ means ‘a tendency downward,
especially in business or economic activity.’

VA / Exercise - 2 CEX-5322/P1BS/17 / Page 1

17. c From the passage it can be inferred that the fish are
becoming resistant to the poison rotenone. Since the
passage states that ‘The gods seem to be on the side
of the fish’, it’s implied that the fish now survive.
‘Indifferent’ is out of place. The fish cannot be
indifferent to a poison. ‘Garrulous’ means ‘given to
constant and frivolous chatter; loquacious; talkative’.
‘Vulnerable’ (susceptible to injury) is incorrect.
18. b ‘Brink’ means ‘the extreme edge or margin; a border’.
Humans are hunting species to the brink of extinction.
‘Blink’ means to close and open one or both of the
eyes rapidly. ‘Rink’ means an area surfaced with
smooth ice for skating, hockey etc.
19. d ‘Wipe out’ means to destroy completely; eradicate.
According to the passage, many species living today
are likely to be destroyed completely over the next
century or two. ‘Sopped’ means to dip, soak, or drench
in a liquid; saturate. ‘Ferret out’ means to uncover and
bring to light by searching.
20. d ‘Onslaught’ means a violent attack. ’Infatuation’ means
a foolish, unreasoning, or extravagant passion or
attraction. ‘Gratuity’ means a favor or gift, usually in
the form of money, given in return for service.
‘Lividness’ means discoloration due to bruising.
21. b 'Numismatics' refers to the study or act of collecting
coins, paper money, and medals. Hence, option (b) is
the correct answer. 'Oblique' means not stated directly.
'Philately' is the hobby of collecting stamps. 'Economics'
means the study of how a society organizes its money,
trade and industry.
22. c 'Hallucinate' means to see or hear things that are not
really there. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
'Incriminate (somebody)' means to make it seem as if
somebody has done something wrong or illegal.
'Improvise' means to make or do something using
whatever is available, usually because you do not
have what you really need. 'Percolate' means to move
gradually through a surface that has very small holes
or spaces in it.
23. a 'Oology', or 'oölogy' is the branch of zoology that deals
with the study of eggs, especially birds' eggs. Hence,
option (a) is the correct answer. 'Sanctuary' means
an area where wild birds or animals are protected
and encouraged to breed. 'Morphology' is the form
and structure of animals and plants, studied as a
science. 'Embryology' is the scientific study of the
development of embryos.
24. b 'Larder' means a cupboard/closet or small room in a
house, used for storing food. Hence, option (b) is the
correct answer. 'Lard' means a firm white substance
made from the melted fat of pigs that is used in cooking.
'Ladle' means a large deep spoon with a long handle,
used especially for serving soup. 'Loiter' means to
stand or wait somewhere especially with no obvious
reason.
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25. b 'Gather' means to come together, or bring people
together, in one place to form a group. Hence, option
(b) is the correct answer. 'Recipe' refers to a set of
instructions that tells you how to cook something and
the ingredients you need for it. 'Mortal' refers to
something that cannot live for ever and must die. 'Portal'
means a large, impressive gate or entrance to a building.
It also means a website that is used as a point of entry
to the Internet, where information has been collected
that will be useful to a person interested in particular
kinds of things.
26. a 'Larceny' means the crime of stealing something from
somebody. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
'Peevish' means feeling or showing irritation. 'Impulse'
means a sudden strong desire to do something.
'Embroil' means to involve somebody/yourself in an
argument or a difficult situation.
27. d 'Impunity' means exemption or freedom from
punishment, harm, or loss. Hence, option (d) is the
correct answer. 'Perjury' means the crime of telling a
lie in a court of law after promising to tell the truth.
'Periphery' refers to the outside edge of an area; the
area that surrounds a place or thing. 'Imbroglio' refers
to a complicated situation that causes confusion or
embarrassment, especially one that is political.
28. d 'Callow' refers to a young person who does not have
much experience and does not know how to behave
the way adults behave. Hence, option (d) is the
correct answer. 'Hallow' means to respect greatly.
'Laggard' means a slow and lazy person, organization,
etc. 'Bellow' means to shout in a loud deep voice,
especially because you are angry.
29. b 'Stratagem' means a trick or plan that you use to gain
an advantage or to trick an opponent. Hence, option
(b) is the correct answer. 'Blaze' means to burn brightly
and strongly. 'Poignant' means having a strong effect
on your feelings, especially in a way that makes you
feel sad. 'Willful' means something done deliberately,
although the person doing it knows that it is wrong.
30. d 'Autocrat' means a person (as a monarch) ruling with
unlimited authority. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer. 'Pauper' means a very poor person. 'Misfit'
refers to a person who is not accepted by a particular
group of people, especially because his behaviour or
ideas are very different. 'Overt' means done in an
open way and not secretly.
31. a ‘Graphology’ refers to the study of handwriting, for
example as a way of learning more about somebody’s
character. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
‘Calligraphy’ refers to the art of making beautiful
handwriting. ‘Aesthetic’ means concerned with beauty
and art and the understanding of beautiful things.
‘Ambidexterity’ means the quality or state of being
ambidextrous, which means able to use the left hand
and the right hand equally well.
VA / Exercise - 2
32. c ‘Hedonist’ refers to a person who believes that
pleasure is the most important thing in life. Hence,
option (c) is the correct answer. ‘Fascist’ refers to a
person who supports fascism. Fascism is an extreme
right-wing political system or attitude which is in favour
of strong central government and which does not
allow any opposition.
33. d ‘Epitaph’ refers to something written or said in memory
of a dead person; especially words written on a
gravestone. Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
‘Epigraph’ means a quotation set at the beginning of a
literary work or one of its divisions to suggest its
theme. ‘Fresco’ refers to the art of painting on wet
plaster.
34. a ‘Theology’ refers to the study of religious faith, practice,
and experience: the study of God and God’s relation
to the world. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
‘Religion’ means the belief in a god or in a group of
gods. ‘Ontology’ refers to a branch of metaphysics
concerned with the nature and relations of being.
‘Doctrine’ refers to a set of ideas or beliefs that are
taught or are believed to be true.
35. d ‘Transaction’ refers to an exchange or transfer of
goods, services, or funds. Hence, option (d) is the
correct answer. ‘Remuneration’ means an amount of
money paid to someone for the work that person has
done. ‘Alimony’ refers to money that a court orders
someone to pay regularly to a former wife or husband
after a divorce.
36. d ‘Acquiesce’ is the correct spelling.
37. a ‘Philatelic’ is the correct spelling.
38. b ‘Garrote’ is the correct spelling.
39. c ‘Imminent’ is the correct spelling.
40. c ‘Malfeasance’ is the correct spelling.
41. b ‘Crevasse’ and ‘scoundrel’ are correct. ‘Galeon’ should
be spelt as ‘galleon’ and ‘pugnascious’ is spelt as
‘pugnacious’.
42. b ‘Furtherance’ and ‘crotchet’ are correct. ‘Gaietey’ is
spelt as ‘gaiety’ and ‘dominearing’ is spelt as
‘domineering.
43. c ‘Sebaceous’, ‘guillotine’ and ‘expatriate’ are correct.
‘Heinuous’ is spelt as ‘heinous’.
44. c ‘Varigated’ should be spelt as ‘variegate’.
45. d None of the spellings are correct. The correct spellings
are ‘secession’, ‘valediction’, ‘compendium’ and
‘tenacious’.
46. a The correctly spelt words are ‘assiduous’, ‘clientele’
and 'baccalaureate'.
47. c ‘Gurilla’ is wrongly spelled. The correct spelling is
‘guerrilla’.
48. b ‘Vigilance’ and ‘tautology’ are incorrectly spelt.
49. c ‘Instillation’ is incorrectly spelt.
VA / Exercise - 2
50. d None of the spellings are correct. The correct spellings
are ‘bedouin’, ‘reprisal’, ‘indeterminable’ and
‘cadaverous’.
51. a The correct spelling is ‘chauffeur’.
52. c The correct spelling is ‘speculative’.
53. a The correct spelling is ‘bankruptcy’.
54. a The correct spelling is ‘unanimous’.
55. d The correct spelling is ‘veterinary’.
Practice Questions
1. d The whistleblowers did not gain any advantages or
benefits. So options (a) and (b) are eliminated like
wise they did not acquire any privileges and hence
option (c) is eliminated. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
2. c The whistleblower was not a spy. Refused and
declined in this context are grammatically and
semantically wrong. ‘Challenged’ is completely
meaningless. Hence, options (a), (b) and (d) are wrong.
The correct answer is option (c).
3. c ‘Started’, ‘fired’ and ‘facilitated’ can all fit in. But they
lack the intensity of ‘triggered’. When you pull a trigger
you can set off anything from a small pistol to a huge
bomb. The debate set off by the leak is huge. Hence,
option (c) is the right answer.
4. b Stories are not ‘announced’, ‘exposed’ or ‘disclosed’ in
newspapers. They are published. Hence, option (b) is
the right answer.
5. b ‘Consortium’ means ‘Association’ but is restricted, to
companies, banks etc. ‘Forum ‘and ‘Collaboration’ do
not fit in. Hence the correct answer is option (b).
6. c ‘Impasse’ means deadlock. Non of the other options
mean deadlock. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
7. b We want a negative word here. Improve and brighten
being positive are ruled out. ‘Evaporate’ is much
stronger than ‘Weaken’. Hence, option (b) is the correct
answer.
8. d Option (a) is patently wrong. Option (c) is a grammatical
misfit. Plan is weaker than scheduled. Hence, option
(d) is the correct answer.
9. c Option (b) is wrong in this context because most and
guarded do not go together. In view of the word
‘warning’ option (a) is wrong. The IMF chief cannot be
cantankerous. Hence, option (c) which means
undisguised is the right answer.
10. a Option (a) is the strongest of the four terms. Hence,
option (a).
11. d Only option (d) fits in here.
CEX-5322/P1BS/17 / Page 3
12. c Option (b) is meaningless. Options (a) and (c) can be 27. d Diatribe is abuse, fisticuffs is a fight passage-at-arms
used with target, but they are not relevant here. A is an armed fight. Hence, all of them are wrong. The
realistic target is more important than a tight or clear correct answer is option (d).
target. Hence, option (c) is the right answer.
28. b The correct collective noun for foxes is skulk. Hence,
13. b Strict measures and statistical measures are
option (b) is the correct answer. Husk is hares and
meaningless in this context. Hard nosed means realistic
siege is for herons.
and tough minded. They are not meaningless in this
context. However, credible or believable is more
29. c The correct collective noun here is kit. Hence option
relevant here than hard nosed. Hence option (b) is the
(c) is the correct answer.
right answer.
14. d The IMF chief is sorry and unhappy. Hence, option (d) 30. a Theophany is a visible manifestation of God to human
is the only one which fits in. kind. Cccophony is harsh sounds. Resurrection is the
return to life of a dead person (body). Hence, the
15. b Abortive means fruitless. Now of the measures taken
correct answer is option (a).
so far have borne fruit. Hence, option (b).
16. b Welfare and poverty cannot be developed. Power 31. b Phage means killer or eater of bacteria. Option (c)
cannot be developed though the power sector can be means cannibals. Option (a) is part of the human body.
developed. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer. Hence, the correct answer is option (b).
17. b Option (a), (c) and (d) can all be used. But none of
32. d Correct answer is option (d).
them is as strong as ‘Counter Productive’ which means
producing results opposite to those desired. Hence,
33. a Correct answer is option (a).
option (b).
18. a Existing alliances can be expanded or reinforced. New 34. c Correct answer is option (c).
alliances can be established. But establishment comes
only after exploration. Hence, option (a) is the correct 35. d Correct answer is option (d).
answer.
36. b Correct answer is option (b).
19. c Alienating means antagonizing and hence is the
strongest of all four options. Hence, the correct
37. d Correct answer is option (d).
answer is option (c).
20. c Liability being negative is ruled out. Options (b) and (d) 38. a Correct answer is option (a).
do not fit in grammatically. Hence, the correct answer
is option (c). 39. c Correct answer is option (c).

21. d A periscope is used by a submarine, a stethoscope 40. c Correct answer is option (c).
by a physician a stereoscope by a photographer. The
correct answer is option (d). 41. d Correct answer is option (d).
22. b Adulation is praise, eloquence is fluencey of speech,
recondite is something which is difficult to understand. 42. b Correct answer is option (b).
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
43. c Correct answer is option (c).
23. c Mare Clausum petains to a sea, confluence means the
flowing together of two or more rivers and riparian is 44. b Correct answer is option (b).
a legal term pertaining to rivers. Hence, option (c) is
the correct answer. 45. c Correct answer is option (c).
24. d Option (a) and (b) have a political connotation. Option
46. d Correct answer is option (d).
(c) is related to the Prophet. Hence, option (d) is the
correct answer.
47. a Correct answer is option (a).
25. a Ruritanian means pertaining to the imaginary country
called Ruritania. Pasto rate means the territory looked 48. c Correct answer is option (c).
after by a pastor. Bilious means hostile. Hence, the
correct answer is option (a). 49. d Correct answer is option (d).

26. c A sling is used for small stones. A rack is an instrument 50. b Correct answer is option (b).
of torture. A hammock is a cloth or net used as a bed
in a garden. Hence, the correct answer is option (c). 51. d Correct answer is option (d).

CEX-5322/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 2

 Verbal Ability – 3 P-1(BS)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Answers and Explanations
1 d 2 a 3 d 4 b 5 d 6 a 7 c 8 c 9 d 10 c
11 b 12 a 13 a 14 a 15 c 16 c 17 d 18 a 19 a 20 b
21 a 22 a 23 b 24 a 25 b 26 a 27 c 28 a 29 b 30 d
31 a 32 b 33 a 34 c 35 a 36 a 37 c 38 a 39 a 40 b
41 a 42 b 43 a 44 b 45 c 46 a 47 b 48 a 49 c 50 c
51 d 52 c 53 a 54 c 55 a 56 a 57 d 58 a 59 d 60 b
Practice Questions
1 c 2 c 3 d 4 c 5 d 6 c 7 d 8 d 9 d 10 d
11 c 12 c 13 d 14 c 15 d 16 c 17 d 18 d 19 c 20 d
21 d 22 d 23 c 24 d 25 c 26 c 27 d 28 c 29 d 30 c
31 d 32 d 33 c 34 d 35 d 36 d 37 d 38 c 39 d 40 c
41 d 42 d 43 d 44 c 45 d 46 b 47 d 48 d 49 b 50 b
51 a 52 b 53 a 54 d 55 b 56 c 57 d 58 c 59 b 60 c
61 c 62 a 63 d 64 b 65 c 66 c 67 d 68 b 69 c 70 d
71 c 72 b 73 c 74 d 75 c 76 a 77 c 78 d 79 b 80 c
81 d 82 c 83 c 84 d 85 d 86 c 87 d 88 c 89 c 90 d
91 d 92 d 93 c 94 d 95 d 96 b 97 d 98 c 99 b 100 d

1. d ‘Kick the bucket’ means to die.
2. a ‘Feather your own nest’ means to take advantage of
the opportunities to get a lot of money for yourself.
3. d ‘Go off the deep end’ means to give way immediately
to an emotional outburst, especially of anger.
4. b ‘To call a spade a spade’ is to tell the truth about
something, even if it is not polite or pleasant.
5. d ‘To sit on the fence’ is to be unable to take a decision.
6. a ‘All Greek to me’ means something that one does not
understand.
7. c ‘Cut to the chase’ means to be specific and to the
point.
8. c ‘Field day’ means an activity, or time spent in an activity,
that is enjoyable and fun.
9. d To have a ‘gut feeling’ means to have a sense or a
certain feeling about a person or a situation, without
knowing the rational basis for such a feeling.
10. c To ‘give someone the slip’ means to run away from
problems or from any difficult situations.
11. b If you 'have your back to the wall', you are in serious
difficulty.
12. a To describe a situation as a 'can of worms' means that
it is a situation that causes a lot of problems for you
when you start to deal with it.
13. a 'Half the battle' is used to refer to an important step
towards achieving something.
14. a 'Put the hard word on' means to ask a favour of
someone, especially a financial favour.
15. c 'Be chilled to the marrow' means to be extremely cold.
16. c Wait on someone hand and foot: To serve someone
very well
A heavy hand: Tyranny, persecution, or oppression
A free hand: Freedom to do as desired
From hand to mouth: Providing only bare essentials
17. d Come again: Used as a request to repeat what was
said.
Come down on: To punish, oppose, or reprimand
severely and often with force
Come a cropper: To fail utterly
Come clean: To confess all
18. a Pick and choose: To select with great care.
Pick holes in: To seek and discover flaws or a flaw
Pick (one’s) way: To find passage and make careful
progress through it
Pick (someone) to pieces: To criticize sharply

VA / Exercise - 3 CEX-5323/P1BS/17 / Page 1

19. a Give (someone) a hard time: To make life difficult for;
harass
Give rise to: To be the cause or origin of; bring about
Give or take: Plus or minus a small specified amount
Give ground: To yield to a more powerful force; retreat
20. b Bring home: To make perfectly clear
Bring home the bacon: To earn a living, especially for
a family
Bring to bear: To exert; apply
Bring to light: To reveal or disclose
21. a ‘Dawned on’ is the correct idiomatic usage in the
sentence as ‘dawn on’ means to become suddenly
clear to (a person).
22. a ‘Raking in’ is the correct idiomatic usage in the sentence
as it means to earn large sums of money.
23. b ‘What’s eating you’ is the correct phrase. It means
what is worrying or annoying you?
24. a ‘Beeline for’ is the correct phrasal usage as it means
hurry directly to. The phrase, used in this context,
describes the rush hour at the metro.
25. b ‘Cut above somebody/something’ is the correct idiomatic
usage as it means to be better than other people or
things.
26. a The idiom ‘come what may’ means no matter what
happens.
27. c The explanation of the idiom ‘to cry over spilt milk’ is
incorrect as it means to cry or complain about
something that has already happened.
28. a The explanation of the idiom ‘rule the roost’ is incorrect
as it means to be in charge. ‘To revel’ means to take
great pleasure or delight (usually followed by in).
29. b The explanation of the idiom ‘to call in’ is incorrect as it
means to summon for assistance or consultation.
30. d The explanation of the idiom ‘to keep one’s eyes
skinned’ is incorrect as it means to pay attention; be
watchful.
31. a ‘Have your hands full’ means to be very busy or too
busy to do something else.
32. b ‘The long and (the) short of it’ is used when you are
telling somebody the essential facts about something
or what effect it will have, without explaining all the
details.
33. a ‘Lead up to’ means to make someone think something.
34. c ‘To cut a poor figure’ means to appear or behave badly.
35. a ‘The tip of the iceberg’ means only a small part of a
much larger problem.
36. a ‘Talk out of’ means to dissuade from by talking
37. c 'Put up' means to provide lodgings for.
CEX-5323/P1BS/17 / Page 2
38. a ‘To have a whale of time’ is to enjoy greatly.
39. a ‘Change their tune’ means to alter approach or attitude.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
40. b 'Crank something out' means to produce something
quickly or carelessly; to make something in a casual
and mechanical way.
41. a ‘Feeling under the weather’ means to be unwell.
42. b 'Wishy-washy' means lacking in strength of character
or purpose; ineffective.
43. a A bull in a China shop’ means to behave clumsily or
awkwardly.
44. b 'Far-fetched' means not likely to happen or be true.
45. c ‘Hot on heels’ means to follow someone close and try
to catch up.
46. a ‘Carry/take coals to Newcastle’ means to supply
something to a place or person that already has a lot
of that particular thing.
47. b ‘Fiddle while Rome burns’ means to work as normal
and neglect priorities during a crisis.
48. a ‘Salad days’ means the days of one’s youth when one
has little experience.
49. c ‘Fly on the wall’ alludes to the position of being able to
freely observe a situation without being noticed.
50. c ‘Out of the woods’ means a state of being free from
difficulty or perils, to be safe.
51. d ‘To hide one’s light under the bushel’ means to conceal
one's talents or positive qualities.
52. c ‘Busman’s holiday’ means a holiday where you do the
same things you do at work.
53. a ‘Like a moth to a flame’ means to be irresistibly and
dangerously attracted to something or someone.
54. c ‘To throw caution to the wind’ means to become very
careless; to take a risk; to behave recklessly.
55. a ‘To talk turkey’ means to have a frank discussion. It is
often used in a business context.
56. a ‘Wheels within wheels’ implies complex interacting
processes, agents, or motives.
57. d ‘Ride a/the wave of something’ means to be very
successful for a limited period of time
58. a ‘Nose round’ means to look around a place; to look for
something in a place.
59. d ‘Rushed off one’s feet’ means to be very busy.
60. b ‘Cheek by jowl’ means very close together.
VA / Exercise - 3
 Practice Questions
1. c Option (c) is the right answer.
2. c Option (c) is the right answer. To have feet of clay
means to have faults which are not immediately
apparent.
3. d Option (d) is the correct answer. When one is forced
to work very hard or very fast one cannot always
keep one’s feet firmly on the ground.
4. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It literally means
displaying your flag (your affiliation) on the mast.
5. d Option (d) is the correct answer. This idiom is used
humorously to suggest that one has come last in a
contest.
6. c Option (c) is the right answer. Clover is a plant that
grows wild.
7. d “To coin” refers to creating a new phrase word.
8. d Option (d) is the correct answer. The man at the coal
face does the actual work of hewing the coal.
9. d “Clockwork precision” refers to something very
organized.
10. d Option (d) is the right answer. The cloak of a priest is
referred to as cloth.
11. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
12. c Option (c) is the correct answer. When one escapes
a mishap by a whisker one refers to it as a close call.
13. d Option (d) is the correct answer. Mud is opaque. Nothing
is visible in mud. Hence, a sarcastic reference.
14. c Option (c) is the correct answer. In days gone by
during battle the surgeons sometimes had to perform
operations without paraphernalia. To ensure that the
patient did not hurt himself the surgeon made him bite
a bullet.
15. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
16. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
17. d Option (d) is the correct answer. A knife is used to
hurt, maim or kill someone.
18. d Option (d) is the correct answer. If a king were
abducted a huge amount would be demanded by way
of ransom.
19. c Option (c) is the correct answer. In a coin operated
telephone no talk was possible until the coin dropped.
20. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
21. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
22. d Option (d) is the correct answer. Low wages attract
people of limited abilities.
23. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
VA / Exercise - 3
24. d Option (d) is the correct answer. If prospective soldiers
are of acceptable quality they pass muster and are
admitted to the army.
25. c Option (c) is the correct answer. Old horses past their
prime were not killed but put out to pasture.
26. c Option (c) is the correct answer. If you are not the
only pebble then there are other pebbles i.e. other
important people.
27. d Option (d) is the correct answer. A broad church admits
people of all faiths.
28. c Option (c) is the correct answer. Among animals there
is an order of seniority according to which they may
approach the food and feed.
29. d Option (d) is the correct answer. If you have paid the
money your have the right to call the shots.
30. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
31. d Option (d) is the correct answer. A ‘petard’ is a cracker
or a bomb. Meaning of idiom is to be blown up by one’s
own bomb.
32. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
33. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
34. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
35. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
36. d Option (d) is the correct answer. The fur coat is the
visible part of the dress.
37. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
38. c Option (c) is the correct answer. Flit means to move
noiselessly. Moonlight represents night.
39. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
40. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
41. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are correctly matched. Option
(d) is incorrect. The correct meaning is to stop
preparing for war and use the money to improve
people’s lives.
42. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are correctly matched. Option
(d) is wrong. The correct meaning is to tell someone
something in confidence i.e. in secrecy.
43. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are correctly matched. The
meaning of option (d) is incorrect. The correct meaning
is written down or in writing. It might also mean plain
and simple.
44. c Options (a), (b) and (d) are correctly matched. Option
(c) is incorrect. The correct meaning is to keep
switching one’s opinions from positive to negative and
back to positive again.
45. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are correctly matched. Option
(d) is wrong. The correct meaning is to punish
someone.
CEX-5323/P1BS/17 / Page 3
46. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are correctly matched. Option 68. b Option (b) is the correct answer. The correct meaning
(b) is wrong. The correct meaning is to make someone is to indicate sexual interest.
understand something much more clearly than they
did before especially something unpleasant. 69. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It means to arrange.

47. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are correctly matched. Option 70. d Option (d) is the correct answer. It means ‘attacked’.
(d) is wrong. it means more of the samething. A busman 71. c Options (c) is the correct answer. To teem down is to
drives along a route everyday. On a holiday he travels rain heavily.
the same route as a passenger.
72. b Option (b) is the correct answer. ‘Talk at’ means to go
48. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are correctly matched. Option on talking without listening.
(d) is wrong. The correct answer is to secretly love
someone who does not love you. 73. c Option (c) is the correct answer. Means a period of
time leading to an important event.
49. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are correctly matched. Option
(b) is wrong. The correct answer is ‘an unpleasant 74. d Option (d) is the correct answer. ‘A cut above’ means
event casts gloom over happy events.’ superior to.
50. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are correctly matched. Option 75. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It means admitting
(b) is wrong. The correct meaning is ‘a famous and everything truthfully.
often discussed event’. 76. a Option (a) is the correct answer. The meaning is to tell
51. a Options (b), (c) and (d) are correctly matched. Option someone something so that they can give their opinion.
(a) is wrong. The correct meaning is actions showing
77. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It means doing
an unwillingness to spend money.
something very fast.
52. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are correctly matched. Option
78. d Option (d) is the correct answer. The meaning is to
(b) is wrong. The correct answer is having to deal
make someone come out of the place where they are.
with people who criticise, attack or challenge you.
79. b Option (b) is the correct answer. It means to arrive in
53. a Option (a) is the right answer.
a manner which makes other people notice you.
54. d Option (d) is the correct answer. 80. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It means go to a
55. b Option (b) is the correct answer. place.

56. c Option (c) is the correct answer. 81. d Option (d) is the correct answer. The meaning is to get
a large amount of something.
57. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
82. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It means to tolerate.
58. c Options (c) is the correct answer. Options (b) and (d)
are grammatically incorrect. Option (a) is idiomatically 83. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
in correct. 84. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
59. b Option (b) is the correct answer. Options (a), (c) and 85. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
(d) are grammatically incorrect.
86. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
60. c Option (c) is the right answer. To bring around means 87. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
to revive or bring back to consciousness.
88. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
61. c Option (c) is the correct answer. To call back means
to return. 89. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
90. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
62. a Option (a) is the correct answer. To pick on means to
criticise or treat unfairly. 91. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
63. d Option (d) is the correct answer. Options (a), (b) and 92. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
(c) are meaningless. To make for means to depart in 93. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
the direction of.
94. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
64. b Option (b) is the correct answer and stuck up for
means defended. Defended is grammatically incorrect. 95. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
96. b Option (b) is the correct answer.
65. c Option (c) is the correct answer and means ‘spends’.
97. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
66. c Option (c) is the correct answer. The correct meaning
is spared no effort and left nothing to chance. 98. c Option (c) is the correct answer.

67. d Option (d) is the correct answer. The meaning is to 99. b Option (b) is the correct answer.
attack or criticise someone. 100. d Option (d) is the correct answer.

CEX-5323/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 3

 Verbal Ability – 4 P-1(BS)

Vocabulary Revision Test

Answers and Explanations
1 c 2 d 3 d 4 b 5 c 6 b 7 a 8 c 9 c 10 d
11 b 12 b 13 d 14 d 15 b 16 d 17 a 18 b 19 a 20 b
21 b 22 c 23 d 24 c 25 d 26 b 27 a 28 a 29 c 30 c
31 d 32 b 33 a 34 a 35 c 36 c 37 a 38 d 39 a 40 d
41 b 42 c 43 a 44 b 45 a 46 c 47 b 48 a 49 c 50 a
51 c 52 a 53 d 54 b 55 c 56 a 57 d 58 b 59 c 60 a
61 c 62 a 63 c 64 c 65 d 66 d 67 b 68 b 69 c 70 b
71 a 72 c 73 a 74 d 75 b 76 a 77 c 78 b 79 d 80 a
81 b 82 d 83 c 84 d 85 d 86 a 87 c 88 b 89 c 90 d
91 b 92 a 93 c 94 d 95 b 96 c 97 a 98 c 99 b 100 b
101 d 102 a 103 c 104 b 105 b 106 b 107 b 108 c 109 d 110 a

1. c ‘Renounce’ and ‘abdicate’, both mean giving up 11. b An ‘aberration’ is something abnormal. Hence, it is the
something. exact opposite of ‘routine’ or ‘mundane’.
2. d ‘Abnegation’ means self-denial. 12. b A ‘hedonist’ is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and
3. d ‘Placate’ and ‘soothe’ are synonyms. They mean to believes that pleasure is the only good. A ‘puritan’, on
cause someone to feel less energy about something. the other hand, believes that pleasure is wrong.

4. b 'Vociferous' refers to someone who expresses
feelings or opinions in a loud or forceful way. Hence,
option (b), loud, is the synonym of the word.
5. c 'Fictional' refers to something that is not true. Hence,
option (c), fanciful, is the correct answer. Options (a),
(b) and (d) are the antonyms of the word.
13. d ‘Truncate’ means to make something shorter. ‘Lengthen’
is the exact opposite of this.
14. d A person who is rude or shows lack of respect is
referred to as 'impertinent'. Its antonym will be
'courteous'. Options (a), (b) and (c) are the synonyms
of the word.

6. b ‘Perfunctory’ means characterized by routine or 15. b 'Divulge' means to make someone known of some
superficiality; lacking in interest or enthusiasm. information or to publicize. 'Dissemble' means to hide
‘Uninterested’ is its synonym. true feelings, opinions etc.

7. a ‘Bucolic’ and ‘pastoral’ are synonymous and both are 16. d A ‘balm’ eases the pain. Therefore ‘irritant’ is its
related with rural life and countryside. antonym.

8. c ‘Anathema’ pertains to a person or thing that is detested 17. a ‘Spur’ means to boost. So, ‘disincentive’ is its antonym.
or loathed. Its synonym is ‘curse’.
18. b ‘Loquacious’ means talkative whereas someone who
9. c ‘Impecunious’ means having little or no money; is reticent is reserved.
penniless; poor. Option (c), ‘penurious’ means the
same. 19. a ‘Bestial’ means like a beast, so ‘angelic’ is its antonym.

10. d To ‘macerate’ is to leave food in a liquid so that it 20. b ‘Itinerant’ is someone migrating from one place to
absorbs the liquid and becomes soft or to become another. ‘Sedentary’ pertains to someone who stays
soft in this way. So, option (d) is its synonym. in one place.

VA / Exercise - 4 CEX-5324/P1BS/17 / Page 1

21. b Since the sentence refers to the games which are
called ‘mindless marathons’, only ‘tedious’, which
means long and tiresome, logically fits in the meaning
of the sentence. Hence, option (b) is the correct
answer. ‘Scrupulous’ means very careful about doing
something correctly. ‘Invigorate’ means to give life and
energy to someone.
22. c Since the cat is feeling threatened, the best option to
express this feeling would be option (c).
‘Consternation’ means a feeling of anxiety or dismay,
typically at something unexpected and ‘wariness’
means caution about possible dangers or problems.
23. d The answer choices should be in contrast to each
other and should also be logically related to ‘courtship’.
Only option (d) fulfills both the conditions. ‘Fervor’
means strong feeling of excitement and enthusiasm.
24. c The preposition ‘to’ is used in order to express
movement towards a place. Hence, option (c) is the
correct answer.
25. d The phrase ‘muddle up’ means to cause things to be
mixed in the wrong order. Hence, option (d) is the
correct answer.
26. b The sentence suggests that Mamta can endure
something that her family cannot. So, the word in blank
should go with ‘aloofness’. ‘Ostracism’ means to
outcast. So, ‘ostracism’ best fits in the blank.
27. a ‘Vacuous’ means lacking importance or substance.
‘puerile’ means silly or childish especially in a way that
shows a lack of good judgment. ‘Ambivalent’ means
having contradictory attitudes or feeling. ‘Litigious’
means tending or likely to engage in lawsuits. Only
‘litigious’ fits in the meaning of the sentence and hence,
is the answer.
28. a Suffrage means the right vote in an election. Only
option (a) fits in the meaning of the sentence.
29. c 'Candid' means expressing opinions and feelings in an
honest and sincere way. When somebody is 'candid
and trustworthy, his statement can not be insincere.
30. c The sentence means that the paper intended to bring
to light the forms of corruption and falsehood in public
life. So, 'uncover' best fits in the blank.
31. d 'Conforming' means behaving in a way that is accepted
by most people. Options (a), (b) and (c) are synonyms
of unconventional.
32. b 'Laconic' means using few words. Other options are
used as adjectives to describe someone who is wordy
or use too many words.
33. a 'Crippled', 'handicapped', and 'retarded' have negative
connotations and are no longer used because they
are considered offensive.
34. a 'Enervate' means lacking physical, mental, or moral
vigor. Options (b), (c) and (d) are its antonyms.
CEX-5324/P1BS/17 / Page 2
35. c 'Palpable' is an adjective that means readily or plainly
seen, heard, perceived, etc. 'Obvious' and 'evident',
options (b) and (c), are synonyms of 'palpable'.
'Obscure' means not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague,
or uncertain. It is an antonym of others words.
36. c 'Cataclysm' means flood. 'Deluge' refers to an extensive
flood. 'Inundate' means flood; cover or overspread
with water; deluge. 'Delude' means to mislead the mind
or judgment of; deceive.
37. a 'Propitious' means indicative of favor; auspicious.
'Propensity', 'proclivity' and 'disposition' refer to a natural
inclination or tendency.
38. d 'Obliterate', 'annihilate' and 'extirpate' mean to remove
or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy
completely. 'Aggrandize' means to widen in scope;
increase in size or intensity; enlarge; extend.
39. a 'Perturbation', 'delirium' and 'jitters' mean nervousness;
a feeling of fright or uneasiness. 'Composure' refers
to serene, self-controlled state of mind; calmness;
tranquility.
40. d 'Expedite' means to accelerate the process or progress
of: speed up, hasten or advance. 'Procrastinate'
means to put off intentionally and habitually.
'Procrastinate' is an antonym of the other words.
41. b 'Dull' is the antonym of 'vibrant'. Similarly, 'Bored' is the
antonym of 'enthusiastic'. 'Limpid' means perfectly clear.
42. c 'Chocoholic' is someone who eats too much
chocolates. Similarly, 'glutton' is a person who eats
too much food. Option (b) is incorrect because a
'sweet tooth' might not necessarily eat too many
sweets. A 'teetotaler' is someone who abstains from
alcohol.
43. a Parent is the guardian of a child or ward.
44. b House of state (Rajya Sabha) is a permanent house
but, house of people is not a permanent house. Similar
analogy can be drawn for the legislative assembly
and the legislative council in a state. Legislative council
is the permanent house and legislative assembly is a
temporary house.
45. a Just as a State is headed by a Governor. A Union
Territory is headed by a Lt. Governor.
46. c A group of bats is called 'colony' whereas a group of
baboons is called 'congress'.
47. b 'Acrophobia' is the fear of 'heights' whereas
'antlophobia' is the fear of floods.
48. a 'Sallow' means of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion
while 'flushed' means having a healthy reddish color.
Thus, 'sallow' and 'flushed' are antonyms.
'Concentrated' is the opposite of 'scattered'.
49. c 'Spirit' and 'ghost' are synonyms. Similarly, 'spirited'
and 'vigorous' are synonyms.
VA / Exercise - 4
50. a An 'invention' is protected through patent. Similarly,
'literary work' is protected through a copyright.
51. c If someone 'gatecrashes', they attend a private social
event without being invited.
52. a If an idea, wish or promise is 'pie in the sky', it is good
but unrealistic and unlikely to be achieved.
53. d If something takes a 'nosedive', it drops or decreases
in value very rapidly.
54. b 'All singing, all dancing' means having a lot of advanced
technical features and therefore modern.
55. c 'Apples and oranges' is used to describe a situation in
which two people or things are completely different
from each other.
56. a A 'fly in the ointment' refers to a person or thing that
spoils a situation.
57. d 'Walking on air' means feeling very happy.
58. b 'To throw over' means to forsake or to abandon. In the
given sentence, because of certain issues in the party
the two members abandoned the party they
themselves had founded.
59. c If two people or groups are 'at loggerheads', they
strongly disagree about something. The phrase is often
used with the preposition 'with'. For example: They're
constantly at loggerheads with the labor union. The
phrase is sometimes used with the preposition 'over'.
For example: The opposing parties are still at
loggerheads over the most crucial parts of the bill.
60. a 'By and large' means mostly or generally for the most
part.
61. c (a) A foot soldier : One who performs necessary but
basic, often mundane tasks.
(b) Pass muster : To measure up to the required
standards.
(c) The correct idiom is 'head over heels'. It means
madly in love.
(d) Off and on : Intermittently
62. a (a) The correct idiom to be used here is 'set about',
which means to make someone begin doing
something. 'Set something out' means to remove
something and place it so that it is available for
someone or some purpose.
(b) Set the stage : To provide the underlying basis for
(c) Set in motion : To give impetus to
(d) On the square: Honestly and openly
63. c (a) A square peg in a round hole: A misfit.
(b) Set straight: To make certain that someone
understands something exactly
(c) The correct idiom is 'walk out on', which means to
desert or abandon.
(d) Chip off the old block: A child whose appearance
or character closely resembles that of one or the
other parent.
VA / Exercise - 4
64. c (a) Hand's turn : An act of manual labor; especially a
single usually small expenditure of effort
(b) High hand: An oppressive or dictatorial manner.
(c) The correct idiom is 'hand in hand'. It means
together; jointly.
(d) Hand over fist: Very rapidly
65. d (a) Give birth to : To be the origin of
(b) Give rise to: To be the cause or origin of
(c) Give or take: Plus or minus a small insignificant
amount
(d) The correct idiom is 'give ground', which means to
retreat.
66. d 'Ballpark figure' is a rough or approximate number
(guesstimate) to give a general idea of something.
67. b If a thing is overly abundant or commonplace, we say
it is 'a dime a dozen.'
68. b 'To keep up with the Joneses' means to make efforts
to keep up with one's neighbors or peers in social
status and prestige.
69. c 'To rob Peter to pay Paul' means to take from one
merely to give to another; to discharge one debt by
incurring another.
70. b 'Lead someone a merry dance' means to cause
someone a lot of trouble, especially by getting them to
do a lot of things that are not necessary.
71. a The correct spelling is 'preceding'.
72. c The correct spelling is 'bailiwick', which means a
person's specific area of knowledge.
73. a The correct spelling is 'consensus'.
74. d The correct spelling is 'supersede'.
75. b The correct spelling is 'hypocrisy'.
76. a The correct spelling is 'hieroglyphic'.
77. c The correct spelling is 'tantamount'.
78. b The correct spelling is 'obstreperous'.
79. d The correct spelling is 'espionage'.
80. a The correct spelling is 'defoliated'.
81. b 'Through' is the correct preposition here. 'Read through'
means to read all of something. Read about is incorrect;
the author doesn't want 'you' to read about the review
of law firms but to read those very reviews. 'By' and
'for' will make the sentence grammatically incorrect.
82. d 'Give' doesn't complete the sentence. In the context of
the passage, 'educate' fits in perfectly. The author
even mentions in the next sentence how one would
be able to give oneself a brief 'education'.
CEX-5324/P1BS/17 / Page 3
83. c 'Truth of the matter' is the correct phrase. It means to
introduce a fact which supports what you are saying
or which is not widely known.
84. d 'Cope' and 'deny' do not go well with 'yourself'. 'Acquit'
also doesn't make sense contextually. 'Defend'
perfectly fits in the context of the sentence.
85. d 'Which' is correct here as it points to some particular
questions that are important to ask.
86. a 'Fragile' means something that is delicate and prone to
damage. 'Sensitive' suggests that the blank will take
'fragile'. 'Weak' is used in comparison to the strength
of something else and here we have no such
reference. 'Exploited' and 'tough' do not fit in with the
context.
87. c 'Variety' and 'range' take the preposition 'of' after them.
'Assortment' refers to a miscellaneous collection of
things or people, and hence not correct. Thus option
(c), 'diversity', is the correct answer.
88. b The correct word here is 'considered'. "Hottest
hotspots" is a category or type of area for which
Western Ghats have been considered. 'Treated',
'mentioned' and 'demarcated' are incorrect in this
context.
89. c 'Commits' is most in line with the context of the passage.
90. d The sentence talks about transmitting the ecological
sites to generations that will come later, and hence
'future' is the correct option. Though 'next' also denotes
a future generation, it is more specific and its scope is
confined to the immediate 'next' generation.
91. b From the context of the extract it is clear that protecting
the Western Ghats is neither an 'obstacle' nor a 'cause.'
'Challenge' is the most apt choice here given the later
details about the area that needs to be protected.
'Work' doesn't fit in grammatically.
92. a The expert panel has not 'found', 'detected' or 'exposed'
the area. Rather, the area has been 'assessed' by the
panel for its geographic spread and ecological
importance.
93. c 'Developed' and 'similar' do not fit in with the context of
the passage. 'Peculiar' means strange. It fits in the
meaning of the sentence.
94. d One 'tables' a report or a finding, not an area. Thus,
option (a) is incorrect. 'Chosen' is incorrect as there is
no question of choice, as the paragraph does not talk
about other contenders for the special status from
amongst whom it has been chosen. Option (c),
'manipulated' is incorrect contextually. 'Treated' is the
correct word here; the area is treated as an ecologically
sensitive zone.
95. b 'Lower' is contrary to the meaning implied in the
sentence. Of the remaining three options, 'higher levels
of protection' is closest to the context.
96. c Since the sentence starts in present tense, the correct
choice is 'observe' and not 'understood'. 'Thought' and
CEX-5324/P1BS/17 / Page 4
'watch' are incorrect because one cannot 'think' or
'watch' cause and effect but can observe.
97. a The passage is in present tense so, maintaining the
tense consistency, 'ate' and 'had' can be negated. The
entire sentence and the overall passage tell us that it
is eating the food that can upset health and not cooking.
Thus, the blank will take 'eat'.
98. c One can 'fall' sick, not 'turn' or 'become' sick. 'Were' is
incorrect because 'eating' is followed by 'sickness',
'were' gives the sense that one was sick even before
eating, which is not the case here.
99. b 'Caused' is the correct choice. If you read the whole
sentence, it become clear that the meaning the author
wants to convey is that the food is the reason for the
sickness.
100. b The correct phrasal verb is 'turns up' which means 'to
happen unexpectedly'. 'Leads', 'holds' and 'causes'
are incorrect.
101. d Only 'creates' fits in the blank. Others make the
sentence grammatically or logically incorrect.
102. a The correct verb here is 'are'. Since the sentence is in
simple present tense, 'were' and 'would' are incorrect.
103. c One gets diagnosed 'with' an illness. 'For', 'of' and 'by'
denote an incorrect usage of the prepositions.
104. b The sentence has to be in simple present tense, thus,
'becomes' is the correct answer.
105. b 'Dies' is the correct choice because the sentence is in
present tense. 'Told' and 'discussed' do not make sense
in the sentence.
106. b A person's fixed, permanent, and principal home for
legal purposes is called 'domicile'.
107. b 'Breviary' is a book of the prayers, hymns, psalms,
and readings for the canonical hours. The place where
dead bodies are kept is called a 'mortuary'. 'Lapidary'
is the art of cutting gems. 'Calamari' is squid used as
food.
108. c 'Interpellate' is to question (as a foreign minister)
formally concerning an official action or policy or
personal conduct. 'Interject' is to interrupt what
someone else is saying with (a comment, remark,
etc.).'Interpolate' means to put (something) between
other things or parts.
109. d The scientific study of vocal sounds is called
'phonology'. 'Pomology' is the study of fruits.
'Phytopathology' is the study of plant diseases.
'Physiology' is the study of the functions of living
organisms.
110. a Fear of snakes is called 'ophidiophobia'. 'Acrophobia'
is the fear of heights. 'Cynophobia' is the abnormal
fear of dogs. 'Trypophobia' is a claimed pathological
fear of objects with irregular patterns of holes.
VA / Exercise - 4
 Verbal Ability – 5 P-1(BS)

Subject Identification, Articles, Nouns, Phrase and Clause, Conjunction / Interjection

Answers and Explanations

16 b 17 a 18 a 19 c 20 b 21 c 22 b 23 a 24 d 25 a
26 a 27 a 28 b 29 b 30 a 41 c 42 b 43 b 44 c 45 b
46 c 47 b 48 a 49 d 50 a

Practice Questions
21 c 22 a 23 c 24 a 25 b 26 b 27 b 28 b 29 b 30 b
31 d 32 d 33 b 34 c 35 d 36 d 37 c 38 d 39 b 40 c
41 b 42 c 43 d 44 d 45 b 46 d 47 c 48 d 49 b 50 d

1. The doer of the action (hurry) is the ‘man’. So, the
subject of the sentence is ‘man’.
2. The doer of the action (laugh) is ‘they’. So, ‘they’ is the
subject here.
3. The doer of the action is ‘children’. So, the subject of
the sentence is ‘children’
4. The verb in the sentence is ‘shining’ and the thing that
is shining is the ‘sun’. So, the subject is ‘sun’.
5. The sentence talks about ‘grass’ which is greener,
thus making it the subject of the sentence.
6. The verb is ‘grow’ and what are growing are ‘flowers’.
So, the subject is ‘flowers’.
12. We use 'a' before words that start with a consonant
or consonant sound and 'an' before words that start
with a vowel or vowel sound. So, the blank will take
‘an’.
13. A particular mall is being talked about in the sentence.
So, the blank will take the article 'the'.
14. No article is required here. Illnesses such as toothache,
earache, flu do not require any article. However,
illnesses such as headache and cold require the article
'a' before them.
15. Definite article 'the' is used to talk about musical
instruments.
16. b No article is required before ‘meat’. ‘The’ is redundant.

7. The verb is ‘play’. The sentence has two subjects 17. a The correct phrase is 'after a long day' since we are
since two people are ‘playing’ – ‘I’ and ‘brother’. So, not talking about any particular long day. We are
the subjects are ‘I’ and ‘brother’. referring to a long day in general.

8. The verb is ‘existed’ and what has existed is ‘world’.
So, ‘world’ is the subject of the sentence.
9. The verb here is ‘brewed’. What is ‘brewed’ is ‘coffee’.
So, the subject here is ‘coffee’.
10. In English, the subject of a command, order, or
suggestion — ‘you’, the person being directed — is
usually left out of the sentence and is said to be the
understood subject. So, ‘you’ is the subject here.
11. In the sentence, we are talking about a specific dog
and the specific neighbours. So, both the blanks will
take the article 'the'.
18. a Articles are omitted before productive nouns denoting
a unique position i.e., a position that is normally held at
one time by one person only.
19. c 'The' is redundant in part (c). The correct phrase is 'to
get to work'.
20. b 'At least' suggests that the sentence is not talking
about particular checkpoints but suggests that
spectators have to pass through three checkpoints
randomly. 'The' suggests that there are three particular
checkpoints that the spectators have to pass, which
contradicts the idea suggested by 'at least'. So, the
correct phrase will be 'passing through at least three'.

VA / Exercise - 5 CEX-5325/P1BS/17 / Page 1

21. c 'Coward' is a noun. It is used for a person who is not
brave. The sentence requires a noun describing the
trait. So, 'coward' should be replaced by 'cowardice'.
22. b 'Gears' is incorrect. When used in relation to supplies,
foods or clothes needed for a special purpose, ‘gear’
is treated as non count. So, the correct word will be
‘gear’.
23. a The game is 'darts' while the pointed object that is
thrown at a dart board is called a 'dart'. Here, the
sentence refers to the game and therefore, 'dart' will
be replaced by 'darts'. The verb 'is' is correct since
'darts' is one of those plural nouns that take a singular
verb.
24. d Generally uncountable nouns such as 'sugar' do not
have plural forms. However, in the sentence it means
'two cubes of sugar'. So, 'sugars' is correct. 'a little' in
part (c) is also correct. It means a small quantity of
milk.
25. a 'All' in part (a) suggests that plural form of 'diagnosis'
should be used. So, it should be replaced by
'diagnoses'. 'Analyses' is plural and therefore, correct.
26. a As a noun, 'nuptial' usually takes a plural form. So, the
correct word will be 'nuptials'.
27. a 'Mean' can either be used as a singular or as a plural.
However, when it implies wealth, it is always used as
a plural. So, 'mean is' should be replaced by 'means
are'.
28. b 'Electronic' is incorrect. 'Electronics' looks plural but is
actually singular. So, 'electronic' should be replaced
by 'electronics'.
29. b The plural of 'looker-on' is 'lookers-on'.
30. a The correct phrase is 'many a man'. 'A' before 'men'
suggests that the word should be 'singular'.
31. "Although she is in need of money" is the dependent
clause while "she always gives alms to the beggars"
is the independent clause.
32. "A box of silverware" is a noun phrase.
33. "They left the hotel" is an independent clause while
"as fast as they could" is an adverbial phrase.
34. "I found the child" is the clause while “hiding under the
bed” is the adjectival phrase.
35. "I saw her in France" is the main clause. “where I had
gone during my vacations” is an adverbial clause.
CEX-5325/P1BS/17 / Page 2
36. "I will be going" is the main clause while "to the market"
and “in the afternoon” are phrases.
37. "I think" and "she should go" are the clauses. “To see
the doctor” is the adverbial clause.
38. "They were singing" is a clause while "in a loud voice"
is an adverbial phrase.
39. "He gave me a glass" is a clause while "full of water"
is an adjective phrase.
40. "In a red shirt" and "swimming championship" are the
adjective and noun phrases respectively.
41. c An interjection that expresses pain is required in the
blank. So, 'ouch' best fits in the blank. 'Ah' is used to
express a range of emotions including surprise,
pleasure, sympathy, and realization.
42. b 'But' is used to introduce a statement that adds
something to a previous statement and usually
contrasts with it in some way. The given sentence
brings about that contrast by saying that although the
bus stopped, the man didn't get off. 'And' would have
been correct had the sentence said that the man got
off: 'The bus stopped and the man got off.' Here it
doesn't bring about a contrast; it simply joins two
statements: 'The bus stopped' and 'the man got off'.
43. b 'Darn', which shows disappointment, fills in the blank
appropriately.
44. c 'Shoo' is a word said to frighten or drive away a
person or animal. Since, the cat is drinking milk from
the woman's cereal bowl, the woman will try to drive
her away and not feel happy about it.
45. b 'Although' means in spite of the fact that.
46. c 'Yet' means but at the same time or but nevertheless.
Only 'yet' fills in the blank to make it grammatically
correct. 'As though' means as would be the case if.
47. b Although 'either…or' is the correct structure, 'either'
will not be used here. It suggests an unavoidable
choice between alternatives and this is not the case
here. The blank will take 'whether', which is used to
introduce a single alternative, the other being implied
or understood.
48. a 'Dear me' expresses surprise. 'Alas' expresses grief
or pity. 'Doh' expresses frustration or realization. 'Uh'
expresses hesitation. Here, a word that expresses
surprise is needed. So, 'dear me' is the correct
answer.
49. d 'Unless' means except if. Other options will make the
sentence erroneous.
VA / Exercise - 5
50. a 'Huh' is used to express scorn, anger, or surprise.
'Bah' is an expression of contempt or disagreement.
'Hey' is used to call for attention. 'Hmm' shows
agreement. Only 'huh' fits in the meaning of the
sentence.
Practice Questions
1. ‘John’ is the subject of the principal verb ‘stood’.
2. ‘The gold medal’ is the nominative phrase and therefore
the subject. If we break it up medal is a noun and the
subject proper, ‘gold’ is an adjective and ‘The’ is an
article.
3. ‘Rev. Desmond Tutu’ is the subject of the principal
verb ‘is held’.
4. ‘Raymond’ is the subject of the principal verb ‘attended’.
5. ‘Jack and Jill’ are the subjects of the verb ‘went’. Jack
and Jill are two singular nouns joined by ‘and’.
6. ‘The grizzled captain’ is the subject of the verb
‘surveyed’.
7. ‘Matron’ is the subject of the verb ‘glared’.
8. ‘Sarla’ is the subject of the verb ‘marched’.
9. ‘Darjeeling’ is the subject of the verb ‘is located’.
10. ‘The principal cause’ is the subject of the verb ‘is’
11. The correct article is ‘The’ because there is only one
New York.
12. Article ‘The’ should be used because there is only one
doyen and hence it is particular.
13. X (i.e. no article) and ‘a’. Articles are not used before
proper nouns and ‘India’ is a proper noun.
14. The correct article is ‘A’ Daniel wa a judge famous in
historical lore for his astute judgements. Justice
Anantraman is being compared with Daniel. In other
words he is another Daniel. This converts Daniel into
a common noun and hence the article ‘A’.
15. The correct article is ‘The’. ‘Few people’ would mean
practically no one. ‘A few people’ would mean a handful
of people – no one in particular. ‘The few people’ means
only a few people came and these particular few
people were served a lavish lunch.
VA / Exercise - 5
16. The correct article is ‘A’. See above.
17. The and X (no article required), what Sir Don Bradman
was to Australian cricket Tendulkar has been to Indian
cricket. Hence, ‘The Bradman’.
18. X (no article required).
19. X (No article required).
20. ‘An’. Although the word honourable begins with the
consonant ‘h’ it is pronounced as ‘Onerable’ i.e. word
beginning with a vowel sound. Hence, ‘An’ is the right
article.
21. c The error is in part (c). It is not clear who was walking
barefooted – Ram or the scorpion. Hence, the
correction is ‘While he was walking barefooted...”
22. a The correction is ‘in the garden”. Pace up and down
means to walk nervously because you are worried.
The alternative acceptable structure is ‘paced the
garden”.
23. c Part (c) of the sentence is wrong. It should read ‘and
picked it up’. While talking of babies it is customary to
use the neuter gender because it is likely that the sex
of the baby is not known.
24. a Part (a) is wrong, “you only” is a literal translation from
Hindi. The correct expression is “you yourself told
me”.
25. b Part (b) is wrong because it is a literal translation from
Hindi. The correct expression is “right then to return”.
26. b Correct expression – “the receptionist said he wasn’t
free. “Error of tense”.
27. b The error is in part (b). It should read “and which sells
for Rs. 500 per copy”. In a ‘non-defining’ clause that
cannot be used in place of which.
28. b Part (b) is wrong. It should read “that ever lived on
earth”. The superlative is followed by ‘that’ not ‘who’.
29. b Error of tense. Part (b) should read “who lends you an
umbrella when the sun is shining”.
30. b Error of tense. Part (b) should read “is said to have
been”.
31. d ‘By dint of’ is the correct preposition.
CEX-5325/P1BS/17 / Page 3
32. d Option (d) is the correct choice. In lieu of means in 42. c Option (c) gives the reason for the refusal. Hence,
place or instead of. correct. The other options can be fitted in but do not
yield a forceful sentence.
33. b Option (b) is the correct answer.
43. d Option (d) meaning “during the period when” is the
34. c Option (c) is the correct answer. correct answer.

35. d Option (d) is the correct answer. 44. d Options (b) and (c) are meaningless. Option (a) is
grammatically correct but semantically wrong. Hence,
36. d Option (d) is the correct answer. In consequence of option (b) is the correct answer.
means “as a result of”.
45. b Option (b) meaning “inspite of that” is the correct
37. c Option (c) which means “regarding” is the correct answer.
answer.
46. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
38. d Option (d) is the correct answer.
47. c Option (c) is the correct answer. It expresses the
39. b Option (b) is the correct answer. emotion of joy and celebration.

40. c Option (c) is the correct answer. Options (a), (b) and 48. d Option (d) expressing surprise is the correct answer.
(d) are wrong or irrelevant.
49. b Option (b) expressing extreme approval is the correct
41. b Option (d) is incorrect because of double negative. answer.
Options (a) and (c) are meaningless. Hence the correct
answer is option (b). 50. d Option (d) expressing surprise and concern is the
correct answer.

CEX-5325/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 5

 Verbal Ability – 6 P-1(BS)

Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions

Answers and Explanations
1 a 2 b 3 d 4 a 5 b 6 d 7 c 8 b 9 a 10 b
11 c 12 a 13 b 14 a 15 a

Practice Questions
1 c 2 d 3 d 4 c 5 c 6 c 7 d 8 c 9 c 10 d

1. a 'Which' is used in sentences that contain extra
information that could be left out of the sentence without
affecting the meaning or structure. If the meaning gets
changed, then 'that' is used. In this case, if we remove 9. a
the part after 'unemployment', the meaning of the
sentence still remains the same. Therefore, 'which' is
the correct answer. 'Who' and 'whom' are used to 10. b
refer to people.
also been correct. Then it would have meant that we
appreciate the person who contacted the office.
‘Ships’ are referred to as female. So, here 'her' will be
used.
The correct pronoun is ‘me’. The object of the verb is
‘accompanied’.

2. b 'Who' and 'whom' are used to refer to people. ‘Who’
should be used in the subject position in a sentence,
while ‘whom’ should be used in the object position. In
the sentence, 'whom' will be used, as it is the object of
‘admire’. The subject is 'student'.
11. c 'Tallest' is the superlative degree, which is used when
comparison is made between more than two people.
While comparing between two people, comparative
degree is used. So, 'tallest' should be replaced by
'taller'.

3. d To check which pronoun will fit in the blank, we will
remove the noun - girl, and then decide which of the
options follow. So, the sentence now becomes "The
horror movie didn't frighten ________ at all". Clearly,
only 'us' fits in the blank to make it grammatically correct.
4. a In the sentence, ‘he hasn’t visited’ is the non-restrictive
clause, i.e., if we removed this clause, the meaning of
the sentence does not change. So, the blank will take
‘which’.
5. b 'Whose' is used to show which person or thing you
are talking about. Marylyn is the owner of the book.
‘Whose’ is the possessive form of ‘who’. So, 'whose'
best fits in the blank. 'Whosoever' means whoever.
12. a 'Troubling' is a verb. The sentence requires an adjective
to describe the 'counselors' just as 'doubtful' describes
'allies'. So, 'troubling' should be replaced by
'troublesome'.
13. b 'Many' modifies things that can be counted while 'much'
modifies things that can't be counted. Since 'hair' cannot
be counted, 'many' in part (b) should be replaced by
'much'.
14. a 'Little' is used with uncountable nouns in the positive
degree. 'Less' is the comparative form of 'little'. It is
used in comparative structures, especially before
uncountable nouns. So, 'little' should be replaced by
'less'.

6. d The appropriate adjective in the first blank is 'my'
because here we need a possessive adjective as a
subject before the object 'pencil'. 'Hers' is the correct
possessive pronoun of 'her' in this case because here
it stands for 'her pencil'.
7. c The correct sentence will take either ‘she’ or ‘I’. Read
it as ‘The moon is as beautiful as she (is)” or “The
moon is as beautiful as I (am)”.
8. b 'Your' here means that we appreciate the fact that
you contacted the office. The use of 'you' would have
15. a Both 'less' and 'lesser' are used with uncountable
noun. However, 'lesser' is used for 'quality' while 'less'
is used for 'quantity'. So, 'lesser' should be replaced
by 'less'.
16. 'Richest' is the correct form to fill in the blank as the
blank requires superlative degree.
17. The blank will take 'more expensive' to indicate
comparison between the prices of beer and petrol in
Goa.

VA / Exercise - 6 CEX-5326/P1BS/17 / Page 1

18. 'Latter' is used to refer to the second of two persons
or things that have been mentioned. When more than
two have been mentioned, 'last' is used. So, the blank
will take 'latter'.
19. The blank will take 'nearest' as a superlative form is
required here. It means more near in space.
20. Comparative degree is used in order to compare two
things. The comparative form of 'courage' is 'more
courageous'.
38. The first blank will take the preposition 'for'. It is used
to say that something is available in exchange for
something, which in this case is nothing, as the bottle
is free of cost. The second blank will take the
preposition 'with'. It is used in the sense of along with.
39. The first blank will take 'off'. Here it is used as a function
word to indicate physical separation from a union.
40. The blank will take the preposition 'for'. Here it means
because of.

21. Accidently Practice Questions

22. Extremely slowly
1. c Option (a) is incorrect. It suggests that the Gangnam
dance is performed for the purpose of winning. Option
23. Yesterday
(b) is incorrect because it is not clear who does the
dance. Option (d) is meaningless. The correct answer
24. Briefly
is option (c).
25. Quite fast
2. d Options (a) and (c) accuse BCCI directly of being
unfair. Option (b) is meaningless. Option (d) is the
26. The correct form of the word is 'hard'.
correct answer because it does not make a sweeping
charge of unfairness but sees some unfairness in the
27. The correct form of the word is 'badly'.
selection process.
28. The correct form of the word is 'awfully'.
3. d Options (a), (b) and (c) do not make any grammatical
sense. Option (d) is the correct answer.
29. The correct form of the word is 'most beautifully'. We
often use 'more', 'most', 'less' and 'least' to show degree
4. c Option (a) negates the intended meaning options (b)
with adverbs.
and (d) are grammatically in correct. Option (c) is the
correct answer.
30. The correct form of the word is 'absolutely'.
5. c Options (a), (b) and (d) are grammatically incorrect.
31. The correct preposition to be used here is 'with' as it is
Option (c) is the correct answer.
used to say that people or things are together in or at
one place.
6. c Options (a), (b) and (d) are grammatically incorrect.
The correct answer is option (c).
32. 'At' is used to indicate the place where someone or
something is. So, it is the correct preposition to fill in
7. d Option (a) should read ‘you and I ----- our best’. Likewise
the blank.
options (b) and (c) are grammatically incorrect. The
correct answer is option (d).
33. The correct preposition to be used here is 'among'. It is
used when you are dividing or choosing something
8. c Option (a) should have the nominative pronoun I instead
and three or more people or things are involved
of the reflexive ‘myself’. Options (b) and (d) apart
from using the reflexive incorrectly have grammatical
34. 'Into' is used to refer to a position in or inside something.
errors. Option (c) is the correct answer.
35. The correct preposition to be used here is 'like'. As a
9. c Option (a) should read ‘He and I .... our’. Option (b)
preposition, it means similar to or close to something.
should read ‘our assignment’. Likewise option (d) is
Although 'around' is also grammatically correct, here
wrong. Option (c) is the correct answer.
we will avoid using it because it is an adverb and not
a preposition.
10. d In option (a), (b) and (c) the tenses are mixed up.
Option (d) is the correct answer. Past tense is used to
36. The correct preposition to be used here is 'about',
indicate an imaginary situation.
which is used to indicate the subject of something
said or written.
11. ‘Whom’ instead of ‘who’ – Objective not nominative.
37. The correct preposition to fill in the blank is 'without'. It
12. ‘Which’ instead of ‘who’.
means not doing the action mentioned.

CEX-5326/P1BS/17 / Page 2 VA / Exercise - 6

13. ‘That’ instead of ‘who’ – superlative. 35. Adjective – Qualifies noun ‘evidence’.

14. Possessive pronouns do no take apostrophes. Hence, 36. ‘In’

‘Its’ instead of ‘it’s’.
37. ‘In’
15. ‘Yourselves’ instead of ‘yourself’.
38. ‘Among’ – only two then ‘between’. More than two –
16. No error. The dog has a name and hence a gender. among.

17. ‘If I were you’ – subjunctive mood. 39. ‘Of’

18. ‘I have known him’ – Present perfect instead of simple 40. For, one buys something for. But at a given price a
present. purchase is a bargain.

19. ‘Ought to’ not ‘must’ which stands for certainty. ‘Ought 41. ‘Between’. For location based an several points.
to’ is likelihood.
42. ‘For’
20. ‘Hers’ instead of ‘Her’ which is an adjective not
pronoun. 43. ‘Under’ meaning on earth. Everyone knows that the
sun is very old.
21. ‘Is’ not ‘are’. The subject ‘house’ is singular.
44. ‘For’ – ‘Cut out for’ means ‘trained for’.
22. ‘Me’ instead of ‘I’. Object of verb give.
45. ‘From’
23. ‘I myself’ instead of ‘I’ only Emphatic pronoun.
46. ‘Lend money’ to strangers.
24. ‘Chapter five’ not chapter fifth – numeral adjective
after noun is cardinal before noun is ordinal. 47. John loves to play cricket, to sing and to swim. –
Parallelism.
25. Grammatically wrong. ‘I am the principal’.
48. ‘Between you and me’ Object of preposition ‘between’.
26. Adjective – Qualifies brother predicatively. Hence objecitve case.

27. Adverb – Modifies verb ‘living’. 49. ‘Who’ not ‘Whom’ subject of verb in ‘was responsible’.

28. Adverb – Modifies verb ‘came’. 50. ‘Was’ not ‘were’. ‘Every’ is followed by a singular verb.

29. Adverb – Modifies verb ‘Eats’. 51. ‘Is’ not ‘are’. ‘Either’ is followed by a singular verb.

30. Adjective – Qualifies pronoun ‘something’. 52. ‘Who have’ not ‘who has’. Subject is novelists.

31. Adverb – Modifies verb ‘knows’. 53. ‘Who they say’ and ‘Whom my brother knows’

32. Adverb – Modifies verb ‘went’. 54. The same bat that Tendulkar uses.

33. Adjective – Qualifies noun ‘work’. 55. ‘Much greater than that of the Eiffel Tower’.

34. Adverb – Modifies verb ‘given’.

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 Verbal Ability – 7 P-1(BS)

Verbs and Tenses

Answers and Explanations
31 d 32 a 33 a 34 c 35 c 36 b 37 c 38 a 39 b 40 b
41 a 42 c 43 b 44 b 45 c

1. Rahul goes to school every day. 15. The correct sentence will be "I went to bed after I had
had my dinner." Here, the first 'had' refers to time (Past
2. Sapna is visiting her family right now. Perfect Tense) and the second 'had' is a substitute of
'eaten' (after I had eaten).
3. I studied/was studying Economics in 1994.
16. Simple Present Tense is used in exclamatory
4. He has spoken/has been speaking French since he sentences beginning with 'here' and 'there' to express
was a child. what is actually taking place in the present. So, the
correct sentence will be "Here comes the much
5. Raj had visited many places before he came here. awaited trailer of the movie!"

6. We saw terrible things back then. 17. The auxilliary verb ‘did’ is in the Past Tense here, so
the sentence would take ‘know’ instead of ‘knew’.
7. Sometimes I still have dreams like I did twenty years
ago. 18. The sentence talks about Mr. Yuda’s decision to speak
out after the murder of his uncle; therefore the
8. Japan had never had democracy until 1945. sentence would take the Simple Past Tense. So the
correct sentence will be “Mr Yuda decided to speak
9. The father will call the family together if he thinks there out after the murder of his uncle, an opposition activist,
is disharmony. two months ago.”

10. When I was young, I never cooked because my parents
had two servants.
11. Future Continuous Tense is used to talk about future
actions which are already planned or which are
expected to happen in the normal course of things.
So, the correct sentence will be "Joan said that she
will be staying at my place for three days."
12. Simple Future Tense is used to talk about what we
think or believe will happen in the future. So, the correct
sentence will be "I believe I will win the competition."
19. The tense consistency has to be maintained. The
sentence will use Simple Past Tense all throughout.
So, the correct sentence is “Ashish told me that he
found out that Sanjay had a learning disability, but I
think Ashish already knew that since they grew up
together.”
20. The Past Perfect Tense has to be used here to show
that the announcement was made as a result of the
injury that had been inflicted before lunch-time. The
correct sentence will be “During halftime, the
announcer told the spectators that a player had been
injured in the first half and needed a doctor’s aid.”

13. If two actions happened in the past, it becomes
necessary to show which action happened earlier.
Past Perfect Tense is used in such situations. So, the
correct sentence will be "She had left school before I
joined."
21. We use Future Perfect Continuous Tense to emphasise
how long something has been going on in a particular
time in future. The correct sentence will be “By
Saturday, we will have been living in this house for a
year.”

22. We use Past Perfect Continuous Tense for an action

14. The correct sentence will be "My mother wants to
that began before a certain point in the past and
speak to you." Verbs of emotion take Simple Present
continued upto that time. The correct sentence will be
Tense.
“ We had been looking at the photograph for about ten
minutes before we realised who the artist was.”

VA / Exercise - 7 CEX-5327/P1BS/17 / Page 1

23. Tense consistency will be maintained by talking about
all the actions in the past tense. So, the correct
sentence will be “The clients stopped in front of each
design, studied each one, and then took notes.”
24. The sentence talks about the actions that will be taken
in the wake of the request from aid workers. Therefore
the request has to be in the past tense or present
perfect tense and the actions in the future tense. So,
the correct sentence will be “A request for more help
came from aid workers this morning. We will therefore
be sending more food and will need to see if they also
require medical help.”
25. In this sentence we have a verb in the past tense-
‘knew’. Therefore, the auxiliary verb that we use
should also be in the past tense. So, the correct
sentence will be “Maharishi’s Burmese girlfriend knew
that the society of her country would never accept
their relationship.”
26. Both actions are happening at the same time. If we
use ‘had fainted’, we are reporting that she and her
sister fainted before something incredible happened.
So, the correct sentence will be “Then, something
incredible happened; she and her sister fainted from
the shock.”
27. The given sentence uses a conditional (which is
known as the past unreal) that talks about a situation
in the past which did not happen. In such cases, the
structure of a sentence is as follows:
Structure
If- clause Main clause
would/should/could/might +
Past perfect tense
have + Past Participle
Example:
If you had studied you would have got a first
hard class
So, the sentence will be “If you had called him he
would have come.”
28. Simple Present Tense is used with an infinitive when it
refers to an action in the past. So, the correct sentence
will be “The doctor asked the child to lie on the bed.”
29. The verb ‘doubt’ is rarely used in any of the continuous
tenses. So, the correct sentence will be “Since the
manager doubted the subordinate’s leadership abilities
he decided to keep a close watch on the team’s overall
performance.”
CEX-5327/P1BS/17 / Page 2
30. This sentence talks about the person ensuring that
Sanjay does his work correctly. For personal plans or
predictions we use ‘going to’ with the Simple Present
Tense. So, the correct sentence will be “Tonight I am
going to check that Sanjay does his homework
correctly.”
31. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
32. a Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used when we
talk about an action that began at some point in the
past and is still continuing. So, option (a) is the correct
answer.
33. a Verbs of emotion are not used in continuous form. So,
the correct answer is option (a).
34. c Simple Past Tense will be used here. So, option (c) is
the correct answer. Option (a) is incorrect because it
says that the action of conducting the meeting will
take place in the future. Since she is a fresher, we
cannot say right now that she will conduct it with
aplomb or with confidence.
35. c Option (c) represents the correct way of asking a
question.
36. b 'Mamta' is singular. So, the verb will take Simple Present
form. So, 'drives' will replace 'drive'.
37. c The verb following 'didn't' is always in the Simple
Present Tense. So, 'didn't called back' will be replaced
by 'didn't call back'.
38. a Future Perfect Tense is used when we talk about
actions that will be completed by a certain future time.
So, 'will complete' will be replaced by 'will have
completed'.
39. b Present Perfect Tense is used to denote an action
beginning at some time in the past and continuing up to
the present moment. So, the underlined phrase will be
replaced by ‘have been’.
40. b Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used for an action
that began before a certain point in the past and
continued upto that point. So, the underlined phrase
will be replaced by ‘had been losing’.
41. a The sentence is in past tense. So, option (c) is negated.
The correct answer is option (a). Past Continuous
Tense is used to denote an action going on at some
time in the past.
42. c Simple Present Tense and not Simple Future Tense is
used in clauses of time and of condition.
VA / Exercise - 7
43. b ‘increases’ will replace increase as it refers to the 16. The verb should be ‘have been made’ ‘Major
‘number’ of pilgrims. concessions have been made’.

44. b ‘brings’ will replace ‘will bring’ to correspond to the 17. The verb should be ‘have been excised’. ‘All bawdy
verb ‘comes’. passages have been excised’.

45. c ‘put them’ will replace ‘put it’ as we are talking of a 18. The verb should be ‘sailed’. ‘The clouds sailed lazily’.
plural noun ‘books’.
19. The verb should be ‘has flowed’. ‘Much water has
Practice Questions flowed down the Nile.’

1. The verb should be ‘striven’. ‘Had you striven harder’’. 20. The verb should be ‘has flown’. ‘The parrot has flown
from its cage’.
2. The verb should be ‘would have helped’. ‘He surely
would have helped you’. 21. The verb should be ‘was smitten’. ‘Majnu was smitten
with love’.
3. The verb should be ‘ridden’. ‘I have ridden past’.
22. The verb should be ‘had hit’. ‘Virender Sehwag had hit
4. The verb should be ‘were’ ‘If I were your husband I twenty four boundaries’.
would surely drink the poison’. The sentence is in the
subjunctive mood. It describes an imaginary situation. 23. The verb should be ‘parlay’. ‘Will you parlay on our
behalf’.
5. The verb should be ‘was drunk’. ‘He fell out of the car
because he was drunk’. 24. The verb should be ‘were monitored’. ‘The elections
were monitored by the CEC;s office’.
6. The verb should be ‘had cut’. ‘John had cut the timber
into ‘planks’. 25. The verb should be ‘had been sprung’. ‘By the time we
arrived many surprises had been sprung’.
7. The verb should be ‘is bound’. ‘He is bound to return
your money’. 26. The verb should be ‘were spotted’. ‘As the reindeer
raced across the ice they were spotted’
8. The verb should be ‘is bounded’. ‘The football field is
bounded on all four sides’. 27. The verb should be ‘tossing’. ‘Tossing their heads in
sprightly dance’.
9. The verb should be ‘smelt’. ‘I smelt a rat’.
28. The verb should be ‘cleaved’. ‘Samson had cleaved
10. The verb should be ‘will have divined’. ‘You all will Delilah..’.
have divined by now’.
29. The verb should be ‘had majored’. ‘The young man had
11. The verb should be ‘was meant’ or ‘is meant’. ‘The majored in Physics’.
book which is a primer was meant (or is meant) for
your younger brother’. 30. The verb should be ‘had lambasted’. ‘Dr Samuel
Johnson had lambasted Alexander Pope’.
12. The verb should be ‘had leant’ or ‘had leaned’. ‘Because
he had leaned forward too much’. 31. ‘If I were you I would never do this’.

13. The verb should be ‘had been going’. ‘Matters had 32. ‘He had had a plateful of meat’.
been going smoothly between’.
33. John has been having recurrent bouts of laryngitis
14. The verb should be ‘had’. ‘Had I been present there’. since two thousand and thirteen’.
Imaginary situation. Subjunctive mood.
34. ‘Your suit will have been stitched before your arrival’.
15. The verb should be ‘have foundered’. ‘Many ships
have foundered’. 35. ‘As the international price of crude oil has dropped
sharply the price of petrol in India ought to fall’.

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36. ‘Having had a whole chicken for breakfast he did not 48. When you went to Mumbai, Ramesh was the one
feel hungry enough for lunch’. person who missed you.

37. ‘The landlord prayed that the tenant be turned out 49. As they had ridden roughshod over the people when
immediately’. they were victorious, so when defeated they were
killed mercilessly.
38. ‘We can discuss the problem untill the cows came
home’. 50. A flock of geese flew across the sky.

39. ‘He arrived just as I finished eating’. 51. He has finished eating and can accompany you now.

40. ‘He will have done his homework before you return’. 52. Rustum has slain 500 men in battle.

41. If he does not do all this, all his efforts will come to 53. John had stolen the gold medal from the museum.
nought.
54. We eat parathas everyday.
42. The problem has already been analysed threadbare
by the experts. 55. He seems to be afraid.

43. Do not open the door, as it is he, the salesman again. 56. This lunch box consists of three separate boxes.

44. The train rolled over the side of the bridge and fell into 57. He has (or he owns) lots of real estate in Delhi.
the river.
58. I perceive that your knowledge of grammar is
45. Not having received his mother’s affection in childhood insufficient.
he became violent on the smallest pretext.
59. I have known him since he was a child.
46. The guard had been gone for so long that we started
wondering what had become of him. 60. I see that you have lost weight.

47. The baby was so scared it clung to its mother.

CEX-5327/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 7

 Verbal Ability – 8 P-1(BS)

Subject Verb Agreement

Answers and Explanations

1 b 2 b 3 b 4 d 5 b

Practice Questions
1 b 2 a 3 b 4 a 5 a 6 b 7 b 8 c 9 b 10 c

1. b The correct sentence should be "The group of students 13. Here the verb acts on the singular subject 'cabin', and
from that college has never been to the zoo." 'Group' is therefore should also be singular. So, the appropriate
a singular entity and should be followed by a singular word is 'needs'.
verb.
14. Words joined to a singular subject by 'along with', 'as
2. b Verbs that follow subjects of the form either A or B and
well as', etc. are parenthetical. The verb should therefore
neither A nor B must agree with B, the noun closer to the
be singular. So, the appropriate word is 'heads'.
verb. Since ‘I’ is singular, ‘am’ should replace ‘are’.
15. 'Major part' is singular. So, the appropriate word is 'is'.
3. b The correct phrase is "…slouches because of his back
pain." We are talking about the singular noun 'brother'
16. 'Each' is a singular subject and is followed by a singular
and not 'others'. So, the verb should be singular.
verb. So, the appropriate word is 'is'.
4. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
17. 'Three-fourths' is plural. So, the appropriate word is
'have'.
5. b The correct phrase is "One-fifth of the locality is
experiencing..." When a plural noun denotes some
18. 'Voters' is the plural subject. Therefore, it will be followed
specific quantity or amount considered as a whole, the
by a plural verb. So, the appropriate word is 'are'.
verb is singular.
19. Singular verb is used with sums of money or periods of
6. Here the verb acts on the plural 'employees', and
time. So, the appropriate word is 'is'.
therefore should be plural. So, the inappropriate word
is 'is'.
20. Pronouns such as 'each', 'every one', 'everybody', etc.
are singular and require singular verbs. So, the
7. Here the verb acts on the plural 'reports', and therefore
appropriate word is 'is'.
should be plural. So, the inappropriate word is 'is'.
21. 'Guys' is a plural subject that should be followed by a
8. Here the verb acts on the plural 'profits', and therefore
plural verb. So, the appropriate word is 'are'.
should be plural. So, the inappropriate word is 'is'.
22. 'Many a' must always be followed by a singular verb.
9. When 'none' is followed by a mass noun (a noun that
So, the appropriate word is 'has'.
cannot be counted or made plural) it takes a singular
verb. So, the inappropriate word is 'are'.
23. The sentence is talking about a single person who is a
writer as well as a singer. So, the appropriate word is
10. Here the verb acts on the plural subject 'cushions', and
'has'.
therefore should also be plural. So, the inappropriate
word is 'was'.
24. As a general rule, we use a plural verb with two or
more subjects when they are connected by ‘and’. So,
11. Here the verb 'come' acts on the plural 'friends', and
the appropriate word is 'are'.
therefore should also be plural. So, the appropriate word
is 'come'.
25. ‘The United States’ is a proper name for a single country
and should therefore be followed by a singular verb.
12. Here 'cracks' are plural. Therefore the verb should also
So, the appropriate word is 'has'.
be plural. So, the appropriate phrase is 'have gone'.

VA / Exercise - 8 CEX-5328/P1BS/17 / Page 1

26. The pronoun 'no one' is singular and should be followed 15. 'are' With uncountable nouns 'none' is always singular.
by a singular verb. So, the appropriate word is 'is'. With countable nouns one may treat none as singular
or plural the latter being more common.
27. Pronouns such as 'each', 'everyone', 'anyone', etc. are
singular and require singular verbs. So, the appropriate 16. 'is' is appropriate.
word is 'is'. 17. 'is' subject is 'she' not 'novelists'.
28. 'Neither', 'either', 'each', etc. are followed by a singular 18. ‘are’ police – a collective noun – always plural.
verb. So, the appropriate word is 'is'.
19. ‘are’. Jury refers to the Jury members.
29. As a general rule, we use a plural verb with two or
more subjects when they are connected by 'and'. So, 20. ‘is’, ‘many is’ is treated as singular in formal english.
the appropriate word is 'are'.
21. ‘is’, ‘mathematics’ is singular and so are subject names
30. 'Goals' is a plural subject. So, the appropriate word is ending in S such as Physics, statics, statistics,
'are'. dynamics etc.

22. ‘is’ news is always singular.

Practice Questions
23. ‘is’ rickets is singular. So are the names of other
1. b 'must do your best' when a pronoun is used for the diseases ending in ‘s’ such as thrombosis, piles,
second and third person it must be of the second arthritis etc.
person.
24. ‘is’ with neither – nor a singular verb is used.
2. a 'It is he'. The real subject of the sentence is he. It is a
temporary subject. Hence HE and not HIM. 25. ‘is’ atlas is singular.

26. ‘are’ two singular nouns joined by ‘and’ are treated as

3. b 'has to do his or her (or their) duty'. With each only a plural.
singular verb is used.
27. ‘is’ when two nouns refer to a single idea they are
4. a 'Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva's' treated as singular e.g. ‘bread and butter’, ‘dal and roti’
When something is owned jointly by several people etc.
the apostrophe and s are attached to the last named
owner. 28. ‘is’ three hundred runs constitute a single objective
here. Hence, singular e.g. ‘500 miles is a long distance’,
5. a 'My brother, the artist's '.When two nouns are in Rs. fifty thousand is a large sum etc.
apposition the possessive is formed from the second
noun. 29. ‘are’ It is not a single target.

30. ‘are’ is appropriate

6. b 'I like the last but three(or third) on the right.' Fourth last
is not English. The correct English expression is last
31. ‘flock’ birds is plural.
but three.
32. ‘is’ herd is a collective noun, hence singular.
7. b 'is going to attend'. The subject is only 'My brother' .
Along with does not form part of the subject.
33. ‘is’ name of a book. Hence, singular.
8. c 'have eaten their dinner'. See explanation from Q67.
34. ‘are’ is appropriate.
9. b 'Live in large flocks'. Deer is plural.
35. ‘is’ is appropriate.
10. c 'have been rewarded'. Players is plural.
36. ‘is’ is appropriate
11. 'is' The noun earth is singular.
37. ‘are’ refers to advertisements.
12. 'is' Many is plural but many a is singular.
38. ‘are’ is appropriate.
13. 'are' is appropriate.
39. ‘were’ is appropriate.
14. 'are', 'Few men',' a few men', 'the few men' are all
40. ‘has’ is appropriate.
plural.

CEX-5328/P1BS/17 / Page 2 VA / Exercise - 8

 Verbal Ability – 9 P-1(BS)

Grammar Revision Test – 1

Answers and Explanations
1 d 2 c 3 c 4 a 5 c 36 b 37 a 38 b 39 c 40 a
41 b 42 b 43 c 44 d 45 a 46 c 47 a 48 a 49 a 50 a
51 d 52 a 53 a 54 c 55 b 56 b 57 a 58 d 59 c 60 c
61 c 62 d 63 b 64 b 65 a
Practice Questions
1 b 2 c 3 d 4 c 5 d 6 a 7 c 8 c 9 c 10 a
41 c 42 c 43 b 44 d 45 c 46 b 47 b 48 c 49 b 50 c

1. d The sentence is correct in its given form. Adjectives 11. 'Beard' here acts as a verb. It represents an action of
usually follow the following order: confronting and opposing with boldness.
general opinion - specific opinion - size - shape - age
- colour - nationality - material 12. 'Very' is an adverb which modifies the adjective 'poor'.

2. c 'Lest' is a conjunction and is used when you are saying 13. 'Good' is an adjective which describes the noun
something in order to prevent something from 'news'.
happening. Here, the required adjective is 'least', which
means smallest in amount or degree. 14. 'However' acts as a conjunction.

3. c The comparative ‘er’ is not used when we compare 15. 'Eccentric' is an adjective that describes 'British life'.
two qualities in the same person or thing. So, ‘braver’
should be replaced by ‘more brave’. 16. 'Channels' is a noun.

4. a 'A little' has a positive meaning. 'Not quite reliable'
suggests that the sentence will not take 'a little' but
'the little', which means negligible.
5. c Words such as 'senior', ‘superior’, ‘perior’, etc. are
followed by ‘to’ instead of ‘than’. So, ‘than’ in part (c)
will be replace by ‘to’.
6. 'Elude' is a verb. It means to manage to avoid or escape
from somebody/something.
7. 'Suspect' as an adjective means something that may
be false and that cannot be relied on. Its synonym is
questionable.
8. 'Comely' is an adjective. It means attractive or pleasant
to look at.
17. 'Around' is an adverb that is dependent on the verb
'sit'.
18. 'Often' modifies the main verb 'feel'. Hence, it is an
adverb.
19. 'Profligate' is an adjective. It means carelessly and
foolishly wasting money, materials, etc.
20. 'Rescind' means to end (a law, contract, agreement,
etc.) officially. It is a verb that expresses the action of
ending a stipulation.
21. In English, the subject of a command, order, or
suggestion - 'you', the person being directed - is usually
left out of the sentence and is said to be the understood
subject. So, 'you' is the subject here.

22. 'Lives' is the verb. It acts on 'friend'. So, 'friend' is the

9. In the given sentence 'behind' acts as an adverb. ‘Fallen subject of the sentence.
behind’ means late in paying money or completing work.
23. The doer of the action (or the one getting affected by
10. Here 'bar' refers to a place. Thus, it is a noun. smog-filled air in this case) is 'we'. So, 'we' is the
subject.

VA / Exercise - 9 CEX-5329/P1BS/17 / Page 1

24. 'Taking dangerous risks' is what seems to frighten
most hardworking people. So, 'Taking dangerous risks'
is the subject of the sentence.
25. The sentence talks about 'mind' that can be full of
many dangerous things. So, 'mind' is the subject of the
sentence.
26. The verbs in the sentence are ‘echoed’ and 'grabbed'.
So, ‘name’ and 'girl in the wheelchair' are the subjects.
27. 'Jumped' is the verb. So, the subject is 'tall girl'
28. The verb is 'dedicated'. So, the subject becomes 'Taj
Mahal'.
29. 'Developed' is the verb. So, the subject is 'villages'.
30. 'Cause' is the verb. So, 'rumors' is the subject.
31. 'at the banquet hall' is a prepositional phrase while ‘the
dance was held’ is a clause.
32. 'While she sang' is a dependent clause and 'the
audience could not take its eye off her' is an
independent clause. 'off her' is a prepositional phrase
that is nestled within the independent clause.
33. 'I had sweet curd' is an independent clause while
'before I left for the interview' is a dependent clause.
34. 'I go to the temple' is a clause while 'every morning' is
a phrase.
35. 'After working late into the night' is a dependent clause
while 'Jack fell asleep on his desk' is an independent
clause.
36. b Names of instruments which have two parts forming
a kind of pair are always used in plural. So, 'pair of
tong' will be replaced by 'pair of tongs'.
37. a 'Now couldn't remember' suggests that the 'household
tasks' have been done in the past. So, 'will be doing'
will be replaced by 'had been doing'.
38. b Definite article 'the' is used before the names of musical
instruments.
39. c 'Force' means strength and 'forces' means troops.
Here, the sentence is talking about troops, so, 'force'
will be replaced by 'forces'.
40. a 'Dozens' is incorrect. It should be replaced by 'dozen'.
CEX-5329/P1BS/17 / Page 2
41. b Definite article 'the' is used before superlative
adjectives.
42. b 'Cloth' is a fabric formed by weaving, felting, or knitting
wool, cotton, etc. 'Clothes' are articles of dresses or
garments. The sentence means that his garments were
torn. So, 'cloths' will be replaced by 'clothes'.
43. c 'Two' in part (c) suggests that the plural of 'ox' should
be used. So, 'ox' should be replaced by 'oxen'.
44. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
45. a Words joined to a singular subject by 'as well as',
'with', etc. are parenthetical. The verb should therefore
be put in singular. So, 'want' should be replaced by
'wants'.
46. c 'So far' indicates time from the start of something up to
the present moment. So, 'may had remained' in part (c)
should be replaced by 'may have remained'.
47. a 'Committee' can be used both as singular and as plural.
If we refer to the members of the committee, we use
a plural verb with it. If we refer to the committee as a
whole, we use a singular verb with it. In the sentence,
'committee' is not referred to as a whole; it refers to
the members of the committee who are having
sandwiches. So, 'is' in part (a) will be replaced by
'are'.
48. a Definite article 'the' is used before the names of certain
books such as 'the Vedas', 'the Ramayana', etc.
49. a When one noun is qualified by two possessive nouns
both must have the possessive sign, unless joint
possession is indicated. So, 'king's' in part (a) should
not have the possessive sign. So, the correct phrase
is 'The King and Queen's stay'.
50. a Simple past tense is used to indicate actions that
completed in the past. In the sentence, 'ever since'
suggests that the action of playing guitar is still
continuing. So, present perfect tense should be used
instead of simple past tense. So, 'I'd played' will be
replaced by 'I've played'.
51. d The sentence is correct in its given form. If you want
to refer to the specific quantity of options, then the
definite article 'the' is used.
52. a When a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or
amount considered as a whole, the verb is generally
singular. So, '30 minutes are' should be replaced by
'30 minutes is'.
VA / Exercise - 9
53. a Verbs of thinking such as 'think', 'suppose', 'believe', 67. The correct pronoun to replace the phrase is 'their'.
'agree', etc. are not used in continuous form. So,
'thinking' should be replaced by 'think'. Names of 68. The phrase will be replaced by 'it'.
mountain ranges take the definite article 'the' before
them. However, names of summits do not require the 69. The correct pronoun to replace the phrase is 'them'.
definite article 'the' before them.
70. The correct pronoun to replace the phrase is 'he'.
54. c Groups of islands such as 'the West Indies' take the
definite article 'the' before them. Practice Questions
55. b 'Number' is singular. The verb should modify 'number'. 1. b The correct word is ‘customary’ i.e. in accordance
So, 'are' in part (b) should be replaced by 'is'. with established custom.
‘Accustomed’ means what someone is used to.
56. b 'Yet', which is used to introduce a statement that adds
something to a previous statement and usually 2. c The correct words are ‘were called’ because there
contrasts with it in some way, will fill in the blank. were two bombs

57. a The blank will take 'outside', which means apart from. 3. d There is no error in this sentence.

58. d 'Phew' is a sound that people make to show that they 4. c The correct phrase is ‘ran across’ meaning met
are hot, tired, or happy that something bad has finished accidentally.
or did not happen.
5. d There is no error in the statement
59. c 'Jeepers' is an interjection that is used to express
surprise. 'Bah' is used to show dislike or disapproval 6. a ‘Many a student’ is singular and therefore the verb
of something. 'Shoot' is used for expressing anger or should be ‘has’
disappointment.
7. c The correct expression is ‘The picture of health’
60. c 'Considering' fits in the blank as it means taking into
consideration. 8. c The correct expression is ‘Bring up to speed’ meaning
bring people abreast of the latest developments.
61. c 'Or' is used to suggest a negative alternative.
9. c The correct expression is ‘upto scratch’ which means
62. d 'During' is used to say when something happens; 'for' upto the required standard.
answers the question 'how long?'. So, the blank will
take 'for'. 10. a The correct expression is ‘cut and thrust’ meaning
sharp exchanges.
63. b 'Despite' is used to show that something happened or
is true although something else might have happened 11. Preposition
to prevent it. So, the blank will take 'despite'. 'In spite' is
followed by 'of' and therefore is incorrect. Similarly, 12. Noun
'regardless' is followed by 'of'. Without the 'of', it acts
as an adverb. 'Owing to' means because of. It will 13. Preposition
render the sentence meaningless.
14. Noun
64. b 'Ugh' is used to show that you are annoyed, disgusted,
or upset about something. 'Whew' is a whistling sound 15. Conjunction
or a sound like a half-formed whistle uttered as an
exclamation. 16. Preposition

65. a 'By' is used to show the degree or amount of something. 17. Adverb
'Past' as a preposition means later than something.
18. Adverb
66. Nephew has to be a boy. So, the phrase will be
replaced by 'him'.

VA / Exercise - 9 CEX-5329/P1BS/17 / Page 3

19. Adjective 36. ‘Helped’ is the verb. Hence, ‘Byes’ is the subject.

20. Noun 37. ‘IS Becoming’ is the verb. Hence, ‘Recidivism’ is the
subject.
21. Adjective
38. ‘Was’ is the verb. Hence, ‘Ambition’ is the subject.
22. Adjective
39. ‘Rallies’ is the verb. Hence, ‘voice’ is the subject.
23. Interjection
40. ‘Must Tumble’ is the verb. Hence, ‘Sceptre and Crown’
24. Noun is the subject.

25. Verb 41. c Pronoun ‘Hers’ is the right answer.

26. Conjunction 42. c Interjection ‘Hey’ is the right answer. The other three
options do not go with the exclamation mark.
27. Noun
43. b ‘Nether’ meaning lower is the right answer, Nether
28. Adverb world means Hell.

29. Adjective 44. d ‘Besides’ meaning ‘in addition to’ is the right answer.

30. Pronoun 45. c ‘Large’ is the right answer

31. The verb is SAT and therefore ‘general’ is the subject. 46. b ‘Detritus’ meaning natural waste from a process’ is
the right answer.
32. The verb is ‘IS’ and hence the subject is ‘Purpose’.
47. b ‘Put out’ means disheartened.
33. The verb is ‘WAS PRODUCED’ and hence the subject
is ‘Knife’. 48. c ‘Turns out’ means ‘produces’

34. ‘Have’ is the verb, Hence ‘Prayers’ is the subject. 49. b ‘Throw down the gauntlet’ means to challenge some
one.
35. ‘Had’ is the verb. Hence, ‘Craftsmen’ is the subject.
50. c ‘Ran up’ means accumulated.

CEX-5329/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 9

 Verbal Ability – 10
Modifiers and Parallelism
Answers and Explanations
11 c 12 a 13 d 14 c 15 c 16
36 d 37 a 38 c 39 c 40 c
Practice Questions
19 d 20 a 28 b 29 a 30 b 31
36 b 37 b 38 d 39 a 40 c
1. The correct sentence is "While I was walking back
from work, it started raining." In the first part of the
sentence, an action is being performed. However, the
subject performing the action is not stated. This can
result in the wrong assumption that the performer of
the action is "it". To correct this grammatical error, we
place the performer with the action being performed.
In this case we modify the first part of the sentence to
include the actor (I/we).
2. This sentence is talking about a book that was written
by "her" and which the subject "I" have in my bag. In
the given statement, this can be misunderstood to
mean that the book being talked about has been written
inside the bag. To avoid this confusion, we place the
modifier near the word it modifies. So, the correct
sentence is "In my bag, I have the book that she wrote."
3. In the sentence, the modifying phrase "in order to
prevent sunburns" is placed in the middle of the infinitive
verb "to block". This is called a split infinitive. Even
though this arrangement doesn't alter the meaning of
the sentence, it makes it confusing. In order to avoid
this grammatical inconsistency, we generally avoid
placing modifiers between "to" and the verb of the
infinitive. So, the correct sentence is "In order to
prevent sunburns, he lifted the umbrella over his head
to block the sun."
4. In this sentence, it is unclear whether the modifier
"quickly" pertains to "retrospect" or "improves". Such
an anomaly is called a squinting modifier. In order to
state this sentence clearly, we place the modifier just
before or just after the word we want it to modify. In
this case there are two possible correct answers,
each with a different word being modified. So, the
correct sentence can either be "Taking a moment to
quickly retrospect improves your memory." or "Taking
a moment to retrospect improves your memory quickly."
5. This sentence is talking about the witnessing of a
horizon that is fading away slowly. However, in the
VA / Exercise - 10
P-1(BS)
c 17 d 18 a 19 c 20 d
a 32 b 33 b 34 d 35 c
second part of the sentence it appears that Ginny is
fading. To make the meaning clear, we place the subject
next to the modifier "fading so slowly" by repeating
the entailing word from the first part of the sentence.
So, the correct sentence is "Ginny looked towards
the horizon - a horizon fading so slowly that it made
her wonder."
6. This sentence is trying to give the information that the
subject has slept for only three hours on a particular
night. However, placing the modifier next to the verb
"slept" alters the meaning of the sentence and indicates
that the subject didn't sleep at all. To correct this
grammatical error, we place the modifier next to the
term it actually modifies, which in this case is "three
hours". So, the correct sentence is "We slept for barely
three hours that night."
7. There are two actions being performed in the sentence.
However, neither the actor nor the second action has
been mentioned clearly. In order to make the sentence
clear, we include the performer of the action in both
parts of the sentence. So, the correct sentence is
"After I read the specifications, I realized that there
were many faults in your design."
8. In order to correct the sentence, we will place a
subject after the modifier while keeping the meaning
of the sentence intact. So, the correct sentence will
be “Having been friends with Pip since childhood, I
wasn’t bothered much by our fight.”
9. The sentence talks about a chandelier that was over
a hundred years old and had started to creak. The
modifier in the sentence ("which was over a hundred
years old") has been incorrectly placed at the end of
the sentence. To avoid making this mistake, we place
the modifier next to the word it modifies (i.e. chandelier).
So, the correct sentence will be “The chandelier, which
was over a hundred years old, had started to creak.”
CEX-5330/P1BS/17 / Page 1
10. In this sentence, a person has watched a movie based
on another person's life and has also read his journal,
based on which he finds the movie to be unnecessarily
bloated. However, the structure of the sentence makes
it seem like the movie has gone through the person's
journal. The correct sentence, which clearly states
the subsect of the modifier is “After going through his
journal, I find the movie on his life unnecessarily
bloated.”
11. c The first part of the sentence talks about an action
being performed. The structure of the sentence makes
it seem as if the modifier pertains to "the book" rather
than the person performing the action. To correct this,
we choose the option that includes the actor (she).
12. a Option (b) has a dangling modifier without a clearly
stated subject. Option (c) can be misunderstood to
mean that the subject has had a divorce with his/her
therapist. Option (d) is grammatically incorrect. Option
(a) has the clearest meaning among the options given.
13. d Options (a), (b), and (c) have modifiers that are
incorrectly placed. Options (a) and (b) suggest that
her slippers were rushing down the escalators. Option
(c) suggests that the escalators were rushing down.
Option (d) correctly places the modifier and suggests
that it were her slippers that got caught in the moving
escalators.
14. c Options (a) and (b) suggest that the file is
"accidentally". Option (d) suggests that the wife is
"accidently". Option (c) correctly places the modifier
"accidently" before to the verb "threw".
15. c Option (c) is the correct answer as it correctly
describes that I was passing by the mall when I met
Saurabh. Option (a) is wrong because we are not
sure who met Saurabh. Option (b) is wrong because
we are not sure Saurabh met whom. Option (d) is
incorrect because it is not clear who among Saurabh
and I was passing by the mall.
16. c Statement (a) suggests that the waitress is sauced
with lumpy gravy, which is not logical. In order to
correct this, we will place the modifier after “grey
meatloaf”.
17. d Option (d) is correct as it correctly places the modifier
“in torn clothes” next to “the man”.
18. a It is a case of split infinitive. No modifier should be
placed between the 'to' and the verb. To correct a split
infinitive error, move the modifier to the front of the
infinitive. So, option (a) is the correct answer.
19. c To solve a misplaced modifier error, move the modifier
to place it next to the word it modifies. So, 'Because of
his many years of experience' should be placed just
before 'Surya was' to make the sentence meaningful.
20. d Here, Shaurya's delight is being modified by the phrase
'tired of taking so many medicines'. 'Shaurya's delight'
CEX-5330/P1BS/17 / Page 2
can't be tired. Instead, it is more likely that Shaurya
himself is tired. Option (d) correctly places the subject
next to the modifier and hence, is the answer.
21. In the sentence, we are not comparing IQ with Sanchit;
we are comparing the IQ of Rahul with the IQ of Sanchit.
So, the correct sentence is "Rahul's IQ is greater than
Sanchit's." Or “Rahul's IQ is greater than that of
Sanchit.”
22. The correct sentence is "A low-fat diet, most experts
agree, is the best way to reduce artery blockage and
achieve weight loss." The writer describes the second
benefit of a low-fat diet as "the achievement of weight
loss"-a noun phrase. Clearly, following the first
infinitival phrase with another in the form of "to reduce
artery blockage and to achieve weight loss" improves
clarity.
23. If we break the sentence, then "…its natural to be
sweaty palms" is clearly incorrect. The correct
sentence will be "When one takes the SSC exam, it's
perfectly natural to be a little nervous, irritable and
have sweaty palms.
24. The correct sentence is "Eating huge meals, snacking
between meals, and exercising too little can lead to
obesity."'Eating', and 'snacking' are gerunds. So,
'exercise' should be changed to 'exercising'.
25. The correct sentence is "Mustaine likes people who
have integrity and character." The verb 'have' should
modify both the nouns - integrity and character.
26. The correct sentence is "I like editing books more than
just reading them." Here, an infinitive is paired with a
gerund. However, a gerund should be paired with a
gerund only.
27. The correct sentence is "Career Launcher needs
teachers who are ambitious, self-motivated, and
dedicated." Here, a verb form has been given with
one adjective and one noun. Parallelism can be
achieved by converting all three words into adjectives.
28. For the parallelism to be there, all three activities should
be mentioned as verbs. So, the correct sentence is
"As an artist, he drew, painted, and sculpted."
29. The correct sentence is "Aggression and melancholy
are behaviors that many steroid-users exhibit." In this
sentence, both the subjects of the sentence should
be nouns.
30. The sentence has two gerunds and an infinitive form.
To make it a parallel structure, we will change the
infinitive form to a gerund. So, the correct sentence is
"There's nothing I like better than finding a fresh water
lake, setting up camp and spending the weekend
fishing."
VA / Exercise - 10
31. The sentence should read as ‘She loves tasks that
are challenging, motivating and handomsely paying.’
32. The correct sentence is ‘I am looking forward to
meeting you and hearing about your trip.’
33. The correct sentence is ‘Jane likes to ski, run, skate
and swim.’ (or ‘Jane likes to ski, to run, to skate and to
swim.’)
34. The correct sentence is ‘The earthquake wrecked not
only the railway lines but also the trains.’
35. The correct sentence is ‘The lecturer told the students
that they should study a lot, get enough sleep and do
some relaxation exercises before the exam.’
36. d There is no error in the statement. The first part of the
sentence before hyphen (-) is the main clause and
rest are the 'elements' (subordinate clauses) that the
main clause includes. All of them are parallel- 'balance',
'age' and 'wearing'. 'Wearing' is correct because it is a
noun (gerund) here and not a verb.
37. a Following the principles of parallelism, 'supplying'
should be replaced with 'to supply' as 'to keep' is an
infinitive while 'supplying' is a gerund.
38. c According to the rules of parallelism, a string of nouns
should have all singulars or all plurals. Since we have
'whispers', 'tingles' and 'shocks'; 'shout' should also
be in plural. So, ‘shout’ will be replaced by ‘shouts’.
39. c Barking dogs is not a sound. So, ‘barking’ should be
followed by ‘of’.
40. c 'Making' is a verb. So, 'to sell' should be replaced by
'selling'.
Practice Questions
1. The corrected sentence is ‘I will go to the library
tomorrow, return the book that is five days overdue,
and apologize for holding it up.’
2. The corrected sentence is ‘Espinoza’s style was
remarkable for its dexterity, grace, and effusiveness.’
3. The corrected sentence is ‘Her conditions for signing
the contract are, first, that the commissioner must
approve the terms; second, that the other players
must sign as well.’
4. The correct sentence should read as ‘Our
transportation crisis can be solved by a bigger plane
or a wider road.’ In comparison, parallel structure should
be followed.
5. Correlative conjunction should be placed immediately
before the parallel terms. The correct sentence will be
‘Tom and Kiara have attended both the training sessions
and the classes.’
6. ‘To’ is redundant in this sentence. The correct sentence
is “Bungee jumping is more adventurous than water
skiing.’
VA / Exercise - 10
7. The correct sentence is ‘The irate student wanted to
speak to the centre manager, to withdraw the
admission, or he wanted to get unlimited teaching
sessions.’
8. The correct sentence is ‘Her children are well behaved,
her home is immaculate and she’s a good cook.’
9. This new product offers ease of operation, economy
and ready availability.
10. The manual gives instructions for operating the
machine and adjusting it.
11. We are wholesellers of clothing for men, women,
teenagers and children.
12. You can take either the red one or the blue one.
13. She is not only quite rich but also quite stingy.
14. The book reflects a great deal of research, which is
all too rare.
15. This is a service that is of considerable value to
researchers and that many supervisors of research
departments have used.
16. When you concentrate on a job, you find that time
passes rapidly or When one concentrates on a job,
one finds that time passes rapidly.( there should be
parallelism, consistency in pronouns)
17. When reading the paper, I enjoy looking at the models
in Delhi Times, checking up with the movies, and
skipping the rest.
18. I was thrilled- I bought a ticket to the Ricky martin
concert, shopped for a new pair of jeans, and read
the latest book on Clinton’s escapades in office.
19. d Option (a), (b) and (c) contain errors. The three
requirements - ‘consultant’, ‘office assistant’ and ‘office
boy’ – all have to be placed in the same form. Option
(d) is correct.
20. a The given sentence is correct. The -ing form of the
verb is used because the subject is still in the process
of learning / teaching these things. Also option (d)
suggests that the subject involved herself in all these
activities one by one, which is not the case. Options
(c) and (d) can be eliminated as in (c) a forced action
is implied which is incorrect and in (d) there is tense
inconsistency. Hence, (a) is correct.
21. The error in this sentence is that of a modifier. The
dinner was not watching the trilogy. So, a subject
needs to be introduced in the sentence. The correct
sentence should be stated as ‘Watching the trilogy
back to back on DVD through the evening, he/she
burnt the dinner.’
CEX-5330/P1BS/17 / Page 3
22. It appears from the given sentence that ‘a few loose
papers’ were returning from the meeting. Here the
subject is missing from the first part of the sentence.
The earlier part needs to be modified. The subject
should be introduced in the first part. So the sentence
should be- ‘As I was returning from the meeting, a
few…attention.’
23. The modifier phrase “which had occurred…” is to be
placed immediately after the sprain because it gives
additional information about the sprain. The correct
sentence should be: ‘The doctor mentioned that the
sprain which had occurred one week earlier, is
responsible for the injury to his voice box.’
24. The modifier ‘with green stripes’ should be placed
next to the dress. The correct sentence should read
as ‘The woman bought a dress with green stripes at
the store.’
25. ‘....a funnel shaped cloud’ is incorrect as this statement
misleads the reader to think that the funnel was looking
towards the south. Introduction of the subject is
important, as it is not clear who was looking towards
the south. It should read as, ‘Looking towards the
south, I saw a funnel shaped cloud stir up the dust.’
26. ‘Nearly watched’ misleads the reader. The correct
sentence should read as ‘Mary and John watched
nearly two hundred movies last year.’
27. Since Greg Chappell is one of the mentors, he should
be placed after ‘his many mentors’. This is a case of
misplaced modifier. ‘His many mentors among whom
Greg Chappell also figures, provided....weakness.’
28. b Option (b) places the modifier correctly. It is the dentist
who removed the braces, so ‘the dentist’ should be
placed next to ‘the braces’. Option (c) is incorrect
because ‘in spite of’ has been used which tries to
define a condition. Option (d) does not contain ‘the
dentist’ who is giving the advice to Kamal, so it is
incomplete.
29. a Option (b) is incorrect because the additional phrase
requires commas. Option (c) and (d) do not reveal the
correct meaning of the original sentence. They distort
the meaning of the sentence by placing the words
incorrectly. So, the original sentence is correct.
30. b There is a misplaced modifier in the given sentence.
The modifier has been placed correctly in option (b).
Options (a) and (d) are incorrect because they seem
to suggest that the living room was made by Gia
whereas the meaning of the original sentence reveals
that the painting was made by her. Option (c) is
incomplete because it does not explain who made the
painting.
CEX-5330/P1BS/17 / Page 4
31. a The given sentence is correct because it contains the
subject and places it correctly. It was the group that
was walking through the jungle and then decided to
change the course. Option (b) is incomplete since it
does not tell who decided to change the course.
Options (c) and (d) do not contain a subject. So, option
(a) is correct answer.
32. b Options (a) and (c) have modifier errors. Option (d)
distorts the meaning of the sentence. The correct
answers is option (b).
33. b Options (a), (c) and (d) all have modifier errors. The
first part of the sentence needs a subject. Only option
(b) presents a grammatically correct sentence.
34. d Only option (d) presents a grammatically correct
sentence.
35. c The given sentence presents a case of dangling
modifier. After the comma, we need the subject - 'last
competitor' and not 'her ski-tip'. The ski-tip did not
somersault into the snow, the last competitor did. The
correct sentence should be, “Trying to keep her
balance on the icy surface, the last competitor caught
the pole with the tip of her ski, and somersaulted into
the soft snow.”
36. b The correct sentence should have 'sweets on the
paper plates' next to 'poor'. So, option (b) is correct.
Option (a) suggests that the poor were on the paper
plates. Option (c) suggests that sweets were poor.
Option (d) appears as if poor is an adjective for sweets.
37. b Option (b) correctly places the modifier 'piled up next
to the washer' next to 'laundry'.
38. d With an ear-to-ear grin, a prepositional phrase, should
describe Mr. Patil. To fix the problem, the sentence
should be written as: "With an ear-to-ear grin, Mr. Patil
returned the perfect calculus test, which delighted
Sanchi."
39. a The phrase 'sitting on the window sill' should come
right before the subject 'little Stuart'. So, option (a) is
correct. Option (d) is incorrect because it suggests
that Snowbell is the subject and is sitting on the window
sill, which is not correct since snowbell cannot be
sitting on the window sill and slinking behind the living
room sofa at the same time.
40. c The correct sentence should have 'Shradha' as a
standalone subject. In option (a), the subject is
'Shradha's cell'. The cell couldn't have been talking on
the phone. Option (b) is incorrect as it suggests that
the thief and not Shradhawas talking on the phone.
Option (d) is incorrect because of the same reason.
Option (c) correctly places the subject before 'talking
on the phone'.
VA / Exercise - 10
 Verbal Ability – 11 P-1(BS)

Punctuation and Error Spotting

Answers and Explanations

21 a 22 a 23 b 24 c 25 b 26 d 27 c 28 d 29 b 30 b
31 b 32 b 33 c 34 a 35 a 36 a 37 b 38 d 39 b 40 b
41 b 42 b 43 b 44 b 45 c 46 a 47 b 48 c 49 c 50 b

Practice Questions
21 a 22 a 23 c 24 c 25 d 26 b 27 c 28 c 29 c 30 c
31 c 32 b 33 b 34 d 35 b 36 c 37 c 38 a 39 a 40 c
41 d 42 a 43 a 44 b 45 d

1. “I need your help now,” she said. “I need it more than 17. The people who live by the water must be prepared
ever.” for occasional flooding.
2. Some praised the performance as excellent and others 18. The boat was seventy-five feet long eighteen feet
thought it was only fair. wide, and it had a mast about eighty feet high.
3. Did she say, “I have enough money?”
19. To anyone interested in flying, planes hold endless
4. “Have you enough money?”, she asked. fascination.

5. What is meant by ‘dog eat dog?’ 20. Jeff and Steve, left alone for the weekend, invited all
their friends to a party.
6. Our play was obviously a ‘bust’!

7. “The play was a ‘bust!”, our coach exclaimed. 21. a The correct phrase should be 'a great time'.

8. “Read E.B. White’s ‘Waiden’: It is, I think, his best essay”. 22. a 'Old children' suggests that the children are old in age.
So, 'old' should be replaced by 'older'.
9. He asked whether I would go.
23. b The correct usage is 'he groomed himself'.
10. Will you send the signed copy as soon as possible?
24. c In part (c), the correct phrase should be 'managed to'
11. While Bill was riding, his bike got a flat tyre. because the first part of the sentence is in the past
tense.
12. The mailman did not leave the package, for Jeff was
not at home. 25. b One does not congratulate someone 'over' something;
one congratulates someone 'on' something. So the
13. After doing her homework, Millie, as you might expect, correct usage is 'him on'. 'Over' means above in place
talked on the phone for an hour. or position.

14. His work criticized many commonly held beliefs,
however, and it was strictly censored.
15. The car, which ran into mine, was a Buick.
16. Dan went to the airport to pickup Dave, and Ellie went
to the train station to meet Debbie.
26. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
27. c Part (c) contains an error. The correct phrase should
be 'I sometimes spent'. Simple past tense is used for
something that was true for some time in the past. So
'had spent' is incorrect.
28. d The sentence is correct in its given form.

VA / Exercise - 11 CEX-5331/P1BS/17 / Page 1

29. b Part (b) contains an error. 'main country' should be
replaced by 'mainland'.
30. b 'Try out' is incorrect. The correct phrase is 'try on'.
'Try on' means to put on a piece of clothing to see if it
fits and how it looks. 'Try out' means to test or use
somebody/something in order to see how good or
effective they are.
31. b There are two characters, so they cannot be 'an
orphan'. It should be replaced by 'orphans'.
32. b In this sentence, the trends discussed seem to do two
things: show and indicate. The verbs should be parallel
in form. So, 'indicating' should be replaced by 'indicate'.
33. c 'Patients' are people receiving medical treatment. So
replace 'patients' with 'patience' which means
tolerance.
34. a The sentence should read as 'Saif knew that the other
applicants weren't as good as he…'; using 'him' here
is incorrect. The sentence can also be written as
'Saif knew that the other applicants weren't as good
as he was…'.
35. a 'Traveled' is incorrect here. The rest of the sentence
describes the plot in the present tense. So 'travelled'
should be replaced by 'travels'. Moreover, in vivid
narratives, simple present tense is used as substitute
for simple past.
36. a The correct usage would be 'has attracted people'
because the subject 'annual trade fair' is singular.
37. b The correct usage would be 'to see' and not 'seeing'.
38. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
39. b There is parallelism error in the sentence. 'arriving of
computers' should be replaced by 'arrival of computers'.
40. b When two actions occur in the past, the earlier action
is indicated by the past perfect tense. So, the correct
phrase would be 'Jim had left the city'.
41. b 'rather' in part (b) is redundant.
42. b The pronoun 'one' is used in part (a). To maintain
consistency, 'you' in part (b) should be replaced by
'one'.
43. b You cannot compare other sculptors to Rodin's
creations. The correct sentence should be 'unlike other
sculptors' creations'
CEX-5331/P1BS/17 / Page 2
44. b In case of statements that express something unreal
or contrary to fact, the correct structure is 'if he
had…he would have.' So, 'if he would have' in part (b)
should be replaced by 'if he had'.
45. c Since 'rock' is a verb, the modifying word should be
an adverb. So, 'slow' should be changed to 'slowly'.
46. a 'Already' should be replaced by 'all ready', which
means the group was ready. 'Already' means prior to
a given time or previously.
47. b The verb should be 'requires'. The verb must agree
with the subject, which in this sentence is singular -
'each one'.
48. c Change 'I' to 'me'. The pronoun is the object of the
verb.
49. c 'being' in part (c) is incorrect. It should be replaced by
'to be'.
50. b 'Affects' has been incorrectly used here. 'Affect' refers
to the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion
considered apart from bodily changes. It should be
replaced by 'effects' which refers to a change that
somebody/something causes in somebody/something
else.
Practice Questions
1. "Only one option was available to us: surrender," said
the ex-major, "and we did."
2. Over the last six months, the security establishment
has been signaling a new policy of robust response,
the kind the country has not witnessed in the recent
past.
3. Walking up and down Church Street, I realised that I
simply could not find Gangaram's.
4. You don't want any more rolls, do you?
5. My cell number has three 7s and Tim's phone number
has four 2s.
6. They called it the 'land of milk and honey'.
7. Throughout her life, my mother-in-law reigned over
the kitchen, wielding the pans, ladles and tawas with
a skill and finesse that the most seasoned chef would
have envied.
8. It wasn't easy: to begin with, I had to find the right
house.
VA / Exercise - 11
9. On a motorcycle, my grandmother has traveled to Delhi,
India; San Francisco, California; and Paris, France.
10. Today, my son, who is around 30, says, "old is gold."
11. It, therefore, needs to be asked if it is possible or
practicable to reconcile these divergent laws.
12. NPR recently featured an article entitled "Egg War:
Why India's Vegetarian Elites are Accused of Keeping
Kids Hungry."
13. So, what signal exactly are Mr. Doval and Mr. Parrikar
sending to Islamabad?
14. Congrats! You finally got your Master's degree.
15. Amaravathi, the capital for Andhra Pradesh after
bifurcation, is to be a fabulous riverfront city modelled
on Singapore.
16. Is it necessary to build [the] capital here at the cost of
farmers' livelihood?
17. Cong. hardens stance; demands resignations.
18. A photograph published in The Sun, of Queen Elizabeth
giving the Nazi salute as a six-year-old, has expectedly
raised a storm in Britain.
19. Down south in Florida, Governor Baxter has a single
response to any news report she dislikes - defamation
case.
20. True, in an apartment building, the roof space - and
thus the potential generation - available to each home
is limited.
21. a (a) should read ‘When she completes…”. Using
‘complete’ in the past tense would be incorrect here
as the latter half of the sentence uses the future perfect
continuous tense to denote an action that will continue
into future with reference to the earlier action which
would act as the starting point for it.
22. a The sentence has the error of a misplaced modifier. In
the sentence it seems as if the books are the subject
of ‘waiting’. The correct way to state the sentence is
“The books lay speckled around in the room, waiting
for some semblance of order”.
23. c The sentence has an error of pronoun antecedent,
the pronoun used in the sentence is ‘one’, the pronoun
used in (c) should be ‘one’ instead of ‘he’. According
to rules of grammar the antecedent should match the
precedent.
VA / Exercise - 11
24. c The sentence incorrectly uses ‘each other’. ‘One
another’ is used when the group consists of more
than two people, animals or things. ‘Each other’ is
used when the group consists of just two people,
animals or things.
25. d This sentence is grammatically correct.
26. b There is a pronoun-agreement error here. Since the
subject is you change yourself to you.
27. c The pronoun me is incorrect, as the sentence indicates
that Amit liked the new model more than the author
liked the model; not that Amit liked the new model more
than he liked the author. It should read either I or I did.
28. c Weakly is describing the appearance of the paintings,
not the painter’s sense of vision. So, it should be an
adjective (which describes a noun), not an adverb. It
should read look weak.
29. c When comparing two people, you must always use
the comparative form the more rather than the
superlative form the most which is only used to
compare three or more things or persons.
30. c In this option, it is a singular pronoun, which doesn’t
agree with the plural subject species. This sentence
should read they swing.
31. c ‘the more suitable’ is correct. A superlative (most, best
etc.) is not used for comparing two things.
32. b ‘who are always’ is the correct usage.
33. b ‘a lot of travelling’ is the correct idiomatic usage.
34. d No error.
35. b ‘so’ used in the part (b) is not required.
36. c This sentence has used the incorrect conjunction.
Since the sentence contrasts two very different things,
replace and with but for greater logic and clarity.
37. c There is a verb-tense problem in this answer, change
spent to spend since target (the first verb in the
sentence) is in the present tense.
38. a The verb should be claim or have claimed. There is
no reason to use the past perfect tense as there is no
action occurring after it to warrant this tense.
39. a The pronoun (which) in the sentence refers to the
students. Thus, the sentence should read the students
who. The word which is appropriate for everything
else except humans.
CEX-5331/P1BS/17 / Page 3
40. c Parallelism is the problem in this sentence. To keep the
list parallel – addiction, obesity, diabetes - omit to
before diabetes.
41. d No error. ‘A number’ as a determiner is always plural
and ‘the number’ as a determiner is always singular.
Therefore, the sentence maintain correct subject-verb
agreement.
42. a This is a case of subject-verb disagreement. The
subject, ‘the points’, is plural and it should have a
plural verb. Hence, ‘allow’ should be used in place of
‘allows’.
43. a The use of ‘them’ is incorrect. The correct usage would
be ‘themselves’.
44. b Whenever the modal ‘did’ is used, the verb that follows
takes its original form. Hence, ‘had’ should be replaced
by ‘have’.
45. d When describing two events, which have happened
in the past, simple past is used for the part that has
happened later. There is no error.

CEX-5331/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 11

 Verbal Ability – 12 P-1(BS)

Phrase Replacement and Sentence Improvement

Answers and Explanations

1 a 2 c 3 b 4 a 5 b 6 b 7 c 8 a 9 d 10 c
11 b 12 c 13 d 14 c 15 c 16 b 17 c 18 a 19 a 20 b
21 c 22 c 23 b 24 b 25 d

Practice Questions
1 a 2 c 3 d 4 a 5 d 6 d 7 b 8 d 9 a 10 c
11 a 12 b 13 a 14 d 15 b 16 c 17 b 18 a 19 d 20 d
21 a 22 d 23 a 24 a 25 b

1. a According to subject-verb agreement, a singular
subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject
takes a plural verb. ‘Everybody’ is a singular subject
and should be followed by a verb in the singular form.
Hence, the correct usage is:
“Everybody……was enjoying his or her……place.”
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
2. c The preposition ‘to’ should follow ‘accustomed’. So,
the correct usage is: “Americans…….accustomed
to…..meals”. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
3. b Option (a) is grammatically incorrect. The correct way
of writing the sentence is ‘...he was disinterested...’
Option (d) is incorrect because the correct usage is
‘disinterested in’ and not ‘disinterested about’. Hence,
option (b) is correct.
(a), (b) and (d) are logically incorrect. 'Into' as a
preposition means to or towards the inside of
something. Hence, option (c) is correct.
8. a ‘Besides’ means in addition to and ‘beside’ means ‘at
the side of’. Hence, the correct usage is: “There
are…….besides…..department”. Also, the plural form
‘are’ should be used because ‘assistants’ is plural.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
9. d ‘An average person’ is singular and will take the
singular verb ‘has’. So, options (a) and (b) are negated.
‘Hair’ is used when we refer to it as a whole. ‘Hairs’ is
used when we can count them. In the given case,
‘hair’ is used as a count noun. So, the sentence is
correct in its given form.

4. a ‘Every student’ is a singular subject, so, the correct
pronoun to be used in the given case will also be
singular (his or her) and not ‘their’. Hence, option (a) is
correct.
5. b In case the gender is not specific, we use the
possessive pronoun ‘its’. Therefore, the correct
answer is given in option (b). Option (a) uses ‘it's’
which means ‘it is’. And options (c) and (d) are incorrect
because gender is not specified in the given sentence.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
10. c Option (a) is incorrect because ‘you’ is never used
with the verb ‘goes’. The correct way of writing the
sentence is ‘...if you go...’ Option (b) is grammatically
incorrect. The correct way of writing the sentence is
“what else can you expect if...” Hence, option (c) is
the correct choice.
11. b We are talking about more than one reason, so, the
plural form of the verb should be used. Also, you do
not work ‘at’ a part-time job. You ‘have’ a part-time job.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

6. b ‘Break in’ is an intransitive verb and it has no direct
object and ‘break into’ is transitive verb and we should
specifically what was broken into. The correct
sentence should be: thieves broke into his house
yesterday. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
7. c The right preposition to be used here is ‘upon’. ‘Sprang’
means a leap or sudden movement; to jump. Options
12. c Option (d), 'about closing trials' is grammatically
incorrect. 'Whether' as a conjunction is the correct
usage to indicate choices or possibilities. However,
option (a) is incorrect because 'judges' is plural and
can not take the singular pronouns 'he or she'. Similarly,
option (b) is incorrect. Thus, option (c) is the correct
answer.

VA / Exercise - 12 CEX-5332/P1BS/17 / Page 1

13. d The given sentence is absolutely correct and need
not be changed. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
14. c As per the rule, when using ‘neither...nor’ in a sentence,
if both elements are singular, then the verb is singular 23. b
too. For example: neither Sita nor Gita is going to write
the letter. In the given context, the correct sentence
should be: neither she nor her plight was any longer
amusing. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
15. c ‘On opening a bag’ is a modifier which is referring to
the subject ‘Ram’. So, it has to be placed immediately
after it. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
24. b
16. b The correct usage should be ‘worse’ as it is a
comparative form of adjective ‘bad’. ‘Worst’ is a
superlative form and should not be used here. Hence,
option (b) is the correct answer.
25. d
17. c ‘'No sooner… than…' is the correct idiom, which is
used to say that something happened immediately after
something else. Option (c) has the correct tense
structure (simple past tense, as it is used to indicate
an action completed in the past) and thus is the correct
answer. Another way of writing the given sentence 26.
is: "no sooner had the teacher entered the class than
the students stopped shouting." 'No sooner' introduces
the event that occurred first, hence, would take the 27.
past perfect tense followed by simple past tense for
the second event. 28.
18. a ‘On a building/construction site’ is a correct usage.
Thus, the correct sentence should be, “The new 29.
building is on the site of its predecessor on Milton
street.” Hence, option (a) is the correct answer. 30.
19. a 'Fewer' is used when we are referring to people or
things in the plural nouns and for countable nouns. 31.
'Less' is used when we are referring to something
that can't be counted or doesn't have a plural (e.g. 32.
money, air, time, music, rain). Thus, option (a) is the
correct answer. 33.
20. b Only option (b) has the correct sentence structure 34.
and thus is the right answer. There are parallelism
errors in the other options. 35.
21. c Only option (c) is right as the sentence structure and 36.
tenses are correct. There are parallelism errors in the
other options. 37.
22. c The given sentence is grammatically wrong. We 38.
cannot use ‘would have’ twice in a sentence. As a
rule, the past perfect tense is used for describing 39.
CEX-5332/P1BS/17 / Page 2
actions that have happened earlier than the other
action. For the latter action, we use the simple past
tense. Option (c) has the correct tense structure and
thus is the answer.
We cannot use the singular form of the verb ‘to be’ for
the subject ‘I’ here because it is a wish. Here, we
need to use ‘were’. As per English standards, we use
'were' when writing of something hypothetical,
imaginative, unlikely, or contrary to fact. Hence, option
(b) is the correct answer. Option (c) is incorrect
because ‘the show of NCPA’ is incorrect. The show
does not belong to NCP.
We cannot use ‘have’ because the sentence talks
about the Bhoi tribal group as a singular entity here.
‘Although’ is misplaced in options other than option
(b). Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
In the given sentence since we are talking about many
problems we cannot use singular form of the verb.
‘Have’ should be used instead of ‘has’. The given
statement is correct and thus, option (d) is the correct
answer.
Bill proudly displayed the antique ship, beautifully
sanded, in his showcase.
With only two per cent......
The most important food-energy source for three
fourths of the world’s population is grain.
The possibility of earthquakes is ……
The phenomena of public education is another example
of democracy at work.
Everyone except the pitcher and me was ……
Neither the council members nor the mayor takes ……
…… for his/her sins.
…… was more brilliant, but each worked in his sphere.
…… except Smith and her.
The job is worth doing.
He was deaf both to……
I passed by ………
Afterwards we went home for dinner.
VA / Exercise - 12
40. I have a pain in my leg.
41. The messenger will arrive presently.
42. The river has flowed over its banks.
43. I have now given up football.
44. My brother has my English book.
45. ……… delighted; he had....
46. …….. as great as that of any other……………
47. ……… friendly, well mannered and keen witted.
48. Running for an important office, managing a large
organisation and practicing......
49. Edward resists not only learning to correlate new
facts but also remembering....
50. ……….. the girl whom he loved had left him for another.
Practice Questions
1. a Option (a) places the modifier correctly. It is the dentist
who removed the braces of Kamal and advised him.
The given sentence is incorrect because if we remove
the parenthetical information, the sentence will not
make any sense. Option (b) is incorrect because ‘in
spite of’ has been used which tries to define a
condition. Option (c) is incomplete because it is not
clear who is giving the advice to Kamal.
2. c The given sentence is incorrect because it sounds as
if it was the thesis that had gone through the reference
material. Option (a) is incorrect because it was not the
student who needed revision. Option (b) is incomplete
because it does not explain ‘what is it’ that the student
decided to revise. Option (c) is the best choice since
it clearly defines that it is the student who went through
the reference material and decided that the thesis
needed revision.
3. d Option (a) is incorrect because the usage of ‘being’ is
inappropriate. Options (b) and (c) do not reveal the
correct meaning of the original sentence. They distort
the meaning of the sentence by placing the words
incorrectly. The correct answer is option (d) which
clearly states that it is the mural that depicted a
masterpiece and the artist’s true vision and style.
4. a The given sentence and option (c) are incorrect
because they seem to suggest that the living room
VA / Exercise - 12
was made by Gia. Option (b) is incomplete because it
does not explain who made the painting. The modifier
has been placed correctly in option (a), rendering it
the correct answer.
5. d The given sentence is correct because it places the
subject correctly. It was the group that was walking
through the jungle and then decided to change the
course. Option (a) suggests that it was the jungle that
changed the course. Options (b) and (c) do not contain
a subject. Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
6. d Present perfect continuous tense has been used
correctly in the given sentence which suggests that
the old man started selling newspapers 10 years back
and is still selling them. Option (a) is incorrect because
it should be ‘had to sell’. ‘Had to sold’ is grammatically
incorrect. Option (b) contains an incorrect verb ‘have’
and (c) refers to the future tense. Hence, option (d) is
the correct answer.
7. b In the given sentence simple present tense ‘when you
receive’ should be used. The given sentence is in
simple future tense, option (a) is in future continuous
tense and option (c) uses the past tense and distorts
the sentence. Hence, option (b) is correct.
8. d The past continuous is used to indicate an action which
was going on at some point in the past. Option (a)
uses the past perfect which is incorrect. Option (b)
changes the meaning of the given sentence. Option
(c) uses the past perfect continuous tense. Hence,
option (d), which refers to an action (listening) going
on in the past, is the correct answer.
9. a Since the sentence is in past continuous tense, ‘will
be talking’ should be replaced by ‘was talking’. Hence,
option (a) is the correct answer.
10. c Here, the sentence expresses a plan that is to be
followed in the future. So, ‘I am not going to do‘ should
be used here. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
11. a (b), (c) and (d) fail with the use of ‘model’, ‘draining’
and ‘capitalisation’ respectively.
12. b The sentence should be in the present tense.
13. a (b), (c) and (d) fail by using the words ‘awake’, ‘shot-
out’ and ‘accurate’ respectively.
14. d ‘Cannot’ indicates incapability, whereas ‘could not’
indicates ‘unwillingness’ as well. The sentence is also
in the present tense, so ‘what chance does’ instead
of ‘what chance did’.
CEX-5332/P1BS/17 / Page 3
15. b Since the ‘high and low’ stand equal before the law, 32. Before designing a park, the architect must consider
‘justice is served’ in front of them. the public.

16. c With ‘since’, use ‘have been talking’ and ‘makes’ go 33. ……smarter than those in other offices.
with this tense.
34. Nancy had to choose between two dinner entrees.
17. b (b) is the best choice that indicates that the president
wished to ‘keep his views to himself’. 35. Could I have less soup please?

18. a What it means is that the usually peaceful House was 36. …….. indebted to ………
filled with arguments today.
37. You shouldn’t have said ……….
19. d Easy, use the term ‘on the behalf of’.
38. ……….. he could neither have a hot-plate in his room
20. d ‘The shopper’ takes the singular ‘tends’ verb. nor take showers after 11.00 o’clock.

21. a ‘The most recent’ here means ‘the latest’. 39. Joan’s broken yellow pencil came from this box.

22. d It is a modifier question, the comma should be followed 40. …….. not only all over the bus but also all over the
by the subject ‘Ahab’. sidewalk.

23. a This is the most succinct expression. 41. The audience felt both pride and satisfaction………

24. a (a) brings out clearly that the colleague must find a 42. ………… and inspirational………
new job.
43. ………… arrogant, pampered and hot-tempered
25. b The verb ‘joined forces’ should come after ‘agent’.
44. No error (No sooner…… than)
26. ……… spokesperson, but they came to realise that
Jane…….. 45. The reason the machine failed is that the motor………..

27. ……………. honoured since they bolstered the 46. I greatly enjoyed my sister’s wedding.
………….
47. Sandra could hardly remember a time when………
28. That he agrees with you does not ……………
48. …….. best time when playing polo.
29. The prisoner was extradited from ………..
49. No error (Not only – but also)
30. …………. he is likely to continue smoking.
50. ………. strap came out were like……...
31. ……. years, Jack was eager to get a job.

CEX-5332/P1BS/17 / Page 4 VA / Exercise - 12

 Verbal Ability – 13 P-1(BS)

Error Spotting
Answers and Explanations
1 a 2 d 3 b 4 b 5 d 6 a 7 b 8 c 9 b 10 a
11 c 12 c 13 a 14 a 15 c 16 c 17 b 18 a 19 d 20 c
21 b 22 b 23 c 24 c 25 b 26 d 27 a 28 b 29 d 30 b
31 b 32 b 33 b 34 c 35 c 36 d 37 c 38 c 39 d 40 b

Practice Questions
1 b 2 b 3 d 4 d 5 b 6 c 7 c 8 a 9 b 10 d
11 d 12 c 13 c 14 a 15 b 16 c 17 a 18 d 19 d 20 d
21 c 22 b 23 c 24 a 25 b 26 d 27 d 28 b 29 a 30 c
31 c 32 a 33 c 34 b 35 b 36 d 37 d 38 a 39 c 40 c

1. a ‘Have grown’ is the correct form which should be
used as ‘conditions’ (subject here) are plural. As per
subject-verb agreement, plural subject takes plural
verb. Hence, option (a) is the answer.
2. d ‘Would they’ is incorrect and the correct form should
be ‘would one’ because ‘would one’ refers to ‘one
wouldn’t want’ in part ‘c’ and can not be changed to
‘they, which is a personal pronoun for the third per-
son. Hence, option (d) will be correct.
3. b ‘Indignantly’ because an adverb form is required to
modify the verb ‘responded’
4. b 'Among' is the correct preposition which is used for
the choices that involve more than two items. 'Be-
tween' is used for choices involving two items. Hence,
option (b) is the answer.
5. d 'Necklesses' is incorrect and the correct form is 'neck-
laces', which is the plural form of 'necklace'. Hence,
option (d) is the answer.
6. a 'Had gone' is the correct form which should be used
instead of 'would have gone'. As a rule, the past per-
fect tense is used for describing actions that have
happened earlier than the other action in the past.
Hence, option (a) is the answer.
7. b 'Were of the view' is incorrect and 'was of' is the
correct form as 'committee' should be treated as a
singular subject (in the given context) and should be
followed by a singular verb, 'was'. Hence, option (b)
is the answer.
8. c 'Not only… but also…' is the correct idiomatic expres-
sion. Thus, 'but also foster' is the correct form. Hence,
option (c) is the answer.
9. b In the given sentence, ‘the second subject’ is singular
and therefore should take the singular verb ‘is’ instead
of ‘are’. The correct sentence should be: the second
subject for management is complimentary to the first
year’s study. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
10. a Instead of ‘its’, ‘it’s’ (it is) should be used. Hence, op-
tion (a) is the correct answer.
11. c The correct usage would be ‘which are’ because it
refers to ‘two or more words’. Hence, option (c) is the
correct answer.
12. c Ingestion / consumption / intake of excessively rich
foods is yet another reason (error in parallelism).
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
13. a 'Large amount of water bags' is incorrect and the
correct form should be 'large number of water bags'
as 'number' is modifying water bag, which is a count-
able noun. Hence, option (a) is the answer.
14. a 'Look into something' means to examine something
which is the correct phrasal verb to be used in the
given context. Thus, option (a), 'see in his eyes' is
incorrect in the given context.
15. c The correct usage would be ‘he had won’ because
when two actions are indicated in the past tense, the
earlier action should be denoted by the past perfect
tense. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

VA / Exercise - 13 CEX-5333/P1BS/17 / Page 1

16. c 'Village' is a singular subject and should therefore 27. a The article ‘the’ should precede ‘gravest’. ‘The’ is
take the singular verb, 'was'. Hence, option (c) is the always used before a superlative that describes a
answer. noun. For example: Katrina was the most destructive
hurricane. Hence, part (a) is the correct answer.
17. b 'Teacher' is a singular subject and should therefore
take a singular verb, 'urges'. Hence, option (b) is the 28. b When we combine two clauses with 'together with',
answer. we use a singular verb. Therefore, 'are' in part (b)
should be replaced by 'is'. Hence, option (b) is the
18. a Instead of ‘will claim’, it should be ‘claims’. correct answer.

19. d ‘Of’ should precede ‘interest’. 29. d The sentence is correct in its given form.

20. c 'For attack' is incorrect and the correct form is 'to 30. b
attack'. 'To' as a preposition is used as a function
word to indicate movement or an action or condition
suggestive of movement towards a place, person, or
thing. Hence, option (c) is the answer.
31. b
21. b The correct sentence should be "...it's going to rain
tomorrow." 'Its' is the possessive form of 'it', as in
"your dog is very cute, what is its name?" 'It's' is an 32. b
abbreviation for 'it is' or 'it has', as in "it's a nice day,
isn't it?" Hence, option (b) is the correct answer. 33. b
Possessive pronouns like my, your, his, her, etc. are
used before verbs ending in 'ing'. Therefore, 'me' is
part (b) should be replaced by 'my'. Hence, option (b)
is the correct answer.
It should be ‘agree’ and not ‘agrees’ because the subject
is plural.
It should be ‘nor’.
It should be ‘were’ to agree with ‘countries’.

22. b What we need in this sentence is the adverb 'carefully' 34. c It should be ‘their’ to suit ‘provinces’.
that describes the verb 'drives'. One always drives
carefully, not careful. 'Careful' is an adjective that 35. c It should be ‘but had written…’.
requires a noun or a pronoun that it describes. Hence,
option (b) is the correct answer. 36. d It should be ‘global’.

23. c There should be consistency in the use of pronoun to 37. c The distinctions should be ‘between’ the two.
keep the sentence parallel. The sentence begins with
the pronoun 'one', which should be used elsewhere 38. c It should be ‘thinks and writes’.
in the sentence too. The correct sentence should be
"...work on one's steering..." The first pronoun can 39. d ‘Newest’ can be only one ‘person’.
also be changed to 'you', but that would also change
'learns' to 'learn' making two parts incorrect in the 40. b It should be ‘the other’s a’.
sentence which is not possible. Hence, option (c) is
the correct choice. Practice Questions
24. c 'Arrive at something' is a phrasal verb, which means 1. b It should be ‘in view of’.
to decide on or find something, especially after
discussion and thought. The correct sentence should 2. b Omit ‘so’.
be "…instructor arrived at a decision…"Thus, option
(c) is the correct answer. 3. d The sentence is error free.

25. b There is a subject verb agreement error. 'Large 4. d Use ‘themselves’.

corporations' is plural, which should be followed by a
plural verb 'seem'. Hence, option (b) is the correct 5. b Do not repeat ‘because’ if you have said ‘reason’.
answer.
6. c Use ‘to the custody of’.
26. d The sentence is correct in its given form. Hence, option
(d) is the correct answer. 7. c Use ‘unreasonably’.

8. a Use ‘appears very elementary to’.

CEX-5333/P1BS/17 / Page 2 VA / Exercise - 13

9. b It should be ‘lay’. 21. c It should be ‘the repeated occurrence…calls’.

10. d It should be ‘better’. 22. b 23. c 24. a

11. d It should be ‘had received’. 25. b 26. d 27. d

12. c It should be ‘casually’. 28. b 29. a 30. c

13. c ‘The colour’ should take singular ‘is’. 31. c 32. a 33. c

14. a It should be ‘experience. . . indicates’. 34. b 35. b 36. d

15. b It should be ‘further’. 37. d Surrounded by well wishwishers, Rohit experienced

a feeling of confidence and well being.
16. c It should be ‘between you and me’.
38. a It is preferable that you take this test now rather
17. a It should be ‘had seen’. than after a month.

18. d Use ‘its’ for collective singular pronoun. 39. c Having studied so hard, Shalini was all set to take a
long break from work.
19. d It should be ‘me’.
40. c If you can find me the right candidate I will give you a
20. d Use the term ‘total…is’. handsome reward.

VA / Exercise - 13 CEX-5333/P1BS/17 / Page 3

 Verbal Ability – 14 P-1(BS)

Phrase Replacement & Sentence Improvement

Answers and Explanations

1 d 2 a 3 a 4 d 5 c 6 c 7 b 8 c 9 d 10 a
11 c 12 d 13 a 14 b 15 a 16 d 17 b 18 a 19 c 20 c

Practice Questions
1 b 2 a 3 c 4 a 5 c 6 d 7 b 8 c 9 a 10 a

1. d ‘Imposed by diktat’ means to be forced on the people 15. a All the other choices change the intended meaning of
by law. the sentence, (b) with ‘if’, (c) with ‘able to be trained’
and (d) is grammatically unsound.
2. a The author is more concerned about safety than dirt.
16. d There is a parallelism here ‘to shake. . . to lead’.
3. a You ‘hear’ a call.
17. b ‘Leaving it unable to act’ would still have been correct,
4. d ‘May not know’ indicates the present tense as well as in the absence of which we mark (b).
the modesty on the auhtor’s part.
18. a The other options are inappropriate.
5. c (a) and (d) are grammatically inaccurate and (d) does
not take the long-term time span into account. (b) is 19. c The comma should be there ‘at best, remain only’.
more emphatic.
20. c The other options are either wordy or inappropriate.
6. c You should use ‘avert’ to mean ‘prevent’; ‘could’ is a
diplomatic way of indicating a high rate of probability. 21. As the door opened, the crowd surged in.
Pandemonium erupted.
7. b ‘From’ and ‘to’ indicates the spectrum of the activity.
22. They had clearly lost their way.
8. c ‘In emulation of’ means ‘to copy someone’.
23. ...neither ….. nor....
9. d (d) brings out the meaning best, passenger car sales
were not doing well enough, but the growth became 24. His becoming upset was quite...
positive in spite of negative growth figures by a few
manufacturers. 25. Have you ever visited San Juan?

10. a ‘Efficacious’ means to ‘produce the desired result’. 26. ……….. is red and exceptionally bulky.
‘Switch over’ is to change to or choose someone or
something else. 27. Since Harnet ………

11. c ‘Not only. . . but also’ is a healthy idiomatic expression. 28. My family has lived…………

12. d ‘ordered that. . . be killed. . . vaccinated’ is the right 29. Everyone except him and me………..
expression of parallelism.
30. ………. than any other girl……..
13. a The CBI would take the singular pronoun ‘it. . . its’.
31. ....than it was in the past.
14. b The sentence means ‘India exiled. . . over a period of
20 years. . .’ 32. Remove ‘first’.

VA / Exercise - 14 CEX-5334/P1BS/17 / Page 1

33. …….. than it occurred fifty years ago. 10. a Here we are not talking about writing speed, but a
certain style of writing, so you say ‘at random’ just as
34. …….. likely to be at a severe disadvantage….. you say ‘at will’.

35. …….abstinence while one is an adolescent. 11. If they had paid attention…………..

36. …… atmosphere when hydrocarbons and nitrogen 12. She is not running and does not intend to
oxides react …….. run……………

13. He disapproves of your insisting that the rope of pearls

37. ………… one had better be prepared...
was purposely misplaced.

38. He swims like a fish. 14. The car runs more quietly when I add a heavier
transmission fluid.
39. ….. worked as slowly as……….
15. ………. record was better than or at least as good as
40. ……….. ability to ………. work as hallmarks...... hers..
16. ....ditch, but she……
41. If I were he, ……………
17. It was an awesome sight.
42. ……… to the person who drew………………
18. …… arrived, however, it was...
43. ......energy resources, a circumstance that resulted in
19. ……… to go unless……….
unemployment among the workers.
20. ………… spoke softly and politely.
44. The author in this article implies that everybody who
…………. 21. ……… than to earn.

45. …………… realized that I had forgotten to add oil. 22. No error.

23. ……… bed early and to get up…….

Practice Questions
24. ……… has worked harder and has gone to
1. b Use the same simple past tense for actions happening fewer………..
together — ‘approached. . . started’.
25. …….. as walking……….
2. a (b) makes no sense, (c) does not say who maligned
the book and (d) is grammatically wrong. 26. …….but also for his inability to meet the school’s
standard…..
3. c (a) and (b) imply that ‘his friends’ arrived at the airport.
(d) does not show gratitude to the ‘friends’. (c) is most 27. …….. played and to the late ……….
accurate.
28. ……… and submitted it to ………
4. a (b) may have been considered if ‘once’ had been
replaced by ‘ones’. (c) with ‘they’ is too specific. (d) 29. No error.
cannot be accepted on grammatical terms. (a) talks
about the majority who do care for their clients. 30. ……………….. I am obviously at peace.

5. c The comma should be followed by the subject ‘she’. 31. After his becoming president, his hometown became
prosperous.
6. d You build ‘bridges, buildings’, for ‘links’, preferably use
‘forge’. 32. When you drive a tractor, your patience must……..

7. b Use ‘deposits swelled’ enticingly which can even go 33. ………….. principal, we felt our anger subside.
with ‘appetite’ in the sentence.
34. As I drove down the ………
8. c
9. a ‘Scold at will’ means ‘to scold as one pleases’. 35. ………… is going to make......

CEX-5334/P1BS/17 / Page 2 VA / Exercise - 14

 Verbal Ability – 15 P-1(BS)

Grammar Revision Sheet – 2

Answers and Explanations

1 c 2 b 3 c 4 d 5 c 6 d 7 c 8 b 9 c 10 c
11 a 12 c 13 d 14 c 15 a 16 c 17 c 18 c 19 c 20 a
21 c 22 d 23 d 24 d 25 b 26 d 27 d 28 a 29 b 30 c
41 b 42 d 43 b 44 a 45 c 46 c 47 a 48 b 49 a 50 c
51 a 52 c 53 d 54 a 55 c 56 d 57 b 58 b 59 d 60 a
61 b 62 c 63 a 64 b 65 a 66 d 67 c 68 b 69 b 70 a

1. c To make the structure parallel 'who will benefit' should
be matched with 'to what extent' because 'and the
extent' does not have the component of questioning,
though the context requires that.
2. b In part (b), rather than 'consolidating', it should be
'consolidate' because the verbs should match when
in a string.
11. a Part (a) has an error. The correct way to phrase it is
"The day was both long and tedious"
12. c The error is in part (c). The correct phrase should be
"not for words but for action". Correlative
expressions like 'and' and 'but' should be followed by
the same grammatical construction.

3. c Both should be followed by 'manufacturers and
dealers' to keep the structure parallel.
4. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
5. c 'Running' is a gerund here whereas an infinitive is
required to match 'to have' and 'to buy'.
6. d Only option (d) is consistent because it adheres to the
structure of the sentence.
7. c The sentence is given in active voice. So, the same
should be followed. Option (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect
because they are not in the active voice. So, option
(c) is correct.
13. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
14. c The sentence has two nouns - 'punctuality' and
'meticulousness' and a clause - 'his continued hard
work'. The make the structure parallel, the clause
should be replaced by 'diligence'. So, part (c) will
become 'and diligence'.
15. a The article 'the' should be used consistently with each
noun. So the correct phrase is 'The Chief Minister of
Delhi and the President of America'.
16. c 'Should' in part (c) should be removed to make the
sentence parallel in structure.

8. b The given sentence uses the -ing form of the words.
So, the same structure should be followed. Thus,
option (b) is correct.
9. c Option (a) and (b) both contain errors of parallelism. In
option (d) the parallel structure is incorrect and the
use of ‘full’ is redundant. So, option (c) is correct
because all the adjectives are used correctly.
17. c 'Boy scouts presented' and 'band marched' are in
simple past tense while 'mayor was riding' is in past
continuous tense. To make the structure parallel, 'mayor
was riding' should be replaced by 'mayor rode'.
18. c Both 'class' and 'work' are followed by a preposition.
So, 'home' should also be followed by a preposition.
So, the correct phrase is 'or at home'.

10. c A double negative is a non-standard usage of two
negatives. Options (a) and (b) contain this grammatical
mistake. Option (d) alters the meaning of the given
sentence and contains a parallelism error. In option (c)
the parallel structure is correct and the use of ‘forgiving’
and ‘just’ gives the correct meaning to the sentence.
19. c The correct structure is 'not only to…but also to'. So,
the correct phrase is 'but also to use metalanguage'
20. a 'that clause' construction should be used consistently.
So, the correct phrase is 'Her conditions are, first, that
she should'.

VA / Exercise - 15 CEX-5335/P1BS/17 / Page 1

21. c That weekend our plan was to go up the mountain,
as far as the first camp.
22. d Lately, people have stopped using the buses as the
service has become unreliable.
23. d As soon as they reached the camp-site they pitched
their tents, lit a fire and washed up.
24. d The teacher said that any student who missed school
should get a letter from his/her parents.
25. b The farmers faced a crisis and could be out of
business, if the output / dropped any lower.
39. He hid his cell phones in the following places: Mrs.
Patil's room, Mr. Prasad's office and Miss Julie's
cupboard.
40. That tall man, Swati's granddad, is this month's win-
ner.
41. b Generally, we use a colander to drain (discarding
liquids like pasta water) and a sieve to strain (saving
liquids like broth for stock). Also, a sieve is small in
size and it can be difficult drain pasta in it. So, 'sieve'
should be replaced by 'colander'.
42. d No improvement is required in the given sentence.

26. d If only people realised the importance of trees they 43. b 'Scarcely' means almost not while 'seldom' means
would not cut them so freely. almost never. So, 'scarcely' is inappropriate in the
context. Thus, options (a) and (d) are negated.
27. d It is a pity that you cannot see that your parents are 'Seldom ever' is grammatically incorrect. So, option (c)
really worried about you. is also negated. The sentence means that the tree
rarely grows over 4 inches. So, option (b) should
28. a Should you feel scared, you can give me a call and I replace the underlined part.
will come over.
44. a The correct phrase is 'work wonders', which means
29. b My sixth sense tells me that I should not expect him to have a very beneficial effect on someone or
to keep his word. something.

30. c The children were playing with a ball and running 45. c 'Each of the two' is incorrect. The underlined
around when the accident occurred. portioned should be replaced by 'both the brothers'.

31. The City-like large, angular headlights that fuse into
the multi-element grille, in particular, look very attrac-
tive.
32. "That's something I've been thinking about," Ranjani
says, "I feel it's the lack of positive news that's made
it stand out."
33. Samar, the owner of Skip's Car Wash Service, said he
would be here on Wednesday; however, there's
always a chance he won't be able to come, especially
if he is not feeling well.
34. My elder brother, who lives in Bangalore, is a doctor;
my younger sister, who lives in Delhi, is a teacher.
35. Tired of answering the reporters' questions, actor
Salman Khan gritted his teeth and angrily retorted,
"That's none of your business, you morons!"
46. c 'Price' of something is never 'charming', 'bewitching'
or 'captivating'; it can, however, be 'attractive'.
47. a You empathize/sympathize 'with' and not 'for'
someone. So, options (b) and (c) are negated.
'Empathize' is to share the same feelings as another
person while 'sympathize' is to feel sorry for
someone who is in a bad situation. Here, the sentence
will take 'empathize' since a 20-year-old stylist can
sure feel sorry for a mother of three but cannot share
the same feelings.
48. b Option (a) is incorrect since it will change the meaning
of the sentence. The sentence means that she did not
know much about her sister. 'surprising less' is
grammatically incorrect, rendering option (c)
incorrect. 'Low' is used for things that are not high or
tall. So, option (d) is also negated. 'Little' here means
not very much, thus making option (b) correct.

36. Smita Patil, Ph.D., is the director of undergraduate 49. a 'Gushing' means flowing very quickly and in large
studies in our college. amounts. So, option (d) is incorrect. 'Speeding' means
driving faster than the legal speed limit. Since the driver
37. He had only one desire in life: to master the art of is in the car, he will be 'speeding' and not 'running'.
origami.
50. c Option (a) is incorrect because it appears that they
38. The ice hockey player made a controversial move: a unexpected met a ride, which cannot be true. Option
cross-check on another player. (b) is incorrect since it does not bring about the

CEX-5335/P1BS/17 / Page 2 VA / Exercise - 15

 complete meaning of the sentence. The sentence says
that they 'asked' the friend to give them a ride, which
cannot be understood from option (b). Option (d) is
incorrect because 'while walking through the village'
has wrongly been placed after 'ride'. Option (c)
correctly brings out the meaning of the sentence, and
is hence, correct.
51. a Adjectives usually take the following order:
Generalopinion - Specific opinion - Size - Shape - Age
- Colour - Nationality - Material
52. c Usually, 'after' is used before 'while' (after a while)
and 'later' is used after 'while'(a while later).'Little' is
not used with time; it is used with 'while'. With time we
use 'some' (some time later).
53. d No improvement is required in the given sentence.
'Exclusion' is a situation in which a child is banned
from attending school because of bad behaviour.
54. a Past subjunctive is used after as if/as though to indicate
unreality of improbability. So, the underlined phrase
will be replaced by 'as if I were her husband'.
55. c 'Many a' is singular. So it should be followed by 'pirate'.
So, the correct sentence is 'Many a pirate has lost his
life at sea.'
56. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
57. b The preposition 'by' should follow 'pass'. 'Pass by'
means to go past.
58. b 'Meet with something' means to be received or treated
by somebody in a particular way. Other options will
render the sentence meaningless.
59. d 'Give over' is used to show that you do not believe
what has been said to you. So, the sentence is correct
in its given form. 'Give in' is to finally agree to what
someone wants, after refusing for a period of time.
'Give up' means to stop trying to guess. If a machine or
part of your body 'gives out', it stops working.
60. a The correct phrase is 'far more advanced'. 'Far' here
means very much or to a great degree. 'By far' is used
with comparative or superlative adjectives or adverbs.
It meansby a great amount. For example: The last of
these reasons is by far the most important.'By far' as
used in option (b), will change the meaning of the
sentence. 'Far more advancing' and 'far most
advanced' are grammatically incorrect.
61. b 'However' is used with an adjective or adverb to mean
'to whatever degree'. So, option (b) will replace the
underlined phrase. 'No matter complex' is grammatically
incorrect. Had it been 'no matter how complex', it would
VA / Exercise - 15
have been grammatically correct. 'Every bit complex'
means equally complex. It does not make any sense in
the sentence. 'Therefore' means for that reason. It
does not make any sense in the sentence.
62. c You do not call off a 'search team'; you call off a
'search'. So, option (c) is correct. 'Look out' means to
search for something from among your possessions.
63. a 'Off late' is incorrect. The correct phrase is 'of late'
which means recently.
64. b 'All-in-all' means on the whole. It does not fit in the
meaning of the sentence. The correct phrase is 'all-in',
which means including the cost of all parts of
something. 'All out' means in a very determined way
using every possible effort.
65. a Sentences that contain the phrase 'one of those' take
a singular verb.So, option (a) is the correct answer.
Option (c) is incomplete and hence, incorrect.
66. d The sentence is correct in its given form.
67. c The correct structure is 'would rather…than'. It means
would prefer to.So, option (c) is the answer.
'Instead…than' is not a correct structure. If we were
to use 'instead' in the sentence, then the sentence
would be "She will not give a speech; instead, she'd
die."
68. b Past subjunctive is used after the verb 'wish' to indicate
a situation which is unreal or contrary to a fact. So,
'belong' should be replaced by 'belonged'. 'She' is
singular. So, 'wishes' will be used instead of 'wish'.
69. b 'At the time' suggests that the idea looked good
sometime in the past. So, the underlined word should
be in the past tense. So, option (b), 'seemed', is the
correct answer.'Seemed to be like' is grammatically
incorrect.
70. a The correct phrase is 'as/so far as to'. The phrase
does not required the 'ing' form of verb. So, option (a)
is the correct answer.
Practice Questions
1. Speaking to the Indian community, the President asked
them to join the campaigns launched by Prime Minister
Modi such as 'Digital India', 'Startup India, Stand up
India', 'Clean India Mission', 'Smart Cities' etc.
2. Last week during patrol, a team from the Delhi Police
Vigilance Branch spotted two police personnel "striking
a deal" with a man they had apprehended for carrying
Rs 95 lakh in cash.
CEX-5335/P1BS/17 / Page 3
3. Balaji Motion Pictures CEO Aman Gill said: "It's too early
to say that right now. But 2,000-odd screens, may be
a bit more, right now that's the attempt, so we will
have clarity by tomorrow mostly."
4. Hasan, who was also not present in court, will undergo
a medical examination to see if he is fit enough to
withstand his punishment.
5. Under "Jet Advance" facility, the passenger will have
the flexibility to change the booking to an earlier flight
for a nominal fee, Jet Airways said in a statement.
6. National carrier Air India had 3111 delayed flights, while
low-cost domestic carrier Spicejet had 2205 delayed
flights.
7. The US Congress' decision to not subsidise the sale
of eight F-16 fighters was the latest nail in the coffin.
8. One, it saw Pakistan as the indispensable partner of
its grand design for a negotiated settlement between
the Taliban and the Kabul regime.
9. Washington has been wearying, as Christine Fair of
George Washington University has written, of
"Pakistan's tactics of extracting rents from Washington
while proving itself unable or unwilling to bring the
Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table".
10. With India's equity in the US rising, Pakistan phobia
rampant in the Beltway and Pakistan believing it has a
geopolitical white knight in the form of China, the curtain
is falling on the latest act of the poisonous Washington-
Islamabad drama.
11. The 100000 ton Stennis, which carries F18 fighter
jets, joined nine other naval ships including a Japanese
helicopter carrier and Indian frigates in seas off the
Japanese Okinawan island chain.
12. Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo recently jumped
after a Chinese warship for the first time sailed within
24 miles (38 km) of contested islands in the East China
Sea.
13. It's not so much the higher commissions as the charges
on product returns and frequent policy flip-flops that
have got the vendors in a tizzy, according to the
merchant associations.
14. Santram's father Atmul Murjani had found the old man,
still in his military dress, in 1971 at Sholapur bus stand.
15. The left-hander replaced Karun Nair at the opening
slot, after the latter couldn't bring much success in the
first two ODIs against Zimbabwe.
16. In the 48 Twenty20 matches he has played, he scored
896, with 66 being the highest at an average of 20.36.
CEX-5335/P1BS/17 / Page 4
17. Four lawmakers - two MPs and two members of the
House of Lords - debated the question "Would Brexit
benefit India" in a committee room in parliament.
18. According to Blackman, the EU had moved since 1975
from being an economic organisation to a political one.
19. Renewed clashes overnight at a Pakistan-Afghan
border crossing killed an Afghan border guard and
wounded five, an Afghan official said Wednesday as
Islamabad dispatched more troops and weapons to
the volatile boundary amid an escalation in tension
between the two neighbours.
20. There was some damage on the Pakistani side, they
said, without elaborating.
21. Last month, the Torkham crossing was closed over a
similar incident and reopened following a meeting
between Pakistan's army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif
and Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal.
22. China, apparently acting at the behest of its "all weather
ally" has strongly opposed India's candidature.
23. In the roller-coaster world of global capitalism and
Wall Street adventures, mergers are more often than
not questionable successes.
24. LinkedIn is a strategic fit from that point of view
because its 433 million users, 35 million of whom are
in India, are businesses and professionals who can
potentially become Microsoft's premium customers for
a variety of applications and services including online
storage.
25. Among the biggest of them, Internet calling firm Skype,
employee networking site Yammer and Nokia's mobile
phone unit are not significant successes.
26. Under normal circumstances, when they have to earn
their meals, only the fittest survive, keeping the
population in check.
27. In effect, over the years, tens of thousands of Indians
have died on the roads because governments have
neglected urban public transport.
28. The Chileans will meet Group C winners Mexico in the
quarter-finals on Saturday, with Argentina facing
Venezuela the same day, thanks to their 3-0 win over
Bolivia to top Group D earlier on Tuesday.
29. Going by the words of skipper Dhoni, more changes
are likely in the Indian batting order as only the top
three batsmen have gotten substantial time in the
middle.
30. China would have probably, and maybe gladly, let its
Great Fire Wall down for the message to be delivered
to India.
VA / Exercise - 15
 Verbal Ability – 16 P-1(BS)

Eclectic Reading and Level – 1 Questions

Answers and Explanations

1 d 2 b 3 d 4 c 5 c 6 a 7 c 8 c 9 b 10 d
11 d 12 c 13 d 14 d 15 a 16 c 17 c 18 b 19 a 20 c
21 b 22 b 23 d 24 b 25 a 26 d 27 c 28 c 29 a 30 b

Practice Questions
1 b 2 a 3 d 4 a 5 d 6 b 7 c 8 a 9 c 10 b
11 b 12 d 13 b 14 a 15 d 16 c 17 b 18 a 19 c 20 b
21 d 22 b 23 b 24 d 25 a 26 c 27 b 28 c 29 b 30 c
31 c 32 d 33 b 34 d 35 b 36 b 37 c 38 b 39 b 40 d
41 a 42 d 43 b 44 a 45 d 46 b 47 c 48 d 49 b 50 c
51 d 52 c 53 b 54 a 55 d 56 d 57 a 58 b 59 d 60 c

1. d Refer to the first sentence, “Primitive…source of
warmth… a means of cooking food…” Hence, option
(d) is the correct answer.
2. b Refer to the sentence, “His discovery ...... used for
illumination…preserving a flame”. This clarifies that
the primary purpose of the firebrand was to preserve
a flame. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
3. d Refer to the sentence, “His discovery ...... …incidental
to the primary....” This implies that ‘primary’ refers to
firebrand ‘mainly’ used for preserving. Hence, option
(d) is the most appropriate answer.
4. c Refer to the sentence, “Lamps …developed by
accident”. This clearly states that lamps were
developed incidentally, without planning. Option (c)
‘chance’ is the most appropriate answer.
5. c ‘Persist’ means to continue to do something despite
difficulties or opposition, in a way that can seem
unreasonable. The appropriate antonym from the given
options is ‘discontinued’. Hence, option (c) is the most
appropriate answer.
6. a Refer to the first paragraph of the passage, where it
is stated that Britain “had to make do” with charcoal
because it was cheap and easy to acquire. Statements
B and C are not mentioned in relation to charcoal.
Hence, the answer is option (a).
7. c The third paragraph states that during the industrial
revolution, more and more coal was needed for the
steam engine and factories. Hence, option (c) is the
answer. Local industries used coal even before the
advent of Industrial Revolution. However, it cannot be
inferred from the passage that this demand increased
at any given point of time.
8. c The penultimate paragraph lists several problems
(flooding, fire damp, poison gas, underground pit
collapses) faced by the mine workers while working
in the mine. It also says that the weight of the ground
above a worked coal seam was extremely large. It
does not mention anything about splitting of the coal
seam. Hence, option (c) is the answer.
9. b The last paragraph states that despite the dangers,
the production of coal increased. We cannot infer that
the increase is because of the increase in the working
population. The author mentions “regardless of these
dangers” only to emphasise the fact that it did not act
as a deterrent. Moreover, we know that the coal shafts
were now bigger, which might be the only reason that
led to the increase of coal production. Hence, option
(b) is the correct answer. Options (a) and (c) can be
clearly inferred from the third paragraph. Option (d)
can be inferred from the last paragraph which states
that industries grew around coal mining areas which
created problems since no thought was given to the
facilities that the people settling around the industries
would need.

VA / Exercise - 16 CEX-5336/P1BS/17 / Page 1

10. d ‘Colossal’ means of an exceptional or astonishing
degree. ‘Pharaonic’ means something that is enormous
in size or magnitude. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer. ‘Petite’ means having a small trim figure.
‘Cosmogony’ refers to the theory of the origin of the
universe.
11. d Options (a), (b) and (c) are incorrect as they are not
mentioned in the passage. Option (d) is the correct
answer as according to the given passage,
Vivekananda preached that “Truth alone prevails”.
12. c The passage shows that Vivekananda’s influence led
to a decline in the missionaries’ funds. Refer to the
sentence, “The missionaries found that the
subscriptions they had so long been receiving from
the people were steadily declining.” Hence, option (c)
is the correct answer.
13. d Refer to the line, “Vivekananda also said that India did
not need religion but material support.” From this we
can infer that according to Swami Vivekananda, India
was self-sufficient in religion, but required material
support.
14. d The passage states that the missionaries started
denigrating Swamiji when they found that the
subscriptions they had so long been receiving from
the people were steadily declining. From this we can
infer that Vivekananda’s popularity with the American
people caused a drop in the Church’s collections.
Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
15. a According to the passage, Vivekananda preached
that, “Truth alone prevails”. Clearly, he did not defend
himself when missionaries and other people conspired
against him because he firmly believed that the truth
about his innocence will get revealed anyhow.
Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.
16. c The third paragraph states that at the end of the year
2003, “the population of Mauritius was over 1.2 million”
and the second paragraph states that the “overall
balance of payments is positive”. Both the references
prove statements 1 and 2 to be true. Statement 3 is not
stated or suggested anywhere in the passage. Hence
option (c) is correct.
17. c Refer to the following line in the second paragraph,
“Diversification away from sugar (but not at its
expense) has been achieved. Textile and garment,
and tourism are the two other leading sectors today.”
This proves that of all the options, ‘sugar’ is most likely
to have been the leading industry in Mauritius at
sometime in the past. Thus, option (c) is the correct
answer.
CEX-5336/P1BS/17 / Page 2
18. b The word ‘Lingua Franca’ means a shared language
of communication used between people whose main
languages are different. Hence, option (b) is correct.
19. a Refer to the lines “The major challenge today is not
finding jobs but finding enough skilled labor to maintain
the competitiveness of the economy.” Hence option
(a) is correct.
20. c Refer to the first paragraph of the passage which
states that “Numerous churches, temples, mosques
and pagodas exist next to each other proving the
remarkable level of religious and cultural tolerance”.
Both statements 1 and 3 can be inferred from this line.
The same sentence negates 2. Statement 4 is false
because although the passage states that most of the
population comprise of Hindu Indians, it makes no
reference to the number of temples. Hence, option (c)
is correct.
21. b The two capitals talked about in the passage are Rome
and Paris. Thus, option (b) is correct.
22. b The word ‘tarnished’ as used in the passage means
destroyed or spoiled. Therefore, option (b) is correct.
23. d The second paragraph of the passage states that the
50,000 French fans gathered at Champs Elysees “to
tell their team it had been heroic despite the defeat”. In
other words, the fans wanted to convey to their team
that they had given their rivals a tough fight. Therefore,
option (d) is correct. Option (c) is incorrect owing to
the word ‘congratulate’. Options (a) and (b) are
incorrect because the passage contains no evidence
to support them.
24. b Statement 2 is incorrect because the second
paragraph states that the faces of the French fans
were mournful “not least because superstar Zidane’s
final match had been tarnished”. Statement 4 is incorrect
because the last paragraph states that the Italian
victory was a “double triumph” because they had two
reasons to celebrate – one, their triumph in this match
and that they “avenged their Euro 2000 defeat at the
hands of French”. This also proves that Italy had once
been defeated by France, rendering statement 3
correct. Statement 1 is also correct because the
second paragraph clearly states that Zidane was
expelled in the final match.
25. a The passage gives equal weightage to the discussion
of both - the ecstasy felt by the Italians and the mournful
atmosphere in France - after Italy’s victory over France
in World Cup 2006. Therefore, option (a) is correct.
Options (b) and (c) are inept because each of them
refer to only one country – France and Italy respectively.
Option (d) is incorrect because it’s too general.
VA / Exercise - 16
26. d The passage begins with the invention of rock-and-
roll, who all it influenced and was influenced by, and
finally, its march into the arena of pop music. Therefore,
option (d) is correct.
27. c The first paragraph of the passage enlists all except
Elvis Presley. Therefore option (c) is correct.
28. c The first paragraph of the passage states that true
rock-and-roll is a “combination of various elements
from country and Western, gospel, rhythm and blues,
and jazz”. Therefore, option (c) is correct.
29. a Option (a) is false because the passage states that
rock and roll was invented in America and not that it
was invented by Americans. Therefore, option (a) is
the correct answer. Option (b) can be inferred from
the last paragraph of the passage that talks about
“rock-and-roll’s ascendancy into the world of pop
music”. Option (c) is true because the first sentence
of the last paragraph states that “Teenagers and the
money they were willing to spend on records provided
an impetus for rock-and-roll”. This means that rock-
and-roll was popular among the teenagers. Option (d)
is true because the second paragraph mentions that
“Alan Freed began to play rhythm and blues to a largely
non African-American audience”.
30. b The passage states that the money spent by the
teenagers provided the impetus/support/boost to the
rock-and-roll music. Therefore, option (b) is correct.
Practice Questions
1. b The last sentence of the first paragraph states that
despite certain problems that India is facing, the country
has still managed to obtain a high place in the global
economy. If these problems were to be reduced or
eradicated then it can be inferred that it would help
India’s case further. Statements (1) and (2) are a
reversal of the problems that have been mentioned in
the last sentence of the first paragraph. They are thus
correct. Statement (3) cannot be inferred from the
passage. And hence the answer is option (b).
2. a Refer to the first line of the second paragraph. It states
that the Goldman Sachs report predicted that by 2050
the Indian economy would be the third largest in the
world. This helped India obtain a stronger image among
the global economies. Refer to the words, ‘The process
of admitting India to the global high table can be traced
back to the BRICS report by Goldman Sachs’. This
indicates that the Goldman Sachs report brought India
into the limelight. Option (2) can be ruled out because
there isn’t enough information to infer that the HAP
VA / Exercise - 16
process would have helped India become a global
superpower. Option (a) is thus the answer.
3. d From the first few lines of the passage it can be clearly
understood that India has done well on the front of
democracy, equity and economy. Hence, option (d) is
correct. Option (c) is incorrect because even though
the last lines of the passage make a reference to the
Indian political leadership, its diplomats and civil
servants, it cannot be inferred from this that India is
being perceived as an emerged power as a result of
the efforts of its politicians, diplomats and bureaucrats.
Option (a) is incorrect because there is no link between
political leaders from the lowest castes and India being
considered an emerged power. Option (b) can also be
ruled out because ‘countrymen’ is a very general term
when the specific sections of the Indian elite have
been mentioned in the last paragraph.
4. a Refer to the last sentence of the third paragraph for
the answer.
5. d Refer to the third paragraph for the answer.
6. b The passage talks of political upheavals. This means
a situation where things go topsy turvy in the political
world. Hence the correct answer is DISRUPTION.
7. c The passage talks of persistent poverty i.e. poverty
that is difficult to get rid of. Hence the correct answer
is UNRELENTING.
8. a
9. c The passage talks about reinforcing the sentiment i.e.
strengthening the sentiment. The opposite of this is
WEAKEN which is the correct answer.
10. b As used in the passage demise means death. Hence
the correct opposite is BIRTH.
11. b The author says that the government borrowings are
likely to be large for the rest of this year. This does not
mean that the government is going to borrow heavily
this year because what is mentioned in the passage
is just a speculation. Refer to the sentence “If the
objective is … in the SLR reduction”, this sentence
clearly tells that SLR reduction is not sufficient to
increase funds for lending.
12. d As per the passage it is the reduction in SLR and not
just the SLR that can improve the quality of monetary
transmission. Furthermore, it is reduction in SLR and
not SLR per se that boosts liquidity. Hence, option (d)
is the correct answer.
CEX-5336/P1BS/17 / Page 3
13. b The passage tells that the banks have been investing
in SLR securities much more than what was mandated.
This does not mean that they have been investing in
SLR securities much more than required. Refer to the
sentence “Bankers have always sought the sanctuary
of government securities rather than dispense
commercial loans.” This makes it clear that the bankers
always seek the sanctuary of government securities
rather than commercial loans. Hence, option (b) is the
correct answer.
14. a Refer to the second last sentence of the first
paragraph.
15. d Refer to the second paragraph where the answer is
given.
16. c The word has been used in the sense of RESERVE
i.e. a protected area. Animals are safe in a sanctuary.
The money of banks is safe in Govt. securities.
17. b It is compulsory for banks to invest a percentage of
their money in Govt. securities.
Hence the correct answer is OBLIGED.
18. a ‘Mandated’ means assigned.
19. c In the passage the word boost has been used in the
sense of increasing. Hence the correct answer is
DAMPEN which means to discourage or put a damper
on.
20. b In the passage the word has been used in the sense
of putting out flames. Hence the correct answer is
STOKING.
21. d In the last paragraph of the passage it is mentioned
that big consumer retail firms are beginning to emerge
as consumer lenders. From this we can infer that
lending money is not their traditional line of business.
The author says that out of these “a few are
venturing” into microfinance. Therefore out of the
given options a big retail chain is least likely to be an
MFI. NGOs and public sector banks have always been
involved with microfinance. Option (c) can be inferred
from the sentence “they are being joined in the
microfinance marketplace by consumer finance
companies, like GE Finance and Citi Finance”. Option
(d) is the correct answer.
22. b The answer can be found in the last two lines of the
first paragraph.” Yunus also demonstrated that loans
made to the working poor, if properly structured, had
very high repayment rates. His work caught the
attention of both social engineers and profit-seeking
CEX-5336/P1BS/17 / Page 4
investors.” Option (a) is incorrect as it is too broad in
scope. It does not describe how the market is evolving
and why it’s attracting new entrants. Option (c) is
incorrect as the passage mentions some non- profit
organizations are undergoing this change. Option (d)
is also incorrect as the author states that MFIs are
beginning to work towards these goals.
23. b The goal of microfinance has always been and remains
alleviating poverty. However, statement II articulates it
better as statement I can mean giving away money as
charity. Statement III cannot be the goal of microfinance
as a whole as it has emerged only recently and even
then not all MFIs aim to pursue such and objective.
24. d The passage traces the development of microfinance
institutions and how microfinance has come to be
perceived and practiced by various organizations. The
passage does not deal with the impact of microfinance
on poverty, or with the rapid growth and importance
of microfinance.
25. a Refer to the last sentence of the first paragraph for
the answer.
26. c Alleviation of poverty means easing of poverty. Hence
option (c) is the answer.
27. b In the passage the word transforming has been used
in the sense of changing or converting. Hence the
correct answer is option (b).
28. c ‘Sustainability’ means support.
29. b In the passage the word evolving has been used in
the sense of growing or developing. Hence option (b)
meaning rotting is the correct answer.
30. c Venturing means daring or proceeding courageously
in unknown areas. Hence option (c) is the correct
answer.
31. c The passage starts with a criticism of the NACs
proposal and then moves on, in the next few
paragraphs, to discuss the possible options in
improvement. Option (c) is the answer. Option (a) is
incorrect because though the author extols the virtue
of a universal PDS, it is one of the options to better the
situation. Option (b) is incorrect because the passage
is also concerned about those families that have not
been taken into account by the poverty line. Option (d)
is incorrect because the passage by itself cannot
overturn the NAC’s proposals nor does it seek to do
so.
VA / Exercise - 16
32. d Option (a) has been provided as a criticism in the first
paragraph. It is clear that the NAC’s proposals have
been limiting. Option (b) can also be inferred from the
fourth line of the first paragraph. Option (c) can be
inferred from the first sentence of the third paragraph.
Option (d) is incorrect because there is no mention in
the passage that food security policies also benefit
the rich. And of this situation, the author also does not
offer any criticism.
33. b Refer to the last paragraph. It indicates that the quota
would be less than that actually set. Statement 1 can
thus be inferred. Statement 2 can be inferred from the
points made in the paragraph. Statement 3 is
speculation because the passage doesn’t help
establish that the only reason the rich will not get grain
from the PDS is due to the low quality of grain offered.
Hence option (b) is the answer.
34. d Option (d) is the correct answer. In the sentence “The
process of targeting ... that have been included.” given
in the third paragraph the author says that using BPL
limits the availability of food grains to only some families
and others are left out. This is a hindrance to the goal
of universalizing. Also, from last paragraph it can be
inferred that the system does not let us determine the
accurate amount of food grains required, as some
families who are counted under the current system
may not take the food grains.
35. b Refer to the first sentence of the last paragraph for
the answer.
36. b Damaged is the right answer.
37. c Feasible means practicable or that which can be done.
38. b ‘Discriminatory’ means inequitable.
39. b Retrograde means goring backward. Hence
Progressive is the correct answer.
40. d Malnourished means not receiving enough
nourishment. Hence well fed is the correct answer.
41. a The passage mentions that India has dismally high
malnutrition rates. The last line of the fourth paragraph
also mentions the inference that one can draw from
these high rates – ‘The reality is that a country
desperate to take its place at the world’s top table is
unwilling to commit to feeding its own population.’
Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 can be ruled out
because there is no certainty that there will be a
positive change because of the food security bill. Option
(a) is the correct answer.
VA / Exercise - 16
42. d Statement 1 can be ruled out because there is no
information in the passage to reach this inference.
Statement 2 is correct and mentioned in the last line of
the third paragraph – the line indicates that the
monsoon has also added to the increase in hunger.
This situation is linked to India’s worsening malnutrition
rates and hence finds its place in the same paragraph.
Statement 3 is correct as it is mentioned in the first
paragraph. Statement 4 is correct and can be inferred
from the fifth paragraph. Option (d) is the answer.
43. b The argument that the Prime Minister puts forth is that
distributing free food will destroy any incentives the
farmers will have to produce. This indicates an
interference with the market economy and hence
option (b) is the answer. Option (a) can be ruled out
because there is no hint that farmers will bear the
cost of distributing free grain. Option (c) cannot be
inferred from the information in the passage. Option
(d) is incorrect because it doesn’t help to understand
why farmers would be demotivated to produce if the
government decides to distribute grain free of cost.
44. a Refer to the fourth paragraph for the answer.
45. d As per the second paragraph, India’s record is worse
than Sub-Saharan Africa. Also, as per the fifth
paragraph, 37% of India’s population lives below the
poverty line.
46. b To pledge means to swear.
47. c Global means worldwide.
48. d ‘Imminent’ means looming.
49. b Ensuring means following. Hence the correct answer
is preceding.
50. c Extolled is the correct answer.
51. d The answer is (d) and this has been given in the first
paragraph. Combative is a synonym of competitive
but with a negative connotation and it does not fit into
the context of the paragraph. Democratic is an
antonym for authoritarian.
52. c The author discusses the two sides of the bank -
external pressures and the internal environment - in
the context of reforms. However, it is clearly inferred
from paragraph 3, 4, 5 and 6 that she feels that bank
reform has not taken place because of its strong internal
culture. The last paragraph clinches the answer as
option (c). Option (a) is incorrect as this was part of
the failed efforts for reforms in the 1990s. Option (b)
CEX-5336/P1BS/17 / Page 5
 is incorrect as indicated from the first line of paragraph 54. a The author’s tone is incisive or analytical.
3. The external reforms are not seen as important
when compared with the failed efforts of the bank in 55. d Both the statements are incorrect. Refer to the third
changing its internal environment. Option (d) is an end paragraph for the answers.
objective for the bank but it does not reflect the changes
that need to be made thereby not answering the 56. d
question. Option (c) is the correct answer.
57. a
53. b The question asks for the statement which most
reflects Weaver's attitude. In the first and last 58. b
paragraphs of the passage, Weaver agrees that the
World Bank is a hypocritical organization she also 59. d
moves away from this to look at how it can move
away from this. Option (a) does not answer this 60. c
question entirely and instead criticizes the bank. Option
(b) is the best answer in the context of the entire
passage. Option (c) has never been stated nor implied
by Weaver, it is what other critics have said about the
Bank. Option (d) has to do with the failed reforms of
the 1990s and not the time period the author is writing
in.

CEX-5336/P1BS/17 / Page 6 VA / Exercise - 16

 Verbal Ability – 17 P-1(BS)

Types of Questions and Level – 2 Questions

Answers and Explanations
1 d 2 d 3 b 4 a 5 d 6 b 7 d 8 a 9 d 10 c
11 a 12 c 13 a 14 d 15 d 16 c 17 b 18 d 19 b 20 d
21 c 22 b 23 c 24 a 25 d 26 b 27 d 28 c 29 c 30 b
Practice Questions
1 c 2 b 3 c 4 d 5 a 6 b 7 c 8 c 9 b 10 c
11 b 12 b 13 b 14 c 15 a 16 b 17 c 18 a 19 b 20 c
21 a 22 c 23 b 24 a 25 a 26 b 27 c 28 b 29 c 30 a
31 b 32 d 33 b 34 a 35 d 36 b 37 c 38 b 39 c 40 b
41 c 42 b 43 d 44 d 45 d 46 b 47 c 48 b 49 c 50 b
51 c 52 c 53 a 54 c 55 b 56 d 57 b 58 d 59 d 60 b

1. d Option (d) can be inferred from the penultimate
paragraph which says that “The way in which parents
view their bodies impacts their children’s attitudes.”
Hence, it can be clearly understood that children can
be influenced by their parents. Option (a) cannot be
inferred from the passage. The first paragraph says
that beauty pageant contestants have the potential to
make headlines and these girls are beautiful and most
often thin too. It might not be true the other way round.
Option (b) is beyond the scope of the passage since
we do not know whether anti-obesity programme
helped in reducing obesity or not. Option (c) cannot be
inferred from the passage since it is just an opinion of
Jane Caro. We do not know whether the author agrees
with the statement or not.
4. a The author agrees with both statements A and B. Refer
to the first line of the passage wherein the author
says, “Beauty is a valuable commodity...” Hence, it
can be understood that in today’s society, beauty is
given a lot of significance. In the third paragraph, the
author says that 94 percent of the women are
judgmental about their looks. This means that there
are only a few women who are satisfied with their
looks. Hence, option (a) is the answer. Refer to the
line ‘The media is often portrayed as the bogeyman in
the body-image debate’. Bogeyman is a mythical
creature adopted by parents to scare little children.
‘Lilliputian’ is used to describe little people. Therefore,
we can say that statement C is not in line with what
the author agrees to.

2. d The opening paragraph tells us that all Miss India’s and
Miss World’s make headlines, but Chloe Marshall
gathered more attention because she was a “full
figured” 2008 Miss England runner up. She created a
“stop-the-press” moment since large women are not
‘generally’ considered ‘fairest of them all’. However, it
cannot be inferred that she was not considered
“fairest of them all”. This rules out option (b) and makes
option (d) the correct answer. Option (a) is incorrect
as ‘not unlike’ means that she [Chloe] was like the
others.
3. b The entire passage talks about women wanting to be
slim and associating slim with being beautiful. Refer to
the last line, “...the notion that fat is bad, slim is good...”
So option (b) is the correct answer.
5. d ‘Odious’ means arousing or deserving hatred. Hence,
its synonym is disgusting, rendering option (d) the
correct answer.
6. b “To be on tenterhooks” means in a state of uneasiness,
strain, or suspense. Therefore, option (b) is correct.
7. d Options (a) and (b) are incorrect because the passage
states that a rich man can buy many things but not
happiness while a poor man, if contented, can be
happy without money. Therefore, option (d) is correct.
Option (c) is incorrect because the cause of
unhappiness is not always money.

VA / Exercise - 17 CEX-5337/P1BS/17 / Page 1

8. a The passage states that a rich man who does not
“enjoy good health”, or whose “only son has taken to
evil ways” or who has a “lot of business worries” can
become unhappy. Therefore, option (a) is correct.
9. d The passage states that there is a difference between
having money and having contentment. While the latter
may not give happiness in the absence of the former,
the former can make one happy without the latter.
Therefore, option (d) is correct. Option (c) is incorrect
because the passage talks about ‘happiness’.
10. c The passage states that although a man may be poor,
he can be happy if he is contented. Therefore, option
(c) is correct. Options (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect
owing to the words ‘only’, ‘never’ and ‘always’
respectively.
11. a At the beginning of the passage, the author states
that '… while the nuisance that the non-smokers cause
the smokers is spiritual'. Therefore, option (a) is correct.
All other options are irrelevant because the passage
gives no information about them.
12. c The author mentions that a non smoker is akin to a man
without weakness and likely to be completely rational.
Moreover, in his opinion, non smokers are "apt to be
correct and unemotional" while a smoker is more likely
to be genial, open hearted and unaffected. Thus the
author feels that a smoker's morality is higher than
that of a non smoker.
13. a Option (b) cannot be the answer since treachery is
not mentioned anywhere in the passage. Option (c) is
incorrect because disdain of such people is not talked
about in the passage. Similarly, prejudice is not
mentioned in the passage, so it is eliminated. Option
(a) is the correct answer because in the first
paragraph the author says “his (non smoker’s) habits
are too regular, his existence too mechanical and his
head always maintains its supremacy over his heart.”
14. d Read the last four lines of the first paragraph. "Much
as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational
beings. For that reason, I am always scared and ill at
ease when I enter a house in which there are no
ashtrays." Therefore, option (d) is correct.
15. d None of the options can be drawn from the quoted
lines. Hence, the correct answer is option (d). Option
(b) is incorrect owing to the word ‘all’.
16. c The author begins the passage by citing the importance
of photographs in today's life. In the second paragraph,
the author mentions that a photograph may not always
represent reality. Hence, photographs are a fallacy of
reality. So, option (c) is correct.
CEX-5337/P1BS/17 / Page 2
17. b Refer to the first sentence of the passage where the
author uses the word 'therefore' to signify why images
play such a pivotal role in our lives today. So, option
(b) is the correct answer.
18. d In the second paragraph, the author says that a
photographic image can be staged and gives the
example of Bayard to support his statement. So, option
(d) can be said to be a limitation of a photographic
image. Option (a) is incorrect since it is a limitation of
photography and not a photographic image. Options
(b) and (c) are not limitations.
19. b Refer to the last sentence where the author mentions
that Bayard created an alternative reality or alter ego
through his photograph. So, option (b) is correct. Option
(a) is wrong because the author mentions in the
second paragraph that in a painting, an artist may give
shapes to his fancies or draw a subject that is present.
Thus, it cannot be inferred that a painting is always a
reflection of the artist's imagination. Option (c) can be
negated from the first sentence of the second
paragraph. Option (d) is incorrect. The option means
that people intentionally express emotions when being
photographed. However, this is not true. Refer to the
line "People have learnt to express emotions…" What
the sentence means is that the person taking the
photograph expresses his emotions, etc. through the
pictures he takes. In other words, the pictures reflect
the emotions, ideas and concepts of the person taking
the picture.
20. d 'Chimera' refers to something that exists only in the
imagination and is not possible in reality. So, option (d)
is the answer.
21. c Refer to the last sentence of the first paragraph.
"…issues concerning economic deprivation…
foundation of any reinvention of the Left." So, option
(c) is the correct answer.
22. b Refer to the first sentence of the second paragraph. It
clearly states that the three have moved towards the
international agenda for social reconstruction within
which socialism must be put forward as a programme
to salvage a world from inequality, abuse of power
and the hegemony of the US. So, option (b) is the
correct answer.
23. c Refer to the first sentence of the third paragraph. It
clearly says that the measures have been taken to
check the erratic plays or unpredictable moves of
market forces. So, option (c) is the correct answer.
24. a Refer to the last sentence of the third paragraph.
"…Chavez has been fighting for regional integration
and a society that bases itself on the ideology of the
new South American Left". So, option (a) is the correct
answer.
VA / Exercise - 17
25. d 'Hegemony' means influence or control over another
country, a group of people, etc.
26. b The passage considers the situations in which small
minority enterprises are likely to find themselves in
when they attempt to expand their businesses in a
market dominated by big companies run by Whites.
This makes option (b) correct.
27. d The passage essentially talks of the situations in which
small businesses might face financial difficulties when
they try to expand themselves. This makes option (d)
correct.
28. c The passage states, ‘But civil rights groups and minority
business owners have complained to Congress about
minorities being set up as “fronts” with White backing,
rather than being accepted as full partners in legitimate
joint ventures.’ This implies that such small businesses
are only nominal partners of the White firms, and do
not actually take part in the business. This makes option
(c) correct.
29. c The passage states, ‘Even in the best of
circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more
established companies makes it difficult for small
concerns to broaden their customer bases: when such
firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single
corporate benefactor, they may truly have to struggle
against complacency arising from their current
success.’ This clearly implies that small concerns
should try to expand their customer base.
30. b The passage states, ‘Indeed, some federal and local
agencies have gone so far as to set specific
percentage goals for apportioning parts of public
works contracts to minority enterprises.’ This makes it
clear that specific goals have been set by federal and
local agencies even without the law requiring them to
be so specific.
Practice Questions
1. c In order to arrive at the answer, the first two para-
graphs can be referred to. Option (a) can be inferred
from the first sentence of the passage – ‘authoritari-
anism in the workplace, unjust victimisation of work-
ers who are at the forefront of resistance’. The pas-
sage mentions “the lack of a fighting spirit on the part
of the central trade unions affiliated to the mainstream
political parties”. Thus, option (b) can be inferred.
Option (c) is incorrect because the passage speaks
about unjust victimization of workers who are at the
‘forefront of resistance’. There is no information on
consistent victimization of employees. Option (d) can
be inferred from the second line of the first paragraph
and the last lines of the second paragraph.
VA / Exercise - 17
2. b The passage mentions that “The political parties to
which the AITUC and the CITU are affiliated had en-
tered into a thoroughly opportunistic alliance with
Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in the state assembly elections
last year and wanted to keep the alliance going”. And
since it is mentioned that the AIADMK government was
“instrumental in the defeat of the strike”, it can be
inferred that had the AITUC taken a stand contrary to
that of the government, their alliance could have been
jeoparalized. Therefore option (b) is the correct an-
swer.
3. c The author mentions Maruti Suzuki and NLC as exam-
ples of companies where the plight of workers is
such as has been described by the author in the pas-
sage. The companies have not be mentioned specifi-
cally to highlight the situation of only their workers.
Option (a) is negative. The author merely says that
given such workers’ conditions in these two compa-
nies “one can only imagine what their predicament is
in labour-intensive manufacturing”. He is not making
any comparison. Rather it is more of an assertion.
Thus, option (c) is the correct answer.
4. d Refer to the second and last paragraphs.
5. a Refer to the first paragraph for the answer. As per the
second paragraph, statement 2 is incorrect.
6. b Quandary is the correct answer.
7. c In the context of the passage Heavy Hand means
Insensitive.
8. c ‘Affiliated’ means attached.
9. b The opposite of parity is disparity.
10. c The opposite of Faltering is Firm.
11. b Options (a), (c) and (d) are all mentioned in the pas-
sage. Regarding the role of NGO’s, the passage says
that “reaching significant scale will require moving
beyond the NGOs model”. Option (b) is contrary to this
point, and is therefore the correct answer.
12. b Refer to the third paragraph in which the author dis-
cusses the scope of financial services, stating also
that the scope needs to be further widened. Option
(a) can be inferred from the penultimate line of the
paragraph. Option (b) is incorrect and cannot be in-
ferred from the information in the passage. There is
no suggestion that financial services for the poor are
also linked to infrastructure development. Option (c)
can be inferred from the third line of the paragraph.
Option (d) can be inferred from the last line of the
paragraph. Option (b) is thus the answer.
CEX-5337/P1BS/17 / Page 3
13. b Statement 1 can be ruled out because there is no
suggestion of introducing FDI. Statement 2 is clearly
mentioned in the passage. Thus, option (b) is the cor-
rect answer.
14. c Statements 1 and 2 can both be inferred from the
passage. Consider the following “ impact of micro-
finance is not only on poverty reduction but also on
several other MDGs’’. Statement 1 can thus be in-
ferred. Consider ‘other MDGs such as achieving uni-
versal education, promoting gender equality and wom-
en’s empowerment’. All these MDGs point to areas of
social development and hence statement 2 can also
be inferred. Therefore, option (c) is the correct an-
swer.
15. a Refer to the first sentence of the second paragraph
for the answer. The first sentence of the third
paragraph nullifies the second statement.
16. b The word overarching has been used in the passage
to suggest most important. Hence option (b) is the
right answer.
17. c Foster has been used in the passage in the sense of
promoting. Hence option (c).
18. a ‘Status quo’ refers to the existing state of affairs.
19. b Option (b) is the correct answer.
20. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
21. a The first paragraph presents the author’s argument
on why for-profits should be included in education.
The next few paragraphs bring in the controversies
on both sides of the debate for including for-profits.
Option (a) is the answer. Option (b) can be ruled out
as the author clearly states in the last line of the sec-
ond paragraph that the schools that should be non-
profit are clearly not so. Option (b) also does not fall
within the primary purpose of the passage. Option (c)
is incorrect as primary school education does not en-
ter the debate. The stress is on education and for-
profits. Option (d) is also incorrect because other sec-
tors have been mentioned only in the last line of the
passage. The comparison or reference to other sec-
tors does not find itself in any part of the passage
otherwise and one can assume it is not an important
issue for the author.
22. c Option (a) can be inferred from fifth line of the first
paragraph - “For-profits, in my view, bring in passion,
expertise and innovation.” Option (b) can be inferred
from the last line of the first paragraph. Option (d) can
be inferred from the last line of the third paragraph -
CEX-5337/P1BS/17 / Page 4
“Since they deliver…inefficient government system.”
Option (c) is incorrect as it cannot be inferred from the
passage that the regulatory mechanism will be brought
in through privatization. Option (c) is the answer.
23. b The author of the passage is in favour of for-profits
and this can be determined from his opening argu-
ments. However, he is also ready to look at both sides
of the argument - for-profit and not-for-profit (govern-
ment run schools). And in the course of the passage
the author lists the pros and cons for both sides.
Refer to the last line of the first paragraph in which the
author hints at the system that he foresees - one in
which both for-profit and government players exist
but with a transparent regulatory mechanism. Option
(b) is the answer. Option (a) is incorrect as not once
does the passage attempt to state that the govern-
ment should not be allowed a hand in the education
system. Option (c) is incorrect as it goes against the
information in the passage - the author calls option (c)
an extreme position hinting that this is not the best
alternative. Refer to the second line of the penultimate
paragraph. Option (d) is not mentioned in the pas-
sage.
24. a Refer to the second paragraph for the answer. The
last sentence of the passage nullifies the second
statement.
25. a Refer to the fourth paragraph for the answer. The
second statement is out of scope.
26. b Flagrantly is a synonym for blatantly.
27. c Self Evident is a synonym for axiomatic.
28. b The correct antonym is opponent.
29. c The correct answer is impractical.
30. a The opposite of ‘significant’ is trite.
31. b Refer to the first paragraph. Option (1) can be ruled
out because the eighth line provides information that
the developing countries do not have the requisite
safety measures for women workers. This however
cannot be generalised for the rest of the world. Op-
tion (2) is correct because the success of workplace
provisions is said to depend on a favourable environ-
ment/scenario (prospects) aided by a conducive po-
litical climate and a proactive judiciary. Option (b) is the
answer.
VA / Exercise - 17
32. d Refer to the first paragraph. The author says that he
is not surprised that stipulations on minimum wages
are missing in the Convention. He then comments, in
the last line of the paragraph, that society does not
recognise domestic work as an important economic
activity. This is all the information that the passage has
that can be linked to the lack of provision on minimum
wage. Option (a) cannot be inferred from the pas-
sage as there is no reference to it. Option (b) is also
incorrect because there is indication of this in the
passage - there is no link between the establishment
of minimum wages and the implementation of the new
provisions. Option (c) may have been a logical argu-
ment if there had been more information provided or if
it were known as to why the convention can set
international provisions for workers’ rights (their work
hours, weekly rest and collective bargaining) but not
for minimum wage. If such an argument were pro-
vided (or even a hint given) then option (c) would
have helped explain why this issue has been left out.
Option (d) is thus the answer.
33. b Refer to the last paragraph. The author states the
benefits of regulating domestic work and streamlining
standards. Option (a) can be ruled out as there is no
mention of this in the last paragraph. Option (b) is the
answer and can be inferred from the sixth line ‘realis-
ing more fully the right to compulsory basic education
for children.’ and the eight line ‘enormously augment
the goal of expanding basic education’. Option (c) is
incorrect as the author mentions that regulating do-
mestic work will help complement the governments’
efforts to combat crimes against women and children.
Option (d) is incorrect as it is too general and would
only be considered if the right to education is realised
for children.
34. a Refer to the first paragraph for the answer.
35. d Refer to the first paragraph for the answer. Both the
statements are incorrect as per the passage.
36. b Specification is the correct answer.
37. c Odd is a synonym for peculiar.
38. b In the context of the passage the correct answer is
legalize.
39. c Option (c) is the correct answer.
40. b
41. c The passage starts by discussing the rationale for
raising diesel prices in order to control the rising fiscal
deficit. It then goes on to discuss how rising food
prices, linked with the increase in diesel prices and
rising inflation, can be neutralised. The passage then
moves on to other issues linked with a high fiscal
VA / Exercise - 17
deficit and rising inflation and subsequently to dis-
cuss matters of economic growth and globalisation.
The subsequent paragraphs in the passage are all
written in an effort to present a platform that helps
establish the rationale for the government to tackle the
rising fiscal deficit. Option (c) is the answer. Option
(a) is incorrect as the people of the country and their
importance is not discussed. The common man has
not been mentioned in the passage. Hence option (d)
can also be ruled out. Option (b) is also incorrect
because the negative impact of not controlling the
fiscal deficit on outside investment is not discussed in
the passage.
42. b Refer to the sentence - “Raising diesel prices
by…deficit under control.” given in the first paragraph.
It is clear in this statement that the increase in the
diesel subsidy bill has a direct link with the increasing
fiscal deficit. Raising diesel prices will lead to a reduc-
tion in the diesel subsidy bill and will hence help con-
trol fiscal deficit. Option (b) is the answer. Option (a)
is incorrect because it fails to bring in the link between
diesel prices and fiscal deficit. Option (c) is incorrect
because the passage does not suggest that raising
diesel prices is the only way to control the fiscal defi-
cit - the passage only focuses on this aspect but it
cannot be inferred whether this is the only way to
control fiscal deficit or not. Option (d) is incorrect be-
cause it is vague and does not establish the link be-
tween diesel prices and fiscal deficit.
43. d Refer to the last paragraph. Assumption 1 is not valid
and cannot be inferred from the passage as the pas-
sage provides no information which suggests that
globalisation ensures that economies have less au-
tonomy and thus less say in matters of their economic
growth. Assumption 2 is incorrect as the sentence
“To illustrate, Indian farmers...markets by QE3.” given
in the last paragraph only states that Indian farmers
get affected by the WTO negotiations. However, there
isn’t enough information to assume that the WTO has
adversely affected the agricultural growth of the coun-
try. Option (d) is the correct answer.
44. d Refer to the third paragraph in the passage that states
that with a high inflation rate one cannot expect the
RBI to reduce the interest rates. It can be assumed
that interest rates will either remain as they are or rise
further. The rest of the paragraph indicates that inter-
est rates are rising - policy rates are high and the
home loan EMIs are rising. Option (a) can be ruled out
because there is no indication in the passage about
funding of government requirements through market
borrowings. Option (b) goes against the discussion in
the third paragraph. The author suggests an impact
on the fiscal deficit not only in this paragraph but in the
entire passage. Option (c) is incorrect because the
paragraph suggests a link between interest rates and
fiscal deficit. Option (d) is thus the answer.
CEX-5337/P1BS/17 / Page 5
45. d Both the statements are incorrect. 53. a The second last paragraph discusses about community
system that has been examined in historical context in
46. b Viewpoint is a synonym. terms of material means of production in the last
paragraph. The next paragraph is likely to further
47. c Inflation means a general increase in prices etc. explain the evoluation of the distinctive community
system and development of social oragnizations in
48. b The opposite of Hike is Cut. Goa. Option (d) can be ruled out. Option (c) has been
mentioned in the first paragraph but there is not
49. c The opposite of discretionary is compulsory. indication throughout the passage that the author will
dwell on the benchmarks. The author never discusses
50. b The opposite of ‘coercive’ is beneficial. option (b) in the passage - he only mentions that the
Goan economy is among one of the best performing in
the country. The answer is option (a).
51. c The second paragraph speaks about the larger context
through which Goa derives its strength - value as 54. c Refer to the last paragraph for the answer.
derived from humanism. This is best explained by option
(c). Option (d) comes close but this has been given as 55. b Refer to the first and last paragraphs for the answer.
a wider context due to which the Goan economy is The second statement is true.
among the best performing in the country. Option (b) is
on of Goa's strengths. Option (a) is incorrect as it has 56. d 57. b 58. d
not been given in context of Goa's strengths.
59. d 60. b
52. c The author does bring in the narrative style in the
passage except that this is used in order to analyse
the Goan economy. Since the central idea is to
understand the Goan economy (in an attempt to
understand, the author even takes the reader into the
past) the author uses information and even history to
fulfill his purpose. Option (b) is ruled out because it is
a tone and not a style - also it may seem like the author
is praising the economy in the first two paragraphs
but again this is done keeping the primary purpose in
mind. The author does bring in information but he does
not only stick to giving out information. The author also
has opinions that he shares with the readers. The
correct answer is option (c).

CEX-5337/P1BS/17 / Page 6 VA / Exercise - 17

 Verbal Ability – 18 P-1(BS)

Reading Comprehension – Revision

Answers and Explanations
1 b 2 b 3 c 4 c 5 c 6 c 7 c 8 b 9 c 10 d
11 d 12 a 13 d 14 a 15 c 16 b 17 d 18 d 19 c 20 a
21 d 22 d 23 d 24 b 25 b 26 a 27 a 28 d 29 d 30 d

Practice Questions
1 c 2 a 3 b 4 d 5 b 6 d 7 d 8 c 9 d 10 d
11 d 12 c 13 b 14 d 15 d 16 b 17 c 18 b 19 c 20 d
21 b 22 d 23 b 24 c 25 d 26 b 27 c 28 d 29 b 30 c
31 c 32 a 33 a 34 a 35 b 36 b 37 c 38 b 39 b 40 c
41 a 42 c 43 d 44 d 45 d 46 c 47 d 48 c 49 b 50 c
51 a 52 d 53 b 54 d 55 b 56 d 57 a 58 c 59 d 60 b

1. b The whole paragraph focuses on the eradication of
smallpox such that it has ceased to be a threat to
mankind today. Therefore, option (b) is correct. Option
(a) is incorrect because the passage only deals with
WHO’s role in eradicating smallpox not WHO in general.
Option (c) is limited because the passage focuses on
the eradication of the disease but not about the causes,
symptoms or treatment of the disease. Option (d) is
incorrect because the passage does not talk about
any disease except smallpox.
2. b Refer to the following sentence in the first paragraph,
“The goal was to eradicate the disease in one decade.”
Therefore, option (b) is correct. Options (a) is incorrect
owing to the word ‘decrease’. Option (c) is limited
because providing vaccinations is only a way to realize
the real goal of eradicating smallpox. Option (d) is not
referred to in the passage.
3. c The second paragraph of the passage states, “The
strategy was not only to provide mass vaccinations
but also to isolate patients with active small pox…”
Therefore, option (c) is correct. Options (a), (b) and
(d) are limited.
4. c The passage states that “similar projects for malaria
and yellow fever had failed”, therefore, option (a) is
incorrect with respect to smallpox and so it is the
correct answer. All other options are true with regard
to smallpox because the passage dose state that
smallpox was a threat to humanity (d), therefore, WHO
organized a campaign against it (c) and now, it has
been eradicated completely such that its vaccinations
have stopped worldwide (b).
5. c Refer to the following statement in second paragraph,
“…each smallpox victim was sought out…and treated.”
This renders option (c) correct. Option (a) is incorrect
because by “smallpox is no longer a threat”, we cannot
infer that new cases have not been reported ‘this
year’; even if no new cases were reported last year,
the threat would still not exist. Option (b) is incorrect
because the passage states, “similar projects for
malaria and yellow fever had failed.” Option (d) is
incorrect because the fact that there is a need to
isolate smallpox patients from the uninfected ones to
break the chain of further spread of the disease,
proves that smallpox is communicable.
6. c Option (c) is correct because the passage states that
these technical jargon have the “precision of a
mathematical formula”. Option (a) is incorrect because
according to the passage, technical words may
eventually become a part of common speech but to
begin with they are only used by “devotees of the
particular art or science”. Option (b) can be negated
by the fact that “the technical vocabulary is very old”.
Option (d) is incorrect because the passage nowhere
suggests it.
7. c Since the passage deals with technical vocabulary in
language and the role it plays, it is likely to have been
written by a linguist. Therefore, option (c) is correct.

VA / Exercise - 18 CEX-5338/P1BS/17 / Page 1

8. b The passage primarily deals with the incorporation of
technical terminology and its role. Therefore, option
(b) is correct.
9. c Option (c) is correct because the second paragraph
states, “An average man now uses these in his own
vocabulary.” Options (a) and (b) are incorrect owing
to the words ‘interchange’ and ‘always’ respectively.
Option (d) is not given in the passage.
10. d Option (d) is correct because it is not a role owing to
the phrase ‘very widely used’. All other options are
roles played by technical jargon because the passage
states that technical jargon “are necessary in technical
discussion of any kind”, “save time, for it is much more
economical to name a process than to describe it” and
secures “greater exactness in nomenclature”.
11. d Option (a) is negated as it cannot be evidenced from
the passage. In the passage the author has not
criticized anyone. Option (b) talks about comparing
and contrasting the Golden Age with the Silver Age of
comic books, however, the passage nowhere
stresses or discusses any such comparison or
contrast. Option (c) is out of context as it talks about
criticizing comic books for their corrupting influence,
which is mentioned in the passage but not targeted/
focused on. The passage begins by letting its readers
know that the Golden Age of comic books began with
the introduction of Superman in 1938, but there is less
agreement about when exactly the Golden Age ended.
This is followed by a discussion on how the end of
the Golden Age of comic books was brought in. It is
this discussion, on which the passage is primarily
aimed. Hence, the answer is (d).
12. a Refer to the lines, “The creators of superhero comic
books, not wanting to be left behind, responded by
matching their protagonists against darker criminals in
more violent encounters.” EC comics met the market
demand by providing the readers with more horror
and adult content in their comic books. Responding to
the competitive pressure from horror comic books,
the creators of superhero comic books increased the
amount of violence in their stories. Option (a) mentions
the same. Option (b) and (d) are factually incorrect,
option (c) is inappropriate being a very flimsy
conjecture.
13. d The clue to answering this question lies in carefully
reading the following lines of the second paragraph
of the passage, “....child psychologist Fredric Wertham,
who believed that comic books were leading the
nation’s youth into crime, violence, and drug abuse.
Wertham’s book, The Seduction of the Innocent, was
CEX-5338/P1BS/17 / Page 2
a national best-seller that helped bring about
congressional investigations into the corrupting
influence of comic books...” On basis of this, we can
validate option (d). Being insufficient to highlight the
actual message, option (a) is negated. Moreover, it
talks about lack of literary merit which is not supported
by the passage. Option (b) is incorrect in saying that
comic books introduced crime, violence, and drug
abuse to nation’s youth. It cannot be ascertained that
these were introduced by comic books. Option (c) is
too generic in nature and is negated.
14. a Option (a) is true about Silver Age. It can be validated
from the last lines of the last paragraph, “The comics
business did not recover until the Marvel revolution of
the early 1960s ushered in the Silver Age.” Option (b)
is incorrect as the passage does not hint/comment
about any differences or similarities between the comic
books of the two Ages. Option (c) and (d) are also
incorrect as it is not mentioned in the passage that
Comics Code Authority regulations could or could not
affect the comic books of Silver Age.
15. c In the second paragraph, we read, “These darker
comic books aroused the anger of child psychologist
Fredric Wertham, who believed that comic books were
leading the nation’s youth into...” Thus we infer that
Wertham’s efforts were an angry response to a trend
in the subject matter of the comic book industry. Being
irrelevant and untrue, options (a) and (d) are easily
negated. Option (b) is incorrect since “too far” is
subjective and not addressed in the passage.
16. b The second paragraph begins by passing the judgment
that Shagun TV can itself seem obsessed. It further
gives examples justifying this claim. Thus, the correct
answer is option (b).
17. d The author talks about the new TV channel and its
functions. But at certain points, like the second
paragraph, the author passes judgment and calls the
channel ‘obsessed’. Thus, the correct answer is option
(d).
18. d The author, in the fifth paragraph, gives data related to
the Indian wedding market in order to give an idea of
the market Shagun TV is going to tap. Hence, the
correct answer is option (d).
19. c In the fifth paragraph, the author mentions that the
wedding market is expected to grow 25 to 30 percent
annually. He gives a range within which he expects
the market to grow. One cannot say with certainty
that the market will grow at an increasing rate. The
passage is silent with respect to whether the growth
rate will increase every year. Hence, the author’s
opinion on it cannot be ascertained. Option (c) is thus
the correct answer.
VA / Exercise - 18
20. a The last paragraph states that the channel will break
privacy taboos by bringing on couples to share private
details of their relationships. Hence, option (a) is the
answer.
21. d There is no mention about the cost of living in space.
So option (a) is eliminated (b) is directly stated from
the passage. (d) can be inferred as the author is
talking about the negative effects of outer space on
the human body such as bone mass loss due to disuse
of the bones. So (d) can be inferred from the passage.
22. d As all the three are stated in the passage so option (d)
which says all of these are correct.
23. d The author is talking of gravitational pull through out
the passage. Therefore the crux of the passage is to
highlight the importance of gravitational pull. Hence
option (d) is the answer.
24. b Answer is option (b) as it is stated in the passage
(1st para).
25. b The author is telling us something about the gravitational
pull and how it may affect the human body. Therefore
the tone of the author is informational. Hence answer
is option (b).
26. a The passage is primarily concerned with telling us
about article 32. It does talk about the Supreme Court
and Fundamental Rights, but the primary emphasis is
on article 32. Hence, option (a) is the correct choice.
27. a Refer to the line, "An application made under Article
32...technical grounds." This line does not suggest
that an application made under Article 32 of the
Constitution before the Supreme Court, cannot be
refused under any circumstances as the given line
only mentions technical grounds. All the other options
can be deduced from the passage.
28. d A and B are mentioned in the passage. It is mentioned
that article 32 refers to the “Constitutional Remedy”
for the enforcement of the Fundamental Rights and is
in itself a Fundamental Right. Hence, option (d) is
correct.
29. d The author has stated various facts and figures in a
factual/objective tone. He neither expresses his
opinions nor analyzes the issue. Thus, option (d) is
the correct choice.
30. d Violation means a failure to uphold the requirements
of law, duty, or obligation. Thus, violation is the correct
word.
VA / Exercise - 18
Practice Questions
1. c In the sentence “There is a technological...of big retail
chains.” the author highlights that India has played an
important role in giving the retail giants a competitive
edge. Option (c) is the answer. Options (a) and (b)
are incorrect because they place importance on the
interests of the local shopkeepers whereas the au-
thor does not highlight this in the passage. Option (d)
is incorrect because it goes against the information in
the passage and the stand that the author takes in the
first paragraph.
2. a Statement 1 can be inferred from the last line of the
second paragraph - “What sets the real…keep their
competitive edge.” Statement 2 can be inferred from
the sentence given in the third paragraph of the pas-
sage - “Data analytics and customer relations…choose
discount strategies.” Statement 3 cannot be inferred
as there is no reference to the maintenance of large
inventories leading to the reduction in cost for con-
sumers. Hence, option (a) is the answer.
3. b In the last four paragraphs, the author presents ex-
amples of how Indian firms and professionals have,
through technology, helped in the growth of the for-
eign retail giants. Refer to the last line of the first
paragraph - “There is a technological dimension…edge
of big retail chains.” It helps infer that option (b) is the
answer. Option (a) is incorrect because it does not
point out the role of Indian technology firms and pro-
fessionals. Option (c) is incorrect because it is a gen-
eral statement while the author only presents infor-
mation on Indian IT firms and does not link this with the
growth of retail giants. Option (d) is incorrect because
it leaves out the role of the Indian IT firms.
4. d Both the statements are incorrect. Refer to the fifth
paragraph.
5. b Refer to the second paragraph for the answer.
Statement two is correct as per the passage.
6. d 7. d 8. c
9. d 10. d
11. d Refer to the third paragraph. The passage discusses
the issue of tax evasion and states that investments
are routed into India through countries like Mauritius
so that investors can avoid paying taxes. This is done
by setting up a letter-box company in Mauritius so that
investors can avoid paying tax in India. It also indi-
cates that Mauritius is a tax friendly country (havens)
but not necessarily tax free. Thus, option (b) can be
ruled out and option (d) is the answer. Option (c) can
be ruled out because nothing has been mentioned
about “obsolete tax laws” in the passage. Option (a)
can be ruled out because treaty shopping is a loop
hole that investors have discovered, however, this
doesn’t mean that the practice is illegal.
CEX-5338/P1BS/17 / Page 3
12. c Refer to the second paragraph that states that the
Supreme Court ruled against the taxman (and in fa-
vour of Vodafone) and accepted that Indian law does
not have provisions to stop the widely used tax eva-
sion methods used by incoming foreign investors. State-
ment 1 is correct. Statement 2 is also correct and can
be inferred from the sixth paragraph. Refer to the line,
“…the company to claim tax from is Hutchison, which
made profit from the sale of its stake in the telecom
company.” Option (c) is the answer.
13. b Option (a) can be ruled out by a reference to the
second paragraph in which it is stated that Indian law
was incapable of plugging a widely used tax dodge
by inbound foreign investment. However, this does
not point to the general archaic nature of Indian law.
Option (b) is the answer and can be inferred from the
last line of the fourth paragraph - “…taxes in retro-
spect are best avoided.” The passage also talks about
“the fog over retrospective taxes” which tells us that
there is a lack of clarity about the issue. Option (c) is
incorrect as the line, “Specifically, they must…tax rev-
enue” implies that taxes in retrospect should not be
used to just raise tax revenue. This does not imply that
taxes in retrospect is not the only way to raise tax
revenue. Option (d) can be ruled out because it goes
beyond the scope of the passage and the focus of
the author’s argument.
14. d Both the statements are incorrect. Refer to the first
and third paragraphs.
15. d Both the statements are incorrect. Refer to the last
sentence of the third paragraph and the fourth
paragraph.
16. b Nub is a synonym for crux.
17. c Unambiguous is a synonym for unequivocal.
18. b The correct answer is prospective.
19. c Defunct is the right answer.
20. d
21. b Refer to the first paragraph. Option (a) cannot be
inferred as there is no reference in the passage to the
cabinet reshuffle. Option (b) can be inferred from the
third line of the first paragraph – the level of deficit is
still way above what is considered prudent and man-
ageable. Option (c) is incorrect because there is no
correct or incorrect level of current account deficit
reduction discussed in the passage. Option (d) moves
the discussion to a different track – it suggests that
the balance of payments situation will not reach a
critical stage if there is a reduction in imports and
exports. However, this option does not address the
question itself. Option (b) is the answer.
CEX-5338/P1BS/17 / Page 4
22. d Refer to the last paragraph which discusses the flip
side – in this case the negative as the first paragraph
introduces a positive view point. Option (a) can be
inferred from the seventh line of the paragraph, “Be-
sides, the government...reining it in.” Option (b) can be
inferred from the lines, “For instance, recent...boosting
stock prices.” Option (c) can be inferred from the
lines, “The cheap money...received greater attention.”
Option (d) is incorrect as the author subtly criticises
following a cheap money policy. However, there is no
mention of money obtained through cheap means or
through low means.
23. b Refer to the first paragraph. Statement 1 is incorrect
because the line, “...that the economy will grow at a
reasonably fast clip of around 6.5 per cent...” implies
that the rate of growth of the economy will occur at
around 6.5 per cent and not much more than 6.5 per
cent. Statement 2 is correct and can be inferred from
the line “...the actions of the European Central Bank
and the Federal Reserve will help in bringing eco-
nomic growth in Europe and the U.S. back on track.”
Statement 3 is incorrect as the ninth line states that oil
prices will not go much higher than the current price
of $100 per barrel. However, there isn’t enough infor-
mation in the passage to infer that the prices will fi-
nally settle at a rate higher than the current $100 per
barrel. Option (d) is the answer.
24. c Both the statements are correct. Refer to the first and
second paragraphs.
25. d Both the statements are incorrect. Refer to the first
and second paragraphs for the answer.
26. b Confirm is the right answer.
27. c Surfeit means Excess.
28. d ‘Traction’ means grip.
29. b Acceleration is the opposite of deceleration.
30. c In this context steady is the opposite of faltering.
31. c The sentences “The stock market is in the...money
back, with interest.” in the first paragraph clearly tell
us that with the low value of their shares these com-
panies are now faced with paying back investors the
money they lent them. Option (a) cannot be inferred
as the passage does not talk about the number of
years required to reach the preferred status. Option
(b) is a judgement on a past decision taken by the
companies - ‘however, the basis for the decision is
not known and hence one cannot pass judgement on
the decision itself.’ Option (d) is incorrect because the
impact of the low share values on market expecta-
tions cannot be inferred from the passage.
VA / Exercise - 18
32. a Refer to the second paragraph that discusses the
measures that the government can take in order to
revive investor sentiment. Option (a) cannot be in-
ferred from the paragraph as the measures that have
been mentioned are concerned with bailing out com-
panies that need to pay up to their creditors and en-
suring wise management of the economy. There is no
mention of linking producers directly with consumers.
Option (b) can be inferred from the sentence “It is
thinking of...pay off their creditors”. Option (c) can be
inferred from the sentences “Reviving investor
sentiment...and macroeconomic stability.” Option (d)
can be inferred from the sentence “The markets have
revived...prudent economic management.”
33. a Refer to the last paragraph. Statement (1) can be in-
ferred from the sentence “Companies are starved ...
its social welfare agenda”. It implies that because the
government has availed of most of the household sav-
ings, there are not enough funds within the country
for the corporate sector. As a result, this sector has to
borrow funds from abroad. Statement (2) cannot be
inferred as the last sentence of the passage indicates
that the policy decisions of the government have been
detrimental to the interests of the corporate sector
and have adversely affected India’s previous growth
status as the second fastest growing major economy.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
34. a Refer to the third paragraph for the answer.
35. b
36. b In a pickle means in a mess.
37. c To tank is to crash.
38. b ‘Revive’ means Resuscitate.
39. b Option (b) is the right answer.
40. c The opposite of expansion is contraction.
41. a Refer to the first paragraph. It criticises the debate on
food security because this debate is more concerned
with capitalist (commercial) aspects. The next sen-
tence goes on to discuss that the debate does not
focus on the fact that food also has social aspects
(something we eat to varying needs and tastes...and
value in specific terms for preserving life, of self and
others). Option (a) is the answer. Option (b) can be
ruled out because the price of commodities is a very
limited capitalist/commercial aspect. Option (c) can be
ruled out because the passage does not link livelihood
to the debate on food security. Option (d) is incorrect
because food production has not been mentioned in
the passage.
VA / Exercise - 18
42. c Refer to the sentence “While the protagonists
squabble...vegetables, milk and fruit” given in the sec-
ond paragraph. The author indicates that those con-
nected with the right-to-food campaign spend their
energies on fighting over other issues instead of fo-
cusing on more critical issues like child malnutrition.
Statement (3) is incorrect because it is not a criticism
but only a further explanation of the problem of child
malnutrition. Statement (2) is not a criticism of the cam-
paign or of those connected with it. It is a factor con-
tributing to the point of criticism mentioned in state-
ment 1. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
43. d Refer to the last paragraph. Statement (1) cannot be
inferred because the paragraph does not mention dis-
tribution as a weak link in the food security issue. It is
the lack of perspective that food security is not just
about caloric intake but requires a more concerted
effort. Statement (2) is incorrect because it places the
blame of unemployment on food security. Whereas
the paragraph states that the National Food Security
Bill, even with amendments, encourages an economic
model that gives rise to unemployment and food crisis
among the rural poor. This does not indicate that all
work on food security leads to problems of unemploy-
ment. The answer is option (d).
44. d Refer to the first sentence of the passage for the
answer.
45. d The entire topic talks about food security. Hence, option
(d) is the answer. The other options are narrow in
scope.
46. c In the given context paradigm means pattern.
47. d Variegated & varied both mean of many types.
48. c ‘Squabble’ means ‘to bicker’.
49. b Reassuring is the opposite of disconcerting.
50. c The opposite of protagonist is antagonist.
51. a The answer should be option (a) The author provides
information in the passage that supports the need for
employment related skills formation and vocational
training of the Indian workforce. Option (b) has been
mentioned but it is not the central idea as the author
moves the discussion towards a solution - reforms by
the government. Option (c) is incorrect. The author
discusses weaknesses in the system (based more
on implementation) and not weaknesses in vocational
training. Option (d) cannot be inferred - the author
only says that "Training for workers in the unorganized
sector has so far mainly been imparted by NGOs" but
this cannot be inferred to mean that NGOs must not
impart this training.
CEX-5338/P1BS/17 / Page 5
52. d The first paragraph of the passage has a reference to
the two crucial aspects - given in option (d). Option
(a) has been incorrectly written. Option (b) is incorrect
as the author mentions the access to quality education
and vocational training as the crucial aspects. Option
(c) has been given by the author as a substantiation
for his argument that the government should be 54. d
involved in making India's workforce more competitive
in the international labour market.
55. b
53. b In the last line of the second paragraph, the author
discusses the reason for training being confined only
to the organized sector. It is clear that the answer is 56. d
Option (b). Option (a) cannot be inferred and we do
not know that the two events were a cause and effect 59. d
phenomenon. Option (c) is incorrect because it speaks
CEX-5338/P1BS/17 / Page 6
about domination of the organized sector over the
unorganized sector. This does not correctly explain
the reason that the author has given in the passage.
Option (d) has not been mentioned by the author as a
reason and hence it cannot be inferred.
Both the statements are incorrect. Refer to the second
paragraph for the answer.
The author of the passage is an economist because
the passage deals with Economics.
57. a 58. c
60. b
VA / Exercise - 18
 Verbal Ability – 19 P-1(BS)

Reading Comprehension – Revision

Answers and Explanations

1 d 2 c 3 b 4 c 5 b 6 d 7 a 8 d 9 c 10 d
11 a 12 b 13 c 14 b 15 a 16 c 17 a 18 c 19 c 20 b
21 a 22 d 23 b 24 b 25 d 26 a 27 c 28 c 29 d 30 c
31 a 32 c 33 b 34 a 35 b 36 c 37 b 38 d 39 a 40 d
41 d 42 c 43 a 44 d 45 c 46 c 47 d 48 b 49 c 50 b
51 d 52 b 53 b 54 c 55 a 56 d 57 b 58 d 59 b 60 a
Practice Questions
1 d 2 c 3 d 4 c 5 b 6 a 7 b 8 c 9 d 10 c
11 b 12 a 13 c 14 a 15 d 16 c 17 b 18 a 19 c 20 d
21 b 22 a 23 a 24 c 25 a 26 d 27 d 28 a 29 b 30 a
31 c 32 b 33 d 34 a 35 a 36 d 37 a 38 a 39 d 40 c
41 b 42 c 43 a 44 c 45 a 46 b 47 a 48 d 49 c 50 b
51 c 52 d 53 b 54 c 55 a 56 d 57 a 58 c 59 c 60 d
61 c 62 b 63 c 64 d 65 d 66 d 67 c 68 b 69 a 70 d

1. d The passage states that “growth of the press depends
on both” – “subscribers who can afford to buy
newspapers” as well as “businessmen who can
afford to advertise in it”. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer. All other answer choices are limited.
2. c ‘Newspaper Management’ is the most apt choice as
the given passage talks about the factors that affect
and facilitate newspaper management. Hence, option
(c) is the correct answer. Other options are inept
because ‘advertisements’ and ‘economics’ are
discussed as potent aspects capable of influencing
the management of newspapers.
3. b ‘Vital’ refers to something/someone necessary or
important for something/someone to succeed or exist.
The last sentence of the passage emphasizes upon a
vital/important aspect of newspaper management.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer. Options (a)
and (d) are incorrect because both ‘primary’ and
‘paramount’ are superlative adjectives meaning ‘most
important’ or ‘more important than anything else’ but
the adjective ‘vital’ is positive in degree. ‘Acute’ means
‘serious’.
4. c Option (d) is incorrect because the second paragraph
of the passage states that “coordination” and
communication among various departments is
“essential for effective newspaper management”. The
first paragraph mentions that when it comes to
newspaper management, aspects like “subscribers
who can afford to buy newspapers” and
“businessmen who can afford to advertise in it” cannot
be neglected. It is because both aid the inflow of money
to the newspapers. This proves that (a) and (b) are
required for good newspaper management. Option
(c) is the answer because the passage only states
that the department heads “must be aware of the
goals set, policies and future plans of the
management”, while they make no reference to setting
up of goals.
5. b The word 'afford' in the passage is used to denote
that the heads of various departments cannot bear to
remain cut off from the mainstream of management
function. The other options are incorrect.
6. d The entire passage focuses on the evolution of the
modern horse from the size of rabbits to the height
that they have reached today. Therefore, option (d) is
correct. Option (a) is incorrect because the study of
fossils only aid the research referred to. Option (b) is
incorrect because it does not talk about horses. Option
(c) is incorrect because the passage does not talk
about different species but evolution of horses.

VA / Exercise - 19 CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 1

7. a Since the word ‘species’ in the fourth paragraph refers
to different types of horses, option (a) would be the
correct answer.
8. d Refer to the fourth paragraph where it is clearly stated,
“They looked very much like a tiny modern horse”.
This clearly indicates that the horses at the end of the
Dawn period had a body structure similar to that of the
modern horses. Hence, option (d) is correct.
9. c The first paragraph clearly state that the Dawn horse
was called so “because it lived at the beginning of the
age of the mammals”. Hence, option (c) is correct.
10. d Refer to the last paragraph, “The history of the horse
shows how evolution helps an animal better adapt to
its world”. Hence, option (d) is correct. All other options
are therefore incorrect.
11. a The very first line of the paragraph states, “The
suggestion of the National Commission for Minority
Educational Institutions (NCMEI) to make mathematics
and English optional so that they do not count for
promotion in secondary school would be music to
many an ear.” Therefore, option (a) is correct. Option
(b) can be negated by the statement, “The
recommendation is not baseless.” Options (c) and (d)
are incorrect because they cannot be evidenced from
the passage.
12. b Refer to the following line from the first paragraph,
"The figures challenge the stereotype that low scores
are obtained by those born with low IQ." From this we
can infer that economically weaker section score low
not because they have low IQ, but because they are
economically weak. Therefore, option (b) is correct.
Options (a) and (c) are not stated in the passage.
13. c Option (c) is correct because it is clearly stated in the
last paragraph of the passage. All other options are
incorrect for lack of evidence from the passage.
14. b Option (b) is correct because the paragraph of the
passage states, "Locality could play a major role in
low examination scores." Option (c) is not stated in
the passage.
15. a The author presents the data pertaining to education
in an objective manner. Hence, option (a) is correct.
Although in the fifth paragraph, the author sounds a
little ironical, his manner of presenting the facts is
generally objective. Hence, option (c) can be ruled
out. He is certainly not appreciative. His tone is also
not too critical.
CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 2
16. c It is stated in the passage that “These sentiments belong
to one or other of two contrasting and complementary
groups … Sentiments of Human Insignificance, and
Sentiments of Human Greatness”. Hence option (c) is
correct.
17. a Refer to the passage “… the nearest and most familiar
symbol of all the astronomical horrors: but the
astronomers who discovered those horrors of space
and time were men. The universe throws down a
challenge to the human spirit; in spite of his
insignificance and abjection, man has taken it up.” The
tone is far from abject since the author takes pride in
what has been accomplished till now by humanity.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
18. c The contrasting and complementary sentiments are
given as the “Sentiments of Human Insignificance”
and the “Sentiments of Human Greatness”. Thus the
correct answer is option (c).
19. c Though the author starts out by saying that looking at
the moon, man might feel insignificant or great, in the
second paragraph he mainly talks about how in spite
of his insignificance and abjection, man has taken up
the challenge of the black boundlessness of space.
Hence option (c) is correct.
20. b In the second paragraph, the author states that man
has stood up against the challenge of black boundless
space and we have a right to our moods of sober
exultation. Thus, the author is more likely to agree with
what Paul Valery says.
21. a The passage talks about all round reforms making
‘a’ the correct option.
22. d The passage talks about simplifying and reducing the
tariff making option ‘d’ correct.
23. b The passage talks about high standards of protection
making option ‘b’ correct.
24. b The entire scope has reduced considerably making
option ‘b’ the correct option.
25. d Option (d) is correct because the author analyses the
entire topic of trade and economic growth. He provides
the pros and cons such as simplification of tariff and
anti-export bias. The author is certainly not appreciative
of the entire situation. Neither is he criticizing because
he provides some of the upsides as well. Hence,
options (a) and (b) can be ruled out. The author is
never satirical. Option (c) is out of context.
VA / Exercise - 19
26. a The word ‘absorbed’ in the context of the passage
means engrossed in thoughts.
27. c Apart from profession, careers can also mean ‘to move
swiftly and in an uncontrolled way’. The word is used
as a verb.
28. c As per the second paragraph, Paul’s journey on
horseback reflected passion and perseverence.
29. d The entire passage talks about the imagination and
passion of Paul. Hence, option (d) is the answer.
30. c ‘Inwardly’ in the context of the sentence refers to the
inner self of Paul.
31. a Refer to para one of the passage where the difference
between sadness and depression has been cited.
The other options are incorrect.
32. c Refer to the first two lines of para two for the answer.
33. b Refer to the lines - ‘In all likelihood, depression has
less to do with events that occur than with an
individual’s inherent vulnerability to the condition.’
34. a The author has described the symptoms and the
causes of depression in this passage. His tone is
similar to that of a psychologist or psychotherapist.
35. b Rest of the three options are mentioned in the passage.
36. c 2nd paragraph, inertia principle explains it.
37. b Moons of Jupiter were discovered not of Saturn. Refer
to the second paragraph.
38. d The entire passage talks about Galileo’s observations
and their impact on theory. Hence, option (d) is correct.
39. a Refer to the third paragraph where the author says
that Newton developed a system of mechanics which
was based on Galileo’s work.
40. d Dogma means forcing a belief on someone. ‘Request’
has nothing to do with Dogma.
41. d The passage traces the definition of pure art as per
Kant’s theory. (a) is not correct because it Kant actually
believed in it, (b) is also attributed to Kant in the
passage. (c) is a part of his theory. (d) is the correct
answer because according to Kant it involved free
play and was thus pure.
42. c According to the passage, Kant equates appreciation
of beauty with scattered pebbles, unfettered and at
the same time harmonious, making (c) the correct
answer. All the other options are vesting the pebbles
VA / Exercise - 19
with some quality which makes them incorrect. (a)
vests it with free play, (b) as representing beauty, (d)
inner beauty.
43. a The passage marks the advent and spread of
Aesthetics and presents Kant’s views on pure
enjoyment of nature and why he thought arts to impure.
The passage traces Kant argument for appreciation
of pure beauty, this being the main line of thought and
thus makes (a) correct. (b) is incorrect as there is no
occurrence of any sorts, so is C, as there is no
conjecture. (d) is on the same lines and are incorrect
as the passage concentrates on Kant’s line of thought
only.
44. d The author employs reasoning to define for us Kant’s
line of thought. (a) is incorrect as the tone is quite
objective, (b) is incorrect as there is no maligning and
(c) is incorrect as the passage seeks to merely inform.
Option (d) the correct answer choice.
45. c The passage is quite clearly about Kant’s theory of
pure beauty; the passage gradually veers towards
this. All other options are incorrect as in (a) we talk
about search of beauty which is not correct, (b) is
incorrect because it is more of pure beauty, (d) is
again incorrect because its an aspect being discussed.
46. c an advisory decree. The passage clearly mentions
the meaning of the phrase. (a) is not mentioned, (b) is
vague and (d) is not suitable.
47. d The passage clearly states that the senate had no
role in policy making, all the other options define the
role of the senate.
48. b The passage is entirely devoted to explaining the
powers vested with the senate making (b) correct.
49. c Option (a) is incorrect because it is rather lofty, option
(b) is very abrupt, option (d) is incorrect. Option (c) is
the best title as it captures the essence.
50. b The last paragraph talks about the powers with the
other authorities thus (b) forms the most logical
continuation. All the others are mentioned in the
passage and thus incorrect.
51. d Refer to the first three lines of the passage which
states “It still remains to speak of one of the principal
causes, which make diversity of opinion
advantageous, and will continue to do so until mankind
shall have entered a stage of intellectual advancement,
which at present seems at an incalculable distance.”
It explains that diversity of opinion is inversely
proportional to intellectual advancement.
CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 3
52. b Refer to the line 7 of the passage which states
“….when the conflicting doctrines, instead of being
one true and the other false, share the truth between
them: and the nonconforming opinion is needed to
supply the reminder of the truth, of which the received
doctrine embodies only a part.” It explains that
conflicting doctrines including a non-conformist view
complement each other.
53. b Refer to line 10 of the passage which states “Popular
opinions, on subjects not palpable to sense, are often
true, but seldom or never the whole truth.” Hence,
option (b) is correct according to the passage.
54. c Refer to line 19 of the passage which states “Even
progress, which other to super add for the most part
only substitutes. One partial and incomplete truth for
another, incomplete truth for another, improvement
consisting chiefly in this, that the new fragment of
truth is more wanted, more adapted to the needs of
the time, than that which it displaces.” It explains that
the progress of humanity is reflected in the substitution
of one partial truth for another less adapted to the
needs of time.
55. a The passage clearly talks about the views of people
taking into considerations the extent of truth and falsity
in different conditions. Vox populi means the voice of
the people; popular opinion. Hence, it is an appropriate
title for the given extract.
56. d Option (a) can be inferred from the lines “Stressing
that there is no permanence about any definition of a
crime and criminal law, he pointed to the absolute
power accorded to the state to implement the law and
the real context of abuse, misuse and vindictive
administration of the laws”. Option (b) can be inferred
from the lines “Kannabiran’s contribution to human
rights was not only in the field of criminal law”. Option
(c) can be inferred from the lines “While it is in the
course of crime detection, investigation and
apprehension of the accused that human rights
violations ordinarily take place”. Thus, the correct
answer is option (d).
57. b The author is formally praising Kannabiran in the
passage, citing him as a “role model – of a person
who through personal example became the
embodiment of the ethical and political values he
advocated.” Thus, the author’s attitude towards
Kannabiran is eulogistic.
58.d The formulation refers to the Kannabiran’s formulation
mentioned in the first sentence of the passage. Thus
“The simplicity of the formulation masked the profundity
of its understanding of criminal law” pertains to the
CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 4
centrality of the state in the administration of criminal
justice.
59. b The excerpt, it appears, is a part of a biography. Option
(b) is correct. Option (a) is obviously incorrect since
the author expresses his admiration for Kannabiran at
length in the passage, which would be quite
inappropriate if included in a legal report. Option (c) is
incorrect since nowhere in the passage is Kannabiran
referred to as Late Kannabiran. A paean, is a song of
praise and hence, (d) is incorrect.
60. a The word ‘taboo’ refers to any prohibition resulting
from social or other conventions. “There were no taboo
issues for Kannabiran” by this, the author means to
say that Kannabiran did not have any reservation in
deliberating any kind of issue. Hence, option (a) is
correct.
Practice Questions
1. d Statement (1) cannot be inferred because the
availability of employment opportunities has not been
discussed in the passage. Statement (2) also cannot
be inferred because the ever-changing nature of the
Indian middle class has not been mentioned in the
passage. Hence the answer is option (d).
2. c Option (a) can be deduced from the sentence “At a
conference...not-quite middle class” given in the third
paragraph. Option (b) can be inferred from the fourth
paragraph in which it is clearly stated that $4 is the
national poverty line in many developing countries and
$10 represents a level of material security. Option (c)
is incorrect because ‘ad-hoc’ is used to describe the
$2-$4 and $6-$10 ranges in the second paragraph.
The $4-$10 range is discussed in the last two
paragraphs of the passage. Option (d) can be inferred
from the sentence “At a conference...not-quite middle
class” given in the third paragraph.
3. d Refer to the last two paragraphs. Option (a) cannot
be inferred even though the last paragraph makes a
reference to the $4- $10 range as being still among
the top 30% of Indians. In the third paragraph the $4-
$10 range has been described as non-poor and not-
quite middle class. Hence, it is clear that the author
makes no attempt to link this range with the middle
class. It is a range that has been used to understand
the Indian middle-class but not to define them. Option
(b) can be ruled out because the $4-$10 range has
been referred to as not unreasonable by Birdsall.
However. the passage reveals no information on how
experts view this range. Option (c) can be ruled out
as the $10 limit was chosen because it represents a
level of material security. It does not indicate that the
middle class, in any country, are always in danger of
falling back into poverty. Option (d) is thus the answer.
VA / Exercise - 19
4. c Refer to the second sentence of the passage for the
answer.
5. b Refer to the last sentence of the fourth paragraph for
the answer.
6. a 7. b 8. c
9. d 10. c
11. b The answer follows directly from the 2nd paragraph,
8th line-"The difference in perception…..mainly due to
varying degree of access". Statement 3 is the reason
for statement 2 and one leads to the other. So (b) is
correct. Statement 1 is not correct as it is mentioned in
the second paragraph, third line, "This perception is at
….. to them". This implies that there is no lack of
literature.
12. a Option (a) can be inferred from the last lines of
paragraph 2. Option (b) has been given in paragraph
with relation to the documented view only. Option (c)
has not been mentioned in the passage nor can it be
inferred from any information given in the passage.
Option (d) is incorrect and has not been stated by the
author. Answer is (a).
13. c Statement 1 can be inferred from 2nd paragraph. It is
mentioned in the second paragraph - "Common
property resources…….with respect to them".
Statement 2 can be inferred from 4th paragraph. It is
mentioned in the fourth paragraph that-"It is common
for nomadic….other parts of semi arid India". Both
statements 1 and 2 are correct. Hence, (c) is the
correct answer.
14. a The passage talks about the property rights in India.
The other options are narrow in scope.
15. d Both the statements are incorrect. Statement 1 is
incorrect because the passage says that pastoral
communities have grazing rights after the harvesting
of the monsoon crop. Refer to the fourth paragraph.
The second statement is wrong. Refer to the third
paragraph.
16. c 17. b 18. a
19. c 20. d
21. b Option (a) is not within the scope of the passage.
Option (b) is the most likely answer given the
information in the first and last paragraphs of the
passage. Option (c) is also beyond the scope of the
passage. Option (d) has been mentioned in the last
paragraph only and since it is has been stated more
as a lesson it is highly unlikely the author would have
gone on to elaborate on it.
VA / Exercise - 19
22. a The answer is option (a). The author mentions that the
ASEAN reestablished harmonious relations and helped
close the hostility of the Cold War. Option (b) cannot
be inferred even though the third paragraph mentions
"festering insurgencies" this can't be juxtaposed with
the lines in the previous paragraph. Option (c) is never
indicated - the author has indicated a positive
connotation when he mentions that ASEAN was in a
"constructive engagement" with the rogue regime,
Myanmar. Option (d) is incorrect because the financial
crisis took place in 1997-98 and the author says that
the role of ASEAN was at its optimum by early 2000s.
23. a The Answer follows directly from 3rd paragraph, 4th
line-"But here again……..political-economic
hegemonies".
24. c Refer to the first and second paragraphs for the
answer.
25. a The author is most likely a political scientist because
he analyses the political developments in Southeast
Asia in great detail.
26. d 27. d 28. a
29. b 30. a
31. c The first line of paragraph 3 mentions the three
reasons (roots) for election finance reform. Statement
1 and 3 have been mentioned in this paragraph.
However the paragraph also refers to the public
concern for equal opportunity for political participation
and not for the polity's concern. Statement 4 has been
mentioned as an observation of the political parties'
behaviour during election campaigns and not as a
reason for warranting a discussion on political finance
reform. The answer is (c).
32. b In paragraph 2 the author mentions the difference in
the dependence on funding between the left and right
parties. Option (a) mentions the dependence on the "
collective wealth of the unions" whereas the passage
mentions the "collective contribution of workers often
channeled through affiliated trade unions". The
difference between the two is subtle with an
understanding that in the first case the workers may
not make their individual contributions (as understood
from the passage). Option (b) has been mentioned in
the passage and it is the answer. Option (c) is incorrect
as it is not mentioned that the left parties depend on
contributions from the common man or that the right
parties depend specifically on contributions from large
MNCs. Option (d) is incorrect because networks of
influential individuals has not been mentioned in the
passage and the dependence on large business is
also ignored in this option. The second half of the
option indicates that the parties of the left depend on
contribution of the trade unions and not on individual
contribution from the workers.
CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 5
33. d Option (a) has not been discussed by the author and
is beyond the scope of the passage. Option (b) and
(c) have both been mentioned in paragraph 2. Option
(d) is incorrect because it draws away from the
central idea of the passage. The answer is (d).
34. a In the last few lines of the first paragraph the author
mentions his primary purpose - the need for political
finance reform. He does not discuss the methodology
to ensure political finance reform but discusses the
characteristics of the thrust of political finance reform.
Therefore option (b) is ruled out. The author does go
on to discuss the impact that political finance reform
may bring - stability of democracy and a possible
reduction in the widespread cynicism about parties
and politicians. However he does not aim to discuss
the ways to bring about this stability. Neither does he
discuss the need to reduce the widespread cynicism
about parties and politicians. The answer is option
(a).
35. a In the 4th paragraph of the passage, statements 1 and
2 are mentioned as the main characteristics of political
financial reform. Statement 3 is an expected outcome
of implementing a main characteristic of political financial
reform. Statement 4 presents goal of placing
expenditure limits but not the main characteristic itself.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
36. d 37. a 38. a
39. d 40. c
41. b The author views both sides of the issue, however
with an objective to discuss his points of view with
the reader. There is no strong argumentation presented
by the author and he maintains a conversational tone
throughout making the answer as option (b). The author
writes in a style that is easy to read, however, this
cannot be termed as casual - it can also be inferred
that the subject matter is important to him. Option (a)
and (c) are thus ruled out. The author also presents
his opinions on the topic and so one cannot say that
he maintains an objective tone.
42. c The correct answer is option (c) - this is given in the
first line of the second paragraph and the rest of the
paragraph as well the third paragraph explain the
author's point of view. Option (a) is incorrect because
the author says that time is not a factor in the inability
in or avoidance of replication. Option (b) is not a correct
inference from the passage. The author says that
there is a higher probability that work that is mundane
will not be replicated and one should not be alarmed at
this. Option (d) has been mentioned in the passage
CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 6
but the author has indicated that there is a way around
it. It also cannot be used to paraphrase the line just
after it.
43. a The correct answer is option (a) as can be inferred
from the first three paragraphs - the second paragraph
refers to experimental errors and the third paragraph
refers to self-correction. However, self-discovery is
not part of the discussion put forth by the author and
as such is out of the scope of the passage itself. The
removal of experimental errors has not been discussed
and it is questionable whether this would be the
objective of replication. Option (b) can be ruled out.
The author also does not say that replication helps
adjust the experimental errors and so this also cannot
be inferred from the passage.
44. c Both the statements are correct. Refer to the first and
last paragraphs for the answers.
45. a Considering the tone and language, the passage is
certainly an excerpt from a journal article.
46. b 47. a 48. d
49. c 50. b
51. c The author presents information on the book review
with factual information. He discusses De Soto's views
and does not add his opinions on how the latter has
approached the topic. Option (a) and 4 are ruled out
as they are negative. Option (b) is also ruled out
because an analytical style would require the author
to present more information and understanding of De
Soto's style and approach in writing the book.
However, in two cases - the first line included - the
author supports De Soto. He then follows it up with an
objective view of De Soto's book. And it can then be
seen that the rest of the information in the passage
does not take away from the support that the author
has for De Soto's book. The answer is option (c).
52. d The author is reviewing De Soto's book and in that
logical flow he presents evidence collected by De
Soto on capital accumulation and then moves on to De
Soto's views on why assets in developing countries
are not profitable. Option (a) is ruled out because the
author does not present his own views. Option (c) is
negative and the author has not presented a negative
side to De Soto's book. Option (b) is cannot be inferred.
Option (d) is the right answer.
VA / Exercise - 19
53. b The author mentions that De Soto conducts extensive
fieldwork on five developing countries. He then goes
on to present excerpts of information from the book
on three of the countries mentioned. The next
paragraph moves on to presenting De Soto's view on
why assets in developing countries are not profitable.
The passage is a book review and as such the author's
aim would be to present a quick analysis of De Soto's
book. It is then logical that the author would go on to
talk about De Soto's analysis and not present evidence
of capital accumulated by Peru and Philippines (though
the book may do so) . In the first step of the analysis
(and from the last four lines of the passage) one can
logically infer that De Soto would have first presented
evidence and then moved on to analyse the why of
the situation. Thus, Option (b) would fit in better than
option (c). Option (a) is incorrect as it is clearly
mentioned that De Soto in particular conducted
extensive fieldwork on five developing countries and
not any others.
54. c Both the statements are correct. Refer to the second
paragraph for the answer.
55. a The first statement is correct. Refer to the second last
sentence of the first paragraph. The second statement
is wrong.
56. d 57. a 58. c
59. c 60. d
61. c The author starts by mentioning that there is an interplay
of two main determinants of economic relations –
market forces and economic policy. However, the rest
of the paragraph goes on to discuss global market
forces and the key drivers that are moving these market
forces closer to each other. Option (c) can thus be
inferred. Option (d) can thus be ruled out as it also
includes economic policy. Option (a) is incorrect as it a
key driver for the man point that is discussed. Option
(b) can be ruled out because it is too general –
restructuring in the global market place cannot be
equated to “restructuring of global operations being
undertaken by multinational enterprises”.
VA / Exercise - 19
62. b Refer to the second paragraph. It clearly states that
economic policy is crucial because it sets the
parameters within which market forces operate.
Statement (2) is correct. However, statement (1)
cannot be inferred because the paragraph never
implies that economic policy is more important than
market forces (in fact the opposite is implied). Also
there is no implication that it is only through economic
policy that market forces can operate – the paragraph
instead states that economic policy provides the
structure around which market forces can operate.
63. c Refer to the last line of the second paragraph of the
passage. It states that if the integration strategy
changes, this would have an impact on the nature of
economic linkage. Statement (2) is correct. Statement
(1) is incorrect because an evaluation of an integration
strategy would not affect economic linkages – the
second line of this paragraph also helps cement this
understanding. It is not an evaluation per se but the
future market trends themselves that could impact
economic linkages. Similarly, the third last line of the
second paragraph indicates that the closeness of fit
of the international economic strategies of East Asian
countries determines the trade complementarity –
indicating the nature of economic linkages. Statement
(3) is also correct. Option (c) is the answer.
64. d The last paragraph states the basis on which modes
of globalization can be distinguished from each other
– on the basis of the relative emphasis it accords to
the dimensions of international linkage. Option (d) is
the answer. Option (c) can be ruled out because the
distinction is based on the emphasis placed on the
elements of international linkage and not the elements
themselves. Option (b) is not a logical answer as
modes of globalization and integration strategies are
used synonymously in the paragraph. Option (a) is
incorrect as static comparative advantage is an
element of international linkage and not the main
distinguishing factor.
65. d The author is analytical in his approach.
66. d 67. c 68. b
69. a 70. d
CEX-5339/P1BS/17 / Page 7
 Verbal Ability – 20 P-1(BS)

Sentence Jumble and Para Jumble

Answers and Explanations

1 b 2 b 3 c 4 c 5 d 6 c 7 d 8 c 9 b 10 d
11 a 12 d 13 c 14 d 15 c 16 b 17 a 18 b 19 a 20 a
21 b 22 b 23 d 24 b 25 a 26 d 27 c 28 d 29 a 30 c
31 b 32 a 33 b 34 d 35 a 36 b 37 c 38 a 39 c 40 d
41 c 42 d 43 a 44 c 45 a 46 d 47 b 48 b 49 d 50 a
Practice Questions
1 c 2 d 3 a 4 b 5 b 6 d 7 b 8 a 9 d 10 c
11 d 12 a 13 b 14 d 15 b 16 b 17 c 18 b 19 a 20 a
21 c 22 a 23 d 24 c 25 b 26 c 27 b 28 c 29 c 30 b
31 a 32 c 33 c 34 d 35 d 36 a 37 b 38 b 39 d 40 a
41 a 42 d 43 c 44 b 45 c 46 d 47 a 48 d 49 a 50 c
51 a 52 c 53 d 54 a 55 b 56 c 57 b 58 c 59 a 60 b

1. b 2. b 3. c 4. c 5. d Dioysius proposed. 'Both' in statement C refers to

Taoism and Dionysius. It also explains the similarity of
6. c 7. d 8. c 9. b 10. d their purpose that is to define God. Statement D ends
the paragraph with a conclusion. 'The 'actuality of
11. a 12. d 13. c 14. d 15. c God' mentioned in C leads to the conclusion mentioned
in statement D.
16. b 17. a 18. b 19. a 20. a
25. a Statement B introduces a relatively small advantage of
21. b Statement C opens the paragraph by saying that life cloning. Statement D then suggests that there are more
after death was an enormous part of the Egyptian life. advantages. The idea of cloning can have a larger
Statement A follows statement C by giving a reason impact. Statement C mentions a problem that will occur
for their faith. Statement B is next as it tells us what in the future. Statement A provides a conclusion for
happened as a result of such faith. Statement D the problem mentioned in C.
expands upon statement B.
26. d Statement B introduces the subject of 'creation of
22. b Statement C opens the paragraph by giving a general National Investment' and how we can create it. BA is
introduction. D introduces 'Tiger Woods' who conforms a mandatory pair. The keywords which link the two
to the profile mentioned in statement C. DA is a statements are 'In other words'. Statement A decodes
mandatory pair. 'He' refers to Tiger Woods and explains what is meant by the author in B. Statement C follows
how he conquered all. B ends the paragraph by with a specific example. CD is a mandatory pair
explaining the snapshot of his victory which is followed because 'this process' links these two statements.
by a suggestion from the writer.
27. c Sentence C begins the paragraph by introducing the
23. d Statement B opens the paragraph with a general subject of India and its colorful personalities. The
statement about professionals involved in mixing 'shifting patterns' and 'kaleidoscopic images' broadens
sound or mixers. Statement A moves onto define the the point that is presented in C. This clearly suggests
situation when one is a novice. AD is a mandatory that CA is a mandatory pair. DB is also a mandatory
pair. They carry the same flow of thought forward. C pair because D introduces an example that exemplifies
explains the most important requirement that is needed the point explained earlier in the paragraph. The
when one wants to mix sound. pronoun antecedent used in B and the specific
information given in this sentence clearly suggests
24. b Statement A introduces Taoism and Dionysius. B that B will follow D.
elaborates the connection between Taoism and what

VA / Exercise - 20 CEX-5340/P1BS/17 / Page 1

28. d A careful look at the paragraph reveals that the main
topic of the paragraph is the use of 'couch' in
psychotherapy. Although statement C may seem to be
the opener of the paragraph but it is not. Undoubtedly
CB is a mandatory pair because statementC refers to
Freud, his use of hypnosis and the importance of the
couch. StatementB, too, pertains to the same strand
of thought and explains what happened to the couch
once Freud abandoned the use of hypnosis. The pair
CB is given in options (c) and (d). StatementC cannot
being the paragraph because the paragraph is about
the importance of the 'couch' in psychotherapy and
Freud's example has been given because it was during
the use of hypnosis that Freud used the couch. Also,
the 'state of relaxation' explained in statementB is
connected with the advantage of the 'recumbent
posture' mentioned in statementA that carries the same
set of idea forward.
29. a Sentence B is the opener of the paragraph because it
provides the introduction to the subject matter. Neither
sentenceA nor sentence D can begin the sequence
because in A the comparison has no basis because
the subject matter is not clear and in sentence D a
particular incident has been mentioned which does
not really stand too much ground if placed in the
beginning of the paragraph. In short, the ideas
presented in these lines are fragmented unless they
are combined with sentence B. So, sentence B clearly
stands out from the given choices. Also, 'another major
writer from the continent' pertains to Amitav Ghosh.
Then, sentence C reveals the name of the writer and
his work. Sentence D explains a predicament that
lingers on into the minds of the readers. Sentence A
presents a parallel between two writers (in English)
from the same continent and further explains the style
and flavour of Ghosh's fiction.
30. c According to the given options, sentences A, B or C
are the proposed openers of the paragraph. Sentence
A presents the consequences of the credit card culture,
sentence B pertains to a specific impact on developing
countries and sentence C presents the larger picture
by suggesting that credits cards have been in the
news for the wrong reasons earlier and now as well.
This sentence does not present a specific impact; it
pertains to the overall news. Therefore, sentence C is
the opener. Sentence A explains 'the wrong reasons'
for which credit cards are in the news. BD is a
mandatory pair because sentence B mentions the
'numerous cases of default' and sentence D presents
a particular example that has led to the intervention of
RBI.
31. b According to the given options, either sentence A or
sentence C is the opener. Sentence C, clearly, is the
conclusion of the paragraph. Therefore, sentence A
is the opening sentence. The 'administrators of
education' given in sentence A can be linked to
'institutions' and 'best practices'. Both statements carry
forward similar ideas. Sentence B pertains to the
specific goal of the National Debate which focuses on
the same issue. Sentence C is clearly the conclusion
of the paragraph.
CEX-5340/P1BS/17 / Page 2
32. a Statement D introduces the topic.'These' in statement
C refers to the 'pyramid texts' mentioned in statement
D. Statement B says that there is evidence that the
pyramid texts are even older. So, statement B follows
statement C. Statement E concludes by saying that
these texts are therefore the oldest sacred texts
available. Statement A ends the paragraph by giving
the name of the person who produced the complete
translation of the text.
33. b Statement D introduces the topic. Statement B follows
statement A by saying that the Magyar is most similar
to the Finnish. Statement A follows statement B. 'Both'
refers to 'Magyar' and 'Finnish' languages. Statement
E follows by saying that the languages preserve the
root most carefully. Statement C ends the paragraph
by saying that both Gothic and Icelandic present traces
of Finnish influence.
34. d Sentence E begins the paragraph as it refers to the
main subject of foreign direct investment in Kenya.
None of the other options explicitly introduce the
subject. Sentence D follows as it explains why it was
criminal to think about this. Sentence C elaborates
further on the types of problems that investors faced
there. Sentence B explains the effect of corrupt officials
on investors. The paragraph concludes with sentence
A which presents investors realization. Also, the
pronoun 'they' refers to investors.
35. a Sentence B begins the paragraph by introducing the
idea of educational interactive games and their
advantages. Sentence D follows as it explains thekinds
of games available and their benefits. Sentence E
explains how these affect the entire schooling of a
child. Sentence A makes a mandatory pair with E
because it is connected with the child's learning
through games along with his/ her education in school.
Sentence C presents the final advantage of
theseprogrammes and ends the paragraph.
36. b Sentence D begins the paragraph by introducing the
fact about certain powerful words. Sentence B
specifies what is needed when it comes to spoken
language. AEC forms a mandatory sequence because
A explains what we expect when we communicate
orally with someone; sentence E suggests that what
we expect to be clear can be grossly misinterpreted
and sentenceC concludes the entire issue by
explaining the final effect.
37. c Sentence D opens the paragraph by introducing and
defining 'adware'. Sentence C forms a mandatory pair
with sentenceD. This is because the pronoun 'it' in
sentenceD is used for 'adware'. Also, the sentence
elaborates on how adware is useful. The subject of
'advertising revenue' is elaborated further in sentence
C that explains other ways by which companies make
additional revenue. Sentence A refers to programmers
and distributors that gather and sell internet users'
demographic data. Sentence B concludes the
paragraph by explaining the overall impact of adware
on the entire industry.
VA / Exercise - 20
38. a Sentence C begins the paragraph as it explains the
privacy issues with adware. Sentence E presents an
example and elaborates the kind of issues that can
occur with adware. Sentence A makes a mandatory
pair with E. The keyword 'also' presents an additional
problem with the licensing agreement. Sentence B
elaborates on the example presented above and shows
how faulty information is collected. Sentence D ends
the paragraph by suggesting how these security
loopholes can be misused by a hacker.
39. c Statement C introduces the paragraph. It says that the
city was laid out in the form of a puma. Statement B
describes the city. Statement E introduces
'Sacsayhuaman' and Statement A elaborates on it. So,
EA is a mandatory pair. Statement D follows statement
A. Statemnet A says that SAcsayhuaman is the best
monument that man has built and Statement D tells us
what its most impressive section is.
40. d The paragraph begins with the historical aspect in
statement C and gives the reason in statement
B.Statement A talks about the present condition.
Statement E follows by citing the change.Statement D
ends the paragraph by saying that the debate continues
even today.
41. c The sheer extravagance of the Titanic's "demise" is
substantiated through the superlatives mentioned in
S. P follows S as it gives the other side of the fascination
for Titanic. RQ is a mandatory pair with R describing
how the Titanic is symbolic of epic performances for
some people and Q giving an example of one such
performance. It falls in place before II which also
highlights another example of the performance of the
people on-board. Option (C) is the correct answer.
42. d I talks about some people confusing nationalism for
nation. R follows I as it states what nationalism exactly
is. S follows R as it talks about how one nation can
have many differing views that can manifest
themselves in the form of political differences. QP is a
mandatory pair with Q giving a general example of
how people view differing beliefs and P stating another
example prior to II which is more specific than Q. Option
(D) gives the correct sequence.
43. a I talks about Christianity being a religion which doesn't
have a homeland in this world. Q clearly follows I as it
concludes from here that it must be at odds with
thenation. S comes after Q as it talks about
Christianityrecognizing a distinction between the world
of Caesarand that of God. P talks about this distinction,
which ismentioned in S, being ambiguous according
to Jesus.R counters it by mentioning that since the
distinction isrecognized by Christianity, an arena exists
for thedevelopment of the nation and fits in well before
II.
44. c S follows I as it describes how the tsunami waves
are formed. QP is a mandatory pair with Q talking
about the impact of the waves in deep water and
Ptalking about the same in shallow water. Q has
tocome before P as Q says the waves are
barelynoticeable in deep water but become dangerous
VA / Exercise - 20
inshallow water. II is an example of the tsunami
disasterwhich is preceded by R that also describes
anotherexample of the same.
45. a C obviously follows from statement I because C shows
how the experience of playing in the fog can be
unnerving. CB is a mandatory pair because B gives
the contrary view to the one given in C. A carries
forward from B, showing how the experience of
playing in the fog can be a good one. D shows how
this ‘relaxed and apathetic’ swinging can sometimes
be a comic disaster.
46. d Sentence R is the obvious continuation of the first line
of the paragraph, as the pronoun 'they' in R refers to
'kids' mentioned in the first sentence. P furthers the
flow of the paragraph and introduces the course of
action if one's kid behaves in an inappropriate way. S
follows P. Q aptly pairs with II, which concludes the
course of action if the kid continues to misbehave.
47. b The paragraph aims to draw our attention to a fact
that when a relationship does not work, often the
persons sharing that relationship fight not over big
issues but over petty differences in their style of living
or thinking. This idea is well reflected in the first
sentence, which is followed by S, elaborating on the
sources of such differences. P gives an example to
help explaining the issue discussed in I and S. Q follows
P. Q mentions the effect of such petty issues on love
relationships and people's failure in accepting the fact
that irritations are inevitable in all relationships. R6 is a
mandatory pair. R, which states that no one person
can be perfectly similar as another in his or her every
quirk, habit, and preference, forms the basis for II
which leaves us with the fundamental challenge of
figuring out how to negotiate and live with our partner's
irritants, in a best way.
48. b Sentence I tells us that the speaker has been
interviewing several researchers. In sentence S 'their
work', denotes the work of the several researchers
mentioned in I. So, I and S become a mandatory pair.
RP is another mandatory pair. R mentions another
Kennedy Krieger study which is on handwriting and
autism. This makes the speaker remind of a dyslexic
friend- Lara, who is introduced in P. Q elaborates the
discussion by stating how Lara has managed to adjust
and cope with all her difficulties caused by the disorder
(dyslexia) but not with her handwriting. II closes the
paragraph by mentioning that now, Lara uses a
keyboard to help her cope with the only restrain
(handwriting) mentioned in Q.
49. d The first sentence of the paragraph introduces 'The
Lake District'. R elaborates I. Q follows R, as it mentions
what made the Lake District popular: its associations
with the early 19th century poets and poetry. QS is a
mandatory pair, as S names the poets mentioned in Q.
SP6 forms another mandatory pair. P describes how
the three poets mentioned in S, were referred to as
the "Lake Poets." II concludes stating the connection
of the 'Lake Poets' to 'Romanticism'.
CEX-5340/P1BS/17 / Page 3
50. a The first line of the paragraph talks about fantasies 45. c B is the opening statement as it is a general
which many entrepreneurs assume ideal for their new comment that is explained in D by giving example of
businesses. R follows I, as it negates the unrealistic an uneducated person. A and C carry the idea
expectations mentioned in I, by mentioning the truth of forward. Therefore, option (c).
a successful business which, largely, depends on a
46. d Statement v is the opener starting with the introduction
detailed and thorough planning. Q furthers the
of Gnosticism, ii goes on to trace it further, i extends
discussion by laying importance on writing a business
it further with its definition of gnosis, iv talks about its
plan to help achieve a better financial management
further development and iii links it with Christianity.
realistically. PS is a mandatory pair, as sentences P
and S exhibit a 'Causeand- effect relationship'. P talks 47. a iii is the opener giving an idea about the state of the
about new businesses being gushy and having an pilot, v takes us on to the decision, ii takes it forward,
unclear focus; S mentions the result of this and 6 iv highlights the decision he had to make and i throws
sums up the discussion by suggesting the further light on the decision.
entrepreneurs to have a single focus with a proven
48. d v is the opener with iv forming a mandatory pair with
client base.
it, ii takes it forward, i describes the bigger picture and
Practice Questions iii closes with a description of the truly complete
shopping experience.
1. c 2. d 3. a 4. b 5. b
49. a Statement iv marks the opener as it introduces the
6. d 7. b 8. a 9. d 10. c topic, v goes on to elaborate forming a mandatory pair,
i takes it further, iii talks of his debacle and ii of his
11. d 12. a 13. b 14. d 15. b
resurgence.
16. b 17. c 18. b 19. a 20. a 50. c Option iii introduces the subject, i forms a mandatory
21. c 22. a 23. d 24. c 25. b pair with it, ii describes the subject further, v introduces
her agenda and iv closes it.
26. c 27. b 28. c 29. c 30. b
51. a Sentence C is the opener, B spells out the effect, E
31. a 32. c 33. c 34. d 35. d forms a pair with it and A takes it forward, forming a
36. a The paragraph must start with sentence D as the 'it' conclusion in D.
mentioned in sentence A is the communism 52. c E is the opener A takes it further, D & C expand on the
mentioned in D. Sentence A further elaborates the subject, B is the result.
definition of communism and B should follow option
A. Hence DABC. 53. d E is the opener, D tells us why bats detect plants, B &
C inform us about the complexities, A throws light on
37. b Sentence A defines what fascism is and D extends the developments in the field.
the definition. B and C are also a mandatory pair.
Hence ADBC. 54. a C introduces the topic, B introduces various aspects,
E & A tell us about their structure, D describes their act
38. b The 'he' mentioned in sentence D is Newton of of porpoising.
sentence A. So D should come after A. Sentence B
lays stress on work done by Newton and C 55. b Sentence B is the opening statement forms a mandatory
concludes the paragraph. Hence ADBC. pair with E, A & D elaborate the topic with C commenting
on its current status.
39. d AB and CD are the 2 mandatory pairs. Hence ABCD.
56. c Option iv is the opener, introduces the subject goes on
40. a The 'he' mentioned in the root of other sentences to describe the travails of teens, v forms a pair with it,
refer to Tagore in sentence B. B and D can be limited i takes it forward and iii expands it with ii forming the
together with the keyword 'nationalism'. A and C is a conclusion.
mandatory pair.
57. b ii introduces the subject; v goes on to tell us about his
41. a B cannot be the opening sentence (Thus...... ) nor writings, iii elaborates the ‘two forces’, i describes the
can it be D (But then.......). Between 1 & 4, B change and iv elaborates.
following A is more logical than B following C.
Therefore, option (a). 58. c iii introduces the subject of ‘Fashion cycles’, forming a
pair with ii, ‘yet’ forms the link, v describes it at length,
42. d BA is a mandatory pair. D follows A and BAD is the i reinforces the idea and iv forms the befitting
logical flow. C introduces. Therefore, option (d). conclusion.
43. c A follows B and B is the opening statement.
Similarly, D further elaborates on the statement given 59. a iii introduces the subject, i takes it forward, ii, v & iv
in option (C). Hence CD is also a mandatory pair. elaborate the idea.
Therefore, option (c).
60. b ii introduces the subject of “The notion of time”, i adds
44. b D introduces and therefore is the opening statement. to the subject, v takes it further and iii elaborates on it,
BAC is the logical flow of sequence. Therefore, iv goes on to describe the prodigious time scales.
option (b).

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