FILL IN THE BLANKS
FILL IN THE BLANKS
This is a model test paper on fill in the blanks, rearrangement, and other grammar exercises with solutions.
EXERCISE ON FILL IN THE BLANKS
Directions (1-3): In the following questions, each sentence has two blanks. This indicates that something has been omitted in each blank. Choose the most suitable group of words and fill in the blanks.
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1.The recession was ostensibly over. But still, jobs were becoming increasingly ____, the fear of another economic collapse still ____.
(a)available, dwindled
(b)accessible, evolved
(c)plentiful, persisted
(d)safe, disappeared
(e)open, diminished
2.At the end of the long line, the last two men spoke with irritation. The ____ man was particularly ____ and continually voiced his annoyance. He says so to the man at the very end of the line.
(a)penultimate, vexed
(b)agitated, annoying
(c)malicious, retiring
(d)secondary, exasperated
(e)burly, bombastic
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3.Desperate to ____ the results of the survey, indicated that he was strongly disliked by the general public. Hence, the congressman attempted to ____ the company not to publish it.
(a)mollify, disregard
(b)distract, suspend
(c)galvanize, malign
(d)sustain, conceal
(e)suppress, induce
EXERCISE ON FILL IN THE BLANKS
Directions (4-5): In the following questions, each sentence has two blanks. This indicates that something has been omitted in each blank. Choose the most suitable group of words and fill in the blanks.
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4.The ____ information he provided about his childhood wasn’t necessary. He needed to be more ____ and spend less time talking about his past. He spent even more time talking about the deficiencies of the public school system.
(a)obscure, erudite
(b)arbitrary, verbose
(c)extraneous, concise
(d)cryptic, succinct
(e)articulate, dogmatic
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5.James received the advice to project a confident ____. But he realized that being ____ with the interviewers made him much more endearing than bragging about his accomplishments could have.
(a)demeanor, forthright
(b)attitude, distinguished
(c)description, illusioned
(d)persona, distinguished
(e)countenance, disingenuous
QUESTIONS ON FILL IN THE BLANKS AND REARRANGEMENT
Directions (6-10): Rearrange the given five sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) in a proper sequence. The rearrangement should form a meaningful paragraph. Then answer the given questions.
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(A)And finally in 2008 when we expected them to rise from Rs.17,000 crore (2008) to Rs 30,000 crore in 2010, actually almost half (Rs. 8000 crores in 2010) and they have stopped since!
(B)Let us take a quick review of the current situation.
(C)They did for a while though not quite as much as we had expected.
(D)It is no secret that the Indian handicrafts are struggling.
(E)We had expected that post-WTO, our handicraft exports would increase due to improved market access.
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6.Which of the following should be the fourth sentence after rearrangement?
(a)A
(b)B
(c)C
(d)E
(e)D
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7.Which of the following should be the fifth sentence after rearrangement?
(a)D
(b)B
(c)C
(d)A
(e)E
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8.Which of the following should be the first sentence after rearrangement?
(a)C
(b)A
(c)E
(d)B
(e)D
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9.Which of the following should be the third sentence after rearrangement?
(a)C
(b)A
(c)E
(d)B
(e)D
10.Which of the following should be the second sentence after rearrangement?
(a)B
(b)A
(c)E
(d)D
(e)C
QUESTIONS ON FILL IN THE BLANKS AND ERROR CORRECTION
Directions (11-15): In the following questions on fill in the blanks and error correction, read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. Select the part with the error as your answer. If there is no error, select “no error” as your answer (ignore the error of punctuation if any)
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11. We discussed about the problem (a)/ so thoroughly (b)/ on the eve of the examination (c)/ that I found it very easy to work it out (d)/ No error (e)
12.An Indian ship (a)/ laden with merchandise (b)/ got drowned in the Pacific Ocean (c)/ very close to the harbor (d)/ No error (e)
13. I could not put up in a hotel (a)/ even as I needed it urgently (b)/ because the boarding and lodging charges (c)/ were exorbitant. (d)/ No error (e)
14.If I had known (a)/ this yesterday(b)/ I will have rushed forward (c)/ to help him (d)/ No error (e)
15. A lot of travel delay is caused (a)/ due to the inefficiency (b)/ and lack of good management (c)/ on behalf of the railways (d)/ No error (e)
QUESTIONS ON FILL IN THE BLANKS AND SENTENCE IMPROVEMENT
Directions (16-17): In each of the following questions on fill in the blanks and sentence improvement, a word or a phrase is written in bold. Five options are given after each sentence. Choose the most appropriate phrase which would replace the word/phrase given in bold in the sentence and make it grammatically correct. If no correction is required, select ‘No error’ as the answer.
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16.The little girl does whatever her father was done.
(a)has done
(b)did
(c)does
(d)had done
(e)No correction required
17.They need not to come unless they want to.
(a)They don’t need to come unless they want to.
(b)They come only when they want to
(c)They come unless they don’t want to
(d)No correction required
QUESTIONS ON FILL IN THE BLANKS AND CLOZE TEST
Directions (18-27): In the following passage, there are blanks. Each of which has been numbered. Against every blank five words are suggested. One of the words fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
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India and America signed the historic civil nuclear initiative a decade ago. But even after a decade, Delhi did not buy a single US atomic power reactor. So that fact has yielded much (21) to (22) in India and the United States. Both the countries have long argued. They argued the benefits of the nuclear deal have been largely ignored in both countries.
The (23) on reactor sales, however, (24) the broader political objectives of the civil nuclear initiative. And its significant impact is on India’s international relations as well as its nuclear programme.The (25) of the initiative was to end decades of (26) between the world’s largest (27).
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It also builds a genuine strategic partnership. Delhi and Washington knew that there could be no real partnership without (28) differences on non-proliferation. It had so severely poisoned the bilateral relations from the early 1970s. India’s nuclear (29) in May 1974 angered America and invited ever-expanding atomic sanctions on India.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee seemed to queer the pitch once again when he conducted five nuclear tests in May 1998. Vajpayee, however, surprised Washington by coupling his nuclear (30) with the declaration that India and America were “natural allies”.
21.(a)ammunition
(b)thought
(c)concern
(d)argument
(e)criticism
22.(a)friends
(b)skeptics
(c)ministers
(d)laymen
(e)media
23.(a)intention
(b)understanding
(c)factoid
(d)factors
24.(a)highlights
(b)reiterates
(c)emphasizes
(d)underlines
(e)obscures
25.(a)deal
(b)concern
(c)gist
(d)objective
26.(a)friendship
(b)alienation
(c)hostility
(d)warmth
(e)sanction
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27.(a)democracies
(b)groups
(c)political parties
(d)nationalities
(e)partners
28.(a)maintaining
(b)silencing
(c)resolving
(d)acknowledging
(e)criticizing
29.(a)deal
(b)embargo
(c)politics
(d)test
(e)brinkmanship
30.(a)aggression
(b)pact
(c)resolution
(d)referendum
(e)defiance
ANSWERS :
1(c)
2(a)
3(e)
4(c)
5(a)
6(c)
7(d)
8(c)
9(c)
10(d)
11(a)
12(c)
13(a)
14(c)
15(d)
16(c)
17(a)
21(a)
22(b)
23(c)
24(a)
25(d)
26(b)
27(a)
28(c)
29(d)
30(e)
