NMAT Language Skills MCQ Quiz - 1 - CAT MCQ

Arrange the jumbled sentences in order.

A. Inside the bank that June morning, the clerks and accountants on their high stools were bent over their ponderous ledgers, although it was several minutes before the opening hour.

B. Considerable noise, despite the closed windows and doors, came in from the outside.

C. There was also a whir of a street-sweeping machine turning a comer and the shrill cries of newsboys selling the morning papers.

D. This gray-stone building was in Atlanta’s most central part on a narrow street paved with asphalt which sloped down from one of the main thoroughfares to the section occupied by the old passenger depot, the railway warehouses, and hotels of various grades.

E. Locomotive bells slowly swung and clanged; steam was escaping; cabs, drays, and trucks rumbled and creaked along;

Identify the part in the sentence below that has a grammatical error. The number of that part is the answer. Ignore punctuation errors, if any.

1. This is not quite conclusive, however,

2. and hypothesis that have features,

3. at least strongly reminiscent of Lamarckism,

4. keep popping up in biology and are often taken seriously,

5. in spite of the general taboo against anything smacking of Lamarckism.

A sentence is divided into five parts. Identify the part that has a grammatical error. 

With much of the global economy apparently / trapped in a long and painful austerity-induced slump, / its time to admit that the trap is entirely of our own making  / as we have constructed it from unfortunate habits of / thought about how to handle spiraling public debt. 

Choose the synonym of the given word.

Insidious

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

The inclusiveness of the various identity theories promoted in feminist philosophy is of preeminent and persistent concern to women with disabilities. Discussing whether women with disabilities can comfortably be feminists, Anita Silvers has asked whether feminism privileges the functional capabilities and social roles characteristic of “normal” women. She has found some feminist theories guilty of “magnifying these (functional capabilities of typical women) until they become standards of womanhood against which disabled women shrink into invisibility”.

Feminist philosophy validates and valorizes activities women typically execute and in which they excel, such as theories of maternal ethics that center on mothering as preeminent moral conduct. But not all women are admitted to women's roles. Even in the most progressive contemporary societies, women with disabilities encounter opposition to their maintaining fertility, or accessing reproductive medical technology in achieving fertility, or even retaining custody of the children to which they have given birth. Karin Barron, who has conducted extensive research on the lives of young women with disabilities, observes that we place great value on the womanly art of caring for dependents, but the traditional dependent position of young women with disabilities prevents them from occupying, and therefore from demonstrating any aptitude for, this role. What precluded the young women Barron studied from being homemakers and mothers was not their lack of potential for serving in these roles but, instead, their having been assigned to an alternative social position, one defined in terms of such dependence that their capacity to nurture others became virtually inconceivable.

Q. The primary concern of the author of this passage pertains to

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

The inclusiveness of the various identity theories promoted in feminist philosophy is of preeminent and persistent concern to women with disabilities. Discussing whether women with disabilities can comfortably be feminists, Anita Silvers has asked whether feminism privileges the functional capabilities and social roles characteristic of “normal” women. She has found some feminist theories guilty of “magnifying these (functional capabilities of typical women) until they become standards of womanhood against which disabled women shrink into invisibility”.

Feminist philosophy validates and valorizes activities women typically execute and in which they excel, such as theories of maternal ethics that center on mothering as preeminent moral conduct. But not all women are admitted to women's roles. Even in the most progressive contemporary societies, women with disabilities encounter opposition to their maintaining fertility, or accessing reproductive medical technology in achieving fertility, or even retaining custody of the children to which they have given birth. Karin Barron, who has conducted extensive research on the lives of young women with disabilities, observes that we place great value on the womanly art of caring for dependents, but the traditional dependent position of young women with disabilities prevents them from occupying, and therefore from demonstrating any aptitude for, this role. What precluded the young women Barron studied from being homemakers and mothers was not their lack of potential for serving in these roles but, instead, their having been assigned to an alternative social position, one defined in terms of such dependence that their capacity to nurture others became virtually inconceivable.

Q. According to the passage, what is the basic flaw in feminist philosophy?

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

The inclusiveness of the various identity theories promoted in feminist philosophy is of preeminent and persistent concern to women with disabilities. Discussing whether women with disabilities can comfortably be feminists, Anita Silvers has asked whether feminism privileges the functional capabilities and social roles characteristic of “normal” women. She has found some feminist theories guilty of “magnifying these (functional capabilities of typical women) until they become standards of womanhood against which disabled women shrink into invisibility”.

Feminist philosophy validates and valorizes activities women typically execute and in which they excel, such as theories of maternal ethics that center on mothering as preeminent moral conduct. But not all women are admitted to women's roles. Even in the most progressive contemporary societies, women with disabilities encounter opposition to their maintaining fertility, or accessing reproductive medical technology in achieving fertility, or even retaining custody of the children to which they have given birth. Karin Barron, who has conducted extensive research on the lives of young women with disabilities, observes that we place great value on the womanly art of caring for dependents, but the traditional dependent position of young women with disabilities prevents them from occupying, and therefore from demonstrating any aptitude for, this role. What precluded the young women Barron studied from being homemakers and mothers was not their lack of potential for serving in these roles but, instead, their having been assigned to an alternative social position, one defined in terms of such dependence that their capacity to nurture others became virtually inconceivable.

Q. Which one of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

The inclusiveness of the various identity theories promoted in feminist philosophy is of preeminent and persistent concern to women with disabilities. Discussing whether women with disabilities can comfortably be feminists, Anita Silvers has asked whether feminism privileges the functional capabilities and social roles characteristic of “normal” women. She has found some feminist theories guilty of “magnifying these (functional capabilities of typical women) until they become standards of womanhood against which disabled women shrink into invisibility”.

Feminist philosophy validates and valorizes activities women typically execute and in which they excel, such as theories of maternal ethics that center on mothering as preeminent moral conduct. But not all women are admitted to women's roles. Even in the most progressive contemporary societies, women with disabilities encounter opposition to their maintaining fertility, or accessing reproductive medical technology in achieving fertility, or even retaining custody of the children to which they have given birth. Karin Barron, who has conducted extensive research on the lives of young women with disabilities, observes that we place great value on the womanly art of caring for dependents, but the traditional dependent position of young women with disabilities prevents them from occupying, and therefore from demonstrating any aptitude for, this role. What precluded the young women Barron studied from being homemakers and mothers was not their lack of potential for serving in these roles but, instead, their having been assigned to an alternative social position, one defined in terms of such dependence that their capacity to nurture others became virtually inconceivable.

Q. Which of these statements is Karin Barron least likely to agree with?

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

Herodotus has sometimes been labeled 'The Father of Lies' due to his tendency to report fanciful information, even about himself. Much of the information that others subsequently reported about him is just as fanciful, some of it is vindictive and some of it is blatantly absurd, yet it is interesting and therefore worth reporting: Herodotus himself reported dubious information if it was interesting, sometimes adding his own opinion about its reliability. Plutarch, a Theban by birth, once composed a “great collection of slanders” against Herodotus. His account was supported by Marcellinus in his Life of Thucydides. In fact Herodotus was in the habit of seeking out information from empowered sources within communities, such as aristocrats and priests, with Periclean Athens becoming his principal source of information about events in Greece. As a result, his reports about Greek events are often coloured by Athenian bias against rival states- Thebes and Corinth in particular.

Herodotus wrote his Histories in the Ionian dialect yet he was born in Halicarnassus, originally a Dorian settlement. According to the Suda (an 11th-century encyclopaedia of Byzantium which likely took its information from traditional accounts), Herodotus learned the Ionian dialect as a boy living on the island of Samos, whither he had fled with his family from the oppressions of Lygdamis, tyrant of Halicarnassus and grandson of Artemisia I of Caria. It was conventional in Herodotus's day for authors to ‘publish’ their works by reciting them at popular festivals. According to Lucian, Herodotus took his finished work straight from Asia Minor to the Olympic Games and read the entire Histories to the assembled spectators in one sitting, receiving rapturous applause at the end of it. Herodotus's recitation at Olympia was a favourite theme among ancient writers and there is another interesting variation on the story to be found in the Suda, Photius and Tzetzes, in which a young Thucydides happened to be in the assembly with his father and burst into tears during the recital, whereupon Herodotus observed prophetically to the boy's father: “Thy son's soul yearns for knowledge”.

Q. From the passage, one can deduce that Thucydides was:

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

Herodotus has sometimes been labeled 'The Father of Lies' due to his tendency to report fanciful information, even about himself. Much of the information that others subsequently reported about him is just as fanciful, some of it is vindictive and some of it is blatantly absurd, yet it is interesting and therefore worth reporting: Herodotus himself reported dubious information if it was interesting, sometimes adding his own opinion about its reliability. Plutarch, a Theban by birth, once composed a “great collection of slanders” against Herodotus. His account was supported by Marcellinus in his Life of Thucydides. In fact Herodotus was in the habit of seeking out information from empowered sources within communities, such as aristocrats and priests, with Periclean Athens becoming his principal source of information about events in Greece. As a result, his reports about Greek events are often coloured by Athenian bias against rival states- Thebes and Corinth in particular.

Herodotus wrote his Histories in the Ionian dialect yet he was born in Halicarnassus, originally a Dorian settlement. According to the Suda (an 11th-century encyclopaedia of Byzantium which likely took its information from traditional accounts), Herodotus learned the Ionian dialect as a boy living on the island of Samos, whither he had fled with his family from the oppressions of Lygdamis, tyrant of Halicarnassus and grandson of Artemisia I of Caria. It was conventional in Herodotus's day for authors to ‘publish’ their works by reciting them at popular festivals. According to Lucian, Herodotus took his finished work straight from Asia Minor to the Olympic Games and read the entire Histories to the assembled spectators in one sitting, receiving rapturous applause at the end of it. Herodotus's recitation at Olympia was a favourite theme among ancient writers and there is another interesting variation on the story to be found in the Suda, Photius and Tzetzes, in which a young Thucydides happened to be in the assembly with his father and burst into tears during the recital, whereupon Herodotus observed prophetically to the boy's father: “Thy son's soul yearns for knowledge”.

Q. From the passage, what could a “Tzetzes” be?

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.
Herodotus has sometimes been labeled 'The Father of Lies' due to his tendency to report fanciful information, even about himself. Much of the information that others subsequently reported about him is just as fanciful, some of it is vindictive and some of it is blatantly absurd, yet it is interesting and therefore worth reporting: Herodotus himself reported dubious information if it was interesting, sometimes adding his own opinion about its reliability. Plutarch, a Theban by birth, once composed a “great collection of slanders” against Herodotus. His account was supported by Marcellinus in his Life of Thucydides. In fact Herodotus was in the habit of seeking out information from empowered sources within communities, such as aristocrats and priests, with Periclean Athens becoming his principal source of information about events in Greece. As a result, his reports about Greek events are often coloured by Athenian bias against rival states- Thebes and Corinth in particular.

Herodotus wrote his Histories in the Ionian dialect yet he was born in Halicarnassus, originally a Dorian settlement. According to the Suda (an 11th-century encyclopaedia of Byzantium which likely took its information from traditional accounts), Herodotus learned the Ionian dialect as a boy living on the island of Samos, whither he had fled with his family from the oppressions of Lygdamis, tyrant of Halicarnassus and grandson of Artemisia I of Caria. It was conventional in Herodotus's day for authors to ‘publish’ their works by reciting them at popular festivals. According to Lucian, Herodotus took his finished work straight from Asia Minor to the Olympic Games and read the entire Histories to the assembled spectators in one sitting, receiving rapturous applause at the end of it. Herodotus's recitation at Olympia was a favourite theme among ancient writers and there is another interesting variation on the story to be found in the Suda, Photius and Tzetzes, in which a young Thucydides happened to be in the assembly with his father and burst into tears during the recital, whereupon Herodotus observed prophetically to the boy's father: “Thy son's soul yearns for knowledge”.

Q. Why is it surprising that Herodotus wrote his Histories in the Ionian dialect?

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.
Herodotus has sometimes been labeled 'The Father of Lies' due to his tendency to report fanciful information, even about himself. Much of the information that others subsequently reported about him is just as fanciful, some of it is vindictive and some of it is blatantly absurd, yet it is interesting and therefore worth reporting: Herodotus himself reported dubious information if it was interesting, sometimes adding his own opinion about its reliability. Plutarch, a Theban by birth, once composed a “great collection of slanders” against Herodotus. His account was supported by Marcellinus in his Life of Thucydides. In fact Herodotus was in the habit of seeking out information from empowered sources within communities, such as aristocrats and priests, with Periclean Athens becoming his principal source of information about events in Greece. As a result, his reports about Greek events are often coloured by Athenian bias against rival states- Thebes and Corinth in particular.

Herodotus wrote his Histories in the Ionian dialect yet he was born in Halicarnassus, originally a Dorian settlement. According to the Suda (an 11th-century encyclopaedia of Byzantium which likely took its information from traditional accounts), Herodotus learned the Ionian dialect as a boy living on the island of Samos, whither he had fled with his family from the oppressions of Lygdamis, tyrant of Halicarnassus and grandson of Artemisia I of Caria. It was conventional in Herodotus's day for authors to ‘publish’ their works by reciting them at popular festivals. According to Lucian, Herodotus took his finished work straight from Asia Minor to the Olympic Games and read the entire Histories to the assembled spectators in one sitting, receiving rapturous applause at the end of it. Herodotus's recitation at Olympia was a favourite theme among ancient writers and there is another interesting variation on the story to be found in the Suda, Photius and Tzetzes, in which a young Thucydides happened to be in the assembly with his father and burst into tears during the recital, whereupon Herodotus observed prophetically to the boy's father: “Thy son's soul yearns for knowledge”.

Q. A fact about Herodotus could be:

Choose the synonym of the given word.

Despondent

Choose the synonym of the given word.  

Cavalier

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate sequence of prepositions given below.

Far separated______the crowd of fools, save only ______ their fate, were those who amid the mists_____error saw the light of Truth, and strove_____ tell men ______ her graces and perfections. The vulgar crowd could see no difference________the philosopher’s robe and the fool’s motley.  

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate set of words from the given options.

The great benefit which a scientific education bestows,_______as training or as knowledge, is dependent upon the extent to _______the mind of the student is brought into immediate contact with facts - _______the degree to which he learns the habit of appealing directly_____Nature, and of acquiring______ his senses concrete images of those properties of things, which are, and always will be,_______ approximately expressed in human language.

The options contain prepositions in a jumbled order. For the correct answer, choose the option, which presents the most logical sequence to fill in the blanks.

Having grown numb_______work, having lost a sense of what was permissible ______civilised society, the blackguards stooped_______ all sorts of disgusting behaviour, even blatantly violating the graves_____the deceased,________ their usual plunderings.

The options contain prepositions in a jumbled order. For the correct answer, choose the option, which presents the most logical sequence to fill in the blanks.

____dreams I do not recollect that state _____ feeling so common when awake, _____thinking____ one subject while unseeingly looking____ another.

Fill in the blanks with prepositions:

He told her how he spent the long hours walking__the lakeside and looking__ the coast__France.

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate pair of words from the given options.

Rather than a certain_________or gesture giving intentions away, a subtle _________of clues may emerge dynamically during brief encounters.

Choose the synonym of the given word.

audacious

A sentence is divided into five parts. Identify the part that has a grammatical error. 

While the French Revolution of 1789, / always had foreign dimensions and repercussions, / and became an international event, / with the revolutionary wars, though it originated as, / a domestic development in one large country.

Choose the incorrect part of the sentence.

Technology shapes our consciousness, McLuhan argued, / and the development of the printed book, / in the mid-fifteenth century had inaugurated, / a reorientation of human experience towards, / the visual, the regimented, uniform and the instrumental. 

Fill in the blanks in the passage with the most appropriate set of words from the options for each blank.

Can one generation bind another, and all subsequent generations, in_____A____ forever? Rights and powers can only belong to persons, not to mere matter that is not _____B______with will. The dead are not even things. The particles of matter which had _____C______their bodies, now make up a part of the bodies of other animals or minerals of a thousand forms. A generation may bind itself as long as its majority continues in life; when that has disappeared, another majority is in place and holds all the rights and powers their______D_______once held.

Q. A

Fill in the blanks in the passage with the most appropriate set of words from the options for each blank.

Can one generation bind another, and all subsequent generations, in_____A____ forever? Rights and powers can only belong to persons, not to mere matter that is not _____B______with will. The dead are not even things. The particles of matter which had _____C______their bodies, now make up a part of the bodies of other animals or minerals of a thousand forms. A generation may bind itself as long as its majority continues in life; when that has disappeared, another majority is in place and holds all the rights and powers their______D_______once held.

Q. B

Fill in the blanks in the passage with the most appropriate set of words from the options for each blank.

Can one generation bind another, and all subsequent generations, in_____A____ forever? Rights and powers can only belong to persons, not to mere matter that is not _____B______with will. The dead are not even things. The particles of matter which had _____C______their bodies, now make up a part of the bodies of other animals or minerals of a thousand forms. A generation may bind itself as long as its majority continues in life; when that has disappeared, another majority is in place and holds all the rights and powers their______D_______once held.

Q. C

Fill in the blanks in the passage with the most appropriate set of words from the options for each blank.

Can one generation bind another, and all subsequent generations, in_____A____ forever? Rights and powers can only belong to persons, not to mere matter that is not _____B______with will. The dead are not even things. The particles of matter which had _____C______their bodies, now make up a part of the bodies of other animals or minerals of a thousand forms. A generation may bind itself as long as its majority continues in life; when that has disappeared, another majority is in place and holds all the rights and powers their______D_______once held.

Q. D