MULTIPLE, IDIOMATIC

& LOGICAL USAGE-2

Class Exercise (Basic Module)

FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS & SENTENCE COMPLETION

Class Exercise-1: Fill-in-the-Blanks
DIRECTIONS: Select one entry from the given choices for each blank. Fill all blanks in the way that best
completes the text.
It is refreshing to read a book about the planet by an author who does not allow facts to be (1) _______ by politics:
well aware of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity, this author
does not permit them to (2) ________ his comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere. He
emphasizes the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the sparseness of our observations, and the (3) ________, calling
attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we can accurately
diagnose the condition of our planet.
1. (1) overshadowed (2) Invalidated (3) illuminated
2. (1) enhance (2) Obscure (3) underscore
3. (1) plausibility of our hypotheses (2) certainty of our entitlement (3) superficiality of our theories
Philosophy, unlike most other subjects, does not try to extend our knowledge by discovering new information
about the world. Instead it tries to deepen our understanding through (4) ________ what is already closest to us
the experiences, thoughts, concepts, and activities that make up our lives but that ordinarily escape our notice
precisely because they are so familiar. Philosophy begins by finding (5) _______ the things that are (6) ________.
1. (1) attainment of (2) rumination on (3) detachment from
2. (1) essentially irrelevant (2) utterly mysterious (3) thoroughly commonplace
3. (1) most prosaic (2) somewhat hackneyed (3) refreshingly novel
Class Exercise-2: Sentence Completion
DIRECTIONS: There are two blanks in each of the following sentences. From the pairs of words given, choose
the one that fills the blanks most appropriately. The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
1. The unflattering reviews that his latest recording received were ________by his fans, who believe that
everything he performs is a triumph of artistic ________.
(1) dismissed, creativity (2) hailed, responsibility
(3) accepted, genius (4) regretted, pretension
2. Conservative historians who represent a traditional account as ________because of its age may be guilty of
taking on trust what they should have ________in a conscientious fashion.
(1) ancient, established (2) false, reiterated
(3) accurate, examined (4) suspicious, challenged
3. The candidate recognized that his attempt to build a broad base of support had been ________, but he was
still ________ by the magnitude of his defeat.
(1) obstinate, elated (2) appreciated, satisfied
(3) thwarted, discomfited (4) successful, perplexed
4. The general view of gorillas as menacing, ferocious King Kongs was not successfully ________ until Dian
Fosseys field studies in the 1960s showed gorillas to be peaceable, rather fainthearted creatures, unlikely to
________ humans.
(1) counteracted, please (2) verified, attack
(3) dispelled, captivate (4) challenged, threaten
5. By subsidizing small farms, the new government is hoping to ________ the flow of people into the cities and
________ farming.
(1) reverse, initiate (2) arrest, encourage
(3) enhance, regulate (4) diminish, prohibit
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6. Born ________, children will follow their natural inclination to explore their surroundings with a ________
that belies the random appearance of their play.
(1) innocent, deviousness (2) curious, purposefulness
(3) eager, caution (4) aware, casualness
7. Despite the team members resentment of the new coachs training rules, they ________ them as long as he
did not ________ them too strictly.
(1) embraced, follow (2) questioned, interpret
(3) challenged, implement (4) tolerated, apply
8. The ________ ambassador was but ________ linguist; yet he insisted on speaking to foreign dignitaries in
their own tongues without resorting to a translators aid.
(1) eminent, an indifferent (2) visiting, a notable
(3) revered, a talented (4) distinguished, a celebrated
9. Early _________ of maladjustment to college culture is _________ by the tendency to develop friendship
networks outside college which mask signals of maladjustment.
(1) treatment, compounded (2) detection, facilitated
(3) identification, complicated (4) prevention, help
10. The _________ regions of Spain all have unique cultures, but the ________ views within each region make
the issue of an acceptable common language of instruction an even more contentious one.
(1) different, discrete (2) distinct, disparate
(3) divergent, distinct (4) different, competing
11. The best punctuation is that of which the reader is least conscious; for when punctuation, or lack of it,
______ itself, it is usually because it ______ .
(1) obtrudes, offends (2) enjoins, fails
(3) conceals, recedes (4) effaces, counts
12. The argument that the need for a looser fiscal policy to ________ demand outweighs the need to ____
budget deficits is persuasive.
(1) assess, minimize (2) outstrip, eliminate
(3) stimulate, control (4) restrain, conceal
13. But ________ are now regularly written not just for tools, but well-established practices, organizations and
institutions, not all of which seem to be ________ away.
(1) reports, withering (2) stories, trading
(3) books, dying (4) obituaries, fading
14. It will take some time for many South Koreans to _________ the conflicting images of North Korea, let
alone to ________ what to make of their northern cousins.
(1) reconcile, decide (2) understand, clarify
(3) make out, decide (4) reconcile, understand
15. Though one eye is kept firmly on the _______, the company now promotes ________contemporary art.
(1) present, experimental (2) future, popular
(3) present, popular (4) market, popular
MULTIPLE & IDOMATIC USAGE
These questions test for the following aspects of grammar and usage:
1. Multiple Meanings of a Word.
2. Multiple Usage as Different Parts of Speech/Grammatical Forms.
3. Diction: Correct Choice of Words.
4. Different Idioms connected with a Word.
5. Correct Use of Articles with Countable/Uncountable Nouns.
6. Different Verb Patterns connected with a Verb.
7. Phrasal Verbs formed from a Verb.
8. Different Prepositions used with a Verb.
9. Singular or Plural of Nouns.
10. Logical Consistency in Usage.

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 Class Exercise-3: Multiple & Idiomatic Usage
DIRECTIONS: In each question, the word at the top is used in four different ways, numbered 1 to 4. Choose the
option in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.
1. HAND
(1) I have my hand full, I cannot do it today.
(2) The minister visited the jail to see the breach at first hand.
(3) The situation is getting out of hand here!
(4) When the roof of my house was blown away, he was willing to lend me a hand.
2. NEAR
(1) I got there just after you lefta near miss.
(2) She and her near friend left early.
(3) The war led to a near doubling of oil prices.
(4) They came near to tears seeing the plight of the victims.
3. BOLT
(1) The shopkeeper showed us a bolt of fine silk.
(2) As he could not move, he made a bolt for the gate.
(3) Could you please bolt the door?
(4) The thief was arrested before he could bolt from the scene of the crime.
4. PASSING
(1) She did not have passing marks in mathematics.
(2) The mad woman was cursing everybody passing her on the road.
(3) At the birthday party all the children enjoyed a game of passing the parcel.
(4) A passing taxi was stopped to rush the accident victim to the hospital.
5. HELP
(1) This syrup will help your cold.
(2) I cant help the colour of my skin.
(3) Ranjit may help himself with the beer in the fridge.
(4) Do you really expect me to help you out with cash?
6. PAPER
(1) Your suggestions look great on the paper, but are absolutely impractical.
(2) Do you know how many trees are felled to make a truckload of paper?
(3) So far I have been able to paper over the disagreements among my brothers.
(4) Dr. Malek will read a paper on criminalization of politics.
7. FALLOUT
(1) Nagasaki suffered from the fallout of nuclear radiation.
(2) People believed that the political fallout of the scandal would be insignificant.
(3) Who can predict the environmental fallout of the WTO agreements?
(4) The headmaster could not understand the fallout of several of his good students at the public examination.
8. REASON
(1) Your stand is beyond all reason.
(2) Has she given you any reason for her resignation?
(3) There is little reason in your pompous advice.
(4) How do you deal with a friend who doesnt listen to reason.
9. BUSINESS
(1) I want to do an MBA before going into business.
(2) My wife runs profitable business in this suburb.
(3) If we advertise we will get twice as much business as we have now.
(4) How you spend your money is as much my business as yours.
10. DISTINCT
(1) He is distinct about what is right and what is wrong.
(2) Mars became distinct on the horizon in the month of August.
(3) The distinct strains of Ravis violin could be heard above the general din.
(4) Ghoshbabus is a distinct case of water rising above its own level.
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11. SORT
(1) What sort of cheese do you use in pizza?
(2) Farmers of all sort attended the rally.
(3) They serve tea of a sort on these trains.
(4) Lets sort these boys into four groups.
12. SOUL
(1) Not a soul came to help her when she was attacked.
(2) It was a very profound performance, but lacked soul.
(3) She found a kindred soul in him who hates cricket as much as she does.
(4) Soul music blends gospel, blues, jazz and pop music.
13. LOVE
(1) There is no love lost between him and his betrothed and no one can come between them.
(2) We could not get a room at the hill station for love or money during the holiday season.
(3) The beautiful garden she maintained was truly a labour of love.
(4) For the love of God, let us get out of this horrid place.
14. STICK
(1) You should stick for yourself and not let them bully you.
(2) It is a thankless job but stick at it and you will be well-rewarded.
(3) Referring to US military might, President Theodore Roosevelt said, Speak softly and carry a big stick.
(4) His boss used his one botched task as a stick to beat him with.
15. HOST
(1) If you host the party, who will foot the bill?
(2) Keralas forests are host to a range of snakes.
(3) Ranchi will play the host to the next national film festival.
(4) A virus has infected the host computer.
16. SHY
(1) Successive governments have fought shy of tabling the Women Reservation Bill in Parliament.
(2) We value our privacy and shy away in getting too involved with the neighbours.
(3) His is a clear case of once bitten, twice shy.
(4) Riders can be thrown when their horses shy.
17. MEAN
(1) His father meant for him to be an engineer.
(2) It was no mean feat to climb that rock face.
(3) I didnt mean you to read the letter.
(4) Sania Mirza is a mean tennis player, as is evident from her rising WTA rating.
18. BASE
(1) You are completely off the base about who is likely to get a raise.
(2) He acted from base motives.
(3) These policies have a broad support base.
(4) Lead and tin are base metals.
19. RANK
(1) Only a rank traitor would betray his friends and his country.
(2) Nonsmokers cant stand the rank smell of stale tobacco.
(3) The manager always pulls rank to get his way.
(4) The firm collapsed when the feuding partners broke the ranks.
20. WAKE
(1) He didnt wake up to the danger until it was too late.
(2) The speedboat left a wake of swirling, foaming water.
(3) The tsunami left a trail of destruction in its wake.
(4) He was forced to resign in wake of the scandal.

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 Class Exercise-4: Verbal Analogies
DIRECTIONS: In each of the following questions, a related pair of words or phrases is followed by four pairs of
words or phrases. Select the pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair.

1. FOLLOW : STALK :: 11. RUSTLE : CATTLE ::

(1) regret : rejoice (1) bleat : sheep
(2) look : spy (2) hijack : cargo
(3) lurk : hide (3) speculate : stock
(4) beckon : gesture (4) pan : gold
2. DAMPEN : DRENCH :: 12. GRISLY : RECOIL ::
(1) glide : drift (1) craven : quail
(2) gambol : play (2) tainted : purify
(3) simmer : boil (3) flagging : invigorate
(4) ignite : quench (4) heartrending : weep
3. BUSTLE : MOVE :: 13. LUMINARY : ILLUSTRIOUS ::
(1) hum : sing (1) zealot : intense
(2) shuffle : walk (2) miser : prodigal
(3) glide : dance (3) dignitary : conceited
(4) chatter : talk (4) celebrity : wealthy
4. INADVERTENT : THOUGHT 14. WHIFF : SCENT ::
(1) gauche : grace (1) tide : wave
(2) lugubrious : gloom (2) puff : smoke
(3) curious : opinion (3) blaze : light
(4) clandestine : secrecy (4) whistle : tune
5. DESCRY : DISTANT :: 15. INTEREST : FASCINATION ::
(1) mourn : lost (1) dislike : abhorrence
(2) whisper : muted (2) delusion : gullibility
(3) discern : subtle (3) exertion : fatigue
(4) entrap : hostile (4) science : witchcraft
6. DECREPIT : RENOVATION :: 16. SCOTCH : RUMOR ::
(1) enervated : invigoration (1) divert : traffic
(2) languid : confrontation (2) broach : topic
(3) pallid : purification (3) suppress : riot
(4) tearful : reconciliation (4) spread : gossip
7. RUSE : DECEIVE :: 17. SQUIRM : DISCOMFORT ::
(1) policy : change (1) chortle : distress
(2) argument : persuade (2) fume : anger
(3) subterfuge : revenge (3) snarl : confusion
(4) denial : confuse (4) shrug : determination
8. HUSBAND : RESOURCES :: 18. RUTHLESS : SYMPATHY ::
(1) conserve : energy (1) pathetic : pity
(2) spend : salary (2) lethargic : fatigue
(3) analyze : statement (3) heedless : intelligence
(4) revise : story (4) outspoken : reticence
9. CENSURE : REPREHENSIBLE :: 19. BEAM : DELIGHT ::
(1) prize : valuable (1) frown : indifference
(2) provide : supportive (2) glower : anger
(3) applaud : enthusiastic (3) yawn : assurance
(4) inquire : informed (4) grin : compassion
10. SKIRT : ISSUE :: 20. ALLAY : PAIN ::
(1) vest : interest (1) mollify : fright
(2) rig : wager (2) testify : court
(3) dodge : encounter (3) arbitrate : dispute
(4) mask : purpose (4) mitigate : punishment
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