Fill in the Blanks MCQ Questions Directions: In each of the following questions, sentences are given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate word (s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. Choose the correct alternative given and indicate your choice for the correct answer.
1. It was very cold outside, and the fire we lit was dimming down; hence I decided to _______ it a bit. A. soak B. strike C. stoke D. increase E. All of the above
Solution: Correct Option: C
“Stoke” means “add coal or other solid fuel to (a fire, furnace, boiler, etc.)”. The word “stoke” fits the blank perfectly.
“Soak” and “strike” do not make any sense here either grammatically or contextually.
“Soak” means make or allow (something) to become thoroughly wet by immersing it in liquid
“Strike” means hit forcibly and deliberately with one’s hand or a weapon or other implement
“Increase” may also fit the blank, but “stoke” is more appropriate in the given context.
2. Yesterday, the villagers caught a burglar _______ a bottle of oil from the community hall. A. embezzling B. frauding C. swindling D. pilfering E. looting
Solution: Option: D
“Embezzling” means misappropriating/stealing of funds placed in one’s trust or belonging to one’s employer. Hence, it does not fit the context properly.
The word ‘frauding’ is incorrect. “Fraud” is a noun; ‘-ing’ cannot be added to it. Hence, it can also be eliminated.
“Swindling” means ‘use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions’. It also does not fit the context properly.
“Looting” means ‘steal goods from (a place), typically during a war or riot”. It also does not fit the context aptly.
“Pilfering” means ‘stealing things of little value’.
As, ‘a bottle of oil’ can be considered a thing of not much value, ‘pilfering’ fits the blank appropriately.
3. The police commissioner condemned the _________ murder and vowed to apprehend the wrongdoers within a fortnight. A. grisly B. gruesome C. ghastly D. horrifying E. All of the above
Solution: Option: E
All of the given words mean the same thing: ‘causing horror/ extremely shocking/ causing great horror or fear/ terror’.
All of them fit perfectly in the given blank both contextually and grammatically.
4. The rotten smell was so _________ that she became unconscious then and there and had to be hospitalized. A. revolting B. gratifying C. captivating D. unappealing E. All of the above
Solution: Option: A
Rotten smell is never pleasant. Besides, ‘she’ became unconscious smelling it. So, the smell was not pleasing for sure.
The words ‘gratifying’ and ‘captivating’ are synonymous with ‘pleasing’. Hence, these words can be eliminated.
“Unappealing” is not a very strong word and consequently won’t fit here.
The context demands a very strong word as ‘she’ became ‘unconscious’ smelling the rotten odour.
Only “revolting” fits the blank appropriately both contextually and grammatically. “Revolting” means causing intense disgust; disgusting
5. The ________ apparition stalked Reshma for days and ultimately threw her off the cliff. A. vindictive B. benevolent C. magnanimous D. callous E. All of the above.
Solution:Option: A
The apparition (=ghost) that stalked Reshma for days, ultimately threw her off the cliff.
So, ‘benevolent’ and magnanimous’ won’t fit the blank as these are positive words.“Benevolent” means well-meaning and kindly
“Magnanimous” means generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or less powerful person.
“Callous” means indifferent/ showing or having an insensitive disregard. It does not make any sense in the given context, and hence, can be eliminated
Only ‘vindictive’ fits the blank appropriately.“Vindictive” means having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge/ revengeful
Having ______ in both government and private schools, Palak is the most suitable person to take over as the principal of the school. A. works B. working C. worked D. was working D. Not Attempted
Solution: Option C (‘worked’.)
Explanation.
In the past tense, we use the second form of the verb (V2).
In the above sentence, palak has already worked in different schools, after that
decision is made.
Thus, we will use past these to complete the sentence.
The complete sentence is- Having worked in both government and private schools,
Palak is the most suitable person to take over as the principal of the school.
A heavy storm was forecast _____ the weather was clear. A. but B. because C. unless D. and E. Not Attempted
Solution: Option A (“but”)
• The conjunction “but” will be applied in this sentence.
• When linking things that share the same grammatical type of coordinating conjunction, we employ the word “but.”
• The conjunction “but” joins concepts that contradict.
Example: I love fruits but I am allergic to dragonfruit.
They’ve bought a house in Mumbai but they still haven’t sold their house in Delhi.
• As we can see, the sentence is linking two phrases that are in contrast, thus,
the conjunction “but” is appropriate for this sentence.
• Therefore, the complete sentence is: A heavy storm was forecast but the weather was clear
You _____ be mad if you think I’m going to lend you any more money. A. might B. should C. ought to D. must E. Not Attempted
Solution: Option D (‘Must’)
Let’s look at how the given modal verbs are used:
• Ought to – When there is a strong sense of moral duty, advice, or indication of correc action.
Example: You ought to serve your motherland.
• Must- “Must” is a modal verb most commonly used to express certainty. It can also
be used to express necessity or strong recommendation, although native speakers prefer the more flexible form “have to.”.
Example: You must follow the instructions.
• Should- used to show obligation, duty, or correctness.
Example: One should obey one’s parents.
• Might- We use might most often to refer to weak possibility.
Example: I might go to Japan for a month to study Japanese.
• The sentence is expressing some kind of certainty. So ‘Must’ is used here.
The correct sentence is: You must be mad if you think I’m going to lend you any more money.
If he had gone to Agra, he _____ the Taj Mahal. A. have been seen B. saw C. had been seen D. would have seen E. Not Attempted
Solution: Option D (“would have seen”)
• The correct tense to be applied in this sentence is “would have seen”
• The third conditional form of the sentence is used to discuss a hypothetical previous circumstance and its potential outcome.
• The past perfect tense of the “if-clause” in this sentence (had gone) denotes that the situation did not actually occur.
• The conditional perfect tense (would have seen), which denotes a hypothetical outcome in the past if the fictitious circumstance had occurred, is thus necessary for
the main phrase.
Example: I would have received a better grade on the exam if/ had studied harder.
• The speaker is imagining a scenario in which they didn’t put enough effort into their studies, which led to a poorer grade.
• Therefore, the complete sentence is: If he had gone to Agra, he would have seen the Taj Mahal.
The boy ____ came to see me this morning had come from Agra. A. which B. who C. that D. whom E. Not Attempted
Solution: Option B(‘who’)
• As we can see that this is a case of a relative pronoun we need to choose the pronoun wisely.
• As there is a verb just after the blank space we need to fill it with the subjective form.
• And for the person we use who and option 2 contains the pronoun ‘who’ and this will be the answer.
The correct sentence will be- The boy who came to see me this morning had come from Agra.
