Verbal Ability Test 1

Number of Questions: 40 Time: 30 min

Directions for questions 1 to 5: Each of the given sentences 10. Injustice and discrimination / can never be /
has four underlined parts. One of them has a mistake. Mark        (A)       (B)
the number of the wrong part as answer. tolerated by / no one.
1. In the Sub-Saharan countries incidences of   (C)   (D)
              (A) 11. Alas! / How lovely / and fragrant /
Sunstrokes correlates positively withthe level of (A)   (B)     (C)
    (B)        (C) these flowers are!
Solar radiation.    (D)
  (D) 12. Your story is / so ridiculous that / it could not/
2. Either you transfer the data which was demanded   (A)     (B)     (C)
   (A)      (B) be believed.
nor file a report explaining why you did not   (D)
       (C) 13. Government schools / has too many students /
submit the overall annual figures.      (A)       (B)
      (D) in a class / for a teacher to control.
3. Neither the judge nor I am ready toannounce  (C)      (D)
   (A)    (B)     (C) 14. Either of / the methods / lead to the /
who the winner is.   (A)   (B)    (C)
   (D) same result.
4. He went about the bad phase in his career with     (D)
  (A)     (B)     (C) 15. The doctor has / advised him / to avoid the sugar /
philosophical clam   (A)     (B)      (C)
   (D) in his milk.
5. A score of apple is purchased by him   (D)
   (A)     (B)  (C) Directions for questions 16 to 20: Each sentence given
for his consumption. below is divided into four parts. One of them has an error.
   (D) Mark the number of the incorrect part as your answer.
Directions for questions 6 to 10: Read each sentence to find 16. The church accepts this popular sentiment /
out whether there is any error in it. The error, if any, will be         (A)
in one part of the sentence. Identify the error and mark the gives it a religious significance /and crystallizes /
number of the erroneous part as your answer.      (B)         (C)
6. All the members / of the club / was present / in a system
  (A)      (B)    (C)   (D)
at the special meeting. 17. The government of the Tudors /
    (D)       (A)
7. Over the course of the twentieth century/ were masters in the art of disguising /
        (A)         (B)
the internal combustion engine / common place, and sometimes sordid, motives /
      (B)         (C)
has replaced the horse / to the basic means of transport. beneath a glittering façade of imposing principles.
     (C)         (D)         (D)
8. We must / never give up with /trying to enhance/ 18. The increasing reluctance of the sun to rise,/
 (A)     (B)      (C)          (A)
the quality of life. the extra nip in the breeze /
    (D)     (B)
9. It will profit a man nothing / if he was / the patten of shed leaves dropping - all the evidences
      (A)      (B) of fall /
to gain the world / and lose his own soul.            (C)
   (C)       (D) drifting in winter were clearer each day.
       (D)
1.6 | Verbal Ability Test 1

19. Because of it’s hardness / this steel is / used principally/ 25. We cannot achieve our goals. We lack confidence in our
     (A)     (B)     (C) abilities.
for making razors. (A) When we lack confidence ………..
   (D) (B) However we can achieve our goals if we lack …..
(C) Whenever we achieve our goals ………
20. Laying aside all hindrance /
(A) A and B (B) A only
     (A)
(C) B only (D) C only
thrusting away all private aims /
(E) B and C
      (B)
devote yourself unswerving and unflinchingly / Directions for questions 26 to 30: Each sentence has a miss-
         (C) ing part. Choose the best option from those given below the
to the vigorous and successful prosecution of this war statement to make up the missing part.
          (D) 26. Given the long and porous border between the two
countries and, more important, the links _______.
Directions for questions 21 to 25: In each question below, (A) among Nepalese and Indian rebel groups, New Delhi
two sentences are given. These two sentences are to be com- cannot afford ignoring the Maoists threat of Nepal
bined into a single sentence without changing their mean- (B) between Nepalese and Indian rebel groups, New
ing. Three probable starters of the combined sentence are Delhi cannot afford the ignorance of the Maoists
given which are denoted by (A), (B) and (C). Any one or threat in Nepal
more or none of them may be correct. Find out the correct (C) among Nepalese and Indian rebel groups, New Delhi
starters(s) and accordingly select your answer from among cannot afford to ignore the Maoists threat of Nepal
the given five answer choices. (D) between Nepalese and Indian rebel groups, New
Delhi cannot afford to ignore the Maoists threat in
21. I am a layman. I do not know how a computer
Nepal
works.
(A) Being a layman, I ……….. 27. At a time when Beijing’s officially scripted anti-Japa-
(B) As I am a layman, I ………. nese protests are bound to prompt a rethink in Japan
(C) While I am a layman, I…….. about the advisability of continued investment in
(A) A and B (B) B and C China, India should be __________.
(C) A and C (D) B only (A) persuading aggressively Japanese business to
(E) A only shifting at least some of their mammoth invest-
ments to its secure location
22. He always listened to good advice. He rose to a good (B) aggressively persuading Japanese business to
position in life. shifting at least some of their mammoth invest-
(A) Though he listened to good advice …….. ments to its secure location
(B) As he rose to good position in life …….. (C) aggressively persuading Japanese business to shift
(C) Since he listened to good advice ……. at least some of their mammoth investments to its
(A) A and B (B) B and C secure location
(C) A only (D) B only (D) persuading aggressively Japanese business to shift
(E) C only at least some of their mammoth investments to its
23. The soldiers saw the camp of the enemy. They started secure location
attacking the enemy. 28. ________, that they could compete successfully, even
(A) While the soldiers saw the enemy camp …… with the higher techniques of production, which were
(B) When the soldiers saw the camp ……. being established in England.
(C) Because the soldiers saw the camp ……. (A) So efficient and highly organized were Indian
(A) B and C (B) A and C methods of production, and such was the skill of
(C) B only (D) A only India’s artisans and craftsmen
(E) C only (B) So efficiently and highly organized were Indian
methods of production, and such were the skill of
24. The weather is warm. I like to go for swimming now. India’s artisans and craftsmen
(A) If the weather is ………… (C) So efficient and highly organized were Indian
(B) Whenever the weather is ……… methods of production, and such was the skill of
(C) As the weather is ……. India’s artisan and craftsman
(A) A and B (B) A only (D) So efficiently and highly organized were Indian
(C) B only (D) C only methods of production, and such were the skill of
(E) None of these India’s artisan and craftsman
 Verbal Ability Test 1 | 1.7

Directions for questions 29 to 33: In the following ques- 35. (A) If you want to play well, you must practise.
tions, two sentences are given. There may be an error in the (B) If you want to play well, one must practise.
sentence(s). Mark as your answer (C) If one want to play well, you must practise.
(A) if there is an error only in the first sentence; (D) If one wants to play well, he must practise.
(B) if there is an error only in the second sentence; 36. (A) Einstein was more cleverer than any other scientist.
(C) if there are errors in both the sentences and (B) Einstein was more cleverer than any scientist.
(D) if there is no error in either of the two sentences. (C) Einstein was cleverer than any other scientist.
(D) Einstein was cleverer than any scientist.
29. I. He said that he will come, but he didn’t.
II. I admit, ‘No news is good news now - a -days’. 37. (A) An argument developed among his sister and him.
(B) An argument developed between his sister and he.
30. I. I and my friend like to play tennis in grass court. (C) An argument developed between his sister and his.
II. Each of the mistakes have to be corrected before (D) An argument developed between his sister and him.
printing.
38. (A) The youngster will benefit from the experience.
31. I. I cannot see anything wrong with the plan. (B) The youngster will benefit by the experience.
II. You may read the book if you have enough time. (C) The youngster will benefit of the experience.
32. I. There is a little truth in what we have heard. (D) The youngster will benefit out of the experience.
II. You are not going to the theatre, isn’t it? 39. (A) There were lesser children in the class than
33. I. He informed me before he had posted the letter expected.
(B) There were fewer children in the class than
yesterday.
expected.
II. No one is as happy as he.
(C) There were a little children in the class than
Directions for questions 34 to 40: A sentence is given in expected.
four different forms. Only one of them is correct grammati- (D) There were a small children in the class than
cally. Mark the number of the correct one as the answer. expected.
34. (A) My sister likes painting, dancing and to cooking. 40. (A) The child can’t hardly wait till its birthday.
(B) My sister likes painting, dancing and to cook. (B) The child can wait till it’s birthday.
(C) My sister like painting, dancing and cooking. (C) The child can hardly wait till its birthday.
(D) My sister likes painting, dancing and cooking. (D) The child can wait hardly till its birthday.

Answer Keys
1. B 2. C 3. D 4. A 5. A 6. C 7. D 8. B 9. B 10. D
11. A 12. C 13. B 14. C 15. C 16. C 17. B 18. D 19. A 20. C
21. A 22. D 23. C 24. D 25. B 26. D 27. C 28. A 29. A 30. C
31. D 32. B 33. A 34. D 35. A 36. C 37. D 38. A 39. B 40. C

Hints and Explanations

1. Indences correlate. Choice (B) 10. Choice (D)
2. ‘Nor’ must be replaced by ‘or’. Choice (C) 11. Choice (A)
3. ‘Who the winner is’ is redundeant. Use only ‘the win- 12. Choice (C)
ner’. Choice (D) 13. Choice (B)
4. ‘Went about’ is the wrong phrase in the context of the 14. Choice (C)
given sentence. Choice (A)
15. Choice (C)
5. “A score of apples’ is the correct phrase, as ‘score’
16. The third part of the sentence should be ‘and crystal-
means twenty or a set of twenty. Choice (A)
lizes it’. Crystallizes is a verb which takes an object.
6. Choice (C)
 Choice (C)
7. Choice (D)
17. Part 2 of the sentence is faulty as the preposition used
8. Choice (B) should be ‘of’ and not ‘in’. One is the ‘master of the art’
9. Choice (B) not in the art. Choice (B)
1.8 | Verbal Ability Test 1

18. The fourth part of the sentence is faulty, as ‘drifting 27. The adverb ‘aggressively’ qualifies ‘persuading’ and
into winter’ is correct - it indicates motion. ‘In’ does hence must precede it (rules out choices 1 and 4).
not indicate motion. Choice (D) Choice 2 is wrong because ‘to shifting’ is incorrect.
19. In the first part of the sentence ‘its’ is in the genitive  Choice (C)
case, so there need not be an apostrophe, ‘Because of 28. Since the verb at the beginning of the sentence is ‘were’
its hardness’ is correct. Choice (A) (plural) it must be ‘efficient and highly organized’. If
20. The third part of the sentence should read ‘devote your- it were ‘efficiently’ then both (efficiently and highly)
self unswervingly and unflinchingly’ to maintain paral- qualify ‘organized’ and the verb would be was (rules
lelism in construction. Choice (C) out 2 and 4). We are talking of artisans and craftsmen
21. The two sentences can be combined into a simple sen- (plural again not singular) Choice (A)
tence by changing the verb ‘am’ into ‘v + ing’ (i.e.) 29. The past tense should be used. The first sentence should
‘being’. Hence ‘A’ is possible. The conjunction ‘as’ also be “He said that he would come, but he didn’t”.
can be used, as it shows reason. But ‘C’ cannot be used  Choice (A)
as the sentence cannot be combined with the conjunc- 30. The second person must come first.
tion ‘while’.  Choice (A) Statement 1 should be “My friend and I like to play ten-
22. The sentence donates a positive meaning. Hence it nis on grass court.”
cannot begin with ‘though’. The conjunction ‘as’ and Statement 2 Each of the mistakes has to be corrected
‘since’ can begin the sentence. But here ‘B’ begins with before printing. Choice (C)
the second sentence which changes the meaning of the 31. No error in both the sentences. Choice (D)
given sentence. Choice (E)
32. You are not going to the theatre, are you? Choice (B)
23. The sentences cannot give the same meaning if the con-
33. He informed me before he posted the letter yesterday.
junctions ‘while’ or ‘because’ are used. It shows a par-
ticular time and hence ‘when’ would be the right way to  Choice (A)
begin the sentence. Choice (C) 34. The gerund form should be maintained throughout a
24. ‘If’ or ‘whenever’ can also begin the sentence. But here sentence. Choice (D)
it is not a general statement. It specifies that particular 35. ‘You’ must be followed by ‘you’. ‘One’ must be fol-
time as ‘now’ is used. Hence ‘as’ is the most appropri- lowed ‘one’. Therefore, Choice (A) is right and the
ate way to begin this sentence. Choice (D) other choices are incorrect. Choice (A)
25. The sentence is about ‘not achieving’. ‘B’ and ‘C’ talk 36. ……. Cleverer than any other……… Choice (C)
about ‘achieving’ and hence cannot be appropriate. 37. ‘Between’ should be followed by the objective case
 Choice (B) ‘him’ and not the subjective case ‘he’. Choice (D)
Solutions for questions 26 to 28: 38. You benefit from something. Correct preposition.
26. ‘Between’ is better than ‘among’ since only two – the  Choice (A)
Indian and Nepalese – rebel groups are mentioned. 39. In case of numbers we use ‘fewer’. ‘Less/Lesser’ are
(Between is used for two or more, among for three used in the case of weight and ‘little/small’ in the case
or more). We are talking of the threat in Nepal not of of size. Choice (B)
Nepal. New Delhi cannot ignore (disregard intention- 40. ‘Hardly’ indicates ‘cannot’. So, ‘the child cannot wait
ally) not ignorance (lacking knowledge). Choice (D) for its birthday’ is being intended. Choice (C)