Reading Comprehension Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: Rearrange the following six sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph, then answer the question given below them.(1) The sailor was told it was placed there as warning signal to sailors to warn them of the danger. (2) He returned to the spot a few years later as captain of his own ship. (3) The ship was at sea for many days and finally anchored near the coastline. (4) The night was stormy and without a warning signal his ship was wrecked on that very rock. (5) One of the sailors on board saw a bell tied to a dangerous submerged rock. (6) As a joke the sailor decided to steal the bell and hide it despite being informed of this.

Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the given question:

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, "One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a pipal tree." He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she was his own daughter and he taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and didn't see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear, "You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?" The girl replied, "I shall not be apart from you." But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, "Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me." The master's tears flowed freely, "She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together." The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. "Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her," the messenger said. At the palace, the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, "I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home." There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes, but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellry and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.
  1. (1)

  2. (2)

  3. (3)

  4. (4)

  5. (5)

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Following the sequence: (3) The ship anchored, (5) a sailor saw a bell, (1) he was told it was a warning, (6) he stole it, (4) the ship wrecked, (2) he returned as captain. The first sentence is (3).

Multiple choice

Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

Fortunate

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the given question:

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, "One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a pipal tree." He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she was his own daughter and he taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and didn't see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear, "You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?" The girl replied, "I shall not be apart from you." But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, "Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me." The master's tears flowed freely, "She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together." The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. "Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her," the messenger said. At the palace, the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, "I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home." There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes, but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellry and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.
  1. Rich

  2. Liked

  3. Happy

  4. Successful

  5. Lucky

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

As per the passage's context, fortunate means 'lucky. The girl had been called by the king to serve the princess, so she was lucky.

Multiple choice

The primary effect of the final paragraph (sentences 9 - 12) is to

Direction for questions 1 to 6: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – I
(1) Life is a white water river.  (2) At first I paddle slowly along the uncharacteristically-calm waters to school.  (3) I have got to steel myself to keep up with the tiresome work that lies ahead of me.
(4) The heavy waves of work pound me tirelessly as I attempt to manoeuvre around the feared whirlpool of depression. (5) It, with time, pulls me under and swallow me alive.
(6) The river, I may call life, would be in control at all times; I must quickly steer and paddle away from the massive rocks and devouring waves.  (7) When travelling along a rough river, it is essential that the rafter be a quick thinker, and only the experienced rafter can outwit the many perils that lie ahead.
(8) Sure, I am apt to make mistakes, I can only imagine how many times waves have knocked my raft over while learning, I can only imagine how many rocks my raft has crashed into when I did not receive a top mark: I can only imagine how many dreadful times my usually sturdy raft has almost been pulled into the whirlpool of depression.
(9) On the other hand, there are many positive aspects to this white water river with its exhilarating highs and its anticipated lows.  (10) There are many interested people whom I may accidentally bump my raft along the way. (11) Of course, the river giving me the ultimate thrill of knowing that I have managed to succeed the dastardly rough-waters. (12) Then, as the water begins to flow smoothly again, I can relax and cherish the experience, and anticipate the dangers and hard work that lie ahead.

  1. summarize the ideas introduced in the preceding paragraph.

  2. use persuasion to change the reader's opinion.

  3. continue the essay's tone of drawing an analogy.

  4. explain contradictions within the essay

  5. cite another example to support the writer's analogy.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In the preceding paragraph, the writer highlight's that in the swift moving life, one comes across many  challenges, and therefore one faces many ups and downs in his life. In the last paragraph, he highlights some positive aspects by stating  some examples. Hence (B) is the answer.

The writer is not contradicting with any of his statements earlier, therefore option (D) is ruled out.

Multiple choice

There are many interested people whom I may accidently bump my raft along the way. Of course the river giving me the ultimate thrill.... What is the best way to combine these two sentences?

Direction for questions 1 to 6: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – I
(1) Life is a white water river.  (2) At first I paddle slowly along the uncharacteristically-calm waters to school.  (3) I have got to steel myself to keep up with the tiresome work that lies ahead of me.
(4) The heavy waves of work pound me tirelessly as I attempt to manoeuvre around the feared whirlpool of depression. (5) It, with time, pulls me under and swallow me alive.
(6) The river, I may call life, would be in control at all times; I must quickly steer and paddle away from the massive rocks and devouring waves.  (7) When travelling along a rough river, it is essential that the rafter be a quick thinker, and only the experienced rafter can outwit the many perils that lie ahead.
(8) Sure, I am apt to make mistakes, I can only imagine how many times waves have knocked my raft over while learning, I can only imagine how many rocks my raft has crashed into when I did not receive a top mark: I can only imagine how many dreadful times my usually sturdy raft has almost been pulled into the whirlpool of depression.
(9) On the other hand, there are many positive aspects to this white water river with its exhilarating highs and its anticipated lows.  (10) There are many interested people whom I may accidentally bump my raft along the way. (11) Of course, the river giving me the ultimate thrill of knowing that I have managed to succeed the dastardly rough-waters. (12) Then, as the water begins to flow smoothly again, I can relax and cherish the experience, and anticipate the dangers and hard work that lie ahead.

  1. bump my raft along the way and then the river giving me

  2. bump raft when on my way, thereby river giving me

  3. bump my raft into on my way and of course, the river can give me

  4. bump my raft as on my way and there the river must give me

  5. bump my raft while on the way, where river gives me

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The best version of the sentence is option (C) as ‘can’ is drawing parallelism with ‘may’ in sentence 10 and ‘can’ in sentence 12. Moreover, ‘raft into on my way’ also gives a cogent meaning to the sentence. Hence, (C) is the answer.

Multiple choice

In context, which of the following revisions is necessary in sentence 8 (reproduced below)? Sure, I am apt to make mistakes, I can only imagine how many times waves have knocked my raft over while learning, I can only imagine how many rocks my raft has crashed into when I did not receive a top mark: I can only imagine how many dreadful times my usually sturdy raft has almost been pulled into the whirlpool of depression.

Direction for questions 1 to 6: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – I
(1) Life is a white water river.  (2) At first I paddle slowly along the uncharacteristically-calm waters to school.  (3) I have got to steel myself to keep up with the tiresome work that lies ahead of me.
(4) The heavy waves of work pound me tirelessly as I attempt to manoeuvre around the feared whirlpool of depression. (5) It, with time, pulls me under and swallow me alive.
(6) The river, I may call life, would be in control at all times; I must quickly steer and paddle away from the massive rocks and devouring waves.  (7) When travelling along a rough river, it is essential that the rafter be a quick thinker, and only the experienced rafter can outwit the many perils that lie ahead.
(8) Sure, I am apt to make mistakes, I can only imagine how many times waves have knocked my raft over while learning, I can only imagine how many rocks my raft has crashed into when I did not receive a top mark: I can only imagine how many dreadful times my usually sturdy raft has almost been pulled into the whirlpool of depression.
(9) On the other hand, there are many positive aspects to this white water river with its exhilarating highs and its anticipated lows.  (10) There are many interested people whom I may accidentally bump my raft along the way. (11) Of course, the river giving me the ultimate thrill of knowing that I have managed to succeed the dastardly rough-waters. (12) Then, as the water begins to flow smoothly again, I can relax and cherish the experience, and anticipate the dangers and hard work that lie ahead.

  1. Leave it as it is

  2. Delete 'sure'

  3. Change 'colon' to 'comma'.

  4. Replace 'comma' and 'colon' with 'semi-colon'.

  5. Delete 'I can only imagine' in the second and third part of the sentence.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The best revision of the sentence is met by option (D) as 'semi-colon' is used chiefly to separate units that contain elements separated by commas, and to separate closely related coordinate clauses. Hence, (D) is the answer.

Multiple choice

The best way to describe the relationship of sentence 2 to sentence 1 is that sentence 2

Direction for questions 1 to 6: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – I
(1) Life is a white water river.  (2) At first I paddle slowly along the uncharacteristically-calm waters to school.  (3) I have got to steel myself to keep up with the tiresome work that lies ahead of me.
(4) The heavy waves of work pound me tirelessly as I attempt to manoeuvre around the feared whirlpool of depression. (5) It, with time, pulls me under and swallow me alive.
(6) The river, I may call life, would be in control at all times; I must quickly steer and paddle away from the massive rocks and devouring waves.  (7) When travelling along a rough river, it is essential that the rafter be a quick thinker, and only the experienced rafter can outwit the many perils that lie ahead.
(8) Sure, I am apt to make mistakes, I can only imagine how many times waves have knocked my raft over while learning, I can only imagine how many rocks my raft has crashed into when I did not receive a top mark: I can only imagine how many dreadful times my usually sturdy raft has almost been pulled into the whirlpool of depression.
(9) On the other hand, there are many positive aspects to this white water river with its exhilarating highs and its anticipated lows.  (10) There are many interested people whom I may accidentally bump my raft along the way. (11) Of course, the river giving me the ultimate thrill of knowing that I have managed to succeed the dastardly rough-waters. (12) Then, as the water begins to flow smoothly again, I can relax and cherish the experience, and anticipate the dangers and hard work that lie ahead.

  1. corrects an inaccuracy stated in sentence 1.

  2. elucidates the metaphor referred to in sentence 1.

  3. anticipates a reader’s possible response to sentence 1.

  4. introduces a contrasting view of sentence 1.

  5. refers to the background explicating sentence 1.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In this essay, the writer has drawn an analogy between life and white water river. ‘White water river’ is that part of the river where the current in relatively swift, because of a narrowing of the river bed. Same is our notion about life that is always progressing or moving with speed. Sentence 2 explains this relationship. Hence, (B) is the answer.

Multiple choice

What is the best way to deal with sentence 17?

Direction for questions 7 to 12: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – II
(1) “When kids are tossed together everyday, six hours a day for the entire school year,” says psychologist Thomas J. Berdnt, “friendship groupings form quite naturally. (2) ”These“ friendship groupings,” better known as cliques, are small, tightly knit, autonomous, and sometimes inclusive groups of people that share the same interests or characteristics.(3) Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behavior. (4) They have been known to form in elementary school, cliques are commonly associated with middle and high school students.
(5) In a recent nationwide survey of teenage girls’ views of cliques, 96.3 percent of the  claimed that cliques existed in their schools. (6) In addition, 84.2 percent of the respondents reported that most of their classmates belonged to cliques.
(7) Cliques “can be based on appearance, athletic ability, academic achievement, social or economic status, talent, ability to attract the opposite sex, or seeming sophistication,” according to adolescent development experts Anita Gurian and Alice Pope.(8) The prominent characteristic of a clique usually becomes the clique’s label. (9) A group of self-assured, varsity-jacketed male students might be known as “jocks” while another group’s unkempt appearance and spacey demeanor could earn them the “stoner” or “druggie” label. (10) While every high school in America seems to have its own “jocks,” “stoners,” or “druggies,” cliques can become well defined and evolve based on a school’s particular environment and culture.
(11) There are strong incentives for adolescents to join cliques.(12) For example, teenagers use cliques to ease their way through large peer groups. (13) Psychiatry professor Mitch Prinstein claims that cliques are a “sort of shortcut for adolescents to develop friendships and romantic relationships.” (14) Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorize their peers. (15) He further says that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school, where student populations can reach the thousands.(16) Cliques and peer groups also help them establish an identity.(17) Importantly most, teenagers join cliques to gain a sense of belonging.

  1. Leave it as it is

  2. Connect it with line 16 with the word 'and'

  3. Place 'most' before 'Importantly' in the beginning of the sentence.

  4. Change “sense of belonging” to “sense of belongingness”

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The correct phrase should be most importantly. Adding an 'and' and connecting the two sentences will not convey the sense correctly until the phrase, ”Most importantly” is used correctly. Sense of belonging is absolutely correct and there is no need to unit the sentence because it simply provides another benefit of join in cliques.

Multiple choice

In contest, which is the best way to revise and combine the underlined portions of sentences 14 and 15 (reproduced below)? Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorize their peers. (15) He further says that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school, where student populations can reach the thousands.

Direction for questions 7 to 12: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – II
(1) “When kids are tossed together everyday, six hours a day for the entire school year,” says psychologist Thomas J. Berdnt, “friendship groupings form quite naturally. (2) ”These“ friendship groupings,” better known as cliques, are small, tightly knit, autonomous, and sometimes inclusive groups of people that share the same interests or characteristics.(3) Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behavior. (4) They have been known to form in elementary school, cliques are commonly associated with middle and high school students.
(5) In a recent nationwide survey of teenage girls’ views of cliques, 96.3 percent of the  claimed that cliques existed in their schools. (6) In addition, 84.2 percent of the respondents reported that most of their classmates belonged to cliques.
(7) Cliques “can be based on appearance, athletic ability, academic achievement, social or economic status, talent, ability to attract the opposite sex, or seeming sophistication,” according to adolescent development experts Anita Gurian and Alice Pope.(8) The prominent characteristic of a clique usually becomes the clique’s label. (9) A group of self-assured, varsity-jacketed male students might be known as “jocks” while another group’s unkempt appearance and spacey demeanor could earn them the “stoner” or “druggie” label. (10) While every high school in America seems to have its own “jocks,” “stoners,” or “druggies,” cliques can become well defined and evolve based on a school’s particular environment and culture.
(11) There are strong incentives for adolescents to join cliques.(12) For example, teenagers use cliques to ease their way through large peer groups. (13) Psychiatry professor Mitch Prinstein claims that cliques are a “sort of shortcut for adolescents to develop friendships and romantic relationships.” (14) Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorize their peers. (15) He further says that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school, where student populations can reach the thousands.(16) Cliques and peer groups also help them establish an identity.(17) Importantly most, teenagers join cliques to gain a sense of belonging.

  1. Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorise their peers and further sites an example that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school

  2. In order to categorize their peers the teenagers use cliques Prinstein explains and they use the cliques when he moves on to middle or high school.

  3. Prinstein explains that teenagers use the cliques when they move on to the middle or high school

  4. Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorise their peers, especially when they move on to middle or high school

  5. Cliques are used by them explains Prinstein, when they move on to middle or high school to categorize their peers

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Options A & B are too verbose. Whereas C option is very ambiguous. The use of transition word 'especially' in (D) option links the two sentences and makes the meaning clear.

Multiple choice

Which of the following best replaces the word 'them' in sentence 16?

Direction for questions 7 to 12: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – II
(1) “When kids are tossed together everyday, six hours a day for the entire school year,” says psychologist Thomas J. Berdnt, “friendship groupings form quite naturally. (2) ”These“ friendship groupings,” better known as cliques, are small, tightly knit, autonomous, and sometimes inclusive groups of people that share the same interests or characteristics.(3) Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behavior. (4) They have been known to form in elementary school, cliques are commonly associated with middle and high school students.
(5) In a recent nationwide survey of teenage girls’ views of cliques, 96.3 percent of the  claimed that cliques existed in their schools. (6) In addition, 84.2 percent of the respondents reported that most of their classmates belonged to cliques.
(7) Cliques “can be based on appearance, athletic ability, academic achievement, social or economic status, talent, ability to attract the opposite sex, or seeming sophistication,” according to adolescent development experts Anita Gurian and Alice Pope.(8) The prominent characteristic of a clique usually becomes the clique’s label. (9) A group of self-assured, varsity-jacketed male students might be known as “jocks” while another group’s unkempt appearance and spacey demeanor could earn them the “stoner” or “druggie” label. (10) While every high school in America seems to have its own “jocks,” “stoners,” or “druggies,” cliques can become well defined and evolve based on a school’s particular environment and culture.
(11) There are strong incentives for adolescents to join cliques.(12) For example, teenagers use cliques to ease their way through large peer groups. (13) Psychiatry professor Mitch Prinstein claims that cliques are a “sort of shortcut for adolescents to develop friendships and romantic relationships.” (14) Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorize their peers. (15) He further says that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school, where student populations can reach the thousands.(16) Cliques and peer groups also help them establish an identity.(17) Importantly most, teenagers join cliques to gain a sense of belonging.

  1. Cliques

  2. Adolescents

  3. Middle or high schools

  4. Peer groups

  5. Prinstein

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The answer choice becomes quite clear if you refer to sentences 14 and 15. Where Prinstein explains how cliques are used by the teenagers or adolescents.

Multiple choice

In context, which of the following is the best phrase to insert at the beginning of sentence 17?

Direction for questions 13 to 18: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – III
(1) I believe that religion is a very scary thing. (2) It scares me that parents can bring their children up in a family dominated so much by their belief in God that they know of nothing else.
(3) Children go through their life believing that if their faith is strong enough, nothing will harm them. (4) God will protect them overall, all will be fine... perfect. (5) How can people so blindly believe in something without proof.  (6) Doubt society, doubt conformity; it is the norm.
(7) Faith and the utter belief in something lacking in proof scares me. (8) It becomes such a self involved thing, 'God will love me if I just believe in him', it is a cycle that goes on till the believer simply lives in a bubble of blind faith. (9) What happens when someone pops that bubble? (10) When they enter the real world and realize that "Hey! it's not as wonderful as I thought". (11) How's their faith going to help them then?
(12) All faith will do is force them into either another bubble of complete denial or one of opposing their own parents and their norms.  (13) Obviously there has to be more to life than this. (14) How can we truly believe that we are the be-all and end-all of life? (15) Believing in that is as bad as blind faith.
(16) But do we truly all need to be pumped from other spiritual believers trying to force us into their bubble of blindness. (17) Please think more rationally about life. (18) Don't do something just because your parents do.
(19) This is what life is about, finding things out for yourself, trying to gain as much information on everything as we can. Don't believe blindly in God, think about your faith.

  1. I conclude by saying

  2. This is my belief

  3. In any case,

  4. My sincere request

  5. The truth remains

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Option (A) marks an appropriate beginning as the writer finally concludes his belief by asking people to be more rational in their lives.

Multiple choice

Which of the following could be added at the beginning of sentence 9, so as to represent a better relationship between sentences 8 and 9?

Direction for questions 7 to 12: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – II
(1) “When kids are tossed together everyday, six hours a day for the entire school year,” says psychologist Thomas J. Berdnt, “friendship groupings form quite naturally. (2) ”These“ friendship groupings,” better known as cliques, are small, tightly knit, autonomous, and sometimes inclusive groups of people that share the same interests or characteristics.(3) Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behavior. (4) They have been known to form in elementary school, cliques are commonly associated with middle and high school students.
(5) In a recent nationwide survey of teenage girls’ views of cliques, 96.3 percent of the  claimed that cliques existed in their schools. (6) In addition, 84.2 percent of the respondents reported that most of their classmates belonged to cliques.
(7) Cliques “can be based on appearance, athletic ability, academic achievement, social or economic status, talent, ability to attract the opposite sex, or seeming sophistication,” according to adolescent development experts Anita Gurian and Alice Pope.(8) The prominent characteristic of a clique usually becomes the clique’s label. (9) A group of self-assured, varsity-jacketed male students might be known as “jocks” while another group’s unkempt appearance and spacey demeanor could earn them the “stoner” or “druggie” label. (10) While every high school in America seems to have its own “jocks,” “stoners,” or “druggies,” cliques can become well defined and evolve based on a school’s particular environment and culture.
(11) There are strong incentives for adolescents to join cliques.(12) For example, teenagers use cliques to ease their way through large peer groups. (13) Psychiatry professor Mitch Prinstein claims that cliques are a “sort of shortcut for adolescents to develop friendships and romantic relationships.” (14) Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorize their peers. (15) He further says that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school, where student populations can reach the thousands.(16) Cliques and peer groups also help them establish an identity.(17) Importantly most, teenagers join cliques to gain a sense of belonging.

  1. Hence

  2. For instance

  3. Because

  4. While

  5. When

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Line 8 explains how a clique's label is made and an example of it is provided in sentence 9.

Multiple choice

In contest, which is the best version of the underlined portions of sentences 3 and 4 (reproduced below)? Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behavior. They have been known to form in elementary school, cliques are commonly associated with middle or high school students.

Direction for questions 7 to 12: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – II
(1) “When kids are tossed together everyday, six hours a day for the entire school year,” says psychologist Thomas J. Berdnt, “friendship groupings form quite naturally. (2) ”These“ friendship groupings,” better known as cliques, are small, tightly knit, autonomous, and sometimes inclusive groups of people that share the same interests or characteristics.(3) Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behavior. (4) They have been known to form in elementary school, cliques are commonly associated with middle and high school students.
(5) In a recent nationwide survey of teenage girls’ views of cliques, 96.3 percent of the  claimed that cliques existed in their schools. (6) In addition, 84.2 percent of the respondents reported that most of their classmates belonged to cliques.
(7) Cliques “can be based on appearance, athletic ability, academic achievement, social or economic status, talent, ability to attract the opposite sex, or seeming sophistication,” according to adolescent development experts Anita Gurian and Alice Pope.(8) The prominent characteristic of a clique usually becomes the clique’s label. (9) A group of self-assured, varsity-jacketed male students might be known as “jocks” while another group’s unkempt appearance and spacey demeanor could earn them the “stoner” or “druggie” label. (10) While every high school in America seems to have its own “jocks,” “stoners,” or “druggies,” cliques can become well defined and evolve based on a school’s particular environment and culture.
(11) There are strong incentives for adolescents to join cliques.(12) For example, teenagers use cliques to ease their way through large peer groups. (13) Psychiatry professor Mitch Prinstein claims that cliques are a “sort of shortcut for adolescents to develop friendships and romantic relationships.” (14) Prinstein explains that teenagers use cliques to categorize their peers. (15) He further says that they use the cliques when they move on to middle or high school, where student populations can reach the thousands.(16) Cliques and peer groups also help them establish an identity.(17) Importantly most, teenagers join cliques to gain a sense of belonging.

  1. (As it is now)

  2. Members of cliques have been known

  3. Cliques often share the same values, they have been known to exhibit the same behaviour

  4. Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behaviour and have been known

  5. Members of cliques often share the same values and exhibit the same behaviour; although they have been known

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Sentence 4 states the happenings of an event inspite of the condition given in sentence 3. This is best explained in (E) option by the use of  transition word “ although”.

Multiple choice

Sentence 10 in the passage is best described as

Direction for questions 13 to 18: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – III
(1) I believe that religion is a very scary thing. (2) It scares me that parents can bring their children up in a family dominated so much by their belief in God that they know of nothing else.
(3) Children go through their life believing that if their faith is strong enough, nothing will harm them. (4) God will protect them overall, all will be fine... perfect. (5) How can people so blindly believe in something without proof.  (6) Doubt society, doubt conformity; it is the norm.
(7) Faith and the utter belief in something lacking in proof scares me. (8) It becomes such a self involved thing, 'God will love me if I just believe in him', it is a cycle that goes on till the believer simply lives in a bubble of blind faith. (9) What happens when someone pops that bubble? (10) When they enter the real world and realize that "Hey! it's not as wonderful as I thought". (11) How's their faith going to help them then?
(12) All faith will do is force them into either another bubble of complete denial or one of opposing their own parents and their norms.  (13) Obviously there has to be more to life than this. (14) How can we truly believe that we are the be-all and end-all of life? (15) Believing in that is as bad as blind faith.
(16) But do we truly all need to be pumped from other spiritual believers trying to force us into their bubble of blindness. (17) Please think more rationally about life. (18) Don't do something just because your parents do.
(19) This is what life is about, finding things out for yourself, trying to gain as much information on everything as we can. Don't believe blindly in God, think about your faith.

  1. expressing a personal opinion.

  2. emphasizing an important point.

  3. providing a contradiction in the essay.

  4. introducing a new idea.

  5. providing an additional example.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sentence 10 emphasizes an important point as it states the reason why the writer is questioning faith, and that is the theme of the passage. Hence, (B) is the answer.

Multiple choice

In context, which is the best version of the underlined portions of sentences 4 and 5 (reproduced below)? The heavy waves of work, pound me tirelessly as I attempt to manoeuvre around the feared whirlpool of depression. It, with time, pulls me under and swallow me alive.

Direction for questions 1 to 6: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – I
(1) Life is a white water river.  (2) At first I paddle slowly along the uncharacteristically-calm waters to school.  (3) I have got to steel myself to keep up with the tiresome work that lies ahead of me.
(4) The heavy waves of work pound me tirelessly as I attempt to manoeuvre around the feared whirlpool of depression. (5) It, with time, pulls me under and swallow me alive.
(6) The river, I may call life, would be in control at all times; I must quickly steer and paddle away from the massive rocks and devouring waves.  (7) When travelling along a rough river, it is essential that the rafter be a quick thinker, and only the experienced rafter can outwit the many perils that lie ahead.
(8) Sure, I am apt to make mistakes, I can only imagine how many times waves have knocked my raft over while learning, I can only imagine how many rocks my raft has crashed into when I did not receive a top mark: I can only imagine how many dreadful times my usually sturdy raft has almost been pulled into the whirlpool of depression.
(9) On the other hand, there are many positive aspects to this white water river with its exhilarating highs and its anticipated lows.  (10) There are many interested people whom I may accidentally bump my raft along the way. (11) Of course, the river giving me the ultimate thrill of knowing that I have managed to succeed the dastardly rough-waters. (12) Then, as the water begins to flow smoothly again, I can relax and cherish the experience, and anticipate the dangers and hard work that lie ahead.

  1. whirlpool of depression; with time, pulling

  2. whirlpool of depression, which at times is pulling

  3. whirlpool of depression, which at any given time can pull

  4. whirlpool of depression that at number of times pull

  5. whirlpool of depression; sometimes, which pulls

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The best version of the sentence is (C) as ‘pull’ is grammatically in tandem with the ‘swallow’ (in the taller part of the sentence), thereby drawing the parallelism of the sentence. Moreover, ‘manoeuvre’ (movement) highlights improbability. This implies that the writer attempts to move through the vicious circle of depression, which might engulf him. Hence, (C) is the answer.

Multiple choice

Of the following, which is the best way to revise and combine the underlined portions of sentences 7 and 8 (reproduced below)? One must be willing to educate people about the environment. And educate those people who support other causes.

Direction for questions 19 to 24: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.

Passage – IV
(1) Blowing bubbles in my open water class, I’ve logged over 100 dives. (2)This love for diving has evolved into an intense passion towards protecting the ocean, and all of its inhabitants. (3) I’ve chosen to put my love for the ocean into action, as an environmentalist. (4)  Actually, this passion extends out towards efforts that took to help all the planetary domains gain protection.  (5) As such, I appreciate when others take the time educate me on those other realms for which I know less about.  (6) To be an environmentalist, one must choose the cause which resonates within ones sole, and run with it. (7) One must be willing to educate people about the environment.(8) And educate those people who support other causes. (9)  Together we can help each other towards learning how to become a true “Environmentalist”.(10)  We must all encourage positive collaboration and education as opposed to being against something. (11)  For example, sharks are being decimated to near extinction simply for their fins. (12)  The fins are used to make Shark Fin soup, a delicacy popular particularly in Taiwan and Singapore.  (13) It would be easy to blame these communities for creating the demand. (14) However in conversing with Asian environmentalists, they liken the culture around eating Shark Fin soup to the culture surrounding Americans eating turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. (15) There are continuous  and progressing efforts to educate these people, by members of their own community, on just how dangerous his cultural practice is and the devastating impact this could have on their (our) world if all the sharks were to disappears as a result.
(16) Famous restaurants have taken endangered Swordfish off their menus, these same restaurants are buying wild-caught salmon (and boosting the economy of local fisheries in the process), laundromats have started selling green detergent, this just to name a few of these enlightened changes.  (17) This is how the “Environmentalist” can begin the revolution. (18)  Just find something you believe in and make a stand.  (19)  One by one, we can make our planet a cleaner place to live, steeped in healthy bio-diversity for generations to come. 

  1. environment; and educate those people who support other causes.

  2. environment educating those people who are supporting other causes.

  3. environment besides educating those people who are in support of other causes.

  4. environment while being open to education from those people who support other causes.

  5. environment even though people who support other causes are educated.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

'Together' in sentence 9 provides the clue, which implies that the author is referring to two distinct groups in those sentences. Option (D) retains this difference while using correct conjunction. Hence, (D) is the answer.