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IC : PTtkmlb03 (1) of (11) TAKEOFF LANGUAGE SKILLS BOOKLET # 03 J ~ Grammar Basics ~ A lot of us who can speak English with confidence, feel we have no need to learn grammar. At least, not all over again :) One good reason why it is a good idea that we learn the basic again is that question appear in examinations. The second, more important reason is that grammar helps us use words more effectively to convey our thoughts better. Knowledge of basic grammar helps us become a better communicator. And, as you know, good communication makes good business sense! In this booklet, we introduce you to the basics of grammar. You cannot understand grammar just by reading. So, please complete all exercises seriously. You may get most of it right. But do not dismiss anything as too simple. One simple nail is all it takes to deflate a tyre! This booklet is designed by our experts to help you avoid those pinpricks of doubts and mistakes during your examination. Hopefully this booklet will also make you more conscious of the correct usage of grammar for the rest of your life. Finally, a few tips to help you conquer grammar. 1. Please develop a positive attitude towards grammar! Make it your friend. 2. Be aware of common errors in grammar. Make sure you know how to avoid those mistakes. 3. Identify the kind of mistakes you tend to make and ensure that you do not keep repeating the same mistakes. 4. We tend to be casual in the way we speak. We worry about grammar only when we write. The truth is we tend to write the way we speak. Try to be grammatically correct even when you speak. Those who speak right, write better! 5. And one final tip Read, read and read . Be conscious of the writing techniques used by experts. Observe, understand and use those techniques. Best wishes for a longlasting friendship with grammar! If you have any queries, please write to us at [email protected] Best Wishes ! Regd. Office: Indore PT centres spread across India ~ Established 1993 Our motto “ Kar Ke Dikhayenge” is delivered through our unique Technology Driven Process Engine ( TDpro engine). Email: [email protected] Web: www.PTeducation.com , www.facebook.com/PTeducation PT Education, All rights reserved. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

TAKEOFF L ANGUAGE SKILL S BOOKLE T # 03 · TAKEOFF L ANGUAGE SKILL S BOOKLE T # 03 J ~ Grammar Basics ~ A lot of us who can speak English with confidence, feel we have no need to

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IC : PTtkmlb03 (1) of (11)

TAKE­OFF LANGUAGE SKILLS BOOKLET # 03

J

~ Grammar Basics ~

A lot of us who can speak English with confidence, feel we have no need to learn grammar. At least, not all over again :)

One good reason why it is a good idea that we learn the basic again is that question appear in examinations. The second, more important reason is that grammar helps us use words more effectively to convey our thoughts better. Knowledge of basic grammar helps us become a better communicator. And, as you know, good communication makes good business sense!

In this booklet, we introduce you to the basics of grammar.

You cannot understand grammar just by reading. So, please complete all exercises seriously. You may get most of it right. But do not dismiss anything as too simple. One simple nail is all it takes to deflate a tyre!

This booklet is designed by our experts to help you avoid those pinpricks of doubts and mistakes during your examination. Hopefully this booklet will also make you more conscious of the correct usage of grammar for the rest of your life.

Finally, a few tips to help you conquer grammar.

1. Please develop a positive attitude towards grammar! Make it your friend. 2. Be aware of common errors in grammar. Make sure you know how to avoid those

mistakes. 3. Identify the kind of mistakes you tend to make and ensure that you do not keep

repeating the same mistakes. 4. We tend to be casual in the way we speak. We worry about grammar only when

we write. The truth is we tend to write the way we speak. Try to be grammatically correct even when you speak. Those who speak right, write better!

5. And one final tip ­ Read, read and read. Be conscious of the writing techniques used by experts. Observe, understand and use those techniques.

Best wishes for a long­lasting friendship with grammar!

If you have any queries, please write to us at [email protected]

Best Wishes !

Regd. Office: Indore PT centres spread across India ~ Established 1993

Our motto “Kar Ke Dikhayenge” is delivered through our unique Technology Driven Process Engine (TDpro engine). Email: [email protected] Web: www.PTeducation.com , www.facebook.com/PTeducation

PT Education, All rights reserved.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting

to be known.

IC : PTtkmlb03 (2) of (11)

Sentence ­ What is a sentence? It's a group of words which makes complete sense.

Every sentence consists of two parts (i) The part which names the person or thing we speak about is called as SUBJECT. (ii) The part which gives what is said of the person or thing is known as PREDICATE. e.g. 1. The early bird catches the worm.

2. How badly you sing. 3. Sweet are the uses of adversity.

In sentence 1, "The early bird" is the subject and "catches the worm" is the predicate. In sentence 2,"you" is the subject and "sing how badly" is the predicate. In sentence 3, "the uses of adversity" is the subject and "sweet are" is the predicate.

Note: The subject does not always come at the beginning of the sentence.

Exercise No.1

DIRECTIONS: Identify subject and predicate in the following sentences: 1. The boy stood on the burning desk.

2. Darkness came quickly on. 3. The singing of the birds delights us. 4. Strange are the ways of God.

5. Across the path lay a frozen snake. 6. The sun sets in the west.

7. He did it for my sake. 8. He is inferior to Bali in intelligence. 9. The population of Tokyo is greater than that of any town in India.

10. Around every cloud is a silver lining.

PARTS OF SPEECH As you study the table given ahead, keep in mind that only interjections ("Yes!") have a habit of standing alone (or alongside complete sentences). The three articles (now often identified as a type of determiner rather than a distinct word class) appear before nouns. However, the other parts of speech ­ nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions ­ come in many varieties and may appear just about anywhere in a sentence. To know for sure what part of speech a word is, we have to look not only at the word itself but also at its meaning, position, and use in a sentence. For example, in the first sentence below, work is a noun; in the second sentence, a verb; and in the third sentence, an adjective:

♦ Mohit showed up for work two hours late.

[The noun work is the thing Mohit shows up for.]

♦ He will have to work until midnight.

[The verb work is the action he must perform.]

♦ His work permit expires next month.

[The adjective work modifies the noun permit.]

Don't let this variety of meanings and uses confuse you. Keep in mind that learning the names of the basic parts of speech is just one way to understand how sentences are put together.

Now review the parts of speech listed below, and for each one see if you can provide examples of your own..

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Part of speech What it does Examples

Akbar, Mumbai, Himalayas

man, city, mountain

crowd, army, herd

kindness, growth, childhood

book, pen, worker

sugar, honesty, gold

First I, we, myself, our, us, mine

Second you, your, yours

Third he, she, it, they, its, them, his, her

it

one, none, some, other, everybody

each, either, neither

who, whose, which

Mumbai is a busy city.

The smart crow fooled the dog.

I picked some flowers.

There are five minarets.

This boy is better than Ram.

Why use such a colour?

Which train will take us to Indore?

Whose work is that?

The driver stopped the car.

The baby sleeps .

The boy kicks the ball.

The ball is kicked by the boy.

I play football.

I played football.

I will play football.

He came yesterday.

He comes often .

The giant looked down .

She studies hard .

These bananas are almost ripe.

The meeting was very stormy.

He definitely cheats.

I do not think so.

He is hence charged as accused.

at, by, for, from, out, through, to

about, above, beyond, inside, within

in case of, with reference to, by way of

Conjunction Joins words or sentences or

phrases or clauses I stumbled but kept my balance.

Hurray! we did it.

Oh! she missed.

Main kinds

Noun Names of person, place or thing. The thing may be real or imaginary.

Proper

Common

Collective

Abstract

Countable

Uncountable

Pronoun Words used instead of a

noun

Personal

Impersonal

Indefinite

Distributive

Relative

Adjective Adds something to a noun/pronoun

Of quality (what kind?)

Of quantity (how much?)

Demonstrative (which?)

Interrogative (asks a question)

Verb Expresses an action or a state

Transitive (needs an object)

Intransitive (no object needed)

Voice Active

Passive

Tense

Present

Past

Future

Adverb Adds something to a verb, an adjective or an adverb

Of time (when?)

Of frequency (how often?)

Of place (where?)

Of manner (how?)

Of degree or quantity (how much? To what extent?)

Of affirmation and negation

Of reason

Preposition Shows relation between noun or pronoun with something else

Simple

Compound

Phrase

Interjection Expresses sudden feeling

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Exercise No.2

Here's an easy and fun way to remember key grammar and usage issues: Learn some reverse rules. Each reverse rule contains the error it describes.

Read the following 20 reverse rules. First identify each error. (Hint: It's mentioned in the rule) Then rewrite each sentence so that it's correct.

1. Remember to never split an infinitive. Error: Split infinitive Correction: Remember never to split an infinitive.

(So here the error was in the sentence, which when corrected, gave the correct rule of grammar as well.)

2 . The passive voice should never be used. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________________

3. We never make spelling mistaeks. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

4. Avoid run­on sentences they are hard to read. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

5. Don't use no double negatives. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

6. Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't. Error: ____________________________ Correction: _________________________________________________________________________

7. Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it where its not needed. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ___________________________________________________________

8. Verbs has to agree with their subjects. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

9. No sentence fragments. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

10. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ______________________________________

11. Avoid commas, that are not necessary. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ______________________________________

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12. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________________________________________________________________

13. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!! Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

14. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ___________________________________________________________________________________

15. Write all adverbs correct. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

16. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. Error: ____________________________ Correction: _____________________________________________

17. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors. Error: ____________________________ Correction: _____________________________________________

18. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun in their writing. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________________________________________

19. Always pick on the correct idiom. Error: ____________________________ Correction: ____________________________

20. Last but least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives. Error: ____________________________ Correction: _____________________________________________

Exercise No.3

DIRECTIONS: Name the part of speech of each underlined word in the following sentences. 1. Lazy students fail. ______________

2. I called her several times ______________ 3. Our school has a large playground. ______________ 4. Don't play fool. ______________

5. America is the richest country. ______________ 6. He was not crowned king by them. ______________

7. Enter by the left door. ______________ 8. Few boys like to work hard. ______________ 9. Every attempt to flatter him failed miserably. ______________

10. She is fond of music, but hates dancing exercise . ______________

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Exercise No.4

DIRECTIONS: Change the following words into nouns 1. know __________________ 2. believe __________________

3. bathe __________________ 4. foolish __________________ 5. curious __________________

Exercise No.5

DIRECTIONS: Change the following into verbs 1. moist __________________ 2. large __________________

3. equal __________________ 4. bitter __________________ 5. successful __________________

Exercise No.6

DIRECTIONS: Fill in the blanks with an appropriate collective noun from the list given below. (a) fleet (b) stand (c) clutch (d) bale (e) bevy (f ) stud

(g) gaggle (h) pride (i) litter (j) plague

(k) archipelago (l) pod

1. A _________________ of peas

2. A _________________ of ships 3. A _________________ of forest 4. A _________________ of islands

5. A _________________ of eggs 6. A _________________ of beauties

7. A _________________ of locusts 8. A _________________ of kitten 9. A _________________ of lions

10. A _________________ of cotton 11. A _________________ of horses 12. A _________________ of geese

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Exercise No.1 In the following questions, indicate the nouns and classify them as common, proper, collective or abstract. 1. The tiger has great agility. 2. The Brahmaputra overflows its banks every year. 3. This class consists of 80 students. 4. Without wealth there is no happiness. 5. This class is studying grammar.

Give the noun form for the following words. 6 . Starve 7. Coward 8. Regent 9. Vain 10. Glutton

Exercise No.2 DIRECTIONS: Choose the correct alternative from those given within brackets in each sentence. 1. I love to walk in the fresh morning (air/airs). 2 . I shall spare no (pain/pains) to give the complete information

to you. 3. Please submit your income­tax (return/returns) immediately. 4. This stool is made of (iron/irons). 5. I shall shift all my household (effect/effects) from here. 6. I have booked my (good/goods) by passenger train. 7. He struck the ball with great (force/forces). 8. You have to pay your (custom/customs) duty. 9. He has gone to the (wood/woods) in search of his lost cattle. 10. He has built a small temple in the (premises/premise) of his

new house.

Exercise No.3 Finding subjects and verbs 1. This gorgeous grand piano is tuned to perfection. 2. Every environmental regulation has been undermined by

that industry. 3. My gift for walking and talking simultaneously did not go

unnoticed. 4. Your red scarf matches your eyes. 5. Every attempt to flatter him failed miserably. 6. Think before you speak and you will be glad for the things

you never said. 7. If all is lost, why am I still playing? 8. Javed longed for a pity party after he lost his job. 9. Have you memorised all the chemical symbols on the chart? 10. Buses has only one “s” in the middle of it. 11. Please answer the question without smirking.

Exercise No.4 Please select the pair of words or phrases given in each question that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed by the capitalised pair:

1. WALLET : CREDIT CARDS

(1) basketball : hoop (2) vase : water (3) ocean : lake (4) food : pantry

2. UNIQUE : MONOTONY (1) rambunctious : treason (2) excitement : event

(3) destiny : limit (4) dangerous : calm 3. DEHYDRATION : LIQUID

(1) disease : medication (2) theory : scientist (3) money : poverty (4) treaty : war

4. APPREHENSIVE : PETRIFIED (1) emotional : accord (2) elated : deaden

(3) sincere : satisfied (4) funny : hilarious

DIRECTIONS: Choose the option FARTHEST in meaning to the lead word given:

5. BUCOLIC (1) vigorous (2) ripe

(3) civic (4) affable

6. ESPY

(1) compromise a position (2) become ill (3) support enthusiastically (4) fail to see

7. VITRIOLIC (1) humble (2) pleasant

(3) retiring (4) thoughtful

8. RENEGE

(1) speed up suddenly (2) allow to become loose (3) follow through

(4) conform to what is conventional

9. AMELIORATE (1) exaggerate (2) exacerbate (3) vanquish (4) circumvent

Home Assignment

¿ Suggested Time : 40 min Tota l quest ions : 5 + 5 + 10 + 11 + 35 = 66

For all questions, tick­mark the correct options, or write the answer in the space available, or match­the­columns as instructed. After 40 minutes are over, only then check all answers f rom the solutions/answer­key available at the end. Do not cheat at all. All the best!

IC : PTtkmlb03 (8) of (11)

DIRECTIONS: Choose the option which best fits the blank.

10. Even detractors who warn of its potential for abuse by powerful despots agree that genetic engineering, if used ..., can reduce the incidence of the sort of physical and mental deformities that any society would want to eliminate. (1) premeditatedly (2) biologically (3) recklessly (4) discriminately

(5) illicitly

11. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, having become a manifesto for psychopaths and potential miscreants, is viewed by many high­school administrators as too ... to be suitable for teenage students. (1) austere (2) insipid

(3) provocative (4) aberrant (5) progressive

12. Paradoxically, industr ialist Andrew Carnegie gained his reputation for ... at the expense of his own factory workers, who were oppressed by the ... steel magnate to an extent that would be considered by today’s standards of labour practice to be unconscionable. (1) efficiency...affluent

(2) innovation...benevolent (3) ruthlessness...shrewd (4) philanthropy...cost­conscious

13. The government’s . . . cl in ical study requirements for approval of new drugs do not ... pharmaceutical firms when it comes to research and development, chiefly because of the profit potential afforded by patent protection. (1) official...permit (2) onerous...dissuade (3) extensive...motivate (4) unenforceable...favour

DIRECTIONS: Choose the word closest in meaning to the word within quotation marks (“ ”).

14. Mozart’s “partiality” for chocolate from Salzburg resulted in today’s famous Mozart Kugeln. (1) dislike (2) preference

(3) aversion (4) abhorrence

15. The lion’s “ferocious” behaviour was attributed to its lack of edible flesh. (1) tame (2) relaxed

(3) savage (4) congenial

16. Be careful not to “rush” your studies, even when in a hurry.

(1) improve (2) hurry (3) deepen (4) dwindle

17. Dormitory “get­together” are encouraged on a monthly basis. (1) study periods (2) informal meetings

(3) cleaning sessions (4) eating joints

18. The artist’s “profile” can be found carved into the cave walls.

(1) vignette (2) outline (3) description (4) decor

19. Horses are often put out to “pasture” during the early morning hours.

(1) cleaned (2) field (3) arena (4) coliseum

20. Janet’s “profuse” use of the adjective like bothered the professor.

(1) incorrect (2) delayed (3) plentiful (4) subserved

21. The “crooked” use of gambling schemes is often found while surfing the Internet.

(1) enjoyable (2) difficult (3) dishonest (4) rarefied

22. Teenage “lethargy” is often due to lack of proper nutrients. (1) enthusiasm (2) sluggishness

(3) boredom (4) malaise

23. Unfortunately, information concerning the latest crisis in the state government is arriving “piecemeal”. (1) incorrectly (2) delayed

(3) bit by bit (4) over the top

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DIRECTIONS: Match the word in the left column with the correct definition on the right

24. Executive a . Contrary to the laws and course of forces; at variance with what is normal and expected

25. Unnatural b. Having or showing a pleasant, kindly, agreeable disposition; amiable

26. Subsequent c . The state of being born, especially with reference to the place of birth

27. International d. Between or among countries; pertaining to two or more countries or their citizens

28. Contract e . A painting, photograph or other likeness of a person, especially one showing the face

29. Attractive f. Providing pleasure or delight, especially in appearance; charming; alluring, arousing interest

30. Consequence g. To draw together; to settle or establish by agreement; to restrict; to shorten

31. Good­natured h. Withdrawal of an opinion, statement or promise as inaccurate or unjustified

32. Pursuit i. Person or group having administrative or supervisory authority in an organisation

33. Retraction j . Act of following in order to overtake; effort to secure or attain; quest

34. Portrait k. Effect, result or outcome of something occurring earlier; conclusion reached

35. Nativity l. Occurring or coming later or after; following in order of succession

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Success is where preparation and

opportunity meet...

Solutions Practice Exercises

Exercise No.1 Subject Pred icate

1 . The boy stood on the burning desk. 2 . Darkness came quickly on. 3 . The singing of the birds delights us. 4 . The ways of God are Strange 5 . A frozen snake lay across the path 6 . The sun sets in the west 7 . H e did i t for my sake. 8 . H e is inferior to Bali in intel l igence. 9 . The population of Tokyo is greater than that of any town

in India.

10. A si lver l ining is around every cloud.

Exercise No.2

1 . Error: Spli t infini tive Correction: Don't put any word between "to" and the verb in an infini tive. Therefore "to spli t" has to stay as one complete package.

2 . Error: Passive voice Correction: You should not use the passive voice. In addition to showing tense (time), verbs also show voice, the form of the verb that shows whether the subject performs the action or received the action. English verbs have two voices: active and passive. A verb is active when the subject performs the action, as in this example; “We made a mistake.” (We are taking blame.) A verb is passive when i ts action is performed upon the subject, as in this example: “A mistake has been made.” (No one is tak ing c redi t for the mistake.) In general, use the active voice instead of the passive voice. The active voice was voted "Most Popular Voice" because i t is less wordy.

3 . Error: Spel l ing Correction: "Misteaks" is wrongly spelt; the word is spel led "mistakes”.

4 . Error: Run­on sentence Correction: Avoid run­on sentences; they are hard to read. Or: Avoid run­ on sentences because they are hard to read. A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought. A sentence has two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject includes the noun or pronoun that tel ls what the subject is about. The predicate includes the verb that describes what the subject is doing. A run­on sentence is two incorrectly joined sentences

5 . Error: Double negat ive Correction: Don't use any double negatives.

6 . Error: Misused semicolon Correction: Use the semicolon properly; always use it where i t is appropriate and never where i t isn't. Use a semicolon between main clauses when the conjunction (and, but, for, or) has been left out.

7 . Error: Apost rophe error Correction: Reserve the apostrophe for its proper use and omit i t where i t's not needed. Cont ract ions are two words combined. When you cont ract words, add an apostrophe in the space where the letters have been taken out

8 . Error: Agreement of subject and verb Correction: Verbs have to agree with their subjects.

9 . Error: Incomplete sentence Correction: Do not write any sentence fragments.

10. Error: Missing words Correction: Proofread carefully to see if you have left any words out

11. Error: Unnecessary commas Correction: Avoid commas that are not necessary

12. Error: Redundancy; unnecessary words Correction: If you reread your work, you wil l f ind that a great deal of repeti tion can be avoided..

13. Error: Unnecessary exclamation marks Correction: Don't overuse exclamation marks!.

14. Error: Pronouns placed too far from their antecedents, the words to which they refer Correc ti on: Place pronouns as close as possible to the ir antecedents , especial ly in long sentences, as of 10 or more words. .

15. Error: Incorrect adverb use Correction: Write all adverbs correctly .

16. Error: Dangl ing part icip les Correction: When you wri te careful ly, you must avoid dangl ing participles.

17. Error: Mixed metaphors Correction: Take the bul l by the horns and avoid mixed metaphors..

18. Error: Pronoun agreement Correction: Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun in his or her wr i ting.

19. Error: Incorrect idiom Correction: Always pick the correct idiom

20. Error: Cl iches (shopworn phrases that have lost their punch) Co rrec t i on : Wr i t e sent ences th at u se f re sh , new compar i s ons and expressions .

Exercise No.3 ( 1 ) adjecti ve ( 2 ) ve rb ( 3 ) pronoun (4 ) n o un (5 ) adjecti ve ( 6 ) ve rb ( 7 ) ve rb ( 8 ) adjecti ve ( 9 ) ad ve rb ( 10 ) adjecti ve

Exercise No.4 ( 1 ) knowledge (2 ) be l i e f ( 3 ) ba th ( 4 ) foo l ( 5 ) curiosity

Exercise No.5 ( 1 ) moisten ( 2 ) en la rge ( 3 ) equal ized ( 4 ) embi tter ( 5 ) succeed

Exercise No.6 ( 1 ) l ( 2 ) a ( 3 ) b ( 4 ) k ( 5 ) c ( 6 ) e ( 7 ) j ( 8 ) i ( 9 ) h (10) d ( 11 ) f ( 1 2 ) g

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Exercise No.1 1. Tiger (common); agi l i ty (abstract) 2. Brahmaputra (proper); banks (common); year

(common) 3. Class (col lective); students (common)

4 . Wealth (abstract); happiness (abstract) 5 . Class (col lective); grammar (abstract) 6 . Starvat ion 7 . Cowardi ce 8 . Regency 9 . Vanity 10. Gluttony

Exercise No.2 1. air 2. pains 3. returns 4. i ron 5. effects 6. goods 7. force 8. customs 9. woods 10. premises.

Exercise No.3 Finding subjects and verbs quiz

1 . This gorgeous grand piano is tuned to perfection. 2 . Every environmental regulation has been undermined by that industry. 3 . My gift for walking and talking simultaneously did not go unnoticed. 4 . Your red scarf matches your eyes. 5 . Every attempt to flatter him fai led miserably. 6 . (You) Think before you speak and you wil l be glad for the things you never

said. 7 . If all is lost, why am I sti l l playing? 8 . Javed longed for a pity party after he lost his job. 9 . Have you memorised al l the chemical symbols on the chart? 10. Buses has only one “s” in the middle of it. 11. (You) Please answer the question without smirking.

Exercise No.4 Test your vocabulary

1 . Ans. (2) 2 . Ans. (4) 3 . Ans. (1) 4 . Ans. (4) 5 . The correct response i s (3). Bucol ic means pastoral , rustic, or agrarian;

civic means municipal or urban. So the answer is option (3) (Civic). 6 . The correct response is (4). To espy is to see at a distance or catch sight of.

Among the options, fai l to see (4) is farthest from the definition of espy. 7 . The correct answer is (2). Vitriolic means bitter and is commonly used to

descri be a person’s personal i ty. A pleasant personal i ty is cont rary to a vi triol ic (bi tter) one.

8 . The correct answer is (3). To renege is to go back on one’s promise, just the opposite of fol lowing through on one’s promise.

9 . The correct answer is (2). To ameliorate is to improve or correct; the opposite of improve is worsen or exacerbate.

10. The correct answer is (4). The missing word must contrast with the notion of abuse of genetic engineer ing, whi le be ing cons istent wi th the desirable goal of reducing the incidence of deformities. Only (4) accomplishes both. To use the technology “discriminately” would be to conscientiously apply i t onl y toward certain ends (such as reducing deformiti es) and not toward others (l ike abuse by despots).

11. The correct response is (3). A miscreant is a vil lain, scoundrel or criminal. The sentence infers that Catcher In the Rye might provoke (incite) potential miscreants to engage in violent antisocial behaviour.

12. The co rrec t an swe r i s ( 4) . The ope ra t i ve word i n th i s s en tenc e i s paradoxical l y. A paradox is an apparent contradi cti on. So the sentence i n tends t o po in t out two c ont rad i c tory t ra i ts o f Carnegie . Opt i on (4) accomplishes this. Phi lanthropy l i terally means love of humankind and i t is usual ly used to describe generous charitable giving by wealthy individuals. Carnegie’s cost­cutting business practices and oppressive treatment of his l a bour f or ce wou ld s eem pa radox i ca l , g i v en h i s r eput at i o n as a phi lanthropi st .

13. The correc t response i s (2). The operat i ve word i n th i s sentence i s “because”, which requires that what fol lows i t must explain what precedes i t. Profi t potential would explain why drug companies persist in developing new drugs despite onerous (burdensome) government regulations. Option (2 ) ex pre sses th i s i dea . (T he word d i ssuade means “d i sc ourage or persuade not to .”)

14. Ans.(2). Parti al i ty means a part icular l i k i ng or fondness for something (incl ination, predi lection, predisposition) and preference in option 2 means a greater l iking for one alternative over another. The rest are antonyms.

15. Ans.(3). Ferocious means savagely fierce, cruel or violent. Savage in option 3 is nearest in meaning to the word. The rest are antonyms.

16. Ans.(2). Rush means move or act with great haste. So, hurry in option 2 is nearest in meaning to the given word. The rest do not fit.

17. Ans.(2). Get­together means an informal gathering and hence option 2 fits correctly. The rest of the options do not gel with the given word and can be d iscarded.

18. Ans.(2). The word profi le means a drawing or other representation of such an outl ine. This is nearest in meaning to “outl ine” in option 2. Vignette in option 1 means a small i llustration or portrai t which fades into i ts background without a defini te border. The rest of the options have no connection to the gi ven word.

19. Ans.(2). Pasture means meadow, field and hence is nearest to option 2. The rest of the options can be discarded.

20. Ans. (3). Profuse means plent i ful , cop ious and abundant and hence i s nearest to option 3. The rest of the options are incorrect in the given context.

21. Ans.(3). Crooked means i l legal, unlawful, questionable and is nearest in meaning to option 3. The rest can be discarded.

22. Ans.(2). Lethargy means a lack of energy and enthusiasm (inertia, inactivi ty) and hence is nearest in meaning to option 2. The rest do not fi t in.

23. Ans.(3). Piecemeal in this context stands for “unsystematic partial measures taken over a period of time” and is nearest to option 3. The rest can be d iscarded.

24. i 25. a 26. l 27. d 28. g 29. f 30. k 31. b 32. j 33. h 34. e 35. c

Solutions (Home assignment) Practice

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IC : PTtkmlb03 (12) of (11)

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