Verbal Ability and Vocabulary

(d) General

"Generic" means common, general or not specific to any particular brand or type — so its closest meaning among the options is "General".

(a) Common

“August” means dignified, grand or impressive. Its opposite is ordinary or humble, i.e. common.

(b) Relative

"Kin" means a person's relatives or family members, so "Relative" is the closest synonym. "Friend" is only loosely related in meaning, while "Exult" (rejoice) and "Twisted" are unrelated.

(b) Paused

To hesitate means to pause or delay before acting, so "paused" is the closest meaning.

(a) Imitate

To simulate means to imitate or mimic the appearance, behaviour, or conditions of something.

(a) Tiny

ENORMOUS means very large or huge, so its opposite (antonym) is "Tiny" (very small). The other options — Soft, Average, Weak — are unrelated to size.

(a) Dim

Luminous means giving off light; shining or bright. Its opposite is “dim” (not bright). “Clear” is not a synonym of luminous; “brittle” and “clever” are unrelated.

(b) Egoistic

Arrogant means having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance, which matches "egoistic". "Humble" is its opposite.

(c) Confuse

To expound means to explain or present something in detail and clearly. Its opposite is to confuse, i.e. to make something unclear or difficult to understand.

(a) Shorten

To abridge means to make shorter by condensing or cutting down — for example, "an abridged version of the novel." The other options are unrelated: extend is its opposite, while stress and easy do not match the meaning.

(c) of

The correct idiom is "remind someone of someone/something", so "He reminds me of his old history teacher" is the right sentence.

(d) at

The verb "look" takes the preposition "at" when it means to direct one's eyes towards something — "look at herself in the mirror." The other options do not form a correct phrasal verb here.

(a) at

We say "driving at 55 mph" to describe the speed at which someone is driving. So the correct sentence is: "Lalita was stopped by the police for driving at 55 mph."

(c) up

We use "go up" with stairs to mean moving to a higher level. "Go up these stairs" is the correct prepositional phrase here.

(b) at

The adjective "good" is followed by the preposition "at" when talking about skill or ability in an activity, so "good at telling jokes" is correct.

(c) Dotage

Dotage means the feeble-mindedness of extreme old age, when a person's mental faculties decline and they may behave childishly or foolishly.

(a) Invisible

"Invisible" means that which cannot be seen. "Intangible" means that which cannot be touched, "insensible" means unaware or imperceptible, and "unseen" is closer but "invisible" is the standard one-word substitution for "that which cannot be seen."

(d) Acclimatize

To acclimatize means to get used to a new climate or environment. "Adapt" is close, but "acclimatize" specifically means to accustom oneself to a foreign climate.

(c) Omniscient

An omniscient person is one who knows everything. "Omnipotent" means all-powerful, "scholar" means a learned person, and "literate" means able to read and write.

(b) Itinerary

A detailed plan of a journey, including dates, places to visit and travel arrangements, is called an itinerary. (A schedule is a general timetable, a travelogue is an account of a trip, and a travel kit is the set of items carried.)

(b) Intelligent

A man of courage is one who faces danger or difficulty with a strong mind. Among the given choices, "intelligent" is the only positive quality of the mind that matches this sense — "cunning" is negative, while "careful" and "curious" describe habits rather than courage.

(a) Emotion

Physical courage is an expression of emotion; it involves facing physical danger, pain, or hardship despite fear. Deliberation is more characteristic of moral courage.

(d) Face a situation boldly

Moral courage is the strength to stand by one's principles and convictions in the face of opposition, criticism or risk. A person with moral courage does not run from a difficult or hostile situation — he faces it boldly. Defeating enemies (a) needs physical or strategic strength, being pragmatic (c) is a matter of practical judgement, and overcoming all difficulties (b) is too broad a claim; only (d) correctly describes what moral courage enables a person to do.

(c) Charity

Charity (benevolence, love for others) is regarded as the greatest of all virtues — faith, courage and hope find their true worth only when expressed through selfless love and service to others.

(a) Mental balance

Physical courage is the willingness to face bodily danger or pain. It is primarily a bodily or instinctive quality and does not necessarily come with the inner poise or rational equilibrium needed to handle complex psychological or moral situations. Hence people who display physical bravery often lack mental balance — the ability to stay calm and rational in situations requiring judgment.

(d) Firm

Decisive means resolute or able to make decisions firmly and quickly — a decisive person, a decisive manner — so its closest synonym here is firm. Definite means certain or clearly stated, while deliberate means intentional and cruel is unrelated.

(c) Fraud

A racket is a dishonest or fraudulent business or scheme (e.g. a protection racket), so "fraud" is the closest synonym. "Trick" is a tempting distractor, but a racket specifically implies an organised, money-making swindle.

(d) Example

A precedent is an earlier action, decision or event that serves as an example or guide for later ones (as in "set a precedent").

(a) Announce

To herald means to announce or proclaim something, often signalling that something is about to happen. So "announce" is the correct synonym.

(d) Lessen

"Dwindle" means to decrease or diminish gradually, which is closest in meaning to "lessen".

(c) Prosecuted

“Prosecuted” means taken to court for a legal offence, which is what a warning notice about trespassers states. “Persecuted” means harassed or oppressed, “persuaded” means convinced, and “pervaded” means spread throughout—none fits the legal context.

(d) Disperse

Tear gas is used to scatter a crowd, so "disperse the mob" is the correct collocation. "Apprehend" means to arrest, "drive out" means to force out of a place, and "disturb" means to trouble — none fits the police action against a mob.

(b) Fatal

The dose caused his death, and “fatal” means causing death. “Disastrous” is too general, while “effective” and “efficacious” are positive and do not fit the context of dying.

(a) Tamper

"Tamper with" is the correct phrasal verb meaning to interfere with something in order to damage or break it — the thieves tried to tamper with the lock. "Temper" means to moderate or harden, "fiddle with" means to play about with something idly (not fitting thieves breaking a lock), and "temperature" is a noun that cannot follow "to ... with".

(b) Disinterested

"Disinterested" means impartial or unbiased — exactly what a referee must be. "Uninterested" means lacking interest or bored, which is not the intended sense here.

(b) To reveal the facts

The idiom "to bring to light" means to make something known or reveal facts that were previously hidden.

(c) To be very angry

"To see red" is an idiom meaning to become suddenly very angry or enraged.

(a) Entirely

The idiom "root and branch" means completely or wholly — covering every part, so "entirely" is the correct meaning.

(b) Howling loudly

The idiom "in full cry" originally refers to a pack of hounds baying loudly while chasing prey, so it means howling or shouting loudly.

(b) An additional benefit

The idiom "into the bargain" means in addition to what has already been agreed or expected — i.e., something extra or an additional benefit. For example: "She got a good salary, and a company car into the bargain."

(d) Allotment

Quota means a fixed share or allotted proportion, as in "each district has a quota of seats". Option (d) is printed blank in the source, so the synonym allotment (share) is given. Quotation, quote and text do not mean a share.

(d) Vertical

Plumb means exactly vertical or perpendicular, as in "the wall is plumb". Option (d) is printed blank in the source, so the synonym vertical is given. Thin, fat and crabby (bad-tempered) are unrelated.

(a) Vision

“Visualize” means to form a mental picture or imagine something. “Vision” is closest in meaning, as it also refers to a mental image or the act of seeing something in the mind.

(c) Love

Compassion means a feeling of deep sympathy and kindness towards someone who is suffering. Among the options, "love" (in the sense of warm affection and care) is the closest in meaning, while comparison and cost are unrelated.

(a) Union

Unison means agreement or harmony — many things acting as one — so "Union" (joining together as one) is closest in meaning. "Complete" and "Care" are unrelated.