# Verbal Ability Questions with Answers 12 verbal ability questions of the kind Indian placement tests set, each with the correct option and a step-by-step solution. _Source: Astra (https://useastra.in). Updated 2026-09-05._ ### 1. 'Oasis' is to 'Sand' as 'Island' is to what? The options are: 1. Land 2. Sea 3. Water 4. Shore. A. Land B. Sea C. Water D. Shore **Answer:** C **Solution:** Let's analyze the first pair: 'Oasis' and 'Sand'. An oasis is a fertile spot (with water and life) that is completely surrounded by sand (a desert). The relationship is 'a small area of X surrounded by a large area of Y'. Now let's apply this relationship to 'Island'. An island is a piece of land. What is it completely surrounded by? An island is completely surrounded by **water**. From the options, 'Water' is the best fit. 'Sea' is a type of water, but 'Water' is the general term, just as 'Sand' (implying desert) is the general term. The analogy is: An Oasis is surrounded by Sand; an Island is surrounded by Water. Therefore, the correct answer is 'Water'. ### 2. Please identify the error in the following sentence and provide the corrected version: 'The quality of the mangoes were not good, so we decided not to buy them.' A. 'were' should be 'was' B. 'quality' should be 'qualities' C. 'were' should be 'are' D. No error **Answer:** A **Solution:** The error in the sentence is the verb **'were'**. **Explanation:** The subject of the sentence is 'The quality,' which is a singular noun. The phrase 'of the mangoes' is a prepositional phrase that modifies 'quality' but does not change the singular nature of the subject. Because the subject 'quality' is singular, it requires a singular verb. The verb 'were' is a plural past-tense verb. The correct singular past-tense verb is 'was'. **Corrected Sentence:** 'The quality of the mangoes **was** not good, so we decided not to buy them.' This is a classic example of a Subject-Verb Agreement error, where the verb is incorrectly made to agree with the plural noun in the prepositional phrase ('mangoes') instead of the actual subject ('quality'). ### 3. What is the most appropriate synonym for the word 'Ephemeral', as used in the sentence: 'His fame was ephemeral, lasting only a few months after the movie's release.' A. Permanent B. Fleeting C. Eternal D. Frequent **Answer:** B **Solution:** The correct synonym is **'fleeting'** or **'transitory'**. The word 'ephemeral' comes from the Greek 'ephemeros', meaning 'lasting only one day'. In modern usage, it describes anything that is short-lived, transient, or fleeting. In the context of the sentence, 'his fame was ephemeral' means his fame did not last long; it was temporary. Other similar words include 'momentary' or 'short-lived'. An incorrect answer might be 'weak' or 'unimportant', which do not capture the specific meaning of time. The fame could have been very intense, but it was its short duration that made it ephemeral. ### 4. What is the most appropriate antonym for the word 'Mitigate', as used in the sentence: 'The doctor tried to mitigate the patient's pain.' A. Lessen B. Soothe C. Aggravate D. Heal **Answer:** C **Solution:** The word 'mitigate' means to lessen the severity, pain, or seriousness of something. The doctor was trying to *reduce* the pain. The opposite of reducing or lessening something is to increase it or make it worse. Therefore, the best antonym is **'aggravate'** or **'worsen'**. 'Aggravate' specifically means to make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious. For example, 'shouting at the patient would only aggravate his pain.' Other words like 'increase' or 'amplify' are close but 'aggravate' is the most precise antonym in this context, as it relates directly to making a bad situation worse. 'Intensify' is also a very strong antonym. ### 5. What is the meaning of the idiom 'to bite the bullet' as used in the sentence: 'She had to bite the bullet and tell her boss about the mistake.' A. To face a difficult situation with courage B. To make a careless mistake C. To attack someone D. To eat very quickly **Answer:** A **Solution:** The idiom 'to bite the bullet' means **to face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage and resolve**. It means to stop hesitating and finally do something you have been avoiding because it will be painful or difficult. In the sentence, 'she had to force herself to do the difficult task' of confessing the mistake to her boss. The origin of the phrase is believed to come from the days before anesthesia, when wounded soldiers were given a bullet to bite down on to help them endure the pain of surgery. They were facing a painful, difficult situation with 'courage' by literally biting a bullet. ### 6. Choose the correct preposition to fill in the blank: 'He is very good ___ painting, but he is terrible ___ mathematics.' A. at / at B. in / in C. at / in D. on / at **Answer:** A **Solution:** The correct prepositions are **'at'** and **'at'**. The standard English collocation for expressing skill or lack of skill in a particular subject or activity is to use 'good at' or 'bad at'. The same rule applies to synonyms like 'terrible' or 'excellent'. The word 'in' is a common mistake (e.g., 'good in painting'), but 'at' is the grammatically correct choice as it refers to one's performance *at* a specific task or subject. **Corrected Sentence:** 'He is very good **at** painting, but he is terrible **at** mathematics.' This rule applies to most adjectives describing skill: brilliant at, amazing at, awful at, etc. ### 7. Identify the error in the sentence: 'He is one of those people who is always willing to help others, no matter the situation.' A. 'is' should be 'are' B. 'people' should be 'person' C. 'who' should be 'whom' D. No error **Answer:** A **Solution:** The error in the sentence is the verb **'is'**. It should be **'are'**. **Explanation:** This is a common mistake. The subject of the verb 'is' is the relative pronoun 'who'. We need to find what 'who' refers to. The phrase is 'one of those people who...'. The 'who' refers to the **'people'** (plural), not to the 'one' (singular). The sentence is describing the *group* of people (they are always willing to help), and he is 'one' of that group. Since 'who' refers to 'people' (plural), it requires a plural verb. **Corrected Sentence:** 'He is one of those people who **are** always willing to help others, no matter the situation.' If the sentence were 'He is the *only* one of those people who *is*...', the verb would be singular, as 'the only one' becomes the antecedent. ### 8. Rearrange the following jumbled parts (P, Q, R, S) to form a coherent sentence: (P) for the last six months (Q) has been regularly (R) practicing for the tournament (S) The young athlete A. S Q R P B. S R Q P C. Q S R P D. S P Q R **Answer:** A **Solution:** The correct order is **S Q R P**. 1. **S (The young athlete)**: This is the subject of the sentence, so it comes first. 2. **Q (has been regularly)**: This is the beginning of the verb phrase (present perfect continuous tense). It follows the subject. 3. **R (practicing for the tournament)**: This completes the verb phrase, telling us *what* the athlete has been doing. 4. **P (for the last six months)**: This is an adverbial phrase of time, which specifies *how long* the action has been happening. It logically comes at the end. **Coherent Sentence:** 'The young athlete has been regularly practicing for the tournament for the last six months.' ### 9. Find the word that is misspelled in the following list: 1. Accommodation 2. Committee 3. Reccommend 4. Occasion. A. Accommodation B. Committee C. Reccommend D. Occasion **Answer:** C **Solution:** The-misspelled-word-is-**'Reccommend'**. It-is-a-very-common-mistake.-The-correct-spelling-is-**'Recommend'**. It-has-only-one-'c'-and-two-'m's.-Let's-review-the-others: 1.-**Accommodation**: Correct. It-has-two-'c's-and-two-'m's. 2.-**Committee**: Correct. It-has-two-'m's,-two-'t's,-and-two-'e's. 3.-**Reccommend**: Incorrect. Should-be-**Recommend**. 4.-**Occasion**: Correct. It-has-two-'c's-and-one-'s'. The-word-'recommend'-comes-from-'re-'-(again)-+-com-'-(with)-+-'mandare'-(to-entrust).-The-'re'-part-does-not-have-a-double-'c'. ### 10. The movie's plot was so ___ that I couldn't follow what was happening, and the ending was completely arbitrary. Which word fits best? 1. intricate 2. convoluted 3. compelling 4. simple A. intricate B. convoluted C. compelling D. simple **Answer:** B **Solution:** The correct word is **'convoluted'**. 1. **convoluted** (adjective): meaning extremely complex and difficult to follow. This perfectly matches the context 'I couldn't follow what was happening'. 2. **intricate** (adjective): meaning very complicated or detailed. This is a close synonym, but 'convoluted' has a more negative connotation, which fits with the 'arbitrary' ending. 3. **compelling** (adjective): meaning evoking interest or attention in a powerful way. This is the opposite of what the sentence implies. 4. **simple** (adjective): This is also the opposite of what the sentence implies. Therefore, 'convoluted' is the best fit as it captures the negative, confusing complexity described in the rest of the sentence. ### 11. Find the error in the sentence: 'Between you and I, I think this plan is not going to work.' A. 'I' should be 'me' B. 'you' should be 'your' C. 'and' should be 'or' D. No error **Answer:** A **Solution:** The error is the pronoun **'I'**. It should be **'me'**. **Explanation:** The word 'between' is a preposition. Prepositions must always be followed by a pronoun in the **objective case** (e.g., me, him, her, us, them). The word 'I' is a **subjective case** pronoun (used when 'I' am the one performing an action, like 'I think...'). The correct objective pronoun for 'I' is 'me'. The rule is 'between you and me'. A simple way to check this is to remove the 'you and' part. You would never say 'Between I...'; you would say 'This is a secret for me.' **Corrected Sentence:** 'Between you and **me**, I think this plan is not going to work.' ### 12. 'Book' is to 'Pages' as 'Flower' is to what? Options: 1. Petals 2. Scent 3. Garden 4. Stem. A. Petals B. Scent C. Garden D. Stem **Answer:** A **Solution:** The relationship is: A 'Book' is a whole, and 'Pages' are the fundamental, numerous parts that make it up. We need to find the equivalent for 'Flower'. 1. **Petals**: A flower is made up of multiple petals. This matches the 'part-to-whole' relationship perfectly. 2. **Scent**: This is a *property* or *attribute* of a flower, not a constituent physical part. 3. **Garden**: This is a *location* where a flower might be, not a part of it. 4. **Stem**: This is *a* part of the plant that supports the flower, but the flower itself is primarily identified by its petals, similar to how a book is identified by its pages. The most accurate analogy is that a book is composed of pages, and a flower is composed of petals. Therefore, the correct answer is 'Petals'. Full section: https://useastra.in/aptitude-questions/topic/verbal-ability