Question 1

Fill in the blank (idiom: keeping life running smoothly)  “'Please' and 'Thank you' are the little courtesies by which we keep the ______ of life oiled and running smoothly.”  Choose the best word to complete the idiom.

Accepted Answer

Given data Idiomatic phrase describing smooth day-to-day functioning. Concept/Approach The fixed English idiom is “the wheels of life/industry/etc.,” often paired with “oiled.” Option analysis wheels — correct idiomatic choice (“keep the wheels … oiled”).gears — mechanical but not the usual collocation in this idiom.routes/paths — do not fit the “oiled and running” metaphor. Final Answer wheels

Question 2

Fill in the blank (phrasal verb meaning “switch off”)  “I put ______ the light and slept.”  Choose the correct particle to complete the phrasal verb.

Accepted Answer

Given data Phrasal verb used with “the light.” Concept/Approach Standard usage: “put out the light/candle” = extinguish or switch off. Option analysis out — correct with “light.”off — common in “switch off,” but idiomatically we say “put out” the light.on/up — incorrect meanings here. Common pitfalls Avoid mixing “put off the light,” which is nonstandard in formal English. Final Answer out

Question 3

Fill in the blank (fixed phrase)  “______ all intents and purposes, the manager is the master of the firm.”  Choose the correct preposition to complete the fixed expression.

Accepted Answer

Given data Well-known legal/formal phrase ending with “all intents and purposes.” Concept/Approach The set expression is “for all intents and purposes,” meaning “in effect” or “essentially.” Option analysis For — correct fixed phrase.To/In/With — unidiomatic in this expression. Final Answer For

Question 4

Fill in the blank (sequence with “before”)  “The pilot had been warned about the storm, before he ______.”  Choose the verb form that creates a correct time sequence.

Accepted Answer

Given data Past warning precedes the action of departure. Concept/Approach Use simple past for the later action and past perfect for the earlier state: “had been warned … before he took off.” Option analysis took off — correct; follows the past-perfect clause.had taken off — would mean the takeoff happened even earlier, which clashes with “before he …” here.was taking off — progressive aspect is unnecessary and awkward.has taken off — present perfect does not match a past-time narrative. Final Answer took off

Question 5

Fill in the blank (correlative with “Hardly … when”)  “Hardly had he arrived ______ it started raining.”  Choose the correct connector.

Accepted Answer

Given data Sentence begins with “Hardly had …” indicating an immediate subsequent event. Concept/Approach The fixed correlative is “Hardly had X happened when Y happened.” Option analysis when — correct pairing.than — pairs with “no sooner … than,” not “hardly …”then/that — ungrammatical here. Final Answer when

Question 6

Fill in the blank (verb + infinitive pattern)  “I ______ a car to be absolutely necessary these days.”  Choose the verb that best fits this formal structure.

Accepted Answer

Given data Structure: Verb + object + infinitive (“a car to be”). Concept/Approach Consider commonly takes an object + infinitive (or object + complement): “consider X to be Y.” Option analysis consider — grammatically natural and formal.think/suppose/guess — usually take a clause (“I think that a car is …”), not an object + infinitive here. Final Answer consider

Question 7

Fill in the blank (preposition with “deals ___”)  “Besides other provisions, that shopkeeper deals ______ cosmetics.”  Choose the correct preposition.

Accepted Answer

Given data Verb–preposition collocation required after “deals.” Concept/Approach In commercial contexts the standard collocation is “deal in (goods).” Option analysis in — correct collocation: “deals in cosmetics.”with — means “handle” people/things, but not the goods traded.at/by — incorrect after “deal” in this sense. Final Answer in

Question 8

Fill in the blank (page layout term)  “Leave a two inch ______ on each page for the teacher's remarks.”  Choose the correct noun.

Accepted Answer

Given data Instruction about leaving space at page edges. Concept/Approach The technical term for reserved white space along page edges is “margin.” Option analysis margin — correct publishing/formatting term.boundary — means a limit, not the white space itself.gap/blank — generic and imprecise; not the standard term. Final Answer margin

Question 9

Fill in the blank (team psychology)  “The team was well trained and strong, but somehow their ______ was low.”  Choose the most appropriate noun.

Accepted Answer

Given data Despite strength, the team lacks psychological readiness/enthusiasm. Concept/Approach Morale means the level of confidence and enthusiasm of a person or group. Option analysis morale — correct term for team spirit/confidence level.moral/morality — relate to right/wrong, not enthusiasm.spirit — close in meaning, but the fixed expression is “low morale.” Common pitfalls Confusing moral (ethical) with morale (confidence). Final Answer morale

Question 10

Vocabulary in context: choose the best adjective to describe a secret love affair  Context: The lovers met each other secretly; soon everyone came to know about it. Complete the sentence meaningfully: "The lovers were meeting each other secretly, bu…

Accepted Answer

Given data Lovers met secretly. The affair later became widely known. Concept/Approach Clandestine means kept secret, especially for illicit purposes. It strongly collocates with affair (“a clandestine affair”). Option analysis clandestine — correct; commonly used for secret relationships. ✅covert — hidden/concealed in general, but the fixed collocation “covert affair” is less idiomatic than “clandestine affair.”unknown — merely “not known”; weaker and not idiomatic with “affair.”candid — frank/open; the opposite of secret. Common pitfalls Choosing a near-synonym without considering collocation strength. Final Answer clandestine

Question 11

Word choice (legal vs personal): select the correct verb for a king's formal act of mercy  Context: A king performs an official, legal act regarding a rebel. Complete the sentence: "The king ______ the rebel."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Subject: a king (official capacity). Object: the rebel (likely a legal/penal context). Concept/Approach A ruler’s formal act of remission is a pardon. Forgive is personal/moral; excuse suggests justification of a minor fault, not remission of punishment. Option analysis pardoned — correct legal term for remission of penalty. ✅forgave — personal absolution, not necessarily legal.excused — treats as not requiring blame; not appropriate for rebellion.none of these — incorrect because a correct option exists. Final Answer pardoned

Question 12

Prepositions with "call": choose the correct preposition for visiting a person  Context: The speaker plans to visit someone tomorrow. Complete the sentence with the correct preposition of phrasal usage: "I shall call ______ you tomorrow."  Choose th…

Accepted Answer

Given data Action: to visit a person. Time: tomorrow. Concept/Approach In standard English, call on means “to visit (a person).” Call at is used for visiting a place (“call at the office”). Call with is non-idiomatic in this sense; call by (drop by) is possible but far less standard in this structure. Option analysis on — correct: “call on you” (visit you). ✅at — used for places, not people.with — unidiomatic here.by — could mean “stop by,” but the natural, taught collocation is “call on (a person).” Final Answer on

Question 13

Phrasal verb meaning "be noticeable": pick the best completion  Context: Height and flaming red hair make someone noticeable in a crowd. Complete the sentence: "She ______ from the crowd because of her height and flaming red hair."  Choose the corre…

Accepted Answer

Given data Cause: distinctive height and hair colour. Concept/Approach Stand out means “to be easily noticeable or prominent.” Option analysis stood out — correct; she was conspicuous. ✅stood off — means kept a distance.stood up — rose to a standing position or failed to keep an appointment.stood by — remained nearby or offered support. Final Answer stood out

Question 14

Fixed expression: supply the correct particle with "cut ____ from nature"  Context: Life in big cities distances people from the natural world. Rewrite and complete the sentence: "In large cities, people are cut ______ from nature."  Choose the corr…

Accepted Answer

Given data Urban living causes separation from nature. Concept/Approach The fixed phrase is cut off from meaning “isolated/separated from.” Option analysis off — correct in the phrasal construction “cut off from.” ✅out — “cut out” means remove/omit; wrong here.up — unrelated.away — “cut away” means remove by cutting; wrong preposition after “from.” Common pitfalls Writing “In a large cities …” — corrected to “In large cities …”. Final Answer off

Question 15

Word choice (positive psychology): select the adjective that completes the parallel structure  Context: Actions and thoughts should align and form a whole for greater happiness. Complete the sentence: "The more your action and thought are allied and…

Accepted Answer

Given data Parallel structure: “allied and ______”. Concept/Approach Integrated means “combined to form a whole,” perfectly matching “allied.” Option analysis integrated — correct; aligned and unified. ✅divergent — separating in different directions; opposite of allied.unravelled — coming apart; opposite of integration.invincible — unconquerable; unrelated to alignment of thought/action. Final Answer integrated

Question 16

Collocation with weather: choose the natural noun for a short period of warmth  Context: Unseasonal warm weather occurred in February. Complete the sentence: "We had a ______ of warm weather in February."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Short period of a particular weather condition. Concept/Approach The standard collocation in English is a spell of warm/cold/dry weather. Option analysis spell — correct fixed collocation: “a spell of warm weather.” ✅time — too generic; not an idiomatic fit.length — measures extent; not idiomatic for weather.phase — used for stages, not typical with weather. Final Answer spell

Question 17

Semantic contrast: select the noun that best completes "physically neighbours, psychologically ______"  Context: Despite physical proximity, emotional/mental distance remains. Complete the sentence: "Physically we are now all neighbors, but psycholo…

Accepted Answer

Given data Opposition between physical closeness and mental distance. Concept/Approach Strangers captures lack of familiarity or connection, contrasting “neighbors.” Option analysis strangers — correct antithesis to “neighbors.” ✅primitives — unrelated; describes cultural development (and can be pejorative).complimentary — “giving praise” or “free of charge”; wrong word (and different from “complementary”).cowards — denotes lack of courage; irrelevant. Final Answer strangers

Question 18

Verb choice after exams: pick the verb that matches gleeful discontinuation of books  Context: After examinations, children stop using their study books. Complete the sentence: "When their examinations are over, the children gleefully ______ the boo…

Accepted Answer

Given data Emotional tone: “gleefully” after exams (no longer needed). Concept/Approach Abandon means to give up completely or desert, matching the idea of putting study books aside after exams. Option analysis abandon — correct; stop using/give up. ✅shelve — literally put on a shelf; could fit physically but does not capture “give up” and is less idiomatic with “gleefully.”sidetrack — a verb meaning to divert attention; wrong object usage.overthrow — remove from power; wrong meaning entirely. Final Answer abandon

Question 19

Degree with "too + adjective + to": supply the correct degree modifier  Context: The child's size prevents starting cricket now. Complete the sentence: "Chintu is ______ small to start playing cricket now."  Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Structure: degree + adjective + infinitive of result (“to start”). Concept/Approach The standard pattern expressing excess preventing an action is too + adjective + to + verb (too small to start). Option analysis too — correct: “too small to start.” ✅very — “very small” is fine, but “very small to start” is ungrammatical without a different structure.much — needs “too much” or a comparative; alone it is incorrect here.more — comparative requires “than,” not “to + verb.” Common pitfalls Using “very … to” instead of the fixed “too … to” construction. Final Answer too

Question 20

Fill in the blank (verb choice for theft)  “The thief ______ all the money.”  Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence.

Accepted Answer

Given data Simple past narrative about a thief and money. Concept/Approach Steal is used with the thing taken as its object (“stole the money”). Rob normally takes the person/place as object (“robbed the bank”). Option analysis stole — correct; simple past with a direct object (“money”).has stolen — present perfect usually needs a context link to the present.robbed — wrong object type (should be “robbed someone/some place”).looted — possible in riots/war contexts, not the best here. Final Answer stole

Selecting Words Questions