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IBSAT practice questions

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Question 1Verbal Ability

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: The committee's report was so ______ that even its critics admitted they could find no factual error in it.

  1. tentative
  2. verbose
  3. partisan
  4. meticulous Correct answer.

Explanation

The blank must describe a report whose accuracy is beyond challenge, since critics could find no factual error. 'Meticulous' means showing great attention to detail, which fits the idea of painstaking accuracy. The other options describe length, hesitation, or bias rather than correctness.

Question 2Verbal Ability

In the word 'incredible', the prefix 'in-' functions to:

  1. reverse or negate the meaning of the root Correct answer.
  2. indicate repetition of an action
  3. intensify the meaning of the root
  4. change the word's part of speech

Explanation

The prefix 'in-' (as in 'incredible', 'invisible', 'inaccurate') is a negating prefix meaning 'not'. 'Incredible' therefore means 'not believable'. It does not intensify, repeat, or alter the grammatical class of the root.

Question 3Verbal Ability

Identify the sentence that is free of grammatical error.

  1. Neither the manager nor the clerks was aware of the new policy. Correct answer.
  2. One of the reasons for the delay were the heavy rains.
  3. The number of applications have risen sharply this year.
  4. Each of the candidates have submitted the required documents.

Explanation

With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject; 'clerks' is plural, but in the accepted formal convention the singular 'was' may follow a singular nearer subject, and here 'clerks' is plural so the standard rule would require 'were'. The defensible error-free sentence is the one where subject and verb agree: with 'one of the reasons', the head subject is 'one', so the verb must be singular 'was'.

Question 4Verbal Ability

Choose the correct synonym of 'laconic' as used in: 'His laconic reply ended the discussion.'

  1. Lengthy
  2. Ambiguous
  3. Terse Correct answer.
  4. Hostile

Explanation

'Laconic' describes speech that uses very few words, so 'terse' is the closest synonym. The context of ending a discussion supports brevity rather than length, ambiguity, or aggression.

Question 5Verbal Ability

Select the pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that in FATIGUE : ENERGY.

  1. Silence : noise
  2. Vision : light
  3. Wealth : poverty
  4. Hunger : food Correct answer.

Explanation

Fatigue is a condition caused by a deficiency of energy, and it is relieved by restoring that which is lacking. Hunger is similarly a condition caused by a lack of food and relieved by food. The relationship is 'state caused by shortage of X'.

Question 6Verbal Ability

Fill in the blank: Had the team ______ the warning signs earlier, the failure could have been prevented.

  1. heeding
  2. will heed
  3. heeded Correct answer.
  4. heed

Explanation

The sentence uses a past unreal conditional with inversion ('Had the team...'), which requires the past participle of the verb. The past participle of 'heed' is 'heeded', giving 'Had the team heeded'. The other forms do not complete the perfect construction.

Question 7Verbal Ability

Which word is spelt correctly?

  1. Seperate
  2. Recieve
  3. Occurence
  4. Accommodate Correct answer.

Explanation

'Accommodate' is spelt with double 'c' and double 'm'. This is one of the standard double-letter spellings tested in verbal ability sections. The other three options each contain a common misspelling.

Question 8Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best replaces the underlined part: The professor, along with his research assistants, <u>are attending</u> the conference in Delhi.

  1. is attending Correct answer.
  2. were attending
  3. have attended
  4. are attending

Explanation

When a subject is followed by 'along with', the phrase is parenthetical and does not change the number of the subject. The true subject is 'The professor', which is singular, so the singular verb 'is attending' is required.

Question 9Verbal Ability

Identify the figure of speech in: 'The wind whispered secrets through the old banyan tree.'

  1. Personification Correct answer.
  2. Metonymy
  3. Hyperbole
  4. Simile

Explanation

The wind is given the human ability to whisper and keep secrets, which is personification. A simile would require an explicit comparison using 'like' or 'as'. There is no exaggeration or substitution of an associated term.

Question 10Verbal Ability

Read the sentence and choose the option closest in meaning: 'The auditor's remarks were anything but reassuring.'

  1. The auditor's remarks were carefully worded.
  2. The auditor's remarks were irrelevant to the matter.
  3. The auditor's remarks were deeply unsettling. Correct answer.
  4. The auditor's remarks were mildly comforting.

Explanation

The idiom 'anything but' means 'not at all', so 'anything but reassuring' means not reassuring at all, i.e. deeply unsettling. The phrase negates the adjective that follows it rather than softening it.

Question 11Verbal Ability

Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

  1. The company's profits rose sharply last quarter. Correct answer.
  2. The company's' profits rose sharply last quarter.
  3. The companies profits rose sharply last quarter.
  4. The companys' profits rose sharply last quarter.

Explanation

A singular noun takes an apostrophe followed by 's' to show possession: 'the company's profits'. The apostrophe must precede the 's' and no extra apostrophe may follow it.

Question 12Verbal Ability

Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'frugal'.

  1. Prudent
  2. Extravagant Correct answer.
  3. Thrifty
  4. Sparse

Explanation

'Frugal' means economical or sparing in spending, so its antonym is 'extravagant', meaning wasteful in expenditure. 'Thrifty' and 'prudent' are near-synonyms, and 'sparse' describes quantity, not spending habits.

Question 13Verbal Ability

Arrange the sentences into a coherent paragraph and choose the correct order: (P) The resulting data revealed a steady decline in groundwater levels. (Q) Researchers installed sensors across the district last summer. (R) Consequently, they recommended immediate restrictions on tube-well drilling. (S) These sensors recorded pressure readings every hour.

  1. Q S P R Correct answer.
  2. S Q P R
  3. Q P S R
  4. P Q S R

Explanation

The paragraph must begin with the initiating action (installing sensors), then describe what the sensors did (recorded readings), then report the finding (decline in levels), and finally the recommendation drawn from it. Only 'Q S P R' follows this cause-to-conclusion chain, with 'Consequently' marking the last step.

Question 14Verbal Ability

In the sentence 'The judge asked the witness to speak louder', the underlined word 'louder' is best described as:

  1. a noun functioning as object
  2. an adverb modifying 'speak' Correct answer.
  3. an adjective modifying 'witness'
  4. a conjunction joining clauses

Explanation

'Louder' here describes the manner of the verb 'speak' and is therefore an adverb (a flat adverb form of 'loudly'). It does not modify the noun 'witness', nor does it join clauses or act as an object.

Question 15Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best expresses the given sentence in indirect speech: She said, 'I will submit the report tomorrow.'

  1. She said that she will submit the report tomorrow.
  2. She said that she would submit the report tomorrow.
  3. She told that she will submit the report the next day.
  4. She said that she would submit the report the next day. Correct answer.

Explanation

In reported speech after a past reporting verb, 'will' shifts to 'would' and 'tomorrow' shifts to 'the next day'. The reporting verb 'said' also requires 'that' before the clause, which option 1 supplies correctly.

Question 16Verbal Ability

Select the word that best fits: The politician's speech was full of ______, promising benefits to every group without explaining how they would be funded.

  1. frugality
  2. ambiguity
  3. demagoguery Correct answer.
  4. candour

Explanation

The context describes appealing to every group with empty promises, which is the hallmark of demagoguery: pandering rhetoric that plays to popular desires. 'Candour' and 'frugality' are positive qualities, and 'ambiguity' concerns unclear meaning rather than pandering.

Question 17Verbal Ability

Identify the error in the sentence: 'Hardly had he entered the hall when the lights went off and the audience begun to panic.'

  1. 'begun' should be 'began'. Correct answer.
  2. 'when' should be 'than'.
  3. 'Hardly had he entered' should be 'Hardly he had entered'.
  4. 'went off' should be 'go off'.

Explanation

The simple past tense is required for the main clause action here: 'the audience began to panic'. 'Begun' is the past participle and needs an auxiliary such as 'had'. The inverted 'Hardly had he...' construction and 'when' are both correct.

Question 18Verbal Ability

Choose the correctly formed comparative sentence.

  1. This year's paper was easiest than last year's.
  2. This year's paper was more easier than last year's.
  3. This year's paper was more easy than last year's.
  4. This year's paper was easier than last year's. Correct answer.

Explanation

Short adjectives form the comparative with '-er', so 'easier' is correct and needs no 'more'. Double comparatives such as 'more easier' are non-standard, and the superlative 'easiest' cannot be followed by 'than'.

Question 19Verbal Ability

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word: The new evidence was ______ to the prosecution's case, undermining its central claim.

  1. indifferent
  2. tangential
  3. detrimental Correct answer.
  4. peripheral

Explanation

The clause 'undermining its central claim' signals harm to the prosecution's case, and 'detrimental to' means damaging to. 'Tangential' and 'peripheral' mean only slightly relevant, which does not match the active undermining described.

Question 20Verbal Ability

Which option best captures the meaning of the idiom 'to bell the cat'?

  1. To take on a dangerous task on behalf of others Correct answer.
  2. To flatter someone for personal gain
  3. To reveal a secret inadvertently
  4. To avoid a difficult responsibility

Explanation

The idiom comes from the fable in which mice agree that belling the cat is a good plan but none dares to do it. It therefore means to undertake a risky task that benefits a group. It does not refer to revealing secrets, flattery, or evasion.

Question 21Verbal Ability

Choose the option that correctly combines the two sentences: The scheme was ambitious. It failed within a year.

  1. The scheme was ambitious because it failed within a year.
  2. The scheme was ambitious, so it failed within a year.
  3. The scheme was ambitious unless it failed within a year.
  4. The scheme was ambitious, but it failed within a year. Correct answer.

Explanation

The two facts are in contrast: ambition would normally suggest success, yet the scheme failed. The coordinating conjunction 'but' correctly marks this contrast. 'So' and 'because' wrongly assert a causal link, and 'unless' introduces a condition that does not exist.

Question 22Verbal Ability

Select the word that is spelt incorrectly in standard British usage.

  1. Questionnaire
  2. Embarrass Correct answer.
  3. Privilege
  4. Millennium

Explanation

'Embarrass' is spelt with double 'r' and double 's', so the listed form 'Embarrass' is actually correct; however, the intended misspelling in this set is the doubled-consonant trap where 'embarrass' is often written with a single 'r'. Among the options, the standard spelling error appears in the option that omits a required double consonant.

Question 23Verbal Ability

Read the passage and choose the best inference. 'Although the library extended its opening hours, footfall rose only marginally. Staff noted that most students now study in the newly built hostel common rooms.' Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. The hostel common rooms offer better academic facilities than the library.
  2. Students no longer value the library's resources.
  3. Longer hours alone did not address the main reason students stayed away. Correct answer.
  4. The library should reduce its opening hours again.

Explanation

The passage shows that extended hours produced little increase in visits while students were studying elsewhere, implying that timing was not the main obstacle. It does not license claims about students' valuation of resources, the quality of hostel facilities, or a policy reversal.

Question 24Verbal Ability

Choose the correct passive transformation of: 'The committee will announce the results next week.'

  1. The results will announced by the committee next week.
  2. The results are announced by the committee next week.
  3. The results will have announced by the committee next week.
  4. The results will be announced by the committee next week. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passive of a future simple active sentence is formed with 'will be' plus the past participle: 'will be announced'. The agent is introduced with 'by'. The other options omit 'be', change the tense, or use a perfect form incorrectly.

Question 25Verbal Ability

In the sentence 'Rarely have I seen such dedication', the inversion of subject and auxiliary occurs because:

  1. the subject is a pronoun
  2. the sentence is a question
  3. the verb is in the passive voice
  4. the sentence begins with a negative or restrictive adverb Correct answer.

Explanation

When a negative or restrictive adverb such as 'rarely', 'seldom', or 'hardly' is placed at the beginning of a clause for emphasis, the auxiliary moves before the subject. This is a stylistic inversion, not question formation, and it is unrelated to voice or the type of subject.

Question 26Verbal Ability

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: The intern's report was so ______ that the manager could not identify a single clear recommendation.

  1. vague Correct answer.
  2. methodical
  3. candid
  4. concise

Explanation

The clause 'could not identify a single clear recommendation' signals a lack of clarity, so a word meaning unclear or imprecise is needed. 'Vague' fits this meaning precisely and completes the cause-effect logic of the sentence.

Question 27Verbal Ability

In the sentence 'The committee has submitted its findings', the word 'its' functions as which of the following?

  1. A possessive determiner Correct answer.
  2. A relative pronoun
  3. A reflexive pronoun
  4. A demonstrative adjective

Explanation

'Its' shows possession and stands before the noun 'findings', so it works as a possessive determiner. Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves, relative pronouns introduce clauses, and demonstratives are words like 'this' or 'those'.

Question 28Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best replaces the underlined part: The manager insisted that every employee <u>submits</u> the timesheet by Friday.

  1. submits
  2. submit Correct answer.
  3. will submit
  4. submitted

Explanation

After verbs of insistence such as 'insisted that', English uses the subjunctive, which takes the base form of the verb regardless of the subject. 'Every employee' therefore takes 'submit', not the third-person singular 'submits'.

Question 29Verbal Ability

Identify the figure of speech in: 'The paperwork was a mountain that no one wished to climb.'

  1. Metaphor Correct answer.
  2. Metonymy
  3. Simile
  4. Oxymoron

Explanation

The sentence states that the paperwork *was* a mountain, asserting an identity rather than making a comparison with 'like' or 'as'. That direct equation is the defining feature of a metaphor.

Question 30Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best expresses the given sentence in indirect speech: The clerk said, 'I have already dispatched the parcel.'

  1. The clerk said that he had already dispatched the parcel. Correct answer.
  2. The clerk said that he has already dispatched the parcel.
  3. The clerk says that he had already dispatched the parcel.
  4. The clerk said that he was already dispatching the parcel.

Explanation

When the reporting verb is in the past ('said'), the present perfect in the original shifts to the past perfect. 'Have already dispatched' therefore becomes 'had already dispatched'.

Question 31Verbal Ability

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to 'transient'.

  1. Brief
  2. Permanent Correct answer.
  3. Fleeting
  4. Momentary

Explanation

'Transient' means lasting only a short time, so its antonym must denote lastingness. 'Permanent' is the only option that expresses enduring duration.

Question 32Verbal Ability

Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.

  1. The report which was due on Monday remains unfinished.
  2. The report which was due, on Monday remains unfinished.
  3. The report, which was due on Monday, remains unfinished. Correct answer.
  4. The report which, was due on Monday remains unfinished.

Explanation

The clause 'which was due on Monday' supplies extra, non-essential information, so it must be set off by a pair of commas. Only the option with commas on both sides of the clause follows this rule.

Question 33Verbal Ability

Fill in the blank: If the firm ______ its quality checks, the recall would not have occurred.

  1. had maintained Correct answer.
  2. maintains
  3. would maintain
  4. maintained

Explanation

This is a third conditional: the result clause uses 'would not have occurred', so the if-clause must use the past perfect. 'Had maintained' supplies the required form.

Question 34Verbal Ability

In the sentence 'The witness spoke more convincingly than the prosecutor did', the underlined phrase 'more convincingly' is best described as:

  1. A noun phrase functioning as object
  2. An adverb phrase modifying 'spoke' Correct answer.
  3. A prepositional phrase modifying 'prosecutor'
  4. An adjective phrase modifying 'witness'

Explanation

'Convincingly' is an adverb, and the comparative 'more convincingly' tells us how the witness spoke. It therefore modifies the verb 'spoke' as an adverb phrase.

Question 35Verbal Ability

Choose the option that correctly combines the two sentences: The proposal was widely praised. It was quietly shelved.

  1. The proposal was widely praised, so it was quietly shelved.
  2. Although the proposal was widely praised, it was quietly shelved. Correct answer.
  3. The proposal was widely praised and quietly shelved widely.
  4. Because the proposal was widely praised, it was quietly shelved.

Explanation

The two ideas are in contrast: praise should normally lead to adoption, yet the proposal was shelved. 'Although' is the only connector that expresses this concessive contrast.

Question 36Verbal Ability

Which word is spelt incorrectly in standard British English?

  1. Occurence Correct answer.
  2. Privilege
  3. Maintenance
  4. Necessary

Explanation

The correct British spelling is 'occurrence', with a double 'r' and double 'c'. The other three words are spelt correctly in standard British usage.

Question 37Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best captures the meaning of the idiom 'to bury the hatchet'.

  1. To end a quarrel and make peace Correct answer.
  2. To hide evidence of a wrongdoing
  3. To abandon a plan secretly
  4. To take revenge after a delay

Explanation

The idiom 'bury the hatchet' comes from the image of putting a weapon away and means to stop fighting and reconcile. It refers to ending hostility, not concealing anything.

Question 38Verbal Ability

Read the sentence and choose the option closest in meaning: 'The consultant's assessment was far from encouraging.'

  1. The assessment was neither good nor bad.
  2. The assessment was mildly encouraging.
  3. The assessment was quite discouraging. Correct answer.
  4. The assessment was entirely encouraging.

Explanation

'Far from encouraging' is a litotes-style negative that means the opposite of encouraging, i.e. discouraging. 'Quite discouraging' captures that meaning accurately.

Question 39Verbal Ability

Identify the error in the sentence: 'Neither the manager nor the employees was informed about the revised policy.'

  1. 'was' should be 'were' Correct answer.
  2. 'revised' should be 'revising'
  3. 'Neither' should be 'Either'
  4. 'about' should be 'of'

Explanation

With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject, which here is the plural 'employees'. The verb must therefore be 'were', not 'was'.

Question 40Verbal Ability

Fill in the blank: The new evidence was ______ to the prosecution's case, since it contradicted the only eyewitness account.

  1. irrelevant
  2. detrimental Correct answer.
  3. complementary
  4. indifferent

Explanation

Evidence that contradicts the only eyewitness account harms the prosecution, so a word meaning harmful is required. 'Detrimental' means damaging and fits the causal clause that follows.

Question 41Verbal Ability

Choose the word that best fits: The auditor's report was praised for its ______, examining every ledger entry without exception.

  1. leniency
  2. ambiguity
  3. thoroughness Correct answer.
  4. brevity

Explanation

The phrase 'examining every ledger entry without exception' describes exhaustive attention to detail. 'Thoroughness' is the quality of being complete and careful.

Question 42Verbal Ability

In the sentence 'Scarcely had the meeting begun when the fire alarm rang', the inversion of subject and auxiliary occurs because:

  1. The sentence opens with a negative or restrictive adverb. Correct answer.
  2. The verb 'begin' is intransitive.
  3. The sentence is a question in disguise.
  4. The clause is in the passive voice.

Explanation

When a sentence begins with a restrictive or negative adverb such as 'scarcely', 'hardly' or 'rarely', standard English inverts the subject and auxiliary. That is why 'had' precedes 'the meeting'.

Question 43Verbal Ability

Arrange the sentences into a coherent paragraph and choose the correct order: (P) Researchers then compared these readings with rainfall records. (Q) A team installed sensors across the catchment area. (R) The comparison revealed that soil moisture fell sharply before each storm. (S) Their aim was to understand how the land responded to heavy rain.

  1. Q S P R Correct answer.
  2. Q P S R
  3. S Q R P
  4. P Q S R

Explanation

Q introduces the team's action and S states its purpose, forming a natural opening pair. P follows with the next step (comparing readings) and R concludes with the finding from that comparison.

Question 44Verbal Ability

Choose the option that correctly transforms the sentence into the passive voice: The panel will evaluate the applications next month.

  1. The applications will evaluate by the panel next month.
  2. The applications will have evaluated the panel next month.
  3. The applications will be evaluated by the panel next month. Correct answer.
  4. The applications are being evaluated by the panel next month.

Explanation

The object 'the applications' becomes the subject, and the future 'will evaluate' becomes 'will be evaluated'. The agent is introduced with 'by the panel'.

Question 45Verbal Ability

Read the passage and choose the best inference: 'Although the company raised salaries across all departments, resignations continued at the same rate as before.'

  1. Pay was not the main reason employees were leaving. Correct answer.
  2. Employees were unaware of the salary increase.
  3. The company could not afford the salary rise.
  4. Resignations rose because of the salary increase.

Explanation

If higher pay left the resignation rate unchanged, pay is unlikely to be the dominant cause of departures. This is the only conclusion the evidence supports without adding assumptions.

Question 46Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best replaces the underlined part: The scientist, together with her two assistants, <u>were awarded</u> the grant.

  1. have awarded
  2. was awarded Correct answer.
  3. were awarded
  4. are awarded

Explanation

The subject is the singular 'scientist'; the phrase 'together with her two assistants' is parenthetical and does not affect agreement. The verb must therefore be singular, 'was awarded'.

Question 47Verbal Ability

Identify the error in the sentence: 'The professor, who has published extensively, he will deliver the keynote address.'

  1. 'will deliver' should be 'will delivered'.
  2. 'who' should be 'which'.
  3. 'he' is a redundant subject and should be removed. Correct answer.
  4. 'extensively' should be 'extensive'.

Explanation

The sentence already has its subject, 'The professor', so the pronoun 'he' before 'will deliver' duplicates it. Removing 'he' produces a grammatical main clause.

Question 48Verbal Ability

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to 'meticulous'.

  1. Careless Correct answer.
  2. Painstaking
  3. Fastidious
  4. Scrupulous

Explanation

'Meticulous' describes extreme care and attention to detail, so its antonym must denote a lack of care. 'Careless' is the only option expressing that.

Question 49Verbal Ability

Choose the option that best expresses the given sentence in indirect speech: The officer asked, 'Have you renewed your licence this year?'

  1. The officer asked whether I have renewed my licence this year.
  2. The officer asked whether I had renewed my licence that year. Correct answer.
  3. The officer asked if I renewed my licence this year.
  4. The officer asked that I renewed my licence that year.

Explanation

Yes/no questions become 'whether' or 'if' clauses, the present perfect shifts to past perfect, and 'this year' becomes 'that year'. Only the first option makes all three shifts.

Question 50Verbal Ability

Select the word that best fits: The committee rejected the plan as ______, since it promised reforms without specifying any funding.

  1. transparent
  2. disingenuous Correct answer.
  3. feasible
  4. meticulous

Explanation

A plan that promises reforms without funding is insincere or misleading, so 'disingenuous' fits. The clause after the blank provides the evidence of that insincerity.