03 · English — Q41–90 — KIPS Mock Tests — CSS MPT 2026

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Study order: attempt the question → open the yellow hint only if needed → reveal the green answer → try the related question. Check the revision box only when you can explain the rule without looking.

50 original questions + 50 related recall exercises. Study solutions, not an official KIPS key. Wording and options are retained with spacing and obvious numbering normalised. Consult the attached original PDF for exact typography.

Synonyms — choose the closest meaning

Q41

Abstruse (a) Recondite (b) Lucid (c) Shallow (d) Manifest

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Look for difficult or specialised understanding, not clarity.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — Recondite

Reasoning: Abstruse means difficult to understand; lucid and manifest mean clear.

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Related practice: What is the antonym of abstruse?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Lucid.

Why / remember: Lucid means clear; abstruse and recondite imply difficulty or obscurity.
Confident after revision

Q42

Bellicose (a) Pacific (b) Pugnacious (c) Friendly (d) Serene

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Think of a readiness to fight.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Pugnacious

Reasoning: Bellicose means aggressive or inclined to fight.

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Related practice: What does pacific mean as an adjective?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Peaceful.

Why / remember: Pacific as an adjective means peaceable; it is not restricted to the ocean’s name.
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Q43

Inchoate (a) Developed (b) Rudimentary (c) Finished (d) Articulate

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Focus on an early, incomplete stage.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Rudimentary

Reasoning: Inchoate describes an initial, undeveloped stage.

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Related practice: What is an antonym of inchoate?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Fully developed.

Why / remember: Inchoate contrasts with mature or fully developed; it does not necessarily mean badly designed.
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Q44

Perspicacious (a) Astute (b) Ignorant (c) Slow-witted (d) Dull

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Distinguish clear expression from keen perception.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — Astute

Reasoning: Perspicacious means perceptive and shrewd. Do not confuse it with perspicuous, meaning clear.

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Related practice: What does perspicuous mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Clearly expressed or easily understood.

Why / remember: Perspicacious describes the thinker’s insight; perspicuous describes how clearly something is expressed.
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Q45

Vicissitude (a) Stability (b) Fluctuation (c) Uniformity (d) Stagnation

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The word concerns changing circumstances and fortunes.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Fluctuation

Reasoning: Vicissitude refers to a change in circumstances, often an unwelcome one.

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Related practice: What does the phrase vicissitudes of life mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Life’s changing fortunes.

Why / remember: Vicissitudes often implies alternating or unwelcome changes, not a single stable condition.
Confident after revision

Antonyms — choose the opposite meaning

Q46

Acrimonious (a) Bitter (b) Caustic (c) Harmonious (d) Rancorous

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Reverse the meaning of bitter or hostile in tone.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — Harmonious

Reasoning: Acrimonious means bitter or angry; harmonious is its opposite.

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Related practice: What noun describes bitterness of tone?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Acrimony.

Why / remember: Acrimony is the noun naming bitterness; acrimonious is the corresponding adjective.
Confident after revision

Q47

Craven (a) Audacious (b) Timid (c) Cowardly (d) Fearful

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The question asks for the opposite of cowardly.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — Audacious

Reasoning: Craven means cowardly; audacious means bold.

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Related practice: Give a synonym of craven.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Timid or cowardly.

Why / remember: Timid and cowardly align with craven; audacious supplies the contrasting boldness.
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Q48

Execrable (a) Detestable (b) Exemplary (c) Abhorrent (d) Deplorable

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Separate the favourable option from several unfavourable synonyms.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Exemplary

Reasoning: Execrable means extremely bad or detestable; exemplary means commendable.

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Related practice: Which is a synonym of execrable: admirable or abhorrent?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Abhorrent.

Why / remember: Abhorrent means hateful or detestable, making it a synonym rather than an antonym of execrable.
Confident after revision

Q49

Lachrymose (a) Tearful (b) Mournful (c) Jubilant (d) Sad

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Associate the word with tears, then choose the emotional opposite.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — Jubilant

Reasoning: Lachrymose means tearful; jubilant means joyfully triumphant.

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Related practice: What does lacrimal relate to?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Tears.

Why / remember: Lacrimal refers to tears, as in lacrimal glands; that root helps remember lachrymose.
Confident after revision

Q50

Trenchant (a) Incisive (b) Feeble (c) Sharp (d) Keen

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Think of criticism with a sharp edge and considerable force.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Feeble

Reasoning: Trenchant criticism is sharp and forceful; feeble criticism lacks force.

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Related practice: Give a synonym of trenchant.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Incisive.

Why / remember: Incisive means penetrating and sharply expressed, matching trenchant in this context.
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Q51

Choose the sentence free from dangling or misplaced modifiers:

(a) Having eaten the raw fish, a severe stomachache was experienced by John.

(b) Having eaten the raw fish, John experienced a severe stomachache.

(d) Eating raw fish, a stomachache afflicted John quickly.

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The subject after the opening phrase should be the person who performed its action.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B, clearest; C also avoids dangling

Reasoning: John is the person who ate the fish. B is the most natural completed-action wording, but C also attaches the participial clause to John.

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Related practice: Repair: Having finished dinner, the plates were washed by Ali.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Having finished dinner, Ali washed the plates.

Why / remember: Putting Ali directly after the phrase supplies the doer of finishing dinner; plates cannot perform that action.
Confident after revision

Q52

Identify the sentence with correct subjunctive usage:

(a) The board demanded that the CEO resigns immediately.

(b) The board demanded that the CEO resign immediately.

(d) The board demanded that the CEO shall resign immediately.

Source PDF page 5.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

A demand or recommendation can take a base-form verb in a that-clause.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — resign

Reasoning: A mandative subjunctive uses the base verb after demanded that: the CEO resign.

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Related practice: Complete: They insisted that she ___ present.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Be.

Why / remember: Mandative be remains be even after she; this differs from ordinary indicative she is.
Confident after revision

Q53

Identify the sentence with proper parallelism:

(a) He was praised not only for his intellect but also admired for his generosity.

(b) Not only was he praised for his intellect, but also for his generosity.

(d) He not only was praised for intellect but also generosity.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Check which exact phrases not only and but also introduce.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — He was praised not only for his intellect but also for his generosity.

Reasoning: Not only for his intellect… but also for his generosity balances two prepositional phrases.

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Related practice: What is parallelism?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Using matching grammatical forms for coordinated ideas.

Why / remember: Parallelism balances like structures: two nouns, two clauses or two prepositional phrases.
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Q54

Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

(a) Neither of the candidates who were interviewed today have the requisite experience.

(b) Neither of the candidates who were interviewed today has the requisite experience.

(d) Neither of the candidates whom was interviewed today has the requisite experience.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Identify the head of the main subject, not the nearest noun inside a relative clause.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — has

Reasoning: Neither is the singular head. The relative clause who were interviewed modifies plural candidates.

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Related practice: Which verb agrees with neither here?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Has, not have.

Why / remember: The number is a singular total and takes is; a number of students refers to several students and takes a plural verb.
Confident after revision

Q55

Choose the option that correctly rectifies the comma splice:

(a) The climate crisis is escalating, governments must act immediately.

(b) The climate crisis is escalating; governments must act immediately.

(d) The climate crisis is escalating, so, governments must act immediately.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Two complete clauses need stronger joining than a comma alone.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — The climate crisis is escalating; governments must act immediately.

Reasoning: A semicolon joins two closely connected independent clauses without a comma splice.

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Related practice: Give another valid repair.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: The climate crisis is escalating, so governments must act immediately.

Why / remember: A comma plus coordinating conjunction so is a valid repair; a semicolon is another.
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Q56

Identify the sentence with correct relative pronoun case:

(a) Whomever wins the election will face immense economic hurdles.

(b) Whoever wins the election will face immense economic hurdles.

(d) Whomever is elected will face immense economic hurdles.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Determine the pronoun’s role within wins, not just after the outer preposition.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Whoever

Reasoning: The pronoun is subject of wins, regardless of the larger clause’s role.

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Related practice: Complete: Give it to ___ wins.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Whoever.

Why / remember: The whole clause is the object of to, but whoever is the subject of wins inside that clause.
Confident after revision

Q57

Choose the sentence with proper tense consistency in reported speech:

(a) She claimed that she had completed the report before the manager has arrived.

(b) She claimed that she completed the report before the manager arrives.

(d) She claimed that she completes the report before the manager arrived.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Use past perfect for the action completed before another past event.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — She claimed that she had completed the report before the manager arrived.

Reasoning: Had completed marks the earlier past action; arrived is the later past action.

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Related practice: Which action happened first?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Completion of the report.

Why / remember: Had completed places completion before arrived; the tense marks their relative order.
Confident after revision

Q58

Identify the sentence with a grammatical error:

(a) The committee has submitted its final proposal to the parliament.

(b) The committee are divided in their opinions regarding the new bill.

(d) A number of student has failed the preliminary test.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Do not let a legitimate British collective-noun construction distract from a clear error.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: D — A number of student has failed the preliminary test.

Reasoning: A number of students takes a plural noun and verb: have failed. Collective committee are is possible in British English when members are considered individually.

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Related practice: The number of students ___ rising: is or are?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Is.

Why / remember: The number of students names one count and takes is; a number of students means several and takes are/have.
Confident after revision

Q59

Select the sentence with correct usage of correlative conjunctions:

(a) Scarcely had the speaker finished his speech than the audience erupted in applause.

(b) Scarcely had the speaker finished his speech when the audience erupted in applause.

(d) Scarcely the speaker had finished his speech when the audience erupted in applause.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Pair the conjunction correctly and check inversion after the fronted negative word.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Scarcely had the speaker finished his speech when the audience erupted in applause.

Reasoning: Scarcely pairs with when and uses inversion when fronted.

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Related practice: Complete: No sooner had she arrived ___ he left.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Than.

Why / remember: No sooner…than differs from scarcely…when; the pairings are conventional.
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Q60

Identify the sentence containing a semantic redundancy:

(a) The government decided to revert back to the original policy.

(b) The government decided to revert to the original policy.

(d) The government reinstated the original policy.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Ask whether a second word repeats a meaning already inside the verb.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — revert back

Reasoning: Revert already means return, making back redundant in concise edited prose.

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Related practice: Rewrite concisely.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: The government decided to revert to the original policy.

Why / remember: Revert to the policy already expresses returning; back adds no necessary information in concise prose.
Confident after revision

Q61

Select the grammatically correct option involving inverted word order:

(a) Seldom we have seen such dedication in public service.

(b) Seldom have we seen such dedication in public service.

(d) Seldom have seen we such dedication in public service.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

A negative or limiting adverb at the front can trigger auxiliary inversion.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Seldom have we seen such dedication in public service.

Reasoning: Fronted seldom triggers auxiliary–subject inversion: seldom have we seen.

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Related practice: Rewrite: We rarely encounter this.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Rarely do we encounter this.

Why / remember: Present-simple encounter needs the auxiliary do when inverted: rarely do we encounter.
Confident after revision

Q62

Choose the correct usage of conditional clauses (Type 3):

(a) If he had studied harder, he would pass the examination.

(b) If he studied harder, he would have passed the examination.

(d) Had he studied harder, he will pass the examination.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Identify an unreal past condition, not an open future possibility.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — If he had studied harder, he would have passed the examination.

Reasoning: Third conditional: if + past perfect; would have + past participle.

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Related practice: What time does this conditional concern?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: An unreal alternative to the past.

Why / remember: The third conditional imagines a past outcome that did not occur: had done → would have done.
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Q63

Identify the correct use of "between" vs "among" with complex groups:

(a) The treaty was signed between the four major global powers.

(b) Negotiations between the three neighboring states reached a deadlock.

(d) The resources were divided between the members of the committee.

Source PDF page 6.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Distinct relationships can involve more than two parties.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A and B — both valid

Reasoning: Between can describe distinct parties even when there are more than two. The paper does not provide a uniquely correct option.

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Related practice: When is among especially natural?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: For membership, distribution or location within an undifferentiated group.

Why / remember: Among suits an undifferentiated group; between can describe individually identified relationships involving several parties.
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Q64

Choose the sentence that avoids a faulty comparison:

(a) The climate of Quetta is colder than Karachi.

(b) The climate of Quetta is colder than that of Karachi.

(d) The climate of Quetta is colder than Karachi's climate is.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Compare the same kind of thing on both sides.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B, clearest; D also grammatical

Reasoning: Compare climate with climate, not climate with a city. D also makes that comparison, though less concise.

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Related practice: What does that of replace?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: The climate of.

Why / remember: That of substitutes for the climate of, avoiding a comparison between climate and a city itself.
Confident after revision

Q65

Identify the sentence with proper hyphens in compound adjectives:

(a) The state of the art facility was opened yesterday.

(b) The state-of-the-art facility was opened yesterday.

(d) The state of-the-art facility opened yesterday.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

A multiword adjective before a noun often needs hyphens to show grouping.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — state-of-the-art facility

Reasoning: The multiword modifier before facility is conventionally hyphenated. Predicate hyphenation can vary by style.

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Related practice: Hyphenate: a ten year old child.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: A ten-year-old child.

Why / remember: Ten-year-old acts as one modifier; year remains singular inside this compound.
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Q66

Select the option with correct usage of "lay" / "lie":

(a) He lay down on the couch after a strenuous day.

(b) He laid down on the couch after a strenuous day.

(d) He is laying on the couch right now.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Check whether the verb takes an object, then recall its past participle.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — lay down

Reasoning: Lie/lay/lain is intransitive; lay/laid/laid takes an object.

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Related practice: Complete: He has ___ on the couch all morning.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Lain.

Why / remember: Lie meaning recline has lie–lay–lain; lay meaning place something has lay–laid–laid.
Confident after revision

Q67

Identify the sentence with a punctuation error involving colons:

(a) The delegation included representatives from three countries: France, Germany, and Italy.

(b) The steps for assembly are: unbox, assemble, and test.

(d) There was only one obstacle remaining: lack of funds.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Do not split a linking verb from the complement it introduces with a colon.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — The steps for assembly are: unbox, assemble, and test.

Reasoning: In conventional formal punctuation, a colon should not separate are from its complement.

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Related practice: Repair the sentence.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: The assembly steps are as follows: unbox, assemble, and test.

Why / remember: Adding as follows makes the introduction complete before the colon introduces the list.
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Q68

Select the sentence with correct verb modifier placement:

(a) She almost drove for six hours without taking a break.

(b) She drove for almost six hours without taking a break.

(d) Almost she drove for six hours without a break.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Ask which action or quantity almost modifies.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — intended duration

Reasoning: Almost modifies six hours in B. A and C are grammatical but express different meanings, so context matters.

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Related practice: What does she almost drove mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: She nearly performed the driving action.

Why / remember: Almost drove means the driving nearly happened; drove almost six hours means the duration was nearly six hours.
Confident after revision

Q69

Choose the sentence with correct genitive case usage:

(a) The diplomat was worried about Charles' response.

(b) The diplomat was worried about Charles's response.

(d) Both (a) and (b) are accepted standard usages.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Distinguish grammar from a chosen editorial possessive style.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: D — both accepted

Reasoning: Charles’ and Charles’s follow different accepted possessive style conventions.

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Related practice: What is the plural possessive of teachers?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Teachers’.

Why / remember: Teachers is already plural ending in s, so the plural possessive normally adds only an apostrophe.
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Q70

Select the correct option regarding raising constructions:

(a) It seems that the project is succeeding. -> The project seems to be succeeding.

(b) It seems that the project is succeeding. -> The project seems succeeding.

(d) It seems that the project is succeeding. -> The project seems that succeeds.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

A raised subject belongs semantically with the embedded predicate.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — It seems that the project is succeeding. -> The project seems to be succeeding.

Reasoning: The subject is raised from the embedded clause: the project seems to be succeeding.

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Related practice: Rewrite: It appears that Ali is tired.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Ali appears to be tired.

Why / remember: Ali is the person who is tired; appears presents the assessment of that state.
Confident after revision

Q71

Identify the correct usage of "hardly... when":

(a) Hardly had I stepped out of the building when it started pouring.

(b) Hardly I had stepped out of the building when it started pouring.

(d) Hardly had I stepped out of the building then it started pouring.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

After fronted hardly, place the auxiliary before the subject.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — Hardly had I stepped out of the building when it started pouring.

Reasoning: Hardly…when with fronted hardly requires had I, not I had.

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Related practice: Which word pairs with scarcely?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: When.

Why / remember: Scarcely and hardly conventionally pair with when; no sooner pairs with than.
Confident after revision

Q72

Choose the correct usage of the split infinitive (acceptable modern formal preference):

(a) He was instructed to carefully analyze the data before submission.

(b) He was instructed carefully to analyze the data before submission.

(d) All of the above are grammatically valid depending on stylistic choice.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Do not apply a supposed absolute ban on split infinitives.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: D — All of the above are grammatically valid depending on stylistic choice. Prepositions (3 Marks) Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.

Reasoning: Split infinitives are not inherently ungrammatical. Adverb placement may change emphasis or scope, so choose the clearest meaning.

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Related practice: Is to carefully analyse automatically an error?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: No.

Why / remember: The placement can be clear and grammatical; judge meaning and readability rather than treating to + adverb + verb as automatically wrong.
Confident after revision

Q73

His arguments are fraught logical fallacies and historical inaccuracies.

(a) by (b) with (c) in (d) from

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The phrase generally introduces something undesirable that fills a situation.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — with

Reasoning: Fraught with means filled with, usually difficulties or risks.

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Related practice: Complete: fraught ___ danger.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: With.

Why / remember: Fraught with danger means filled with risk; the preposition is part of the conventional phrase.
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Q74

The minister acquiesced the demands of the opposition after lengthy deliberations.

(a) to (b) in (c) with (d) at

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Look for acceptance or yielding, while allowing established prepositional variants.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — to; B can also occur

Reasoning: Acquiesce to demands is natural; acquiesce in is also standard for acceptance of a proposal or situation. Treat A as the likely intended key, not an absolute rule.

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Related practice: What does acquiesce mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Accept or comply, often reluctantly.

Why / remember: Acquiesce often implies compliance without enthusiastic support; it is not the same as initiating the demand.
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Q75

Her opinions are inimical the core values of our academic institution.

(a) for (b) against (c) to (d) with

Idioms & Phrases (5 Marks) Choose the correct meaning of the given idiom.

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Think of something harmful or hostile toward a principle.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — to

Reasoning: Inimical to means harmful or hostile to.

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Related practice: Give a synonym of inimical.

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Hostile.

Why / remember: Hostile to and inimical to share both the negative meaning and the preposition to.
Confident after revision

Q76

To throw down the gauntlet:

(a) To surrender meekly

(b) To issue a formal challenge

(d) To abandon a project

Source PDF page 7.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Throwing down starts a challenge; taking up responds to it.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — To issue a formal challenge

Reasoning: Throw down the gauntlet means issue a challenge.

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Related practice: What does take up the gauntlet mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Accept a challenge.

Why / remember: The paired idioms distinguish issuing a challenge from accepting one.
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Q77

To sail under false colors:

(a) To act hypocritically or deceitfully

(b) To navigate poorly

(d) To surrender at sea

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The metaphor concerns displaying an identity that is not genuine.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: A — To act hypocritically or deceitfully

Reasoning: Sail under false colours means misrepresent one’s identity or intentions.

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Related practice: What is a plain synonym for this conduct?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Deception.

Why / remember: False colours suggests misrepresentation; deception is the general concept rather than a nautical action alone.
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Q78

A Pyrrhic victory:

(a) A decisive and crushing triumph

(b) A victory gained at too great a cost

(d) A moral victory despite defeat

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

A win can carry costs that undermine its value.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — A victory gained at too great a cost

Reasoning: A Pyrrhic victory is so costly that the benefit of winning is undermined.

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Related practice: Does a Pyrrhic victory mean a defeat in the contest itself?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: No; it is a win at excessive cost.

Why / remember: The result is technically a victory, but losses make it ruinously expensive; it is not simply a synonym for defeat.
Confident after revision

Q79

To burn one's bridges:

(a) To destroy evidence

(b) To act so conclusively that returning to a former position is impossible

(d) To build structural barriers

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The image concerns destroying a route back.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — To act so conclusively that returning to a former position is impossible

Reasoning: Burning bridges closes off a route back to an earlier relationship or position.

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Related practice: What does mend fences mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Repair damaged relations.

Why / remember: Mend fences repairs relations; burn bridges damages or closes them off. Remember them as a contrast.
Confident after revision

Q80

To leave no stone unturned:

(a) To engage in physical labor

(b) To explore every possible avenue or means

(d) To leave a task incomplete

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

The image suggests checking every possible place.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — To explore every possible avenue or means

Reasoning: Leave no stone unturned means investigate or try every available means.

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Related practice: What does spare no effort mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Make every possible effort.

Why / remember: Spare no effort has the same emphasis on completeness of effort, not on saving energy.
Confident after revision

Reading passage for Q81–85 The doctrine of legal realism emerged in the early twentieth century as a reaction against formalist

jurisprudence, which viewed law as an autonomous system of neutral, logical rules. Realists argued that legal decision-making is

inescapably influenced by psychological, sociological, and economic factors. Judges do not simply "find" the law in existing

precedents; rather, they construct rulings based on personal convictions or societal policy considerations and subsequently rationalize

their choices using statutory language. Consequently, legal outcomes are far less predictable than formalism asserts. Critics of realism

contend that by undermining the notion of legal objectivity, realism threatens the rule of law itself, reducing judicial power to

arbitrary personal preference.

Q81

Legal realism arose primarily as a critique of:

(a) Sociological jurisprudence

(b) Formalist jurisprudence

(d) Constitutional originalism

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Locate the school of thought presented as the target of the reaction.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Formalist jurisprudence

Reasoning: The passage explicitly presents realism as a reaction against formalist jurisprudence.

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Related practice: What did formalism emphasise in the passage?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Neutral, logical rules.

Why / remember: Formalism is described as prioritising neutral rules; realism questions how fully those rules determine actual decisions.
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Q82

According to legal realists, how do judges arrive at legal decisions?

(a) By strictly applying objective, neutral rules logically

(b) Through personal convictions and societal factors, later rationalized via legal language

(d) By consulting political executive authorities directly

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Follow the account given by this author, even if wider legal scholarship is more nuanced.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Through personal convictions and societal factors, later rationalized via legal language

Reasoning: The passage says social factors and convictions shape rulings, later rationalised through legal language.

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Related practice: Should you answer from outside legal knowledge here?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: No; use the supplied passage.

Why / remember: Reading-comprehension scoring depends on the supplied text; outside knowledge should not replace an explicit statement.
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Q83

What is a key criticism leveled against legal realism according to the text?

(a) It makes legal outcomes overly predictable.

(b) It overemphasizes precedent over modern social science.

(d) It refuses to acknowledge the role of judges.

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Distinguish the author’s description of realism from the critics’ objection.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: C — It undermines judicial objectivity and threatens the rule of law.

Reasoning: Critics fear loss of objectivity and arbitrary personal preference.

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Related practice: What institutional principle is said to be threatened?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: The rule of law.

Why / remember: The critics connect arbitrary preference with a threat to the rule of law; this is their concern within the passage.
Confident after revision

Q84

The word "autonomous" as used in the passage most nearly means:

(a) Dependent

(b) Independent/Self-contained

(d) Complex

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Think of a system operating without dependence on external influences.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Independent/self-contained

Reasoning: Autonomous means operating on its own, in this passage’s account of formalism.

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Related practice: What is an antonym of autonomous?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Dependent.

Why / remember: Dependent is the direct contrasting idea; autonomous does not necessarily mean unaccountable.
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Q85

Formalist jurisprudence regards law as:

(a) A system shaped by judicial bias

(b) An autonomous system of neutral rules

(d) A purely economic construct

Source PDF page 8.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Use the passage’s own contrast between formalists and realists.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — An autonomous system of neutral rules

Reasoning: The passage describes formalist law as an autonomous system of neutral rules.

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Related practice: Which school challenges that picture here?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Legal realism.

Why / remember: Legal realism challenges the claimed neutrality and self-contained character of decision-making described here.
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Reading passage for Q86–90 Epistemological skepticism raises fundamental questions regarding the possibility of genuine

knowledge. Pyrrhonian skeptics advocated the suspension of judgment (epoche) regarding all non-evident propositions as a pathway

to mental tranquility (ataraxia). Unlike Academic skeptics, who dogmatically asserted that "nothing can be known," Pyrrhonists

refrained even from making that assertion, remaining perpetual inquirers. In modern philosophy, Cartesian skepticism operates as a

methodological tool rather than a lived belief system: Descartes invoked extreme doubt—such as the evil demon hypothesis—to strip

away uncertain beliefs and establish an unshakable foundation for empirical and rational knowledge.

Q86

What was the ultimate psychological objective of Pyrrhonian skepticism?

(a) Proving the absolute truth of sensory data (b) Achieving mental tranquility through suspension of judgment (c)

Establishing dogmatic assertions about reality (d) RefUTING Cartesian metaphysics

Source PDF page 9.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Distinguish the sceptics’ method from the psychological state they seek.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Achieving mental tranquility through suspension of judgment

Reasoning: The passage links suspension of judgment to ataraxia, mental tranquillity.

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Related practice: What does ataraxia mean here?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Mental tranquillity.

Why / remember: Ataraxia is tranquillity; epoche is the suspension of judgement used to seek it.
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Q87

How did Pyrrhonian skepticism differ from Academic skepticism?

(a) Academic skeptics suspended judgment, while Pyrrhonists claimed nothing could be known.

(b) Pyrrhonists avoided asserting even that nothing can be known, remaining open-ended inquirers.

(d) Pyrrhonists were dogmatic, while Academic skeptics were tranquil.

Source PDF page 9.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

One position avoids asserting even the universal impossibility of knowledge.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Pyrrhonists avoided asserting even that nothing can be known, remaining open-ended inquirers.

Reasoning: As presented in the passage, Pyrrhonists avoid even the firm assertion that nothing can be known. This is a simplified historical contrast.

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Related practice: What does epoche mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Suspension of judgment.

Why / remember: Epoche names withholding judgement, not proving that every claim is false.
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Q88

What role did skepticism play in René Descartes' philosophical project?

(a) A permanent lifestyle advocating total suspension of belief

(b) A methodological tool to eliminate uncertain beliefs and locate an unshakable truth

(d) A dogmatic rejection of rationalism

Source PDF page 9.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Doubt is used as a route toward certainty in this account.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — A methodological tool to eliminate uncertain beliefs and locate an unshakable truth

Reasoning: Descartes uses doubt as a method to find secure foundations, not as a permanent rejection of knowledge.

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Related practice: What famous certainty is associated with Descartes?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Cogito, ergo sum: I think, therefore I am.

Why / remember: The cogito identifies thinking as evidence of the thinker’s existence; it is used as a foundation, not a rejection of all knowledge.
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Q89

The term "epoche" in the passage refers to:

(a) Dogmatic assertion

(b) Suspension of judgment

(d) Mental anxiety

Source PDF page 9.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Ask whether the term names a practice or its hoped-for result.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Suspension of judgment

Reasoning: Epoche is suspension of judgment, whereas ataraxia is the resulting tranquillity sought.

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Related practice: Which is the means, epoche or ataraxia?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Epoche.

Why / remember: Epoche is the means; ataraxia is the tranquillity sought. Reversing them is the main trap.
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Q90

Which of the following best summarizes the author's tone?

(a) Highly polemical and critical

(b) Objective and analytical

(d) Emotional and persuasive

Source PDF page 9.

💡 Hint — try before revealing

Assess how the author presents different views, not whether the subject is controversial.
✅ Answer & explanation

Answer: B — Objective and analytical

Reasoning: The passage explains and distinguishes positions in an analytical tone.

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Related practice: What would polemical mean?

✅ Related answer & memory link

Answer: Strongly argumentative or attacking a position.

Why / remember: Polemical writing attacks or argues forcefully; analytical writing primarily explains distinctions and reasoning.
Confident after revision