Chapter 2
Verbal Ability: Reading and Sentence Completion
Kathmandu University Entrance past exam questions
Past questions and answers
5 questions set from this chapter. Most repeated first.
- KUSOM Information Bulletin for the KUUMAT and Sample Test Questions
Read the following passage.
Paris is a circular city divided into 20 sectors called arrondissements, which spiral out from the center of the city. Romans inhabited the islands that make up the heart of Paris in the first century A.D. and built a wall to protect their territory. New walls were built in concentric circles as the city expanded, the sites of which were transformed into some of today's streets. The first twelve arrondissements were laid out by 1795 and the surrounding suburban areas were annexed in 1860 to add eight more.
The tone and content of the passage is most appropriate for which of the following?
(a) An urban planning proposal
(b) A traveler's guidebook
(c) A satire magazine
(d) An art history textbook
(e) A book of Roman history
Answer
(b) A traveler's guidebook
The passage is factual and descriptive, giving a visitor-friendly overview of how the city is arranged (arrondissements, walls that became streets) with a little history. It does not propose anything (not a planning proposal), is not humorous (not satire), does not discuss art, and Roman history is only background, not the focus.
Answer checked by Claude Sonnet · Oct 21, 2026
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- KUSOM Information Bulletin for the KUUMAT and Sample Test Questions
Read the following passage.
Paris is a circular city divided into 20 sectors called arrondissements, which spiral out from the center of the city. Romans inhabited the islands that make up the heart of Paris in the first century A.D. and built a wall to protect their territory. New walls were built in concentric circles as the city expanded, the sites of which were transformed into some of today's streets. The first twelve arrondissements were laid out by 1795 and the surrounding suburban areas were annexed in 1860 to add eight more.
According to the passage, which of the following has most influenced the layout of Paris?
(a) The decreasing population of the city
(b) The ritual importance of the spiral symbol
(c) A need for defense
(d) Roman experiments in solid geometry
(e) The desire to improve upon Roman architectural styles
Answer
(c) A need for defense
The passage says the Romans built a wall to protect their territory, and new walls were built in concentric circles as the city grew; the sites of those walls became today's streets. So defensive walls shaped the circular, spiralling layout. The other options are not mentioned in the passage.
Answer checked by Claude Sonnet · Oct 21, 2026
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- KUSOM Information Bulletin for the KUUMAT and Sample Test Questions
Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
To prevent household fires, all flammable liquids, oily rags, and other .......... materials should be properly disposed of.
(a) Combustible
(b) Unctuous
(c) Restricted
(d) Diluted
(e) Extinguishable
Answer
(a) Combustible
The sentence is about preventing fires, and the blank describes materials that, like flammable liquids and oily rags, can catch fire. "Combustible" fits. "Extinguishable" would mean able to be put out, which is the opposite of the danger being described; "unctuous", "restricted" and "diluted" do not fit the fire-risk meaning.
Answer checked by Claude Sonnet · Oct 21, 2026
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- KUSOM Information Bulletin for the KUUMAT and Sample Test Questions
Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
It is ironic that the .......... insights of the great thinkers are voiced so often that they have become mere ..........
(a) original .. clichés
(b) banal .. beliefs
(c) dubious .. habits
(d) philosophical .. questions
(e) abstract .. assessments
Answer
(a) original .. clichés
The irony is that insights which were once fresh and original are repeated so often that they become clichés. The other pairs do not produce an ironic contrast: "banal" insights becoming "beliefs" or "dubious" ones becoming "habits" carry no irony about overuse.
Answer checked by Claude Sonnet · Oct 21, 2026
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- KUSOM Information Bulletin for the KUUMAT and Sample Test Questions
Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Since many disadvantaged individuals view their situations as .......... as well as intolerable, their attitudes can best be described as ..........
(a) Squalid .. obscure
(b) Unpleasant .. bellicose
(c) Acute .. sanguine
(d) Inalterable .. resigned
(e) Political .. perplexed
Answer
(d) inalterable .. resigned
If people see their situation as unchangeable as well as intolerable, the natural attitude is resignation. The other pairs do not connect logically with "as well as intolerable" (for example, "sanguine" means cheerfully optimistic, which does not follow from an intolerable, hopeless view).
Answer checked by Claude Sonnet · Oct 21, 2026
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Questions from KUSOM Information Bulletin for the KUUMAT and Sample Test Questions (Official KUSOM sample test questions (Sections 2 to 5), year not stated; questions that rely on a figure and cannot be restated in words are omitted). Answers are written for this site; check them against your class notes.