How to Use This Chapter

Time yourself

Allow roughly 12–15 minutes per set of 15 questions (about 50–60 seconds per MCQ). This is the pace required in the actual paper.

Simulate the exam

Cover the answers, attempt a full set in one sitting without breaks, and avoid checking dictionaries or notes. Mark your responses on a separate sheet.

Review explanations

After each set, check the in-line answers and the one-line explanation for every question — especially the ones you got wrong or guessed. Re-attempt those after a day. Use the consolidated Answer Key at the end for quick scoring.

Practice Set 1 (Q1–15)

1. Choose the correct part of speech of the underlined word: "She sang beautifully."

(a) Adjective (b) Adverb (c) Noun (d) Verb
Answer: (b) Adverb
Explanation: "Beautifully" modifies the verb "sang", so it is an adverb.

2. Choose the correctly spelt word:

(a) Embarrassment (b) Embarassment (c) Embarrasment (d) Embarasment
Answer: (a) Embarrassment
Explanation: "Embarrassment" takes a double "r" and a double "s".

3. Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: "He has been ill ___ Monday."

(a) for (b) from (c) since (d) by
Answer: (c) since
Explanation: "Since" is used with a point of time (Monday) in the perfect tenses.

4. Choose the synonym of "BENEVOLENT":

(a) Cruel (b) Kind (c) Greedy (d) Lazy
Answer: (b) Kind
Explanation: "Benevolent" means well-meaning and kindly.

5. Identify the tense: "They will have finished the work by noon."

(a) Future Perfect (b) Future Continuous (c) Present Perfect (d) Future Simple
Answer: (a) Future Perfect
Explanation: "will have + past participle" denotes the future perfect tense.

6. Choose the correct article: "He is ___ honourable man."

(a) a (b) an (c) the (d) no article
Answer: (b) an
Explanation: The "h" in "honourable" is silent, so the sound is a vowel sound requiring "an".

7. Change into indirect speech: She said, "I am tired."

(a) She said that she is tired. (b) She said that she was tired. (c) She says she was tired. (d) She told that I was tired.
Answer: (b) She said that she was tired.
Explanation: Present "am" shifts to past "was" and "I" becomes "she".

8. Choose the antonym of "TRANSPARENT":

(a) Clear (b) Opaque (c) Bright (d) Visible
Answer: (b) Opaque
Explanation: "Opaque" (not allowing light through) is the opposite of "transparent".

9. Select the correctly punctuated sentence:

(a) Where are you going. (b) Where are you going? (c) Where are you going! (d) Where are you going,
Answer: (b) Where are you going?
Explanation: A direct question ends with a question mark.

10. Identify the error: "One of the boys (a)/ have (b)/ broken the window (c)/ No error (d)."

(a) One of the boys (b) have (c) broken the window (d) No error
Answer: (b) have
Explanation: "One of the boys" takes a singular verb "has".

11. Choose the correct modal: "You ___ not smoke here; it is prohibited."

(a) need (b) must (c) would (d) could
Answer: (b) must
Explanation: "Must not" expresses prohibition.

12. One word for "a person who knows many languages":

(a) Linguist (b) Polyglot (c) Bilingual (d) Orator
Answer: (b) Polyglot
Explanation: A "polyglot" speaks or knows many languages.

13. Change into passive voice: "The cat caught the mouse."

(a) The mouse was caught by the cat. (b) The mouse is caught by the cat. (c) The mouse caught the cat. (d) The mouse has been caught by the cat.
Answer: (a) The mouse was caught by the cat.
Explanation: Simple past active becomes "was/were + past participle" in the passive.

14. Choose the meaning of the idiom "to bury the hatchet":

(a) To hide a weapon (b) To make peace (c) To start a fight (d) To dig a grave
Answer: (b) To make peace
Explanation: "To bury the hatchet" means to end a quarrel and become friendly.

15. Improve the sentence: "He is junior than me."

(a) junior than I (b) junior to me (c) more junior than me (d) No improvement
Answer: (b) junior to me
Explanation: Latin comparatives such as "junior" and "senior" take "to", not "than".

Practice Set 2 (Q16–30)

16. Fill in the blank: "Neither of the two answers ___ correct."

(a) are (b) is (c) were (d) have
Answer: (b) is
Explanation: "Neither" is singular and takes a singular verb "is".

17. Choose the correctly spelt word:

(a) Maintainance (b) Maintenance (c) Maintinance (d) Maintenence
Answer: (b) Maintenance
Explanation: The correct spelling is "maintenance".

18. Choose the synonym of "FRUGAL":

(a) Wasteful (b) Economical (c) Generous (d) Rich
Answer: (b) Economical
Explanation: "Frugal" means thrifty or sparing in spending.

19. Identify the part of speech of "but" in: "She is poor but honest."

(a) Preposition (b) Conjunction (c) Adverb (d) Interjection
Answer: (b) Conjunction
Explanation: Here "but" joins two adjectives, so it is a coordinating conjunction.

20. Change into indirect speech: He said, "I will come tomorrow."

(a) He said that he will come tomorrow. (b) He said that he would come the next day. (c) He said that he came the next day. (d) He says he would come tomorrow.
Answer: (b) He said that he would come the next day.
Explanation: "Will" becomes "would" and "tomorrow" becomes "the next day".

21. Choose the correct article: "She plays ___ violin very well."

(a) a (b) an (c) the (d) no article
Answer: (c) the
Explanation: Musical instruments take the definite article "the".

22. Choose the antonym of "EXPAND":

(a) Enlarge (b) Stretch (c) Contract (d) Grow
Answer: (c) Contract
Explanation: "Contract" (to shrink) is the opposite of "expand".

23. Identify the error: "The teacher as well as the students (a)/ were present (b)/ in the hall (c)/ No error (d)."

(a) The teacher as well as the students (b) were present (c) in the hall (d) No error
Answer: (b) were present
Explanation: With "as well as", the verb agrees with the first subject "teacher", so "was present".

24. Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: "He is good ___ mathematics."

(a) in (b) at (c) on (d) with
Answer: (b) at
Explanation: "Good at" is the standard collocation for skill in a subject.

25. One word for "that which cannot be corrected":

(a) Incurable (b) Incorrigible (c) Illegible (d) Invincible
Answer: (b) Incorrigible
Explanation: "Incorrigible" describes something/someone that cannot be corrected or reformed.

26. Change into passive voice: "Someone has stolen my purse."

(a) My purse has been stolen. (b) My purse was stolen by someone. (c) My purse is stolen. (d) My purse had been stolen.
Answer: (a) My purse has been stolen.
Explanation: Present perfect active becomes "has been + past participle"; the indefinite agent is dropped.

27. Choose the meaning of the idiom "a wild goose chase":

(a) A useless pursuit (b) A hunting trip (c) A wise decision (d) A fast race
Answer: (a) A useless pursuit
Explanation: "A wild goose chase" means a hopeless, fruitless search.

28. Choose the correct modal: "When I was young, I ___ run very fast."

(a) can (b) could (c) may (d) should
Answer: (b) could
Explanation: "Could" expresses past ability.

29. Identify the tense: "I have been reading this book for two hours."

(a) Present Perfect (b) Present Perfect Continuous (c) Past Continuous (d) Present Continuous
Answer: (b) Present Perfect Continuous
Explanation: "have been + verb-ing" with a duration marks the present perfect continuous.

30. Improve the sentence: "Hardly had I reached the station than the train left."

(a) when the train left (b) then the train left (c) that the train left (d) No improvement
Answer: (a) when the train left
Explanation: "Hardly … when" is the correct correlative pair.

Practice Set 3 (Q31–45)

31. Choose the correctly spelt word:

(a) Priviledge (b) Privilege (c) Privelege (d) Privilage
Answer: (b) Privilege
Explanation: The correct spelling is "privilege" — no "d".

32. Fill in the blank: "If I ___ rich, I would help the poor."

(a) am (b) was (c) were (d) will be
Answer: (c) were
Explanation: The unreal conditional uses "were" for all subjects in the if-clause.

33. Choose the synonym of "OBSTINATE":

(a) Flexible (b) Stubborn (c) Gentle (d) Polite
Answer: (b) Stubborn
Explanation: "Obstinate" means firmly stubborn and unyielding.

34. Identify the part of speech of "fast" in: "He ran fast."

(a) Adjective (b) Adverb (c) Noun (d) Verb
Answer: (b) Adverb
Explanation: Here "fast" modifies the verb "ran", so it is an adverb.

35. Change into indirect speech: The teacher said, "The earth revolves around the sun."

(a) The teacher said that the earth revolved around the sun. (b) The teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun. (c) The teacher told the earth revolves around the sun. (d) The teacher said the earth had revolved around the sun.
Answer: (b) The teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun.
Explanation: A universal truth keeps its present tense even after a past reporting verb.

36. Choose the antonym of "COURAGEOUS":

(a) Brave (b) Bold (c) Cowardly (d) Daring
Answer: (c) Cowardly
Explanation: "Cowardly" is the opposite of "courageous".

37. Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: "The book is ___ the table."

(a) in (b) at (c) on (d) into
Answer: (c) on
Explanation: "On" indicates contact with a surface.

38. Identify the error: "Each of the students (a)/ have submitted (b)/ their assignment (c)/ No error (d)."

(a) Each of the students (b) have submitted (c) their assignment (d) No error
Answer: (b) have submitted
Explanation: "Each" is singular and requires "has submitted".

39. One word for "a place where birds are kept":

(a) Apiary (b) Aviary (c) Aquarium (d) Orchard
Answer: (b) Aviary
Explanation: An "aviary" is an enclosure for keeping birds.

40. Change into passive voice: "They are building a new bridge."

(a) A new bridge is being built by them. (b) A new bridge was built by them. (c) A new bridge is built by them. (d) A new bridge has been built by them.
Answer: (a) A new bridge is being built by them.
Explanation: Present continuous active becomes "is/are being + past participle".

41. Choose the meaning of the idiom "to let the cat out of the bag":

(a) To free an animal (b) To reveal a secret (c) To tell a lie (d) To make a mistake
Answer: (b) To reveal a secret
Explanation: The idiom means to disclose something that was meant to be kept secret.

42. Choose the correct article: "___ Ganga is a sacred river."

(a) A (b) An (c) The (d) No article
Answer: (c) The
Explanation: Names of rivers take the definite article "the".

43. Select the correctly punctuated sentence:

(a) My brother who lives in Delhi is a doctor. (b) My brother, who lives in Delhi, is a doctor. (c) My brother who lives in Delhi, is a doctor. (d) My brother, who lives in Delhi is a doctor.
Answer: (b) My brother, who lives in Delhi, is a doctor.
Explanation: A non-defining relative clause is set off by a pair of commas.

44. Choose the correct modal: "It is late; you ___ go home now."

(a) should (b) would (c) might (d) used to
Answer: (a) should
Explanation: "Should" gives advice or recommendation.

45. Improve the sentence: "He prefers tea than coffee."

(a) tea to coffee (b) tea from coffee (c) tea over coffee (d) No improvement
Answer: (a) tea to coffee
Explanation: "Prefer" takes "to", not "than".

Practice Set 4 (Q46–60)

46. Fill in the blank: "He spoke to me as if he ___ my master."

(a) is (b) was (c) were (d) will be
Answer: (c) were
Explanation: "As if" expressing an unreal situation takes "were".

47. Choose the correctly spelt word:

(a) Occassion (b) Ocassion (c) Occasion (d) Ocasion
Answer: (c) Occasion
Explanation: "Occasion" has a double "c" and a single "s".

48. Choose the synonym of "LUCID":

(a) Obscure (b) Clear (c) Dull (d) Confusing
Answer: (b) Clear
Explanation: "Lucid" means clear and easy to understand.

49. Identify the part of speech of "Alas" in: "Alas! He is no more."

(a) Conjunction (b) Adverb (c) Interjection (d) Preposition
Answer: (c) Interjection
Explanation: "Alas" expresses sudden emotion, so it is an interjection.

50. Change into indirect speech: He said to me, "Do you like coffee?"

(a) He asked me if I liked coffee. (b) He asked me do I like coffee. (c) He said me that I liked coffee. (d) He told me if I like coffee.
Answer: (a) He asked me if I liked coffee.
Explanation: A yes/no question is reported with "if/whether" and the tense shifts back.

51. Choose the antonym of "GENEROUS":

(a) Kind (b) Liberal (c) Miserly (d) Noble
Answer: (c) Miserly
Explanation: "Miserly" (mean with money) is the opposite of "generous".

52. Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: "She is married ___ a doctor."

(a) with (b) to (c) by (d) of
Answer: (b) to
Explanation: "Married to" is the correct collocation.

53. Identify the error: "He is one of the best (a)/ player (b)/ in the team (c)/ No error (d)."

(a) He is one of the best (b) player (c) in the team (d) No error
Answer: (b) player
Explanation: "One of the best" is followed by a plural noun: "players".

54. One word for "a government by the few":

(a) Monarchy (b) Democracy (c) Oligarchy (d) Anarchy
Answer: (c) Oligarchy
Explanation: An "oligarchy" is rule by a small group of people.

55. Change into passive voice: "Who wrote this letter?"

(a) By whom was this letter written? (b) Who was written this letter? (c) By whom this letter was written? (d) Whom wrote this letter?
Answer: (a) By whom was this letter written?
Explanation: "Who" as subject becomes "By whom" in the passive interrogative.

56. Choose the meaning of the idiom "to make both ends meet":

(a) To travel far (b) To live within one's income (c) To join two ropes (d) To finish a task
Answer: (b) To live within one's income
Explanation: The idiom means to manage one's expenses within available money.

57. Identify the tense: "She was singing when the phone rang."

(a) Past Simple (b) Past Continuous (c) Past Perfect (d) Present Continuous
Answer: (b) Past Continuous
Explanation: "was singing" describes an action in progress in the past — past continuous.

58. Choose the correct article: "He returned after ___ hour."

(a) a (b) an (c) the (d) no article
Answer: (b) an
Explanation: The "h" in "hour" is silent, giving a vowel sound that needs "an".

59. Choose the correct modal: "He ___ be at home; the lights are on."

(a) must (b) need (c) ought (d) dare
Answer: (a) must
Explanation: "Must" expresses a logical, near-certain deduction.

60. Improve the sentence: "The scenery of Kashmir are beautiful."

(a) sceneries are beautiful (b) scenery is beautiful (c) scenery were beautiful (d) No improvement
Answer: (b) scenery is beautiful
Explanation: "Scenery" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb "is".

Practice Set 5 (Q61–75)

61. Choose the correctly spelt word:

(a) Concious (b) Conscious (c) Consious (d) Conscius
Answer: (b) Conscious
Explanation: The correct spelling is "conscious".

62. Fill in the blank: "The number of students ___ increasing."

(a) are (b) is (c) have (d) were
Answer: (b) is
Explanation: "The number of" takes a singular verb, unlike "a number of".

63. Choose the synonym of "ABUNDANT":

(a) Scarce (b) Plentiful (c) Empty (d) Rare
Answer: (b) Plentiful
Explanation: "Abundant" means existing in large quantities — plentiful.

64. Identify the part of speech of "before" in: "I had left before he arrived."

(a) Preposition (b) Adverb (c) Conjunction (d) Noun
Answer: (c) Conjunction
Explanation: Here "before" joins two clauses, so it is a subordinating conjunction.

65. Change into indirect speech: She said, "Let us go for a walk."

(a) She suggested that we should go for a walk. (b) She said that we go for a walk. (c) She told to go for a walk. (d) She asked us to go for a walk.
Answer: (a) She suggested that we should go for a walk.
Explanation: "Let us" (proposal) is reported with "suggested that … should".

66. Choose the antonym of "ARTIFICIAL":

(a) Fake (b) Synthetic (c) Natural (d) False
Answer: (c) Natural
Explanation: "Natural" is the opposite of "artificial".

67. Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: "He died ___ cholera."

(a) from (b) of (c) by (d) with
Answer: (b) of
Explanation: One dies "of" a disease.

68. Identify the error: "If he will come (a)/ I shall (b)/ meet him (c)/ No error (d)."

(a) If he will come (b) I shall (c) meet him (d) No error
Answer: (a) If he will come
Explanation: In a conditional, the if-clause uses the present simple: "If he comes".

69. One word for "a speech made without preparation":

(a) Extempore (b) Eloquent (c) Verbose (d) Rhetoric
Answer: (a) Extempore
Explanation: An "extempore" speech is delivered without prior preparation.

70. Change into passive voice: "Open the door."

(a) Let the door be opened. (b) The door is opened. (c) The door was opened. (d) Let the door open.
Answer: (a) Let the door be opened.
Explanation: Imperatives become "Let + object + be + past participle" in the passive.

71. Choose the meaning of the idiom "to turn a deaf ear":

(a) To listen carefully (b) To ignore (c) To go deaf (d) To whisper
Answer: (b) To ignore
Explanation: "To turn a deaf ear" means to refuse to listen or pay attention.

72. Choose the correct article: "Honesty is ___ best policy."

(a) a (b) an (c) the (d) no article
Answer: (c) the
Explanation: The superlative "best" requires the definite article "the".

73. Choose the correct modal: "Students ___ obey their teachers."

(a) ought to (b) used to (c) dare (d) need
Answer: (a) ought to
Explanation: "Ought to" expresses moral duty or obligation.

74. Identify the tense: "By the time we arrived, the show had started."

(a) Past Simple (b) Past Perfect (c) Past Continuous (d) Present Perfect
Answer: (b) Past Perfect
Explanation: "had started" denotes an action completed before another past action — past perfect.

75. Improve the sentence: "No sooner did he see the police than he ran away."

(a) when he ran away (b) then he ran away (c) that he ran away (d) No improvement
Answer: (d) No improvement
Explanation: "No sooner … than" is the correct correlative pair; the sentence is already right.

Answer Key

Key Takeaways

• Mixed practice builds the topic-switching agility the real exam demands.
• Always read every option before choosing — distractors are designed to look right.
• Track your weak areas from the wrong answers and revise those chapters first.
• Accuracy under time pressure, not mere knowledge, decides selection.

Last Minute Revision — Golden Rules

• Agreement: "One of / each / neither / number of" take a singular verb; "a number of" takes a plural verb.
• Articles: Use "an" before a vowel sound (an hour, an honour); "the" before superlatives, rivers and musical instruments.
• Prepositions: good at, married to, die of (disease), prefer to, junior/senior to.
• Tenses: "since" + point of time, "for" + duration; universal truths stay in the present.
• Conditionals: No "will" in the if-clause; use "were" for unreal conditions and "as if".
• Narration: Shift tense and pronouns; "tomorrow → the next day"; questions take "if/whether"; proposals take "suggested … should".
• Voice: Active object becomes passive subject; keep the tense; imperatives become "Let … be + V3".
• Correlatives: Hardly … when; No sooner … than; Scarcely … when.
• Modals: must (obligation/deduction), should/ought to (advice/duty), could (past ability), must not (prohibition).