CDS II 2025 English with Solutions
Q.1 [Sentence Improvement]
The opposing political parties nevertheless took a bilateral position in the national interest.
Bipartisan means supported by two (opposing) parties — exactly what rival parties acting together in the national interest are doing. Bilateral (two-sided, as in treaties) is the look-alike that misleads.
Q.2 [Sentence Improvement]
Although she had sampled food from all the restaurants in the food court, she remained indefinite towards the culinary fare on offer.
Having tasted everything and felt nothing, she was indifferent (unconcerned, unmoved). Indefinite means vague or unlimited and cannot describe an attitude towards food.
Q.3 [Sentence Improvement]
The attitude of the whalers was marked by antipathy towards the marine life they had to encounter.
Whalers do not hate the creatures they hunt; they are simply unconcerned about them. Antipathy and animus both mean hostility, which overstates it; sympathy/empathy contradict the sense.
Q.4 [Sentence Improvement]
The family was rendered diligent due to the crash in the share market.
A market crash leaves a family indigent (poor, needy). Diligent (hard-working) is the sound-alike trap; indignant is anger, not poverty.
Q.5 [Sentence Improvement]
He had cultivated such great temperance in his personality that he was impassioned in his dealing with the vicissitudes of life.
Temperance (self-restraint) produces a dispassionate — calm, unemotional — response to life's ups and downs. Impassioned means the opposite.
Q.6 [Sentence Improvement]
The document was discerned to be a postscript, where clearly an earlier manuscript had been replaced by a new one.
A palimpsest is a manuscript page scraped clean and written over, the earlier text replaced by a new one — the definition the sentence spells out. A postscript is an addition at the end of a letter.
Q.7 [Sentence Improvement]
He was accused of simulism for having copied from someone else without due acknowledgement.
Copying another's work without acknowledgement is plagiarism. Simulism is not a standard English word; a spoonerism is a slip of the tongue.
Q.8 [Sentence Improvement]
The domineering manager behaved in a paternal manner with his subordinates, not allowing them to decide for themselves.
Paternalistic describes authority that limits people's freedom "for their own good" — the manager deciding everything for his staff. Paternal simply means fatherly and carries no sense of control.
Q.9 [Sentence Improvement]
Much to their disappointment, the team leader spared no more than a reflective glance at the draft plan drawn up by his team.
A glance that disappoints the team is quick and careless — perfunctory. A reflective glance would be thoughtful, which contradicts "no more than".
Q.10 [Sentence Improvement]
Her actions were considered salutary because they were done without good reason or cause.
Done without good reason or cause is the definition of gratuitous (unwarranted). Salutary means beneficial, which the sentence does not support.
Q.11 [Error Spotting]
(a) In his well-recognised stentorian yet amused voice (b) the principal demanded an unique excuse (c) from the student hauled up for alleged minor misdemeanour. (d) No error
Q.12 [Error Spotting]
(a) The visiting school children went around the lake (b) during trip (c) to the famous lake city. (d) No error
Q.13 [Error Spotting]
(a) The unfair distribution of assets (b) among the family members (c) angered the more hardworking members of the family-owned firm. (d) No error
Among is right for more than two people, the more hardworking members is a correct comparative, and the subject–verb agreement (distribution … angered) holds. The sentence is sound.
Q.14 [Error Spotting]
(a) Given the nature of the problem (b) it was not unnatural for there to be (c) bad blood among the two of them. (d) No error
Q.15 [Error Spotting]
(a) He emphasised the need for strict discipline (b) and compliance (c) among the newly-appointed staff. (d) No error
Emphasise takes a direct object (no on), the need for is the correct preposition, and among the newly-appointed staff is idiomatic. Nothing to correct.
Q.16 [Error Spotting]
(a) The officer marvelled at (b) the low attendance (c) remarking on the presence of less than twenty people at work. (d) No error
Q.17 [Error Spotting]
(a) The entire attention of the visiting dignitaries (b) centred around (c) the craftwork on display. (d) No error
Q.18 [Error Spotting]
(a) A group of wayfaring tourists (b) who had trudged for hundreds of kilometres (c) has finally arrived at the destination. (d) No error
Q.19 [Error Spotting]
(a) The tumult among the gathered spectators (b) rose to a crescendo (c) upon the arrival of their most favourite superstar. (d) No error
Q.20 [Error Spotting]
(a) The listings on the menu that had been proffered by him (b) were selected after meticulous care (c) and discernment with regard to taste and preference. (d) No error
Proffered (offered) is correctly used, the plural verb were agrees with listings, and with regard to is the right form (not with regards to).
Q.21 [Fill in the Blanks]
Not ________ metal is necessarily solid in its natural state.
Not every metal is the idiomatic way to say that some metals are exceptions (mercury is liquid). Each is not used after not, and all/any do not fit a singular noun here.
Q.22 [Fill in the Blanks]
The reminder has gone out on ________ occasions, requiring personnel to complete their personal files.
A reminder repeated a number of times has gone out on several occasions — the fixed collocation. Untold exaggerates and most/further do not fit the sense.
Q.23 [Fill in the Blanks]
It is important for people to work ________ their co-workers in the office to ensure maximum productivity.
One works with colleagues; co-operation is the point of the sentence.
Q.24 [Fill in the Blanks]
You can choose ________ shirt you like from the collection available in the shop.
Choosing from a defined collection calls for whichever (any one of a known set). Whatever is for an open-ended choice, and which would need a question or clause.
Q.25 [Fill in the Blanks]
Depending on your preference, you can choose to complete either or ________ courses being offered by the university.
Either or both is the standard pairing when there are two courses: one of them, or the two together.
Q.26 [Similar Sounding Words]
Dairy, Dreary, Diary
1. She quietly stored all her sacred memories in her private dairy.
2. The proceedings of the meeting went on and on and were quite dreary.
3. They always bought their milk products from the local diary.
In which of the sentences given above has/have the words been used correctly?
Memories go in a diary and milk comes from a dairy — sentences 1 and 3 have swapped them. Only dreary (dull, tedious) in sentence 2 is right.
Q.27 [Similar Sounding Words]
Braid, Beard, Brood
1. The engineers were asked to braid the river by converting it into single body with the aid of an artificial dam.
2. Wise men, they say, often sport a beard.
3. Among certain avian species the males are known to brood the eggs laid by females.
In which of the sentences given above has/have the words been used correctly?
To brood eggs is to sit on them and incubate them, so 3 is correct, and sport a beard is fine. To braid means to plait strands together — the opposite of merging a river into a single body, so 1 is wrong.
Q.28 [Similar Sounding Words]
Lesion, Legion, Lesson
1. The scan of the affected area indicated the presence of a life-threatening lesion.
2. He had a legion of followers who hung on to his every word.
3. It is important to lesson the burden of others as we venture through life.
In which of the sentences given above has/have the words been used correctly?
A lesion is damaged tissue (1 ✓); a legion is a vast number (2 ✓). Sentence 3 needs the verb lessen (reduce); lesson is a noun.
Q.29 [Similar Sounding Words]
Depose, Deplore, Deport
1. The director asked the actor to depose himself and instead act naturally.
2. The people are enthusiastically declaring that they deplore the salutary impact of the decisions taken by the administration.
3. Under extreme circumstances, the government can deport someone from a country.
In which of the sentences given above has/have the words been used correctly?
To deport is to expel from a country (3 ✓). Depose means to remove from office, not to relax (1 ✗), and nobody deplores (condemns) a salutary (beneficial) impact enthusiastically (2 ✗).
Q.30 [Similar Sounding Words]
Bate, Bait, Bade
1. Those who had gathered for the unveiling were asked to bate their curiosity.
2. They set the bait to capture the leopard for tagging.
3. He reluctantly bade goodbye to his belongings.
In which of the sentences given above has/have the words been used correctly?
Bate = hold back (as in bated breath), bait = lure, bade = past tense of bid (bade goodbye). All three are used correctly.
Q.31 [Idioms and Phrases]
Someone's ears are flapping
Q.32 [Idioms and Phrases]
Twist of the knife
Q.33 [Idioms and Phrases]
Blow your own trumpet
Q.34 [Idioms and Phrases]
Get under someone's skin
Q.35 [Idioms and Phrases]
Many hands make light work
Q.36 [Idioms and Phrases]
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
Q.37 [Idioms and Phrases]
Make heavy weather
Q.38 [Idioms and Phrases]
Sweep under the carpet
Q.39 [Idioms and Phrases]
A purple patch
Q.40 [Idioms and Phrases]
Put out to pasture
Q.41 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : Failure is the stepping stone to success.
S2 : Successive failures are not however successive stepping stones to success.
The second sentence :
S2 accepts the maxim but limits it — one failure may teach, an unbroken series does not. Adding a condition to a statement is qualifying it, not contradicting it.
Q.42 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : All human beings are created equal in every respect.
S2 : Some people are more equal than others.
The second sentence :
"Equal in every respect" and "more equal than others" (Orwell's line) cannot both be true; S2 directly denies S1.
Q.43 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : The origin of the universe has been traced to the Big Bang.
S2 : There can be no knowledge of what existed before the Big Bang.
The second sentence :
S2 does not dispute the Big Bang; it marks the boundary of what can be known — our account stops there.
Q.44 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : The highest clouds in the skies are the most fascinating.
S2 : We are most attracted to those things that are most out of our reach.
The second sentence :
S2 restates S1's idea in general terms: the highest clouds fascinate because what is furthest out of reach attracts us most.
Q.45 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : A four-stroke engine is more efficient than a two-stroke engine.
S2 : The two-stroke engine has been phased out to protect the environment.
The second sentence :
S2 is related to S1 (both concern the two-stroke engine's drawbacks) but gives a different reason — pollution, not efficiency. It neither proves nor denies S1; it correlates.
Q.46 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : Bottled water is safer than tap water.
S2 : In many countries tap water is fed to babies.
The second sentence :
If tap water is safe enough for babies in many countries, that sits against the claim that bottled water is safer — a contrast, not an outright contradiction, because S1 may still hold elsewhere.
Q.47 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : The peacock is India's national bird.
S2 : The Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan.
The second sentence :
A national bird and a state bird can coexist; S2 simply adds a related fact.
Q.48 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : Field games are generally more popular than individual sports.
S2 : Across the world tennis is more popular than hockey.
The second sentence :
S1 is a generalisation (generally); S2 offers one exception — an individual sport beating a field game. An exception contrasts with a general rule without contradicting it.
Q.49 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : Forest cover is conducive to ecological recovery.
S2 : Unchecked urbanisation leads to environmental degradation.
The second sentence :
Both sentences make the same underlying point from opposite ends — nature restores, its removal degrades. They correlate; neither disputes the other.
Q.50 [Sentence Relationship]
S1 : Indians have been emigrating to countries across the world for centuries.
S2 : The Indian diaspora is a model of success across the world.
The second sentence :
Emigrating for centuries does not logically produce success; the diaspora could equally have struggled. S2 is a separate claim, not a consequence of S1.
Q.51 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : and the outcome in cases selected in prior years'
Q : the suggestions received from the field
R : formations are reviewed by a cross functional committee
S : to refine the scenarios and parameters
The subject must open the sentence: the suggestions received from the field (Q) and the outcome in cases selected in prior years' (P) … are reviewed by a cross functional committee (R) to refine the scenarios and parameters (S). P cannot start (it begins with and) and R cannot start (it has no subject).
Q.52 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : pollution control equipment broadly include
Q : wastewater treatment plants,
R : the various categories of water
S : drinking water treatment plants and effluent treatment plants
The various categories of water (R) pollution control equipment broadly include (P) wastewater treatment plants, (Q) drinking water treatment plants and effluent treatment plants (S). R + P forms the noun phrase "water pollution control equipment", and the list ends with the and item.
Q.53 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : facilitate the present and prospective entrepreneurs
Q : for manufacturing and service units
R : were notified in 2020, with guidelines to
S : some new composite criteria of classification
Subject first: Some new composite criteria of classification (S) for manufacturing and service units (Q) were notified in 2020, with guidelines to (R) facilitate the present and prospective entrepreneurs (P). R's dangling to must be completed by P's verb.
Q.54 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : outside the formal education system
Q : the policy seeks to educate and
R : equip potential entrepreneurs, both within and
S : in the entrepreneurship domain
In the entrepreneurship domain (S) the policy seeks to educate and (Q) equip potential entrepreneurs, both within and (R) outside the formal education system (P). Q's educate and needs R's equip, and R's within and needs P's outside.
Q.55 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : organizing Rozgar Melas across the nation for
Q : providing suitable job opportunities in the private sector to the youth
R : National Skill Development Corporation under the aegis of MSDE has been
S : to give impetus to the employment initiatives in the country
National Skill Development Corporation … has been (R) organizing Rozgar Melas across the nation for (P) providing suitable job opportunities … to the youth (Q) to give impetus to the employment initiatives in the country (S). has been + organizing and for + providing lock R–P–Q together.
Q.56 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : to women-led development and the dream of New India
Q : India is moving from women's development
R : and an equal partner in the country's overall development
S : is where women are empowered, strong
India is moving from women's development (Q) to women-led development and the dream of New India (P) is where women are empowered, strong (S) and an equal partner in the country's overall development (R). from … to fixes Q–P, and the list empowered, strong and an equal partner fixes S–R.
Q.57 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : to provide additional one crore LPG
Q : Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in 2021
R : households under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
S : connections to adult women of poor
Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in 2021 (Q) to provide additional one crore LPG (P) connections to adult women of poor (S) households under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (R). LPG connections and poor households are the two joins.
Q.58 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : process from the initial stage of planning
Q : environmental impact assessment
R : is a planning tool to integrate environmental concerns
S : into the developmental
Environmental impact assessment (Q) is a planning tool to integrate environmental concerns (R) into the developmental (S) process from the initial stage of planning (P). developmental process is the join that decides S–P.
Q.59 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : that may push the viewers to
Q : hours of content are shown in a way
R : think that they are watching a programme rather than an
S : advertisement
Hours of content are shown in a way (Q) that may push the viewers to (P) think that they are watching a programme rather than an (R) advertisement (S). rather than an + advertisement ends it.
Q.60 [Sentence Ordering — Parts]
P : engaged in performing visual and literary arts
Q : in the field of intangible heritage
R : the Ministry extends financial support to individuals,
S : group of individuals and cultural organisations
The Ministry extends financial support to individuals, (R) group of individuals and cultural organisations (S) engaged in performing visual and literary arts (P) in the field of intangible heritage (Q). The list of beneficiaries (R–S) comes before what they are engaged in.
Q.61 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : The Tungabhadra is the chief tributary of the Krishna formed by the union, near Kudali, of the two streams Tunga and Bhadra.
S6 : The Tungabhadra has served as a historic natural frontier right through the centuries.
P : The river is perennial in character and comes down in frequent heavy rushes during the rains.
Q : The rain-bearing river was dammed by the rulers of Vijayanagara near Hampi for watering the palaces and gardens of that great city.
R : The united stream strikes in a north-easterly direction through Mysore and skirts the adjacent districts.
S : The bed of both the headstreams of the Tungabhadra is rocky.
S1 ends with the union of the two streams, so R (the united stream) follows directly. S describes the headstreams' beds, P the river's perennial, rain-fed character, and Q — the rain-bearing river was dammed — picks up P's rains and leads to the historic frontier of S6.
Q.62 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : In July 1917, Prince Lvov was replaced by a socialist revolutionary Alexander Kerensky as the head of the provisional government.
S6 : In Russia the Soviets have been in existence since 1905, and the Soviet system played a especially important role under the Provisional Government.
P : However, such a partial replacement failed to satisfy the Bolsheviks.
Q : The revolutionaries did not want a parliamentary republic nor a bourgeois democracy but rather they wanted a soviet of workers, soldiers, and labourers.
R : When the February Revolution broke out, the leader of the Bolsheviks, Lenin, was in Switzerland.
S : He arrived in Russia in April 1917, and was followed by Trotsky.
P's such a partial replacement refers to the change in S1, so P comes first. R introduces Lenin and S's He must follow R immediately. Q — what the revolutionaries wanted was a soviet — then hands over to S6, which is about the Soviets.
Q.63 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : The history of India's struggle for freedom is an enthralling one.
S6 : A more vibrant retelling is perhaps required of this tumultuous period of our history.
P : It has all the drama and excitement of an epic tale.
Q : And yet, in most history textbooks, what students encounter are facts, figures, names and numbers.
R : As in epics, heroism was often accompanied by extreme sacrifice.
S : Accounts of this period are loaded with tales of loyalty, allegiance, high ideals and peaceful protests.
P's It is the history of S1; R's As in epics continues P's epic image; S adds the tales such accounts carry; Q's And yet turns to the dry textbooks, which is exactly the complaint S6 answers.
Q.64 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of Kings married the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette in 1770.
S6 : Remarkably nevertheless, under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from Britain.
P : Furthermore, lenders, who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10 per cent interest on loans.
Q : The ascension was preceded by a war that added more than a billion livre to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livre.
R : In 1774, Louis XVI ascended the throne of France at the age of 20.
S : Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
Chronology: marriage (S1, 1770) → R (ascended the throne, 1774) → Q (the ascension was preceded by a war adding to the debt) → S (war had drained the finances) → P (Furthermore, lenders charged interest) → S6's nevertheless, France still helped America.
Q.65 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : Montesquieu was a great philosopher of his time.
S6 : He supported constitutional monarchy in France like the English one.
P : He wanted power to be shared between the king, the nobles, and the Third Estate.
Q : In his book The Spirit of the Laws, he propagated the theory of separating powers into three branches of government — the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary.
R : To prevent any one of the three classes from becoming too powerful, Montesquieu suggested the making of a new constitution based on checks and balances.
S : If this was done, he argued, there would be no tyranny and the liberty of the individual could be safeguarded.
Q states his theory; P names the three classes who should share power; R's any one of the three classes refers back to P; S's If this was done refers to R's constitution. Then S6 gives his preferred model.
Q.66 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : Glaciation has important effects on the landscape beyond the direct modifications created by ice erosion and deposition.
S6 : At the same time, ice advanced from the Welsh mountains into the Vale of Evesham and combined with northern ice to pond up a large proglacial lake covering much of the Midlands.
P : One example is that glaciation frequently disrupts pre-existing drainage lines, initiating a new pattern persisting after the ice has disappeared.
Q : The Midlands, what is now the Coventry/Warwick area, was formerly drained by the head waters of the River Soar, flowing into the Trent south of Nottingham.
R : Two well-documented instances of such effects occur in England.
S : During glaciation, the valleys of Soar and Trent were occupied by ice advancing from the north.
R's such effects picks up S1; P gives the kind of effect; Q names the Midlands case; S says what happened there during glaciation, and S6's At the same time continues S.
Q.67 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : The primary evidence for climate change that occurred many million years ago is the rocks and deposits themselves.
S6 : In other words, despite the clear legacy in many parts of the world of recent glaciation, the vast majority of sedimentary rocks were laid down in warm climatic conditions.
P : Sediments and fossil in the poles tell us a great deal about the environment in which they were laid down.
Q : We must, of course, bear in mind when interpreting this information that, because of the movement of the continents, no one latitude of the Earth has necessarily gone through such marked climatic vicissitudes.
R : Nevertheless, even allowing for this factor, one of the most remarkable discoveries about the climate change of the past is that the two poles of the Earth have been free of ice for at least 90 per cent of the known history of the planet.
S : We may find in close proximity to one another, coal deposits indicating the humid conditions of the tropics, red sandstones laid down in deserts and morainic materials reflecting polar conditions.
S illustrates S1's rocks and deposits; Q's this information is S's finds and raises the caveat; R's this factor is Q's continental movement; P then turns to the polar sediments, which S6 sums up with In other words.
Q.68 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : Every geological period has been dominated by one particular form of life; as conditions changed to those of a new period, different types of organisms emerged into dominance.
S6 : The origin of completely new biological systems is comparatively rare, so consequently only a few major types have developed during the history of life.
P : Individual shifts rely on opportunity, ecological access, and the development of a new adaptation.
Q : Characteristically these shifts are rapid and are followed by a bout of adaptive radiation into the new ecological zone — for example, with the emergence of life on land.
R : Within each period, natural selection has created a vast array of adaptive experiments culminating in a breakthrough to a new biological system that may cross the ecological barrier to the next period.
S : Every breakthrough of shift in dominance is dependent on ones that have occurred before so that the process of evolution is progressive.
R's Within each period continues S1; S's Every breakthrough picks up R's breakthrough; P narrows to individual shifts; Q's these shifts refers to P. S6 then notes how rare new systems are.
Q.69 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : The sun is the primary transmitter of energy for the processes of change on the Earth's surface and in the atmosphere.
S6 : Only a small part of insolation is absorbed and converted into thermal energy.
P : Its rays are transmitted in various wavelengths of the solar spectrum, mainly in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared bands.
Q : When components of the solar spectrum reach the earth, the insolation is partially absorbed and converted to thermal energy.
R : The amount of energy the earth receives from other celestial bodies is negligible by comparison.
S : Radiant energy from the sun that strikes the earth is called insolation.
P's Its rays refers to the sun in S1; S defines insolation before Q uses the term; R closes with the comparison to other bodies, and S6 returns to how much insolation is absorbed.
Q.70 [Sentence Ordering]
S1 : Temperature indicates the relative degree of molecular activity, or heat, of a substance.
S6 : The boiling point of water under standard conditions is at 100 degrees Centigrade.
P : Temperature is an index of sensible heat, not a direct measure of the quantity of energy.
Q : Zero on this scale is the 'triple point' temperature, at which the gaseous, liquid, and solid states of water are at equilibrium under standard atmospheric pressure.
R : If heat flows from one body to another, the former has the higher temperature.
S : To indicate the temperature of a body, an arbitrary scale of reference is employed.
P refines S1's definition; R gives the operational test; S introduces a scale; Q's this scale refers to S and sets its zero, so S6's boiling point completes the scale.
Q.71 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Qualification |
| B. Verb | 2. Conditionally |
| C. Adverb | 3. Qualify |
| D. Adjective | 4. Qualifying |
Qualification (noun), qualify (verb), conditionally (adverb, the -ly form), qualifying (adjective, as in a qualifying round).
Q.72 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Error |
| B. Verb | 2. Erroneously |
| C. Adverb | 3. Err |
| D. Adjective | 4. Erroneous |
Error (noun), err (verb — to err is human), erroneously (adverb), erroneous (adjective).
Q.73 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Think |
| B. Verb | 2. Care |
| C. Adverb | 3. Carefully |
| D. Adjective | 4. Careful |
Care is the only word usable as a noun here, think is the verb, carefully the adverb, careful the adjective.
Q.74 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Dually |
| B. Verb | 2. Duplication |
| C. Adverb | 3. Duplicate |
| D. Adjective | 4. Duple |
Duplication (noun), duplicate (verb), dually (adverb), duple (adjective — duple time in music).
Q.75 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Emanant |
| B. Verb | 2. Exodus |
| C. Adverb | 3. Outward |
| D. Adjective | 4. Exit |
Exodus (noun), exit (verb — to exit the hall), outward (adverb — moved outward), emanant (adjective, issuing forth).
Q.76 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Extremely |
| B. Verb | 2. Spectatorial |
| C. Adverb | 3. Spectator |
| D. Adjective | 4. Spectate |
Spectator (noun), spectate (verb), extremely (adverb), spectatorial (adjective).
Q.77 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Auditory |
| B. Verb | 2. Hear |
| C. Interjection | 3. Hark |
| D. Adjective | 4. Hearing |
Hearing (noun), hear (verb), hark! (interjection — a call to listen), auditory (adjective).
Q.78 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Knowing |
| B. Verb | 2. Know |
| C. Adverb | 3. Knowingly |
| D. Adjective | 4. Knowledge |
Knowledge (noun), know (verb), knowingly (adverb), knowing (adjective — a knowing smile).
Q.79 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Cogitation |
| B. Verb | 2. Pensively |
| C. Adverb | 3. Cogitate |
| D. Adjective | 4. Cogitative |
Cogitation (noun), cogitate (verb), pensively (adverb), cogitative (adjective).
Q.80 [Parts of Speech — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Parts of Speech) | List II (Word) |
|---|---|
| A. Noun | 1. Intuitive |
| B. Verb | 2. Intuition |
| C. Adverb | 3. Intuitively |
| D. Adjective | 4. Intuit |
Intuition (noun), intuit (verb), intuitively (adverb), intuitive (adjective).
Q.81 [Parts of Speech]
His happiness was obvious, as he had won unprecedented appreciation for his hard work.
Happiness names a feeling, not a thing you can see or touch — an abstract noun (the adjective is happy).
Q.82 [Parts of Speech]
I wonder if at times it rains to give us some respite from the dull moments of life.
I wonder — the subject I performs the action of wondering. (If, the conjunction, is not the underlined word.)
Q.83 [Parts of Speech]
The manager expects every employee to do his duty.
Every, like each, either and neither, refers to the members of a group one at a time — the distributive class.
Q.84 [Parts of Speech]
The righteous always emerge victorious.
The + adjective names a whole class of people (the rich, the poor, the righteous) and takes a plural verb — here emerge.
Q.85 [Parts of Speech]
It rained every day during the month of August.
Every modifies the noun day; a word that qualifies a noun is an adjective (specifically a distributive one).
Q.86 [Discourse Markers]
I must, ________, ask for tolerance from the board.
The request follows from something already said, and therefore is the marker that fits between commas; thus is not normally parenthesised this way, and for example/likely change the sense.
Q.87 [Discourse Markers]
________, eloquent expression of this skepticism can be found in the high theory removed from the reality.
Indeed intensifies and confirms the preceding point; the others are either not discourse markers (Fortunate) or make no sense before eloquent expression.
Q.88 [Discourse Markers]
I shall consider, ________, the narrow lines of argument articulated by philosophers.
In particular singles out one item for attention — the narrow lines of argument — which is what the sentence does.
Q.89 [Discourse Markers]
________, issues of religious plurality are embedded in the relationship between different followers of the party.
A sentence-opening Significantly, flags an important point; Somewhat and Overmuch cannot open a sentence this way.
Q.90 [Discourse Markers]
________, we can take recourse to, what I call, an argument from ordinary life.
Finally introduces the last of a series of points — the only option that works as a discourse marker here.
Q.91 [Confusable Word Pairs]
Lose and Loose
Q.92 [Confusable Word Pairs]
Anyway and Any way
Q.93 [Confusable Word Pairs]
Allusion and Illusion
Q.94 [Confusable Word Pairs]
Appraise and Apprise
Q.95 [Confusable Word Pairs]
Climactic and Climatic
Q.96 [Word Usage]
Advice
Q.97 [Word Usage]
Illicit
Q.98 [Word Usage]
Effect
Q.99 [Word Usage]
Brake
Q.100 [Word Usage]
Incite
Q.101 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Ensue | 1. Muddy ground |
| B. Morass | 2. Complex disputes |
| C. Imbroglio | 3. Collection of different things |
| D. Potpourri | 4. To happen as a result |
Ensue = to happen as a result; morass = muddy ground (and, figuratively, a mess); imbroglio = a complicated dispute; potpourri = a mixture of different things.
Q.102 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Malversation | 1. Continuing without a break |
| B. Conundrum | 2. Confusing problem |
| C. Incessant | 3. Extracting money in the form of taxes |
| D. Mulct | 4. Corrupt behaviour of a public servant |
Malversation = corruption in office; conundrum = a confusing problem; incessant = unceasing; mulct = to extract money by taxes or fines.
Q.103 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Impugn | 1. Meaningless words |
| B. Spew | 2. Expressing doubts about something |
| C. Harangue | 3. Flowing out of something in a forceful way |
| D. Gibberish | 4. Aggressive lecturing |
Impugn = call into question; spew = pour out forcefully; harangue = a lengthy aggressive speech; gibberish = meaningless talk.
Q.104 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Caveat | 1. Old-fashioned |
| B. Amble | 2. Warning |
| C. Acolyte | 3. Walking at a slow pace |
| D. Archaic | 4. Ardent follower |
Caveat = a warning or proviso; amble = walk at a leisurely pace; acolyte = a devoted follower or assistant; archaic = old-fashioned.
Q.105 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Kernel | 1. Something that causes bad luck |
| B. Brook | 2. Small stream |
| C. Jinx | 3. Something that gives feeling of comfort |
| D. Solace | 4. Soft part inside a seed |
Kernel = the soft inner part of a seed (and the core of an idea); brook = a small stream; jinx = a bringer of bad luck; solace = comfort in distress.
Q.106 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Feat | 1. The development of events outside a person's control |
| B. Fate | 2. Used to measure depth of water |
| C. Fathom | 3. An embarrassing mistake |
| D. Faux pas | 4. An achievement requiring great courage |
Feat = a daring achievement; fate = destiny beyond one's control; fathom = a unit (six feet) for measuring water depth; faux pas = a social blunder.
Q.107 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Semitic | 1. Similarity of appearance |
| B. Seminary | 2. Training college for priests |
| C. Send off | 3. A family of languages that includes Hebrew |
| D. Semblance | 4. Wish good luck to person leaving |
Semitic = the language family that includes Hebrew and Arabic; seminary = a college for training priests; send-off = a farewell wishing good luck; semblance = outward appearance or similarity.
Q.108 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Hatch | 1. Rough and low in pitch |
| B. Haughty | 2. Arrogant behaviour |
| C. Gruff | 3. Tiring and demanding |
| D. Gruelling | 4. A door in an aircraft |
Hatch = a small door or opening (in an aircraft or ship); haughty = arrogantly superior; gruff = rough and low-pitched (of a voice); gruelling = exhausting.
Q.109 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Extirpate | 1. Praise enthusiastically |
| B. Extol | 2. Farthest point |
| C. Extremity | 3. To remove completely |
| D. Expunge | 4. Destroy completely |
Extirpate = root out and destroy completely; extol = praise highly; extremity = the farthest point or limit; expunge = erase or remove completely.
Q.110 [Vocabulary — Matching]
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Devious | 1. Cause something to seem less valuable |
| B. Devolution | 2. Skilful in using underhand tactics |
| C. Detriment | 3. Transfer of power from higher to lower government |
| D. Detract | 4. The state of being harmed or damaged |
Devious = underhand and cunning; devolution = transfer of power to a lower level of government; detriment = harm or damage; detract = take away from the value of something.
Q.111 [Cloze Test]
It is increasingly 111______ that learning levels within many countries are highly unequal. This 112______ be happening because of institutional features of school systems, such as early streaming, regional diversity 113______ expenditure or political engagement, 114______ access to education, and non-equitable access to different types of providers. Among the developed countries, 115______ with more equal learning outcomes 116______ have better average learning outcomes, 117______ that appropriate interventions in the education sector may have positive effects on both equality and the quality of education. Economic inequality is associated with the distribution of 118______ skills among adults, although the direction of causation is unclear. Arguably, 119______ society will ever reach total equality in the learning outcomes of every individual. 120______ in learning outcomes may depend on individual ability and motivation, as well as the type of background one comes from and the types of resources one has access to.
It is increasingly recognized that… — a passive construction with is + past participle. Been recognized would need has.
Q.112 [Cloze Test]
Blank 112: This ______ be happening because of institutional features of school systems…
The writer is suggesting a possible cause, so the hedging modal may fits; must asserts certainty and ought to/should express obligation.
Q.113 [Cloze Test]
Blank 113: …early streaming, regional diversity ______ expenditure or political engagement…
One speaks of diversity in something (variation within it): regional diversity in expenditure.
Q.114 [Cloze Test]
Blank 114: …______ access to education, and non-equitable access to different types of providers.
An adjective is needed before access, and the list is of defects — unequal access. Inequal is not a word and inequality is a noun.
Q.115 [Cloze Test]
Blank 115: Among the developed countries, ______ with more equal learning outcomes…
Those with… = the countries that have more equal outcomes; those is the pronoun that takes a defining phrase.
Q.116 [Cloze Test]
Blank 116: …with more equal learning outcomes ______ have better average learning outcomes…
Countries with more equal outcomes also have better average outcomes — the adverb links the two advantages; a preposition would leave have without a subject.
Q.117 [Cloze Test]
Blank 117: …better average learning outcomes, ______ that appropriate interventions in the education sector may have positive effects…
After a comma, a participle clause comments on the preceding statement: …, suggesting that…. A finite verb would need a new subject.
Q.118 [Cloze Test]
Blank 118: Economic inequality is associated with the distribution of ______ skills among adults…
Numeracy skills is the standard term (with literacy skills) in education research; the sentence is about adults' measured skills.
Q.119 [Cloze Test]
Blank 119: Arguably, ______ society will ever reach total equality in the learning outcomes of every individual.
With ever and a singular noun, the negative determiner is required: no society will ever reach….
Q.120 [Cloze Test]
Blank 120: ______ in learning outcomes may depend on individual ability and motivation…
A plural noun subject matches the plural sense of varied outcomes and the plural verb phrase may depend; Different and Differentiated are adjectives.