Table of Contents
Directions (1-10): In the following passage, some of the words have been left out, each of which is indicated by a number. Find the suitable word from the options given against each number and fill up the blanks with appropriate words to make the paragraph meaningfully complete.
Mumbai’s ghastly(1) suburban railway stampede, in which 23 people died after being crushed on a ghoulish(2) staircase, was the pad(3) consequence of prolonged neglect of urban public transport in India. The financial capital depends mainly on the 300 km suburban system, which has some of the highest passenger densities for any city railway in the world. Yet, it has no single accountable manager. It is unthinkable for a modern railway system to continue with business as usual when about 3,500 people die on its tracks in a year. But Mumbai goes on. Over the past two decades, policy attention has tilted towards road projects, with just token appreciation of the challenges faced by public transport users. The Elphinstone Road station stampede should lead to a course correction and re-ordering of mass transport in all cities. Brewing(4) the creaking and broken infrastructure at suburban stations should be a high priority, and with good management practices, this can be achieved speedily. Creating heraldry(5) to baldachin(6) passengers, such as those crowding the staircase to pie(7) the rain in Mumbai, putting in escalators and lifts, and providing exits on both sides of train coaches towards the street level wherever hegira(8), will facilitate movement. These are inexpensive, off-the-shelf solutions. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has called for a quick survey of the suburban stations to bust (9) areas of concern, but this is something that should have been done without waiting for a yoke (10), and it must now be extended to all cities.
Q1.
(a) strait
(b) linear
(c) exiguous
(d) pent
(e) No improvement
Q2.
(a) macabre
(b) narrow
(c) wan
(d) sepulchral
(e) No improvement
Q3.
(a) fortuitous
(b) later
(c) inevitable
(d) aggrandize
(e) No improvement
Q4.
(a) decreed
(b) ineluctable
(c) augmenting
(d) ineludible
(e) No improvement
Q5.
(a) bulwark
(b) aegis
(c) escutcheon
(d) canopies
(e) No improvement
Q6.
(a) shield
(b) marquee
(c) groin
(d) hood
(e) No improvement
Q7.
(a) clinch
(b) escape
(c) pragmatic
(d) prudent
(e) No improvement
Q8.
(a) abdication
(b) feasible
(c) lam
(d) eschewal
(e) No improvement
Q9.
(a) breeze
(b) likely
(c) identify
(d) bale
(e) No improvement
Q10.
(a) aid
(b) diagnose
(c) disaster
(d) assort
(e) No improvement
Directions (11-15): In the following questions, a paragraph is divided into five parts with one of the parts been omitted. You must choose the most suitable alternative among the five that should fill the omitted part making the paragraph grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. If none of the given alternatives are appropriate to fill the blank, choose option (e) i.e. “none of these” as your answer choice.
Q11. _____________________________________________________________, (A)/ the political party has taken to social media in a big way (B)/— it has an official YouTube channel, Facebook pages (C)/ for the party’s state unit and one for each district apart from scores of WhatsApp groups and Twitter (D)/ handles to take the party’s message and TV’s speeches to the masses. (E)
(a) While senior local leaders were appointed
(b) With television coverage being limited,
(c) It undertook a meticulous door-to-door enrolment drive in
(d) He has also been in the news of
(e) None of these
Q12. The BJP government came to power mainly on an anti-corruption plank.(A)/ _____________________________________________________________, (B)/ Narendra Modi relentlessly campaigned against (C)/ the incumbent UPA government raking up core issues (D)/ such as fuel prices, jobs, infrastructure, growth, development and so on. (E)
(a) For about a year leading up to the 2014 general election,
(b) Corruption is the cancer in the nation’s body
(c) There has not been any progress in the anti-corruption drive as promised by
(d) It is puzzling why the Modi government failed to take action
(e) None of these
Q13. The leader of the Islamic State Khorasan in Afghanistan, (A)/ Abu Saad Erhabi, along with 10 of his fighters, (B)/ _____________________________________________________________(C)/conducted by Afghan forces and US-led coalition forces. (D)/ His predecessor, Abu Sayed, too was killed in a US strike on the group’s headquarters in Kunar province in July last year. (E)
(a) gradually and further delegitimize the Afghan government
(b) from Kabul that Russia decided to postpone the peace conference
(c) pushed the situation in Afghanistan on a positive trajectory
(d) was killed in an air strike a few days back in a joint air and ground operation
(e) None of these
Q14. The debate between the Centre and the Kerala government on the (A)/ _____________________________________________________________(B)/ from the core question at stake—one of fiscal federalism. (C)/ The goods and services tax (GST) has increased the centralization of fiscal powers, (D)/ limiting the autonomy of states to raise their own revenue for public expenditure. (E)
(a) ground that a natural disaster (he cited the example of a flood) may necessitate additional tax
(b) 60% of all indirect taxes, while the Centre received 40%
(c) offer and acceptance of foreign aid following the floods has drawn attention away
(d) role and responsibilities of the Centre and states under the Disaster Management Act, 2005,
(e) None of these
Q15. The Central Pollution Control Board (A)/ settled for 12 million tonnes in 2011, (B)/ but its Guidelines Document of 2017 (C)/ has upped the estimate to 25-30 million tonnes, (D)/ ____________________________ (E)
(a) based on information from the ministry of urban development
(b) waste in Indian cities is 165-175 million tonnes
(c) this waste has consequences for public health
(d) to the other extreme and estimated C&D waste
(e) None of these
Practice More Questions of English for Competitive Exams:
Solutions
S1. Ans.(e)
Sol. Ghastly means causing great horror or fear.
Strait means used in reference to a situation characterized by a specified degree of trouble or difficulty
Linear means progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential.
Exiguous means very small in size or amount.
Pent means shut in; confined. Hence ghastly is the correct choice among all.
S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. Ghoulish means morbidly interested in death or disaster.
Macabre means disturbing because concerned with or causing a fear of death
Narrow means limited in extent, amount, or scope.
Wan means (of a person’s complexion or appearance) pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion.
Sepulchral means gloomy, dismal. Hence narrow fits best into the sentence.
S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. Pad means a thick piece of soft material, typically used to protect or shape something, or to absorb liquid
Fortuitous means happening by chance rather than intention.
Inevitable means certain to happen; unavoidable.
Aggrandize means increase the power, status, or wealth of. Hence Inevitable is the correct choice among all.
S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. Brewing means make (tea or coffee) by mixing it with hot water.
Decreed means order (something) by decree
Ineluctable means unable to be resisted or avoided
Augmenting means make (something) greater by adding to it; increase
Ineludible means unavoidable. Hence Augmenting fits best into the purpose.
S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Heraldry means the system by which coats of arms and other armorial bearings are devised, described, and regulated.
Bulwark means a defensive wall.
Aegis means the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization
Escutcheon means a shield or emblem bearing a coat of arms
Canopy means a roof-like projection or shelter. Hence Canopies is the correct choice among all.
S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. Baldachin means a ceremonial canopy of stone, metal, or fabric over an altar, throne, or doorway
Shield means protect from a danger, risk, or unpleasant experience.
Marquee means a large tent used for social or commercial functions
Groin means the area between the abdomen and the upper thigh on either side of the body
Hood means a covering for the head and neck with an opening for the face, typically forming part of a coat or cloak. Hence Shield fits into the sentence perfectly.
S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. Pie means a covering for the head and neck with an opening for the face, typically forming part of a coat or cloak.
Clinch means confirm or settle (a contract or bargain)
Escape means succeed in avoiding or eluding something dangerous or unpleasant.
Pragmatic means dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Prudent means acting with or showing care and thought for the future Hence escape is the most suitable option here.
S8. Ans.(b)
Sol. Hegira means an exodus or migration
Abdication means failure to fulfill a responsibility or duty
Lam means hit hard; strike
Eschewal means to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid
Feasible means possible and practical to do easily or conveniently. Hence feasible is the best option among all.
S9. Ans.(c)
Sol. Bust means a sculpture of a person’s head, shoulders, and chest.
Breeze means a thing that is easy to do or accomplish
Bale means a large wrapped or bound bundle of paper, hay, or cotton.
Identify means establish or indicate who or what (someone or something) is. Hence Identify is the most appropriate option among all.
S10. Ans.(c)
Sol. Yoke means a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull.
Aid means help, typically of a practical nature
Diagnose means identify the nature of (an illness or other problem) by examination of the symptoms
Disaster means a sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life
Assort means place in a group; classify. Hence Disaster is the most suitable option among all.
S11. Ans. (b)
Sol. The most suitable phrase that will fill the blank is “With television coverage being limited” as the latter part of the paragraph is describing how the political party is now using the social media to spread its messages to the masses. All the other clauses are either grammatically incorrect or contextually meaningless. Hence, option (b) is the most appropriate answer choice.
S12. Ans. (a)
Sol. The most appropriate phrase that fills the blank is “For about a year leading up to the 2014 general election”, as it perfectly fits as a starter for the sentence that describes about the general election campaigned by Narendra Modi. All the other clauses are either grammatically incorrect or contextually meaningless. Hence, option (a) is the most appropriate answer choice.
S13. Ans. (d)
Sol. The most suitable phrase that will fill the blank to form a coherent paragraph is “was killed in an air strike a few days back in a joint air and ground operation”. It is to be noted that the latter part of the paragraph […Abu Sayed, too was killed in a US strike…] hints for the mentioned phrase (or option (d)) to fill the blank. The usage of “too” indicates that something similar has happened previously. However, all the other clauses are either grammatically incorrect or contextually meaningless. Hence, option (d) is the most appropriate answer choice.
S14. Ans. (c)
Sol. The most appropriate phrase that fills the blank to form a coherent paragraph is “offer and acceptance of foreign aid following the floods has drawn attention away”. However, all the other clauses are either grammatically incorrect or contextually meaningless. Hence, option (c) is the most appropriate answer choice.
S15. Ans. (a)
Sol. The most appropriate phrase that fills the blank to form a coherent paragraph is “based on information from the ministry of urban development”. The sentence is describing the changes in the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board. Therefore, the option (a) becomes the most suitable phrase to complete the sentence as it mentions the criteria for the changes brought in the guidelines. All the other phrases are either contextually irrelevant or grammatically incorrect. Hence, the option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
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