Verbal Ability

(a) “Please come here,” he told me. The spoken words end with a comma inside the closing quotation mark because the reporting clause "he told me" continues the sentence. Options (b) and (d) use "!" or "?" before a reporting clause, which is wrong for a statement-style request, and (c) and (e) omit or misplace quotation marks.

(b) the less she achieved "The more ... the less ..." is a double comparative structure, so the second clause must also begin with "the" plus a comparative.

(e) didn’t you? The statement is positive and in the simple past ("gave"), so the tag is the negative past auxiliary: "didn’t you?".

(a) A few "People" is a plural countable noun. "A few" means a small but positive number. "Less" and "lesser" are not used with countable nouns, and "the few" or "the less" would need a defining phrase.

(b) down "Turn down" is a phrasal verb meaning to reject or refuse, so "I turned down his request" means I refused it.

(a) with "Put up with" means to tolerate. The sentence means no one can tolerate this insult.

(e) at The fixed expression is "at a single sitting" (or "at one sitting"), meaning in one continuous session without a break.

(e) difficulty passing The pattern is "have no difficulty (in) + -ing". "Difficulty" is used in the singular here, and it is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive.

(e) respectable An adjective is needed to modify "clothes". "Respectable" means decent and of good appearance, which fits "not rich, but always wear respectable clothes". "Respectful" means showing respect, and "respective" means belonging to each separately.

(a) interested "Interested social workers" means social workers who have a concern or enthusiasm for the work. "Selfish" and "self-centred" contradict the idea of social service, and "disinterested" means impartial, not uninterested.

(c) apathy "Indifference" means lack of interest or concern, which is the meaning of "apathy".

(b) easy "Rigorous" means strict, demanding and thorough. The opposite is "easy" (lax, undemanding). "Tough" is a near synonym.

(d) roundabout expressions A euphemism is a mild or indirect word or phrase used in place of one that is harsh or unpleasant, for example "passed away" for "died".

(a) emigrant An emigrant is a person who leaves their own country to settle or work in another. "Immigrant" describes the person from the point of view of the country they enter, and "refugees" are people forced to flee persecution or war, which is not stated here.

(d) opening the door "Would you mind" is followed by a gerund (-ing form), so the correct form is "Would you mind opening the door?".

(b) of The adjective "ashamed" takes the preposition "of": "ashamed of her behaviour".

(c) as if "As if" introduces a clause describing an impression: "He looks as if he is rich". "As" alone and "that" do not fit after "looks" in this sense.

(d) a car park "Car park" is a compound noun in which the first noun acts as a modifier and stays singular, with "a" for one car park. Options such as "a cars park" and "several car park" are ungrammatical.

(b) a quarter of an hour The standard expression is "a quarter of an hour", meaning fifteen minutes. The article "an" is needed before "hour".

(d) keen "Keen interest" is the usual collocation, meaning strong and eager interest, which fits a person who becomes a great painter.

(e) from The verb "abstain" is followed by "from": "abstain from drinking".

(c) Over "Over the last four years" means during the period of the last four years up to now, and it is the natural phrase with the present perfect "has contrasted".

(c) prolific "Prolific" means producing a large number of works, which suits a writer whose fame rests on many different literary works. "Profound" and "deep" describe depth of thought, and "varied" does not fit the structure "a ___ writer".

(b) the sauce The speaker is tasting one specific sauce that is present, so the definite article is used: "What’s in the sauce?".

(c) Some furniture "Furniture" is uncountable, so it takes no plural "-s" and no "a". "Some furniture" is correct and it takes a singular verb form "arrived".

(b) ascribed "Ascribed to" means attributed to a cause, so the sentence says the downfall was attributed to the factor of peace and security. "Caused to" and "prescribed to" do not fit.

(a) devoid of "Devoid of" means completely lacking, so he spoke without any meaning. "Except", "unless" and "until" cannot be followed by a noun phrase in this way.

(d) implied "His words implied that..." means the words suggested something indirectly, matching "indirect way". "Inferred" is what a listener does, not the words.

(b) to my calling "Object" takes the preposition "to", and a preposition is followed by a gerund (with a possessive): "object to my calling them by their first names".

(d) had better get "Had better" is followed by the bare infinitive, without "to": "Travelers had better get their reservations well in advance".

(a) to sell advertising The structure "whether to increase ... or to sell ..." requires parallel infinitives, so the second alternative must also be "to + verb".

(c) Mathematics teachers The subject name stays "mathematics", and a modifying noun is used in singular form; the plural "teachers" agrees with "All of the people".

(b) called upon "Call upon" means to pay a formal visit to someone, which suits a prime minister visiting the president at the president's residence.

(e) unusual "Eccentric" describes a person or behaviour that is odd or unconventional. "Mad" and "lunatic" are too strong and carry a different meaning.

(b) information "Information" is uncountable: it takes no "a/an", no plural form, and not "few". The correct choice is simply "information".

(c) with The idiom is "to kill two birds with one stone"; here "with one shot" follows the same pattern.

(d) depression An "economic depression" is a prolonged downturn, which explains why most countries faced a trade deficit.

(d) have it cut short The causative "have + object + past participle" is used for services done by someone else: "have it cut short". "Short" is the adjective describing the result, not the adverb "shortly".

(a) bought himself one "Himself" is a reflexive indirect object showing he bought it for himself, and "one" replaces "a new shirt". "Bought himself one" is the natural form.

(d) what the reason can be In an embedded question the word order is that of a statement (subject before verb), without inversion: "what the reason can be".