Free English Usage - 01 Practice Test - CAT 

Question 1

In the following question, there are sentences or parts of sentences labeled A, B, C, D and E. Choose for your answer the fragment that carries an error. Ignore punctuation errors if any.
A. In these blogs, I’ve laughed, spit out my coffee,
B. cursed, cried, learned invaluable lessons
C. about work and motherhood, and fell in love
D. with hundreds of people I’ve never met.
E. No error

A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
E. E

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

I’ve laughed, cried . . . . And fallen in love and not fell in love… - tense error in C. I’ve spit or

I’ve spat – spit participle is spit and spat, both are correct.

Question 2

In the following question, there are sentences or parts of sentences labeled A, B, C, D and E. Choose for your answer the fragment that carries an error. Ignore punctuation errors if any.
A. Thank you all for conducting a landmark experiment
B. sharing what really goes on
C. inside our heads when it comes
D. to balancing (and unbalancing) working,
E. raising kids, and living our lives.

A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
E. E

SOLUTION

Solution : E

option E

‘Raising kids’ is one of the commonest errors found in informal speech and writing. We ‘rear kids’ is one of the commonest errors found in informal speech and writing. We ‘rear kids’ not raise them. Raising in the sense of bringing up is used only for animals. We raise horses and rear children.

Question 3

In the following question, there are sentences or parts of sentences labeled A, B, C, D and E. Choose for your answer the fragment that carries an error. Ignore punctuation errors if any.
A. And its equally important to spread the news about companies that treat working parents
B. with fairness and respect, so that we all can try to work at these companies,
C. and send a message to others treating working parents
D. justly as a valuable employee recruitment and retention advantage.
E. No error

A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
E. E

SOLUTION

Solution : A

option A

it’s should be used instead of its in the first part of the sentence.

Question 4

In the following question, there are sentences or parts of sentences labeled A, B, C, D and E. Choose for your answer the fragment that carries an error.  Ignore punctuation errors if any.
A. As a kid, my father used to take me to a joint
B. called Roosters that served two eggs,
C. two pancakes, two strips of bacon, two pieces of toast
D. and all the butter patties and coffee
E. one could consume for $2.22.

A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
E. E

SOLUTION

Solution : A

option A

“As a kid . . . .” is a modifier – it seems to modify ‘my father’ which is erroneous. We should

correct it to ‘when I was a kid . . . .’ or “As a kid I used to accompany my father to. . . .”

Question 5

In the following question, there are sentences or parts of sentences labeled A, B, C, D and E. Choose for your answer the fragment that carries an error. Ignore punctuation errors if any.
A. Over the course of more than 500 columns and 100,000 comments,
B. I’ve learned a lot about how deeply we all care
C. about juggling work and family,
D. but I’ve never learned what
E. any of you looks like.

A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
E. E

SOLUTION

Solution : E

option E

‘Any of you look like’ and not ‘any of you looks like’ though ‘any of you’ is singular, it is still you which takes a plural verb in English. ‘any of them’ is ‘he, she or it’ hence takes singular.

Question 6

Each of the following questions has a paragraph with one italicized word that does not make sense. Choose the most appropriate replacement for that word from the options given below the paragraph.
Magic at this level may be somewhat slower in response than the magic of the upper register. Its action, however, is angrithey, like the gradual encroachment of a root system which will split rocks. Magic at this level will take a concerted effort to halt once it is well begun and will be difficult to redirect once invoked.

A. immutable
B. implacable
C. impractical
D. inexorable

SOLUTION

Solution : D

Option (D)

Going by the simile of the root system mentioned in the same sentence, we can tell that the word we are looking for means unstoppable. Therefore ‘immutable’ (which means unchangeable), ‘impregnable’ (which means resistant to attack) and ‘impractical’ (which means not useful) cannot fit here at all. Though ‘implacable’ and ‘inexorable’ are synonymous in some contexts, the former cannot fit here, as it means impossible to appease, which cannot be applied to an abstract notion like the action of magic. Only ‘inexora ble’, meaning relentless, fits here.

Question 7

Each of the following questions has a paragraph with one italicized word that does not make sense. Choose the most appropriate replacement for that word from the options given below the paragraph.
This book isn’t just a/an youtiler of fascinating trivia. It’s also an astute sociological catalogue of France’s changing idea of itself; of how this disparate collection of tribal autocracies became organized, over centuries, into the community and identity so vaunted in the country today.

A. curriculum
B. concoction
C. abridgement
D. compendium

SOLUTION

Solution : D

Option (D)

From the context, we can tell that we need a word that means a list, most likely a short one, so as to contrast with the expansive idea conveyed in the second sentence. A ‘curriculum’ is the total course of study offered by an educational institution, so it cannot fit here. ‘Concoction’, which means a mixture of various ingredients, is also out. An ‘abstraction’ is an abstract concept, and so does not fit here at all. An ‘abridgement’ is a shortened or condensed form of a text, so it does convey the idea of shortness, but not that of a list. Only ‘compendium’, which means both a list and a brief account, is the appropriate word here.

Question 8

Each question consists of four sentences on a topic. Some sentences are grammatically incorrect or inappropriate. Select the option that indicates the grammatically correct and appropriate sentence(s)..
A. Corn on the cob is the perfect finger food – at least for people not obsessed with counting carbohydrates.
B. Quintessentially American, it’s likely that corn evolved somewhere around Panama or Mexico some 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, then spread throughout the Western hemisphere.
C. Its subsequent cultivation has been widely credited with letting pre-Columbian communities throughout the Americas settling down and launching their civilizations.
D. Eventually agriculture, based on corn, moved into what would become the United States.

A. B and C
B. C and D
C. A and D
D. A and B
E. B and D

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

Sentence B has a modifier error – the phrase ‘quintessentially American’ refers to the noun ‘corn’ and should therefore be placed immediately adjacent to it – i.e., ‘It’s likely that quintessentially American corn. . .’ Sentence C has incorrect forms of the verbs ‘settle’ and ‘launch’ – they are main verbs that follow the auxiliary verb ‘let’, and are not parallel to it, so they should be used in the root form, not in the present participle form, not in the present participle form. Sentences A and D are completely correct. Hence, [c].

Question 9

Each question consists of four sentences on a topic. Some sentences are grammatically incorrect or inappropriate. Select the option that indicates the grammatically correct and appropriate sentence(s).
A. After decades of research and plethora of seeming infinite numbers of dead-end leads, scientists have finally discovered the cause of the biggest public health scourge of our time –Obesity.
B. It is not lack of exercise, it is not what we are eating, and neither is it certainly what is passed on through our genes.
C. The obesity epidemic is caused by fat people passing on their fatness to other people and making them fat.
D. Though this confusion between cause and correlation are enough to invalidate any of the conclusions drawn from this study, it is certainly not the only problem.

A. C and D
B. A, B and C
C. Only A
D. Only B
E. Only C

SOLUTION

Solution : E

Sentence A has two errors.

‘Plethora’ refers to a large amount of something and has to be preceded by the article ‘a’. ‘Infinite’ is an adjective here that qualifies the noun ‘number’ and should therefore be qualified by the adverb form of the word ‘seeming’ (seemingly). In sentence B there is an error with respect to the parallel construction of the sentence. The parallel structure would be maintained if the clauses were of similar form – ‘it is not lack. . ., it is not what we. . ., and it is certainly not what. . .’ . Sentence D suffers from subject-verb mismatch. The subject of the plural verb ‘are’ is the singular word ‘confusion’; hence we need the singular form ‘is’. Only sentence C is correct. Hence, [e].

Question 10

Given below are sets of three sentences(A,B,C). One, two or all the sentences may have error(s) of grammar or syntax or Standard English usage. Identify only the sentences that are incorrect.
A. He found out to his utter dismay that his son failed in the examination.
B. He did not, and never intended to, return the book.
C. The councilor has not and will not file his nomination for re-election

A. Only A
B. Only B.
C. Only C.
D. Both A & C.
E. Both B & C.

SOLUTION

Solution : D

Option (d)

Had’ is missing before failed. Therefore, the sentence is not complete. (A) is incorrect. Similarly (C) is a dangling sentence as ‘has not’ is not complete. The correct sentence should be ‘has not filed and....

Question 11

Given below are sets of three sentences(A,B,C). One, two or all the sentences may have error(s) of grammar or syntax or Standard English usage. Identify only the sentences that are incorrect.
A. There are lesser students in the class today than there were yesterday.
B. Before I could move a limb, the reckless driver had run over the poor little pup.
C. The higher your aspirations, greater the effort you need to put in.

A. Only A.
B. Only B.
C. Only C.
D. Both A & C.
E. Both B & C.

SOLUTION

Solution : D

Option (d)

Lesser’ is used with uncountable nouns. Students are countable; ‘fewer’ should be used for thecomparison. (c) is incorrect as the article ‘the’ should be added before ‘greater’ to have a correct and a complete comparison.

Question 12

In each question, the word mentioned below is used in five different ways, labeled A to E. Choose the option in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate

TENDER

A. No word of thanks giving would be adequate to describe that tender hearted man
B. My knee is still tender even though it was hurt a while back.
C. Ensure that you cook the vegetables till they are tender.
D. I must tell you that this bakery makes the tenderest cake for ‘X’ mas.
E. That is the most tender chicken I have ever tasted

SOLUTION

Solution : D

option D

A good cake is soft not tender.

Question 13

In each question, the word mentioned below is used in five different ways, labeled A to E. Choose the option in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate

INTIMATE

A. Are you sure you have an intimate knowledge of our country?
B. Journalists should not reveal the intimate details about the family life of celebrites.
C. In the urban jungle few of us are in intimate terms with our neighbours.
D. Did you intimate them of your plans?
E. They share an intimate relationship

SOLUTION

Solution : C

option C .We are on intimate terms with someone not in intimate terms.

Question 14

In each question, the word mentioned below is used in five different ways, labeled A to E. Choose the option in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate

INVESTED

A. The cancer cells may invest other parts of the body.
B. I have invested in mutual funds
C. I wonder how you could have invested in such an organization.
D. By virtue of the authority invested in the president, he granted amnesty to many prisoners.
E. Everyone admitted that the speaker’s words were invested with intelligence and wit.

SOLUTION

Solution : A

Option A. Cancer cells invade not invest.