English Quiz

Directions (Q. 1 to 5): Each question below has two blanks. Choose the set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Question.1. After having been friends for more than a decade, they had a/an ___________ last year and have not ___________ each other ever since.
1) trouble, talked
2) argument, liked
3) fight, seen
4) quarrel, admired
5) difference, introduced

Question.2. The workers, several of ___________ had complained about their low wages earlier, have now ___________ to move to the court for the labour rights.
1) who, indicated
2) whom, decided
3) which, threatened
4) them, resolved
5) number, warned

Question.3. The hutment dwellers were jubilant when the government ___________ an apartment to each of them at ___________ rates
1) demolished, fast
2) announced, less
3) provided, high
4) acquired, low
5) promised, subsidized

Question.4. The organization was deeply ___________ by difficulties a decade ago but the new CEO brought many ___________ changes in it and took it to a new high.
1) indebted, necessary
2) plagued, vital
3) coping, more
4) hurt, critical
5) shaken, inevitable

Question.5. The prime minister who is ___________ in his holiday home at the moment said that he was very ___________ by the news of India winning the world cup.
1) visiting, happy
2) residing, obliged
3) intruding, dejected
4) staying, pleased
5) resting, cheerful

Directions (Q. 6 to 10): In the following passage there are blanks, each of which have been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, five words/phrases are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word/phrase in each case.

Increasing fuel consumption, the resultant pollution and inefficient urban sprawl __(6)__ by incessantly expanding private motorized transport are all compelling reasons for prioritizing public transport. Investing in public transport is now imperative. In this context, the recently announced Metro Railway Policy by the Ministry of Urban Development __(7)__ cities with more than two million population to plan and implement high-capacity and high-speed metro rail systems is a welcome directive. Since these large cities would accommodate the bulk of the __(8)__ urbanizing population in future, planning for their growth and mobility is necessary. The metro rail, which takes on an average about 10 years to plan and fully implement, could play a significant role in__(9)__ their future. The successful Delhi experience has also strengthened the case of metro rail as an important urban transportation option and places such as Kochi and Jaipur have already commenced implementation. However, planners should not make the mistake of __(10)__ the metro rail as a panacea for all their urban ills. There are a few notes of caution they need to consider before taking the plunge.

Question.6. 
1) result
2) cause
3) caused
4) form
5) forming

Question.7. 
1) produce
2) producing
3) produced
4) encourage
5) encouraging

Question.8. 
1) burgeon
2) burgeons
3) bludgeon
4) burgeoning
5) bludgeoning

Question.9. 
1) shaping
2) shaped
3) shape
4) made
5) shapes

Question.10. 
1) treat
2) treated
3) treats
4) threaten
5) treating

Explanations ▼

Answer.1. 3; Fight’ is appropriate for the first blank because the sentence implies that there was an argument between the two friends. ‘Seen’ fits in the second blank because the latter part of the sentence suggests that after the dispute, the two friends didn’t call or meet each other.

Answer.2. 2; ‘Whom’ is appropriate for the first blank because it refer to workers in the given context and is used as a subject of a following preposition, i.e. ‘of’. ‘Decided’ is the correct answer for the second blank because it brings out the workers decision to move to the court.

Answer.3. 5; ‘Promised’ is appropriate for the first blank because the government assured the hutment dwellers that an apartment will be provided to each of them.
‘Announced’ is incorrect because it means ‘to declare publicly’. ‘Subsidized’ fits in the second blank because the government helped them to buy the apartment at low rates. ‘Less’ is incorrect because it necessarily does not mean ‘at subsidized rates’.

Answer.4. 2; ‘Plagued’ is appropriate for the first blank because it means ‘to cause worry or distress to someone’. ‘Indebted’ is incorrect because it means to owe gratitude or recognition to another. ‘Vital’ fits in the second blank because the sentence refers to the important changes. ‘Inevitable’ is incorrect because it refers to something that can’t be avoided.

Answer.5. 4; ‘Staying’ fits in the first blank because the sentence implies that the prime minister was living in his holiday home and he was happy to hear that India had won the world cup. Therefore, ‘pleased’ is the correct answer for the second blank.

Answer.6. 3; The word required here has to be in simple past tense. Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.

Answer.7. 5; ‘To plan’ in the latter part of the sentence suggests that the blank will take a word in ‘ing’ form. Option (2) is incorrect because ‘producing cities to plan’ will be logically incorrect.

Answer.8. 4; ‘Bludgeon’ means to beat badly. This will make the sentence logically incorrect. Therefore, option (5) is incorrect. Option (4) will make the sentence grammatically correct.

Answer.9. 1; Only ‘shaping’ makes the sentence grammatically correct.

Answer.10. 5; Only ‘treating’ makes the sentence grammatically correct