The new regulation will _____ every business operating in the region, not just the large corporations.

• A. effect
• B. affect (Answer)
• C. inflict
• D. impact on

'Affect' (verb) means to have an influence on something. 'Effect' is almost always a noun meaning a result or outcome — 'the effect of the regulation'. A common exam trap: 'impact on' requires the preposition 'on' and is wordier; 'inflict' means to impose something harmful and does not fit the neutral meaning here. Rule of thumb: if you can substitute 'influence', use 'affect'.

_____ had the CEO finished her opening remarks _____ the shareholders began raising objections.

• A. Hardly / when
• B. No sooner / than (Answer)
• C. Scarcely / before
• D. Barely / then

'No sooner … than' is the fixed inverted structure for two events that follow each other almost immediately. Note: the inverted auxiliary precedes the subject ('No sooner had the CEO finished'). 'Hardly/when' and 'Scarcely/before' are also valid paired conjunctions for the same meaning, but the question offers only 'Hardly/when' — which is correct — as a distractor. Here, only option B provides the complete and conventional pair 'No sooner … than'. Option D ('Barely/then') is not a recognised paired structure in standard English.

Please _____ the book on the table; I will read it after dinner.

• A. lie
• B. lay (Answer)
• C. lain
• D. laid

'Lay' (transitive) means to place something down — it always requires a direct object ('lay the book'). 'Lie' (intransitive) means to recline and takes no object. The confusion arises because the past tense of 'lie' is 'lay' ('I lay down yesterday'), which looks identical to the present tense of 'lay'. Here, the subject ('you' implied) is performing an action on a direct object ('the book'), so the transitive verb 'lay' is needed. 'Lain' is the past participle of 'lie'; 'laid' is the past tense/past participle of 'lay' — neither fits the present imperative required here.

The board finally _____ a solution after hours of negotiation — they agreed to merge both departments.

• A. came up with (Answer)
• B. came across
• C. came about
• D. came up against

'Come up with' means to produce, devise, or find (a solution, idea, or plan). 'Come across' means to find something by chance or to make a particular impression. 'Come about' means to happen or occur. 'Come up against' means to encounter an obstacle. The context ('agreed to merge') confirms that a solution was actively devised, making 'came up with' the only correct choice.

The factory was _____ for three days due to the workers' strike.

• A. shut up
• B. shut out
• C. shut down (Answer)
• D. shut off

'Shut down' means to stop operating, typically applied to a machine, factory, or business — either temporarily or permanently. 'Shut up' means to stop talking or to close a place securely (informal). 'Shut out' means to exclude someone. 'Shut off' means to stop the flow of something (water, gas, electricity) and is used for utilities, not entire operational facilities.

The scientist's data did not _____ the hypothesis proposed in the original paper.

• A. bare out
• B. bear out (Answer)
• C. born out
• D. bore out

'Bear out' means to confirm or support a statement, theory, or belief. This is a classic spelling trap in competitive exams. 'Bare' means uncovered (adjective) or to expose (verb — 'bare your teeth'). 'Bore' is the past tense of 'bear' in other senses (he bore the weight). 'Born out' does not exist as a phrasal verb. The idiom is always written 'bear out'.

Only after the verdict was announced _____ the full impact of the ruling.

• A. the public realised
• B. did the public realise (Answer)
• C. the public did realise
• D. had the public realised

When a negative or restrictive adverbial phrase ('Only after…') is placed at the beginning of a sentence, the subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted — a structure called 'fronted inversion'. The correct form is: Only after X + auxiliary + subject + main verb. So: 'Only after the verdict was announced did the public realise'. Option A lacks the inversion. Option C places the auxiliary between subject and verb, which is incorrect. Option D uses past perfect, which would imply the realisation preceded the verdict — the opposite of the intended meaning.

He tried to _____ the argument by presenting new evidence at the last moment.

• A. win over (Answer)
• B. win through
• C. win back
• D. win out

'Win over' means to persuade someone to support your side or to gain someone's agreement. 'Win through' means to succeed after overcoming difficulty (usually self-referential — 'we won through'). 'Win back' means to regain something previously lost. 'Win out' means to ultimately succeed, often despite difficulties. The context ('persuading others by presenting evidence') requires 'win over', which is specifically used for changing another person's opinion.

The professor insisted that the student _____ the entire assignment before the deadline.

• A. rewrite (Answer)
• B. rewrites
• C. rewrote
• D. had rewritten

After verbs of insistence, demand, suggestion, recommendation, and request, English uses the subjunctive mood — the base form of the verb without inflection (no -s, -ed, or auxiliary). This is called the mandative subjunctive: 'insisted that the student rewrite' (not 'rewrites' or 'rewrote'). This is a key SSC/Bank PO exam trap — the -s ending in Option B looks natural but is grammatically incorrect in this construction.

The aggressive marketing campaign was designed to _____ the competitor's loyal customer base.

• A. poach (Answer)
• B. pouch
• C. broach
• D. encroach

'Poach' means to unlawfully take something belonging to another — originally applied to stealing animals, now used for taking employees, clients, or customers from a competitor. 'Pouch' is a noun (a small bag). 'Broach' means to raise a subject for discussion ('broach a topic'). 'Encroach' means to gradually intrude on another's territory or rights — it implies passive boundary-crossing, not the active, targeted acquisition the context describes.