Saturday, 27 June 2026

IOE English Practice Set

IOE English Practice Set

Instructions: Choose the best option for each question (1 mark each).

1. The synonym of "Debility" is:

A) Strength
B) Frailty
C) Vigour
D) Stiffness

2. The correct sentence is:

A) The police is coming.
B) The police coming.
C) The police are coming.
D) The police is come.

3. If he had gone to Agra, he _______ the Taj Mahal.

A) have been seen
B) saw
C) had been seen
D) would have seen

4. Fill in the blank: You ________ obey traffic rules at all times.

A) must
B) can
C) may
D) need

5. The phonemic transcription of the word "Formative" is:

A) /fɔːˈmeɪtɪv/
B) /ˈfɔːmətɪv/
C) /fəˈmætɪv/
D) /fɔːrmˈeɪtɪv/

6. Which of the following is a compound sentence?

A) The sky is blue.
B) He is tired, for he worked all day.
C) When we went there, we found that he had gone.
D) Ram went to the park and played football.

7. My family _______ coming to the city tomorrow.

A) is
B) are
C) be
D) am

8. She is afraid _______ spiders.

A) of
B) about
C) in
D) from

9. The word "tomato" has its primary stress on which syllable?

A) To
B) Ma
C) Toe
D) The first syllable

10. Please, excuse _______ being late.

A) I
B) me
C) my
D) mine


Answer Key & Explanations

1. B) Frailty.

Reason: "Debility" means physical weakness or frailty.

2. C) The police are coming.

Reason: "Police" is a collective noun that is usually treated as plural, taking a plural verb "are".

3. D) would have seen.

Reason: This is a Type 3 conditional sentence. It describes an unreal past condition ("If he had gone") and its hypothetical past result ("he would have seen").

4. A) must.

Reason: "Must" expresses strong obligation or necessity. Traffic rules are a legal requirement.

5. B) /ˈfɔːmətɪv/.

Reason: The primary stress in the word "formative" is on the first syllable.

6. B) He is tired, for he worked all day.

Reason: A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

7. A) is.

Reason: "Family" is a collective noun. When referring to the family as a single unit, it takes a singular verb ("is").

8. A) of.

Reason: The correct preposition to use with "afraid" is "of".

9. A) To.

Reason: The word "to-MA-to" is pronounced with the primary stress on the second syllable.

10. B) me.

Reason: The object pronoun "me" is used as the object of the preposition "excuse".

Part 1 (Questions 1–25)

Section 1: Synonyms & Antonyms (Q1-10)

1. Synonym of "Ephemeral":
A) Eternal
B) Brief
C) Solid
D) Dark

2. Antonym of "Zenith":
A) Peak
B) Top
C) Nadir
D) Apex

3. Synonym of "Obfuscate":
A) Clarify
B) Confuse
C) Simplify
D) Illuminate

4. Antonym of "Loquacious":
A) Talkative
B) Garrulous
C) Silent
D) Verbose

5. Synonym of "Benevolent":
A) Malevolent
B) Kind
C) Cruel
D) Harsh

6. Antonym of "Arrogant":
A) Proud
B) Haughty
C) Humble
D) Egotistical

7. Synonym of "Fastidious":
A) Sloppy
B) Careless
C) Meticulous
D) Lazy

8. Antonym of "Dormant":
A) Active
B) Asleep
C) Inactive
D) Quiet

9. Synonym of "Mitigate":
A) Aggravate
B) Lessen
C) Increase
D) Worsen

10. Antonym of "Obsolete":
A) Ancient
B) Outdated
C) Current
D) Archaic


Section 2: Grammar - Tenses & Conditionals (Q11-20)

11. By the time we reach the station, the train ______.
A) will leave
B) will have left
C) left
D) leaves

12. He ______ in this company since 2010.
A) worked
B) has been working
C) is working
D) works

13. If I ______ you, I would accept the offer.
A) was
B) am
C) were
D) had been

14. She ______ her homework when I called her.
A) did
B) was doing
C) is doing
D) has done

15. They ______ to the cinema tonight. (plan)
A) will go
B) are going
C) went
D) have gone

16. I wish I ______ a millionaire.
A) am
B) was
C) were
D) had been

17. The students ______ the project by next Monday.
A) will complete
B) complete
C) will have completed
D) completed

18. He ______ asleep while he was reading.
A) falls
B) fell
C) has fallen
D) was falling

19. If it rains, we ______ the match.
A) cancel
B) cancelled
C) will cancel
D) would cancel

20. She ______ English for five years by next June.
A) will teach
B) will have taught
C) will be teaching
D) taught


Section 3: Subject-Verb Agreement & Prepositions (Q21-30)

21. Neither the teacher nor the students ______ present.
A) is
B) was
C) are
D) has

22. The news ______ very shocking.
A) are
B) were
C) have been
D) is

23. Either Ram or his friends ______ to blame.
A) is
B) am
C) are
D) has

24. The flock of sheep ______ grazing in the field.
A) are
B) were
C) have been
D) is

25. He is good ______ Mathematics.
A) in
B) at
C) on
D) for

Part 2 (Questions 26–50)

Section 3: Subject-Verb Agreement & Prepositions (Q21-30) – Continued

26. She died ______ cancer.
A) from
B) by
C) of
D) with

27. We should abide ______ the rules.
A) to
B) by
C) on
D) with

28. He is fond ______ classical music.
A) of
B) for
C) with
D) about

29. The book consists ______ ten chapters.
A) with
B) of
C) in
D) for

30. She was angry ______ me for being late.
A) on
B) against
C) with
D) at


Section 4: Sentence Correction / Error Spotting (Q31-40)

31. Incorrect sentence:
A) She is more taller than her sister.
B) She is taller than her sister.
C) She is the tallest girl in class.
D) She is very tall.

32. Incorrect sentence:
A) I have completed my work.
B) I have been completed my work.
C) I completed my work yesterday.
D) I will complete my work.

33. Incorrect sentence:
A) He said that he will go.
B) He said that he would go.
C) He said that he was going.
D) He said, "I will go."

34. Incorrect sentence:
A) One should do his duty.
B) One should do one's duty.
C) Everyone should do their duty.
D) All should do their duty.

35. Incorrect sentence:
A) The sceneries of Kashmir are beautiful.
B) The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful.
C) Kashmir has beautiful scenery.
D) The landscape of Kashmir is beautiful.

36. Incorrect sentence:
A) He ran fastly.
B) He ran fast.
C) He ran quickly.
D) He ran very fast.

37. Incorrect sentence:
A) He is a M.A. in English.
B) He is an M.A. in English.
C) He has an M.A. degree.
D) He earned his M.A.

38. Incorrect sentence:
A) I prefer tea than coffee.
B) I prefer tea to coffee.
C) I like tea better than coffee.
D) I like coffee less than tea.

39. Incorrect sentence:
A) He asked me where I was going.
B) He asked me where was I going.
C) He asked, "Where are you going?"
D) He wanted to know my destination.

40. Incorrect sentence:
A) The man which came here is my uncle.
B) The man who came here is my uncle.
C) The man that came here is my uncle.
D) The man whom I saw is my uncle.


Section 5: Voice & Narration (Q41-50)

41. Change to passive: "She wrote a letter."
A) A letter was written by her.
B) A letter is written by her.
C) A letter has been written by her.
D) A letter was being written by her.

42. Change to passive: "They are building a new hospital."
A) A new hospital is built by them.
B) A new hospital has been built.
C) A new hospital is being built.
D) A new hospital was built.

43. Change to passive: "He will finish the work."
A) The work will finish by him.
B) The work will be finished by him.
C) The work is finished by him.
D) The work will have finished.

44. Change to active: "The book was written by R.K. Narayan."
A) R.K. Narayan wrote the book.
B) R.K. Narayan has written the book.
C) R.K. Narayan had written the book.
D) R.K. Narayan was writing the book.

45. Change to indirect: He said, "I am happy."
A) He said that he is happy.
B) He said that I am happy.
C) He said that he was happy.
D) He says that he was happy.

46. Change to indirect: She said to me, "Where are you going?"
A) She asked me where I am going.
B) She asked me where was I going.
C) She asked me where I was going.
D) She told me where I was going.

47. Change to indirect: He said, "I have finished my work."
A) He said that he had finished his work.
B) He said that he has finished his work.
C) He said that I had finished my work.
D) He said that he finished his work.

48. Change to indirect: She said, "Will you help me?"
A) She asked if I will help her.
B) She asked if I would help her.
C) She asked if I helped her.
D) She said that I would help her.

49. Change to passive: "Please open the door."
A) The door is opened.
B) Let the door be opened.
C) The door should open.
D) Let the door open.

50. Change to active: "He was known to me."
A) I know him.
B) I knew him.
C) I have known him.
D) I was knowing him.

Part 3 (Questions 51–75)

Section 6: Phonetics & Stress (Q51-60)

51. The phonetic transcription of "Bread" is:
A) /bri:d/
B) /bred/
C) /braid/
D) /breid/

52. The phonetic transcription of "Character" is:
A) /ˈtʃærɪktər/
B) /ˈkærɪktər/
C) /ˈkærəktər/
D) /ˈtʃærəktər/

53. Primary stress in "Photography":
A) Pho
B) To
C) Gra
D) Phy

54. Primary stress in "Economic":
A) E
B) Co
C) No
D) Mic

55. The silent letter in "Psychology":
A) P
B) S
C) Y
D) O

56. Which word has the /ʃ/ sound?
A) Sugar
B) Sun
C) Soil
D) Sip

57. The consonant sound /θ/ is in:
A) This
B) That
C) Think
D) There

58. The vowel sound in "Food" is:
A) /ʊ/
B) /uː/
C) /ɒ/
D) /əʊ/

59. Primary stress in "Understand":
A) Un
B) Der
C) Stand
D) Un-der-stand all equal

60. Which word has 3 syllables?
A) Elephant
B) Banana
C) Cat
D) Dog


Section 7: Idioms & Phrases (Q61-70)

61. "Beat around the bush" means:
A) To avoid the main topic
B) To beat someone
C) To garden
D) To run fast

62. "A blessing in disguise" means:
A) A hidden curse
B) A disguised person
C) A good thing that seems bad initially
D) A fake blessing

63. "Burn the midnight oil" means:
A) To sleep late
B) To work late into the night
C) To light a lamp
D) To cook food

64. "Let the cat out of the bag" means:
A) To release a cat
B) To reveal a secret
C) To hide something
D) To buy a cat

65. "Piece of cake" means:
A) Very difficult
B) Very easy
C) A dessert
D) A slice of bread

66. "Cost an arm and a leg" means:
A) Very cheap
B) Very expensive
C) Losing body parts
D) A fair price

67. "Hit the nail on the head" means:
A) To miss the point
B) To do exactly the right thing
C) To hammer incorrectly
D) To break something

68. "A penny for your thoughts" means:
A) Asking someone to pay
B) Asking what someone is thinking
C) Giving money
D) Buying a thought

69. "When pigs fly" means:
A) Something impossible
B) A miracle
C) A pig flying
D) An everyday event

70. "Under the weather" means:
A) Feeling happy
B) Feeling ill
C) Feeling energetic
D) Feeling excited


Section 8: One-Word Substitution (Q71-80)

71. One who cannot be corrected:
A) Invincible
B) Incorrigible
C) Infallible
D) Inevitable

72. One who is present everywhere:
A) Omnipotent
B) Omniscient
C) Omnipresent
D) Omnivorous

73. A life history written by oneself:
A) Biography
B) Autobiography
C) Memoir
D) Journal

74. A person who loves mankind:
A) Philanthrope
B) Philogynist
C) Philologist
D) Philatelist

75. Murder of a king:
A) Matricide
B) Patricide
C) Regicide
D) Homicide

Part 4 (Questions 76–100)

Section 8: One-Word Substitution (Q71-80) – Continued

76. A place where bees are kept:
A) Apiary
B) Aviary
C) Aquarium
D) Kennel

77. That which cannot be defeated:
A) Invincible
B) Impeccable
C) Immortal
D) Invisible

78. A person who is 100 years old:
A) Septuagenarian
B) Octogenarian
C) Nonagenarian
D) Centenarian

79. A government by the nobility:
A) Democracy
B) Autocracy
C) Aristocracy
D) Theocracy

80. The study of birds:
A) Zoology
B) Botany
C) Ornithology
D) Geology


Section 9: Sentence Order & Structure (Q81-90)

81. Arrange correctly: "the / is / Taj Mahal / wonder / a / of / world / the"
A) The Taj Mahal is a wonder of the world.
B) Taj Mahal the is a wonder of the world.
C) A wonder of the world is the Taj Mahal.
D) The world is a wonder of the Taj Mahal.

82. Arrange correctly: "she / to / us / told / story / a / beautiful"
A) A beautiful story told us she.
B) She told us a beautiful story.
C) She told a story us beautiful.
D) Told she a beautiful story us.

83. Which sentence is grammatically correct?
A) He is too tired to walk.
B) He is too tired that he cannot walk.
C) He is so tired to walk.
D) He is very tired to walk.

84. Which is a simple sentence?
A) He ran fast and caught the bus.
B) He ran fast to catch the bus.
C) He ran fast, so he caught the bus.
D) Because he ran fast, he caught the bus.

85. Which is a complex sentence?
A) The sun set and the stars appeared.
B) The sun set, the stars appeared.
C) When the sun set, the stars appeared.
D) The stars appeared at sunset.

86. The correct comparative form:
A) Good - Gooder - Goodest
B) Good - Better - Best
C) Good - More good - Most good
D) Good - Well - Best

87. The correct degree: "She is the ______ girl in the class."
A) prettier
B) prettiest
C) pretty
D) more pretty

88. Choose the correct question tag: "You are coming, ______?"
A) aren't you
B) are you
C) isn't it
D) don't you

89. Choose the correct question tag: "He hasn't finished, ______?"
A) hasn't he
B) has he
C) has not he
D) didn't he

90. Choose the correct question tag: "Let's go, ______?"
A) shall we
B) will you
C) won't we
D) don't we


Section 10: Mixed / Miscellaneous (Q91-100)

91. Fill with correct article: "He is ______ honest man."
A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

92. Fill with correct article: "______ sun rises in the east."
A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

93. Identify the adjective: "She wore a beautiful dress."
A) She
B) Wore
C) Beautiful
D) Dress

94. Identify the adverb: "He runs quickly."
A) He
B) Runs
C) Quickly
D) No adverb

95. The plural of "Cactus" is:
A) Cactuses
B) Cacti
C) Cactees
D) Cactus

96. The plural of "Child" is:
A) Childs
B) Children
C) Childrens
D) Childen

97. The feminine of "Nephew" is:
A) Niece
B) Aunt
C) Sister
D) Cousin

98. The masculine of "Duck" is:
A) Drake
B) Cock
C) Stallion
D) Buck

99. Fill with correct conjunction: "Work hard ______ you will fail."
A) and
B) but
C) or
D) so

100. Fill with correct conjunction: "He is poor ______ honest."
A) or
B) but
C) and
D) so

IOE English Practice Set – Answer Key with Short Reasons

Part 1 (Answers 1–25)

Additional IOE Practice Questions (1–10)

1. B) Frailty
Reason: Debility means physical weakness or frailty.

2. C) The police are coming.
Reason: Police is treated as a plural noun.

3. D) would have seen
Reason: Type 3 conditional (unreal past).

4. A) must
Reason: Must expresses strong obligation.

5. B) /ˈfɔːmətɪv/
Reason: Stress falls on the first syllable.

6. B) He is tired, for he worked all day.
Reason: Two independent clauses joined by for.

7. A) is
Reason: Family is singular as one unit.

8. A) of
Reason: The correct phrase is afraid of.

9. B) Ma
Reason: Tomato is stressed on the second syllable (to-MA-to).

10. B) me
Reason: Object pronoun follows excuse.


Section 1: Synonyms & Antonyms (Q1–10)

11. B) Brief
Reason: Ephemeral means short-lived.

12. C) Nadir
Reason: Nadir is the opposite of zenith.

13. B) Confuse
Reason: Obfuscate means confuse.

14. C) Silent
Reason: Opposite of loquacious (talkative).

15. B) Kind
Reason: Benevolent means kind.

16. C) Humble
Reason: Opposite of arrogant.

17. C) Meticulous
Reason: Fastidious means very careful.

18. A) Active
Reason: Opposite of dormant.

19. B) Lessen
Reason: Mitigate means reduce.

20. C) Current
Reason: Opposite of obsolete.


Section 2: Grammar – Tenses & Conditionals (Q11–20)

21. B) will have left
Reason: Future perfect after by the time.

22. B) has been working
Reason: Action started in the past and continues.

23. C) were
Reason: Subjunctive mood (If I were...).

24. B) was doing
Reason: Past continuous interrupted by another action.

25. B) are going
Reason: Present continuous for future plans.

IOE English Practice Set – Answer Key with Short Reasons

Part 2 (Answers 26–50)

Section 2: Grammar – Tenses & Conditionals (Continued)

26. C) were
Reason: I wish + were expresses an unreal present situation.

27. C) will have completed
Reason: Future perfect (by next Monday).

28. B) fell
Reason: Simple past completed action.

29. C) will cancel
Reason: First conditional (If + Present, will + V1).

30. B) will have taught
Reason: Future perfect duration (by next June).


Section 3: Subject–Verb Agreement & Prepositions (Q21–30)

31. C) are
Reason: Verb agrees with the nearer subject (students).

32. D) is
Reason: News is singular.

33. C) are
Reason: Verb agrees with the nearer subject (friends).

34. D) is
Reason: Flock is a collective noun used as one unit.

35. B) at
Reason: The correct phrase is good at.

36. C) of
Reason: We say die of a disease.

37. B) by
Reason: The correct phrase is abide by.

38. A) of
Reason: The correct phrase is fond of.

39. B) of
Reason: The correct phrase is consist of.

40. C) with
Reason: The correct phrase is angry with someone.


Section 4: Sentence Correction / Error Spotting (Q31–40)

41. A) She is more taller than her sister.
Reason: Double comparative (more taller) is incorrect.

42. B) I have been completed my work.
Reason: Wrong passive structure.

43. A) He said that he will go.
Reason: Backshift required (would).

44. A) One should do his duty.
Reason: Modern standard: one's duty.

45. A) The sceneries of Kashmir are beautiful.
Reason: Scenery is uncountable.

46. A) He ran fastly.
Reason: Fast is both adjective and adverb.

47. A) He is a M.A. in English.
Reason: Use an before vowel sound (M = /em/).

48. A) I prefer tea than coffee.
Reason: Correct expression: prefer...to...

49. B) He asked me where was I going.
Reason: Indirect questions use statement order.

50. A) The man which came here is my uncle.
Reason: Use who/that for persons.

IOE English Practice Set – Answer Key with Short Reasons

Part 3 (Answers 51–75)


Section 5: Voice & Narration (Q41–50 continued in set)

51. A) A letter was written by her.
Reason: Simple past passive = was + V3.

52. C) A new hospital is being built.
Reason: Present continuous passive = is being + V3.

53. B) The work will be finished by him.
Reason: Future passive = will be + V3.

54. A) R.K. Narayan wrote the book.
Reason: Passive to active → subject becomes doer.

55. C) He said that he was happy.
Reason: Reporting verb shifts present → past.

56. C) She asked me where I was going.
Reason: Indirect question uses statement word order.

57. A) He said that he had finished his work.
Reason: Present perfect → past perfect in reported speech.

58. B) She asked if I would help her.
Reason: Will changes to would in indirect speech.

59. B) Let the door be opened.
Reason: Imperative passive = let + object + be + V3.

60. B) I knew him.
Reason: “Was known to me” = past recognition.


Section 6: Phonetics & Stress (Q51–60)

61. B) /bred/
Reason: Correct pronunciation of bread.

62. A) /ˈtʃærɪktər/
Reason: Standard British phonetic form.

63. B) To
Reason: Stress: pho-TO-graphy.

64. A) E
Reason: Economic stress on first syllable.

65. A) P
Reason: Silent letter P in psychology.

66. A) Sugar
Reason: /ʃ/ sound appears in sugar.

67. C) Think
Reason: /θ/ voiceless sound in think.

68. B) /uː/
Reason: Long vowel sound in food.

69. C) Stand
Reason: Stress is on last syllable.

70. B) Banana
Reason: 3 syllables (ba-na-na).


Section 7: Idioms & Phrases (Q61–70)

71. A) To avoid the main topic
Reason: “Beat around the bush” = avoid direct answer.

72. C) A good thing that seems bad initially
Reason: Hidden positive outcome.

73. B) To work late into the night
Reason: “Burn the midnight oil” = study/work late.

74. B) To reveal a secret
Reason: Accidentally disclose information.

75. B) Very easy
Reason: “Piece of cake” = easy task.

76. B) Very expensive
Reason: Extremely costly.

77. B) To do exactly the right thing
Reason: Precise action or statement.

78. B) Asking what someone is thinking
Reason: Request for thoughts.

79. A) Something impossible
Reason: Never going to happen.

80. B) Feeling ill
Reason: Slight sickness.


Section 8: One-Word Substitution (Q71–75)

81. B) Incorrigible
Reason: Impossible to correct.

82. C) Omnipresent
Reason: Present everywhere.

83. B) Autobiography
Reason: Life story written by self.

84. A) Philanthrope
Reason: Lover of mankind.

85. C) Regicide
Reason: Murder of a king.

IOE English Practice Set – Answer Key with Short Reasons

Part 4 (Answers 76–100)


Section 8: One-Word Substitution (Continued)

76. A) Apiary
Reason: A place where bees are kept.

77. A) Invincible
Reason: Cannot be defeated.

78. D) Centenarian
Reason: A person aged 100 years.

79. C) Aristocracy
Reason: Government by nobility.

80. C) Ornithology
Reason: Study of birds.


Section 9: Sentence Order & Structure (Q81–90)

81. A) The Taj Mahal is a wonder of the world.
Reason: Correct sentence structure.

82. B) She told us a beautiful story.
Reason: Correct SVO order.

83. A) He is too tired to walk.
Reason: Correct infinitive structure.

84. B) He ran fast to catch the bus.
Reason: Simple sentence = one main clause.

85. C) When the sun set, the stars appeared.
Reason: Complex sentence (subordinate clause).

86. B) Good – Better – Best
Reason: Correct irregular comparison.

87. B) prettiest
Reason: Superlative degree.

88. A) aren't you
Reason: Positive statement → negative tag.

89. B) has he
Reason: Negative statement → positive tag.

90. A) shall we
Reason: Tag for “Let’s”.


Section 10: Mixed / Miscellaneous (Q91–100)

91. B) an
Reason: “Honest” starts with vowel sound.

92. C) The
Reason: Unique object (sun).

93. C) Beautiful
Reason: Word describing noun.

94. C) Quickly
Reason: Word describing verb.

95. B) Cacti
Reason: Latin plural form.

96. B) Children
Reason: Irregular plural.

97. A) Niece
Reason: Female of nephew.

98. A) Drake
Reason: Male duck.

99. C) or
Reason: Logical warning (otherwise result).

100. B) but
Reason: Contrast between poor and honest.

 

 

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