Usage & Vocabulary Practice
20 practice items across the four question types most commonly tested in this section — error correction, idioms & phrases in context, one-word substitution, and vocabulary-in-context — pitched at the more formal, administrative register UPSC passages typically use.
Q1
The committee have submitted their recommendations to the ministry.
Show Error, Correction & Rule
have → has
Collective noun acting as a single unit takes a singular verb: 'the committee has submitted', since it is acting as one body, not as separate individuals.
Q2
Neither the Secretary nor the Joint Secretaries was present at the meeting.
Show Error, Correction & Rule
was → were
With 'neither...nor' / 'either...or', the verb agrees with the nearer subject — here, the plural 'Joint Secretaries', so the verb must be plural: 'were'.
Q3
The report, along with its annexures, were submitted yesterday.
Show Error, Correction & Rule
were → was
'Along with' is a preposition, not a conjunction — it does not create a compound subject. The true subject is 'the report' (singular), so the verb must be singular: 'was'.
Q4
He is one of the officers who was transferred last month.
Show Error, Correction & Rule
was → were
In the construction 'one of the + plural noun + who', the relative pronoun 'who' refers back to the plural noun ('officers'), not to 'one' — so the verb must be plural: 'were'.
Q5
The Ministry insisted that the report should be submit before the deadline.
Show Error, Correction & Rule
submit → submitted
The passive construction 'should be + past participle' requires the past participle form after 'be', not the base form: 'should be submitted'.
Q1
Despite the criticism, the officer decided to ___ and implement the reform regardless.
Show Idiom & Meaning
stick to his guns
to remain firm in one's position despite pressure or opposition to change it.
Q2
The new policy was announced ___, taking even senior bureaucrats by surprise.
Show Idiom & Meaning
out of the blue
unexpectedly, without any prior warning or indication.
Q3
After years of delay, the project was finally given the ___ by the cabinet.
Show Idiom & Meaning
green light
official approval or permission to proceed with a plan.
Q4
The minister's promise to reform the department turned out to be nothing but ___.
Show Idiom & Meaning
hot air
empty talk or promises with no real substance or intention behind them.
Q5
The bureaucracy's resistance to change often amounts to ___ rather than genuine reform.
Show Idiom & Meaning
window dressing
making superficial changes to create a favourable impression, without addressing the underlying issue.
Q1
A person who can speak two languages fluently
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Bilingual
Q2
Government by a small, powerful elite group
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Oligarchy
Q3
The murder of one's own brother
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Fratricide
Q4
One who loves and works for the welfare of mankind
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Philanthropist
Q5
A statement that is deliberately vague or ambiguous, especially in official language
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Equivocation
The minister's terse reply left reporters with more questions than answers.
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(B) Brief and to the point, verging on curt
Critics dismissed the policy as a mere palliative, not a genuine solution.
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(A) Something that relieves symptoms without curing the underlying problem
The report's findings were corroborated by three independent surveys.
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(B) Confirmed or supported by additional evidence
Bureaucratic inertia often stalls implementation long after a policy is announced.
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(B) Resistance to change or a tendency to remain inactive
The committee's report was refreshingly candid about the scheme's failures.
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(B) Evasive or guarded