TYPE 1: FILL IN THE BLANKS
Directions for Questions 1 to 10: Fill up the blanks, numbered [1], [2] ...up to [10], in the two passages below with the most appropriate word from the options given for each blank.At that time the White House was as serene as a resort hotel out of season. The corridors were [1]. In the various offices, [2] gray men in waistcoats talked to one another in low-pitched voices. The only color, or choler, curiously enough, was provided by President Eisenhower himself. Apparently, his [3] was easily set off; he scowled when he [4] the corridors.1. 1. striking 2. hollow 3. empty 4. white2. 1. quiet 2. faded 3. loud 4. stentorian3. 1. laughter 2. curiosity 3. humour 4. temper4. 1. paced 2. strolled 3. stormed 4. prowled“Between the year 1946 and the year 1955, I did not file any income tax returns.” With that [5] statement, Ramesh embarked on an account of his encounter with the Income Tax Department. “I originally owed Rs 20,000 in unpaid taxes. With [6] and [7], the 20,000 became 60,000. The Income Tax Department then went into action, and I learned first hand just how much power the Tax Department wields. Royalties and trust funds can be [8]; automobiles may be [9], and auctioned off. Nothing belongs to the [10] until the case is settled.”5. 1. devious 2. blunt 3. tactful 4. pretentious6. 1. interest 2. taxes 3. principal 4. returns7. 1. sanctions 2. refunds 3. fees 4. fines8. 1. closed 2. detached 3. attached 4. impounded9. 1. smashed 2. seized 3. dismantled 4. frozen10. 1. purchaser 2. victim 3. investor 4. offenderDirections for Questions 11 to 16: Fill the gaps in the passages below with the most appropriate word from the options given for each gap. The right words are the ones used by the author. Be guided by the author’s overall style and meaning when you choose the answers.Von Nuemann and Morgenstern assume a decision framework in which all options are thoroughly considered, each option being independent of the others, with a numerical value derived for the utility of each possible outcome (these outcomes reflecting, in turn, all possible combinations of choices). The decision is then made to maximize the expected utility.(11)..............., such a model reflects major simplifications of the way decisions are made in the real world. Humans are not able to process information as quickly and effectively as the model assumes: they tend not to think (12)............as easily as the model calls for; they often deal with a particular option without really assessing its (13).............., and when they do assess alternatives, they may be extremely nebulous about their criteria of evaluation.11. 1. Regrettably 2. Firstly 3. Obviously 4. Apparently 12. 1. quantitatively 2. systematically 3. scientifically 4. analytically13. 1. implications 2. disadvantages 3. utility 4. alternativesIn a large company, (14)............people is about as common as using a gun or a switch-blade to (15)..............an argument. As a result, most managers have little or no experience of firing people, and they find it emotionally traumatic: as a result, they often delay the act interminably, much as an unhappy spouse will prolong a bad marriage. And when the firing is done, it’s often done clumsily, with far worse side effects than are necessary.
Do the world-class software organizations have a different way of firing people? No, but they do the deed swiftly, humanely, and professionally.The key point here is to view the fired employee as a “failed product” and to ask how the process (16)..........such a phenomenon in the first place.14. 1. dismissing 2. punishing 3. firing 4. admonishing15. 1. resolve 2. thwart 3. defeat 4. close16. 1. derived 2. engineered 3. produced 4. allowed
Directions for Questions 17 to 20: Each of the following questions has a paragraph with one italicized word that does not make sense. Choose the most appropriate replacement for that word from the options given below the paragraph.
17. It is klang to a sensitive traveler who walks through this great town, when he sees the streets, the roads, and cabin doors crowded with beggars, mostly women, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for alms. 1. amusing 2. irritating 3. disgusting 4. distressing
18. Or there is the most fingummy diplomatic note on record: when Philip of Macedon wrote to the Spartans that, if he came within their borders, he would leave not one stone of their city, they wrote back the one word—“If”.1. witty2. rude3. simple4. terse
19. Intelligent design derives from an early 19th-century explanation of the natural world given by an English clergyman, William Paley. Paley was the populariser of the famous watchmaker analogy. Proponents of intelligent design are crupping Paley’s argument with a new gloss from molecular biology.1. destroying2. testing3. resurrecting4. questioning
20. Women squat, heads covered, beside huge piles of limp fodder and blunk oil lamps, and just about all the cows in the three towns converge upon this spot. Sinners, supplicants and yes, even scallywags hand over a few coins a crack at redemption and a handful of grass.1. shining2. bright3. sputtering4. effulgent
TYPE 2: INAPPROPRIATE USAGE
Directions for questions 1 to 16: In each question, the word at the top is used in four different ways, numbered 1 to 4. Choose the option in which the usage of the word is INCORRECT or INAPPROPRIATE.1. HAND1. I have my hand full, I cannot do it today.2. The minister visited the jail to see the breach at first hand.3. The situation is getting out of hand here!4. When the roof of my house was blown away, he was willing to lend me a hand.2. FOR1. He has a great eye for detail.2. We are waiting for the day.3. I can’t bear for her to be angry.4. It couldn’t be done for ever.3. NEAR
- I got there just after you left—a near miss.
- She and her near friend left early.
- The war led to a near doubling of oil prices.
- They came near to tears seeing the plight of the victims.
4. BOLT 1. The shopkeeper showed us a bolt of fine silk.2. As he could not move, he made a bolt for the gate. 3. Could you please bolt the door?4. The thief was arrested before he could bolt from the scene of the crime.5. PASSING1. She did not have passing marks in mathematics.2. The mad woman was cursing everybody passing her on the road.3. At the birthday party all the children enjoyed a game of passing the parcel.4. A passing taxi was stopped to rush the accident victim to the hospital.6. FALLOUT1. Nagasakisuffered from the fallout of nuclear radiation.2. People believed that the political fallout of the scandal would be insignificant.3. Who can predict the environmental fallout of the WTO agreements?4. The headmaster could not understand the fallout of several of his good students at the public examination.7. SORT1. What sort of cheese do you use in pizza?2. Farmers of all sort attended the rally.3. They serve tea of a sort on these trains.4. Let’s sort these boys into four groups.8. DISTINCT1. He is distinct about what is right and what is wrong.2. Mars became distinct on the horizon in the month of August.3. The distinct strains of Ravi’s violin could be heard above the general din.4. Ghoshbabu’s is a distinct case of water rising above its own level.9. HOST1. If you host the party, who will foot the bill?2. Kerala’s forests are host to a range of snakes.3. Ranchiwill play the host to the next national film festival.4. A virus has infected the host computer.10. IMPLICATION1. Everyone appreciated the headmaster’s implication in raising flood relief in the village.2. This letter will lead to the implication of several industrialists in the share market scam.3. Several members of the audience missed the implication of the minister’s promise.4. Death, by implication, is the only solution the poem offers the reader.11. BUNDLE 1. The newborn baby was a bundle of joy for the family. 2. Mobile operators are offering a bundle of additional benefits. 3. He made a bundle in the share market. 4. It was sheer luck that brought a bundle of boy-scouts to where I was lying wounded.12. PAPER1. Your suggestions look great on the paper, but are absolutely impractical.2. Do you know how many trees are felled to make a truckload of paper?3. So far I have been able to paper over the disagreements among my brothers.4. Dr. Malek will read a paper on criminalization of politics.
13. HELP
- This syrup will help your cold.
- I can’t help the color of my skin.
- Ranjit may help himself with the beer in the fridge.
- Do you really expect me to help you out with cash?
14. SERVICE1. Customers have to service themselves at the canteen.2. It’s a service lift; don’t get into it.3. I’m not making enough even to service the loan.4. Jyoti’s husband has been on active service for three months.15. REASON1. Your stand is beyond all reason.2. Has she given you any reason for her resignation?3. There is little reason in your pompous advice.4. How do you deal with a friend who doesn’t listen to reason.16. BUSINESS1. I want to do an MBA before going into business.2. My wife runs profitable business in this suburb.3. If we advertise we will get twice as much business as we have now.4. How you spend your money is as much my business as yours.
TYPE 3: SENTENCE COMPLETION
Directions for Questions 1 to 23: There are two gaps in each of the following sentences. From the pairs of words given, choose the one that fills the gaps most appropriately. The first word in the pair should fill the first gap.1. Early _________ of maladjustment to college culture is _________ by the tendency to develop friendship networks outside college which mask signals of maladjustment.1. treatment, compounded 2. detection, facilitated3. identification, complicated 4. prevention, help2. The _________ regions of Spain all have unique cultures, but the ________ views within each region make the issue of an acceptable common language of instruction an even more contentious one.1. different, discrete 2. distinct, disparate3. divergent, distinct 4. different, competing3. The best punctuation is that of which the reader is least conscious; for when punctuation, or lack of it, ______ itself, it is usually because it ______ .1. obtrudes, offends 2. enjoins, fails3. conceals, recedes 4. effaces, counts4. The argument that the need for a looser fiscal policy to ________ demand outweighs the need to ____ budget deficits is persuasive.1. assess, minimize 2. outstrip, eliminate3. stimulate, control 4. restrain, conceal5. But ________ are now regularly written not just for tools, but well-established practices, organizations and institutions, not all of which seem to be ________ away.1. reports, withering 2. stories, trading3. books, dying 4. obituaries, fading6. The Darwin who ________ is most remarkable for the way in which he ________ the attributes of the world class thinker and head of the household.1. comes, figures 2. arises, adds3. emerges, combines 4. appeared, combines7. It will take some time for many South Koreans to _________ the conflicting images of North Korea, let alone to ________ what to make of their northern cousins.1. reconcile, decide 2. understand, clarify3. make out, decide 4. reconcile, understand
8. Though one eye is kept firmly on the _______, the company now promotes ________contemporary art.1. present, experimental 2. future, popular3. present, popular 4. market, popular
9. From the time she had put her hair up, every man she had met had groveled before her and she had acquired a mental attitude toward the other sex which was a blend of ________ and ________.1. admiration, tolerance 2. indifference, contempt3. impertinence, temperance 4. arrogance, fidelity
10. Since her face was free of ________ there was no way to ________ if she appreciated what had happened.1. make-up, realize 2. expression, ascertain3. emotion, diagnose 4. scars, understand
11. The Athenians on the whole were peaceful and prosperous; they had _______ to sit at home and think about the universe and dispute with Socrates, or to travel abroad and _______ the world.1. leisure, explore 2. time, ignore3. ability, suffer 4. temerity, understand
12. A growing number of these expert professionals _________ having to train foreigners as the students end up _________ the teachers who have to then unhappily contend with no jobs at all or new jobs with drastically reduced pay packets.1. resent, replacing 2. resist, challenging3. welcome, assisting 4. are, supplanting
13. The law prohibits a person from felling a sandalwood tree, even if it grows on one’s own land, without prior permission from the government. As poor people cannot deal with the government, this legal provision leads to a rip-roaring business for ________, who care neither for the ________, nor for the masses. 1. middlemen, rich 2. the government, poor 3. touts, rich 4. touts, poor
14. In these bleak and depressing times of ________ prices, non-performing governments and ________ crime rates, Sourav Ganguly has given us, Indians, a lot to cheer about. 1. escalating, increasing 2. spiraling, booming 3. spiralling, soaring 4. ascending, debilitating
15. The manners and ________ of the nouveau riche is a recurrent ________ in literature. 1. style, motif 2. morals, story 3. wealth, theme 4. morals, theme
16. In this context, the ________ of the British labor movement is particularly ________. 1. affair, weird 2. activity, moving 3. experience, significant 4. atmosphere, gloomy
17. Indian intellectuals may boast, if they are so inclined, of being ________ to the most elitist among the intellectual ________ of the world. 1. subordinate, traditions 2. heirs, cliques 3. ancestors, societies 4. heir, traditions
18. The British retailer, M&S, today formally ________ defeat in its attempt to ________ King’s, its USsubsidiary, since no potential purchasers were ready to cough up the necessary cash. 1. admitted, acquire 2. conceded, offload 3. announced, dispose 4. ratified, auction
19. Companies that try to improve employee’s performance by ________ rewards encourage negative kinds of behavior instead of ________ a genuine interest in doing the work well. 1. giving, seeking 2. bestowing, discouraging 2. conferring, discrediting 4. withholding, fostering
20. Their achievement in the field of literature is described as ________; sometimes it is even called ________. 1. magnificent, irresponsible 2. insignificant, influential 3. significant, paltry 4. unimportant, trivial
21. This simplified ________ to the decision-making process is a must read for anyone ________ important real estate, personal, or professional decisions. 1. primer, maximizing 2. tract, enacting 3. introduction, under 4. guide, facing
22. Physicians may soon have ________ to help paralyzed people move their limbs by bypassing the ________ nerves that once controlled their muscles. 1. instruments, detrimental 2. ways, damaged 3. reason, involuntary 4. impediments, complex
23. The Internet is a medium where users have nearly ________ choices and ________ constraints about where to go and what to do. 1. unbalanced, nonexistent 2. embarrassing, no 3. unlimited, minimal 4. choking, shocking
TYPE 4: ANTONYMS
Directions for questions 1 to 5: For each of the words below, a contextual usage is provided. Pick the word from the alternatives given that is most inappropriate in the given context.1. SPECIOUS: A specious argument is not simply a false one but one that has the ring of truth.1. Deceitful 2. Fallacious 3. Credible 4. Deceptive
2. OBVIATE: The new mass transit system may obviate the need for the use of personal cars. 1. Prevent 2. Forestall 3. Preclude 4. Bolster
3. DISUSE: Some words fall into disuse as technology makes objects obsolete. 1. Prevalent 2. Discarded 3. Obliterated 4. Unfashionable
4. PARSIMONIOUS: The evidence was constructed from very parsimonious scraps of evidence.1. Frugal 2. Penurious 3. Thrifty 4. Altruistic
5. FACETIOUS: When I suggested that war is a method of controlling population, my father remarked that I was being facetious.1. Jovian 2. Jovial 3. Jocular 4. Joking
TYPE 5: SYNONYMS
Directions for questions 1 to 5: For each of the words below a context is provided. From the alternatives given pick the word or phrase that is closest in meaning in the given context.6. OPPROBRIUM : The police officer appears oblivious to the opprobrium generated by his blatantly partisan conduct. 1. Harsh criticism 2. Acute distrust 3. Bitter enmity 4. Stark oppressiveness
7. PORTEND : It appears to many that the US“war on terrorism” portends trouble in the Gulf. 1. Introduces 2. Evokes 3. Spells 4. Bodes
8. PREVARICATE : When a videotape of her meeting was played back to her and she was asked to explain her presence there, she started prevaricating. 1. Speaking evasively 2. Speaking violently 3. Lying furiously 4. Throwing a tantrum
9. RESTIVE : The crowd became restive when the minister failed to appear even by 10 pm. 1. Violent 2. Angry 3. Restless 4. Distressed
10. OSTENSIBLE : Manohar’s ostensible job was to guard the building at night. 1. Apparent 2. Blatant 3. Ostentatious 4. InsidiousTYPE 6: ONE WORD—MANY MEANINGS
Directions for questions 1 to 3: For the word given at the top, match the dictionary definitions on the left (A,B,C,D) with their corresponding usage on the right (E,F,G,H). Out of the four possibilities given, select the one that has all the definitions and their usages most closely matched.1. BOUND A. Obliged, constrained E. Dinesh felt bound to walk out when the discussion turned to kickbacks. B. Limiting value F. Buffeted by contradictory forces he was bound to lose his mind. C. Move in a specified direction G. Vidya’s story strains the bounds of credulity. D. Destined or certain to be H. Bound for a career in law, Jyoti was reluctant to study Milton. 1. A-F,B-H,C-G,D-E 2. A-E,B-G,C-H,D-F 3. A-E,B-H,C-F,D-G 4. A-F,B-G,C-E,D-H2. CATCH A. Capture E. All her friends agreed that Prasad was a good catch. B. Grasp with senses or mind F. The proposal sounds very good but where is the catch. C. Deception G. Hussain tries to catch the spirit of India in his paintings. D. Thing/person worth trapping H. Sorry, I couldn’t catch you. 1. A-H,B-F,C-E,D-G 2. A-F,B-G,C-E,D-H 3. A-G,B-F,C-E,D-H 4. A-G,B-H,C-F,D-E3. MELLOW A. Adequately and properly aged E. He has mellowed with age. so as to be free of harshness B. Freed from the rashness of youth F. The tones of the old violin were mellow. C. Of soft and loamy consistency G. Some wines are mellow. D. Rich and full but free from stridency H. Mellow soil is found in the Gangetic plains. 1. A-E,B-G,C-F,D-H 2. A-E,B-F,C-G,D-H 3. A-G,B-E,C-H,D-F 4. A-H,B-G,C-F,D-E
ANSWER KEYTYPE 1: Fill in the Blanks1. (3) 2. (1) 3. (4) 4. (1) 5. (2) 6. (1) 7. (4) 8. (3) 9. (2) 10. (4) 11. (3) 12. (1) 13. (4) 14. (3) 15. (1) 16. (4) 17. (4) 18. (4) 19. (3) 20. (3)TYPE 2: Inappropriate Usage1. (1) 2. (4) 3. (2) 4. (2) 5. (1) 6. (4) 7. (4) 8. (1) 9. (3) 10. (1) 11. (4) 12. (1) 13. (3) 14. (1) 15. (2) 16. (2) TYPE 3: Sentence Completion 1. (3) 2. (2) 3. (1) 4. (3) 5. (4) 6. (3) 7. (1) 8. (2) 9. (2) 10. (2) 11. (1) 12. (1) 13. (4) 14. (3) 15. (4) 16. (3) 17. (4) 18. (2) 19. (1) 20. (4) 21. (4) 22. (2) 23. (3) TYPE 4 & 5: Antonyms & Synonyms 1. (3) 2. (4) 3. (1) 4. (4) 5. (1) 6. (1) 7. (4) 8. (1) 9. (3) 10. (1)TYPE 6: One Word—Many Meanings 1. (2) 2. (4) 3. (3)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________