Sentence Equivalence Select Many Practice Test 1

Sentence Equivalence Select Many Practice Test 1

Sentence Equivalence Select Many Practice Test 1

Question 1

In today’s economy, many businesses struggle to stay ______, much less profit.

  1. Immutable
  2. Sane
  3. Profitable
  4. Afloat
  5. Solvent

Correct Answer: D and E

Explanation:

A careful reading of the sentence suggests that the missing word is related to the financial status of the businesses being discussed. C is clearly incorrect as profit is already being brought out at the end of the sentence. A and B are also incorrect as they do not have synonyms in the list of answer options. D and E are the correct answers since in the context in which it will be used, afloat would mean the same as solvent.

Question 2

Believe it or not, sales and discounts ______businesses more than they help.

  1. Assist
  2. Hurt
  3. Aid
  4. Damage
  5. Stabilize

Correct Answer: B and D

Explanation:

E is incorrect as no other answer option carries the same meaning as E. There are two sets of synonyms in the list of answer options. These are A and C, and B and D. A and C cannot be the right answers as the sentence ends in help and so it is obvious that the missing word should be an antonym of help if we go by the overall meaning being conveyed by the sentence. Therefore, B and D are the correct answers as they complete the meaning of the sentence when either of them is placed in the blank.

Question 3

With so many businesses offering sales, it takes a ______discount to stand out from the crowd.

  1. Exorbitant
  2. Low
  3. Steep
  4. Expendable
  5. Indispensable

Correct Answer: A and C

Explanation:

A careful reading of the sentence suggests that the missing word describes the type of discount that needs to be given in order to make it stand out from the crowd. Therefore, it is obvious that the missing word would be a synonym for ‘very high’. This means that B is clearly incorrect. D and E are incorrect as they do not have any synonyms in the list of answer options. In the context in which it will be used in the sentence, steep would mean the same as exorbitant and very high. Therefore, A and C are the correct answers.

Question 4

So instead of ______their product, companies need to find ways to improve customer service while drawing in new customers and keeping old ones.

  1. Advertising
  2. Devaluing
  3. Improving
  4. Depreciating
  5. Deluding

Correct Answer: B and D

Explanation:

B and D are the only set of synonyms from the given set of answer options. Although A and C also complete the meaning of the sentence when placed in the blank, they are both incorrect as they do not carry the same meaning. E is clearly incorrect as the word does not fit in with the overall meaning being conveyed by the sentence. Therefore, B and D are the correct answers.

Question 5

Despite the company's ______advertising in magazines during the past year, sales of our home appliances declined.

  1. Abortive
  2. Capacious
  3. Effectual
  4. Meagre
  5. Extensive

Correct Answer: B and E

Explanation:

It can be seen that the missing word is describing the type of advertising being done by the company. A is clearly incorrect as placing it in the sentence would render the sentence meaningless. C and D do not have any synonyms in the list of answer options. B and E are synonyms and they both can be used to aptly describe the type advertising being used by the company. Therefore, B and E are the correct answers.

Question 6

Exploding a nuclear bomb nearby might ______a dense asteroid off track, but it could break a brittle one into pieces.

  1. Nudge
  2. Blow
  3. Elbow
  4. Blast
  5. Smash

Correct Answer:A and C

Explanation:

The end of the sentence suggests that the missing word would most likely mean shifting the asteroid off its track. It could not mean blowing it into pieces as that is another scenario which is being brought out at the end of the sentence. This implies that B, D and E are all incorrect. Therefore, A and C are the correct answers as they mean the same and they complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Question 7

Pure love of learning, of course, was a less ______motive for those who became educated for careers other than teaching.

  1. Attractive
  2. Compelling
  3. Profitable
  4. Coercive
  5. Repulsive

Correct Answer: B and D

Explanation:

The missing word is describing pure love of learning as a motive for those students who pursued studies for lucrative careers. Therefore, it is likely that the missing word would be close in meaning to being forced. The only words carrying the same meaning in the given answers list are compelling and coercive. The other options also fit well in the sentence but none of them have a synonym in the list of answer options. Therefore, it is evident that B and D are the correct answers.

Question 8

The cannons and cutlasses a ship carries may be quite sufficient to ______the natives if they are troublesome.

  1. Kill
  2. Overawe
  3. Intimidate
  4. Disarm
  5. Impress

Correct Answer: B and C

Explanation:

A careful reading of the sentence suggests that the missing word is a synonym for scare or terrorise. The missing word could be the word kill too, but the list of answer options does not have a synonym for kill. B and C carry the same meaning and they both mean the same as scare. Therefore, B and C are the correct answers.

Question 9

Both spoke from utter ______and were extremely articulate in stating their positions.

  1. Incompetence
  2. Ineptitude
  3. Competence
  4. Belief
  5. Conviction

Correct Answer: D and E

Explanation:

The second half of the sentence brings out that both the speakers were eloquent in stating their positions. This implies that A and B are not the correct answers even though they are synonyms. This is because one cannot be articulate and incompetent at the same time. Therefore, the correct answers are D and E as they are synonyms and they complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole when either of them is placed in the blank.

Question 10

But neither of them thought it worth his while to look into details when it came to making the reality ______to the vision.

  1. Constrained
  2. Conform
  3. Confirm
  4. Comply
  5. Coalesce

Correct Answer: B and D

Explanation:

On reading the sentence, it can be guessed that the missing word means something that would imply that ‘the reality abides by what the vision is’. Conform and comply are synonyms which carry the same meaning as that conveyed by ‘abiding by rules’ and placing either of them in the blank completes the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, B and D are the correct answers.

Question 11

That the people still look back to the Nehru era with a sense of ______shows that even things which looked manageable in his days are now out of control.

  1. Nostalgia
  2. Acrimony
  3. Optimism
  4. Pessimism
  5. Reminiscence

Correct Answer: A and E

Explanation:

Since the missing word is in relation to looking back upon a bygone era, it is likely that the missing word is related to memories. Nostalgia and reminiscence both carry the same meaning and they both mean looking back with fond memories. B, C and D are clearly incorrect as none of them have any synonyms in the list of answer options. Therefore, A and E are the correct answers.

Question 12

Perhaps this is the result of a ______decline in the integrity of political life.

  1. Sharp
  2. Steady
  3. Distressing
  4. Worrying
  5. Inconsequential

Correct Answer: C and D

Explanation:

The missing word describes the type of decline. All the answer options can be used to aptly describe the decline but out of all the given options, C and D are the only words that will carry the same connotation when placed in the blank. Therefore, C and D are the correct answers.

Question 13

The Indian mind delights in ______in ambivalence, in trying to have the best of both worlds, in harbouring a medley of conflicting ideas without much discomfort.

  1. Ambiguity
  2. Lucidity
  3. Obscurity
  4. Relaxing
  5. Abiding

Correct Answer: A and C

Explanation:

Out of all the given answer options, A and C are the only words that carry the same meaning which is uncertainty. Placing either of these words in the blank completes the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, A and C are the correct answers.

Question 14

Not that all really were priests, but by virtue of being students all were awarded the legal privileges ______to the clergy.

  1. Denied
  2. Accorded
  3. Condemned
  4. Admitted
  5. Deranged

Correct Answer: B and D

Explanation:

A careful reading of the sentence suggests that the missing word would imply ‘given’; in other words, ‘privileges given to the clergy’. When used in the blank, D would carry the same connotation as implied above. Therefore, B and D would be synonyms when used in the sentence and therefore, B and D are the correct answers as they are the only synonyms in the given list of answer options.

Question 15

Despite the passage of centuries, the French word clerc even today has the ______of intellectual.

  1. Sense
  2. Wisdom
  3. History
  4. Connotation
  5. Implication

Correct Answer: D and E

Explanation:

It is evident that the missing word is referring to the meaning of the French word clerc. Therefore, options A, B and C are all incorrect. D and E are synonyms and using them in the sentence would complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Therefore, D and E are the correct answers.

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