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UIIC AO practice questions

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Question 1English Language

Choose the word that best fits the blank: The committee's report was so ______ that even the dissenting members accepted its conclusions without demur.

  1. truculent
  2. cogent Correct answer.
  3. perfunctory
  4. desultory

Explanation

The clause 'even the dissenting members accepted its conclusions' signals that the report was persuasive and logically forceful, which is the meaning of 'cogent'. 'Truculent' means aggressively defiant, 'desultory' means lacking plan, and 'perfunctory' means done routinely without care; none explains acceptance by opponents.

Question 2English Language

Select the correctly spelt word to complete the sentence: The auditor refused to ______ the inflated figures submitted by the branch office.

  1. autenticate
  2. authenticate Correct answer.
  3. authenticatee
  4. authanticate

Explanation

The standard spelling is 'authenticate', from 'authentic' plus the verb suffix '-ate'. The other forms either drop the internal 'h' or add a suffix that turns the word into a noun or a non-existent variant.

Question 3English Language

Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: The manager, along with his two assistants, (A) / were asked to submit (B) / the revised statements before (C) / the close of business on Friday (D).

  1. A
  2. C
  3. D
  4. B Correct answer.

Explanation

When a subject is followed by 'along with', the accompanying phrase does not change the number of the subject, so the singular 'manager' requires the singular verb 'was asked'. Part B wrongly uses the plural 'were'.

Question 4English Language

Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom in capitals: The new compliance officer LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED while tracing the source of the leak.

  1. abandoned the investigation midway
  2. turned the matter over to auditors
  3. openly blamed senior colleagues
  4. examined every possible source thoroughly Correct answer.

Explanation

'Leave no stone unturned' means to search or investigate in every possible way until nothing remains unchecked. The sentence context of tracing a leak confirms a thorough search rather than blame, abandonment, or delegation.

Question 5English Language

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate preposition: The bank agreed to insure the consignment ______ all risks during transit.

  1. against Correct answer.
  2. upon
  3. for
  4. with

Explanation

The verb 'insure' takes 'against' to name the risk covered, as in 'insured against fire'. 'For' can indicate the sum insured but not the risk itself, and 'upon' and 'with' do not collocate with 'insure' in this sense.

Question 6English Language

Choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to 'stringent' as used in 'stringent lending norms'.

  1. exacting
  2. lax Correct answer.
  3. rigorous
  4. severe

Explanation

'Stringent' means strict and demanding, so its antonym is 'lax', meaning loose or insufficiently strict. 'Rigorous', 'exacting' and 'severe' are all near-synonyms of stringent and therefore cannot be the opposite.

Question 7English Language

Select the option that correctly substitutes the underlined phrase: The clerk who had been accused of negligence was asked to explain his conduct to the disciplinary panel.

  1. The clerk accused of negligence Correct answer.
  2. The clerk who accusing negligence
  3. The clerk accusing of negligence
  4. The clerk been accused of negligence

Explanation

A reduced relative clause uses the past participle 'accused' without 'who' and without a form of 'be', giving 'The clerk accused of negligence'. This keeps the passive meaning that the clerk was the one accused.

Question 8English Language

Identify the figure of speech in 'The audit report was a bombshell that scattered the boardroom into silence.'

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

Explanation

The report is directly called 'a bombshell' without using 'like' or 'as', which is the defining structure of a metaphor. A simile would require an explicit comparison word, personification would give human qualities to a non-human thing, and an oxymoron would pair contradictory terms.

Question 9English Language

Choose the correct form to complete the sentence: Had the branch manager verified the signatures, the fraud ______ detected much earlier.

  1. would be
  2. will have been
  3. had been
  4. would have been Correct answer.

Explanation

An inverted third conditional with 'Had + subject + past participle' in the if-clause requires 'would have + past participle' in the main clause. 'Would have been detected' correctly expresses the unreal past result.

Question 10English Language

In the sentence 'The regulator, having examined the books, ordered a fresh valuation', the underlined participial phrase functions as:

  1. an adjective modifying the valuation
  2. an adverbial phrase showing an earlier action Correct answer.
  3. a noun phrase acting as object
  4. an absolute construction with its own subject

Explanation

The perfect participle phrase 'having examined the books' modifies the main verb 'ordered' by indicating an action completed before it, so it works adverbially. It does not describe the valuation, serve as an object, or carry an independent subject of its own.

Question 11English Language

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: The tribunal found the insurer's denial of the claim ______, as no exclusion in the policy covered the loss.

  1. indefatigable
  2. indelible
  3. indefensible Correct answer.
  4. indiscreet

Explanation

The reason given, that no exclusion applied, means the denial could not be justified, which is 'indefensible'. 'Indefatigable' means tireless, 'indelible' means impossible to erase, and 'indiscreet' means lacking prudence; none fits the logic of unjustified refusal.

Question 12English Language

Choose the option that best combines the two sentences without changing the meaning: The proposal was costly. The board approved it unanimously.

  1. As costly the proposal was, the board approved it unanimously.
  2. The proposal was costly as the board approved it unanimously.
  3. Costly as the proposal was, the board approved it unanimously. Correct answer.
  4. Costly although the proposal was, the board approved it unanimously.

Explanation

The concessive construction 'Adjective + as + subject + verb' means 'although the proposal was costly', which preserves the contrast in the original pair. The other options either misuse the conjunction order or lose the concessive meaning entirely.

Question 13English Language

Identify the error in the sentence: Neither the underwriter nor the claims officers was available when the surveyor called.

  1. 'when' should be 'while'
  2. 'neither' should be 'either'
  3. 'nor' should be 'or'
  4. 'was' should be 'were' Correct answer.

Explanation

With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject, which is the plural 'claims officers', so the plural 'were' is required. 'Neither' and 'nor' are correctly paired, and 'when' is acceptable for a point in time.

Question 14English Language

Choose the most appropriate word: The circular was ______ drafted and contained several clauses that contradicted the master policy.

  1. hastily Correct answer.
  2. hardly
  3. nearly
  4. lately

Explanation

The second clause reports contradictions, which explains why the drafting was done in haste, so the adverb 'hastily' fits. 'Hardly' means scarcely, 'lately' means recently, and 'nearly' means almost; none explains defective drafting.

Question 15English Language

In the sentence 'What the surveyor reported at the site surprised the loss assessors', the underlined clause 'What the surveyor reported at the site' is:

  1. a nominal clause acting as subject Correct answer.
  2. an adjectival clause modifying 'surveyor'
  3. a relative clause modifying 'assessors'
  4. an adverbial clause of place

Explanation

The clause introduced by 'what' fills the subject position of the verb 'surprised', so it is a nominal (noun) clause functioning as subject. It does not modify a noun, since adjectival and relative clauses do, and it does not express place.

Question 16English Language

Choose the option that correctly reports the sentence: The inspector said, "I will submit the findings tomorrow."

  1. The inspector says that he would submit the findings the next day.
  2. The inspector said that he will submit the findings tomorrow.
  3. The inspector said that he would submit the findings the next day. Correct answer.
  4. The inspector said that he would submit the findings tomorrow.

Explanation

In reported speech after a past reporting verb, 'will' shifts to 'would' and the time marker 'tomorrow' shifts to 'the next day'. Only the first option applies both backshifts consistently.

Question 17English Language

Choose the word that best fits: The claim was rejected because the damage was ______ with the policy's definition of a pre-existing condition.

  1. commemorative
  2. commensurate Correct answer.
  3. commensurate with negligence
  4. commiserate

Explanation

The adjective 'commensurate' means corresponding in measure or extent and is followed by 'with', so 'commensurate with the definition' is correct. The other options are either a different word ('commiserate', 'commemorative') or add material that distorts the intended comparison.

Question 18English Language

Arrange the parts to form a coherent sentence: (P) the policyholder (Q) within the grace period (R) failed to pay (S) the renewal premium

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

Explanation

The natural order is subject 'the policyholder', verb phrase 'failed to pay', object 'the renewal premium', and finally the time phrase 'within the grace period'. This gives P-R-S-Q and reads as a complete, logical statement.

Question 19English Language

Choose the option that best replaces the underlined portion: Being a rainy day, the survey team postponed the site inspection.

  1. As being a rainy day
  2. Being that it was a rainy day
  3. It being rainy day
  4. Since it was a rainy day Correct answer.

Explanation

The original sentence has a dangling participle because 'being a rainy day' appears to describe the survey team rather than the weather. Recasting it as 'Since it was a rainy day' supplies a proper subject and clause.

Question 20English Language

Choose the correct word: The two reports are ______ in their conclusions, though they differ in methodology.

  1. complimentary
  2. complementary Correct answer.
  3. complicating
  4. complaisant

Explanation

'Complementary' means forming a useful or consistent combination, which matches conclusions that agree despite different methods. 'Complimentary' means expressing praise or given free, 'complaisant' means eager to please, and 'complicating' does not fit the syntax.

Question 21English Language

Read the sentence and choose the option that correctly identifies its type: 'Unless the premium is paid by the due date, the policy lapses.'

  1. Complex sentence Correct answer.
  2. Compound-complex sentence
  3. Simple sentence
  4. Compound sentence

Explanation

The sentence contains one dependent clause introduced by 'unless' and one independent clause, which is the definition of a complex sentence. A compound sentence would need two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, and a simple sentence would have only one clause.

Question 22English Language

Choose the option that best expresses the underlined idea in formal register: The branch staff ______ the new software within a week of its installation.

  1. were used for using
  2. had been accustomed with
  3. had got used with
  4. had grown accustomed to Correct answer.

Explanation

The correct idiom is 'accustomed to' followed by a noun or gerund, and 'had grown accustomed to' is appropriate formal usage. The other options use the wrong preposition or an ungrammatical combination.

Question 23English Language

Identify the sentence that contains no error of parallelism.

  1. The report recommended review premiums, revising exclusions and retrain agents.
  2. The report recommended reviewing premiums, revising exclusions and retraining agents. Correct answer.
  3. The report recommended reviewing premiums, to revise exclusions and retraining agents.
  4. The report recommended to review premiums, revising exclusions and retraining agents.

Explanation

Items in a series must share the same grammatical form; here all three are gerunds ('reviewing', 'revising', 'retraining'). The other options mix an infinitive or a bare verb with gerunds, breaking parallelism.

Question 24English Language

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: ______ had the auditor left the premises than the fire alarm rang.

  1. Hardly
  2. Scarcely
  3. No sooner Correct answer.
  4. Not only

Explanation

The correlative pair 'no sooner...than' is fixed, so 'No sooner had the auditor left... than the fire alarm rang' is correct. 'Hardly' and 'scarcely' pair with 'when' or 'before', and 'not only' pairs with 'but also'.

Question 25English Language

Choose the word that best fits the blank: The insurer's liability was ______ once the surveyor certified that the loss fell outside the policy's scope.

  1. extinguished Correct answer.
  2. extrapolated
  3. extricated
  4. extenuated

Explanation

'Extinguished' means brought to an end, which fits liability being terminated by the surveyor's certification. 'Extenuated' means lessened in seriousness, 'extrapolated' means estimated by extending known data, and 'extricated' means freed from a difficulty; none denotes ending liability.

Question 26English Language

In the sentence 'The underwriter, after scrutinising the risk profile, declined the proposal', the phrase 'after scrutinising the risk profile' functions as which of the following?

  1. An absolute construction with no link to the main clause
  2. An adjectival phrase modifying the noun 'underwriter'
  3. An adverbial phrase modifying the verb 'declined' Correct answer.
  4. A noun phrase acting as the object of the verb

Explanation

The phrase answers the question 'when' about the action of declining, so it is adverbial in function, modifying the verb. It does not describe the underwriter as a quality, nor does it serve as an object or as a grammatically independent absolute phrase.

Question 27English Language

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: The ombudsman's order was ______, leaving the insurer with no scope for appeal within the scheme.

  1. perfunctory
  2. tentative
  3. binding Correct answer.
  4. provisional

Explanation

The clause 'no scope for appeal' signals that the order must be obligatory and enforceable, which 'binding' conveys. The other three words all suggest something weak, routine or temporary, contradicting the absence of appeal.

Question 28English Language

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: The surveyor insisted that the damaged stock ______ re-inspected before the claim was settled.

  1. be Correct answer.
  2. is
  3. will be
  4. was

Explanation

Verbs of insistence such as 'insist that' take the subjunctive, whose base form 'be' is used regardless of tense. The reported past context does not change this, so 'was' or 'is' would break the subjunctive construction.

Question 29English Language

Identify the option that correctly converts the sentence into the passive voice: The claims committee rejected the revised settlement offer.

  1. The revised settlement offer has rejected by the claims committee.
  2. The revised settlement offer was being rejected the claims committee.
  3. The revised settlement offer was rejected by the claims committee. Correct answer.
  4. The revised settlement offer rejected the claims committee.

Explanation

In a passive transformation the object becomes the subject and the verb takes the form 'was/were + past participle', with the original subject placed after 'by'. Only the first option supplies the full auxiliary, the participle and the agent phrase correctly.

Question 30English Language

Choose the option that best replaces the underlined part: The audit team, having completed the field work, submitted its draft report to the regulator.

  1. having the field work completed by
  2. having been completed the field work
  3. having completed the field work Correct answer.
  4. completed the field work having

Explanation

A perfect participle phrase 'having + past participle' shows that one action finished before the main verb. The team is the doer of both actions, so the active participle 'having completed' is correct.

Question 31English Language

Choose the word that best fits the blank: The two surveyors reached ______ conclusions from the same set of photographs, which made the tribunal's task harder.

  1. redundant
  2. identical
  3. divergent Correct answer.
  4. complementary

Explanation

The clause 'which made the tribunal's task harder' implies the conclusions pulled in different directions, so 'divergent' fits. Agreement or duplication would simplify rather than complicate the tribunal's work.

Question 32English Language

Identify the error in the sentence: The report not only criticised the delay in settlement but also the tone of the rejection letter.

  1. There is no error; the sentence is correctly balanced
  2. 'the delay in settlement' should be 'the delaying in settlement'
  3. 'not only criticised' should be 'not only criticising'
  4. 'but also the tone' should be 'but also criticised the tone' Correct answer.

Explanation

Correlative conjunctions 'not only ... but also' must join grammatically parallel elements. Here 'criticised the delay' is a verb phrase while 'the tone' is a bare noun phrase, so the second half needs its own verb to match.

Question 33English Language

Choose the option that correctly reports the sentence: The investigator said, "I have already forwarded the file to the regional office."

  1. The investigator said that he already forwards the file to the regional office.
  2. The investigator said that he had already forwarded the file to the regional office. Correct answer.
  3. The investigator said that he will already forward the file to the regional office.
  4. The investigator said that he has already forwarded the file to the regional office.

Explanation

When the reporting verb is in the past ('said'), the present perfect of the original speech shifts back to the past perfect. The time adverb 'already' stays unchanged.

Question 34English Language

Choose the option that best expresses the idea in formal written register: The branch staff ______ the new software within a week of its installation.

  1. caught on to
  2. picked up
  3. got the hang of
  4. became conversant with Correct answer.

Explanation

Formal administrative writing favours a measured, precise expression, and 'became conversant with' conveys familiarity in neutral register. The other three are idiomatic phrasal or colloquial forms better suited to speech.

Question 35English Language

Arrange the parts to form a coherent sentence: (P) the insurer (Q) to the policyholder (R) is obliged (S) to issue a written rejection (T) within fifteen days

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

Explanation

The subject 'the insurer' opens the sentence, followed by the passive obligation 'is obliged', then the infinitive complement 'to issue a written rejection', the recipient 'to the policyholder' and finally the time phrase. Only this order keeps the infinitive and its object together.

Question 36English Language

Choose the word that best fits the blank: The insurer's liability was ______ once the surveyor certified that the loss fell within the policy's scope.

  1. mitigated
  2. deferred
  3. waived
  4. ascertained Correct answer.

Explanation

Certification that the loss is covered settles the question of liability, so 'ascertained' (established with certainty) fits. The other options describe reducing, giving up or postponing liability, none of which matches a confirmed determination.

Question 37English Language

Identify the sentence that is free of any error of subject-verb agreement.

  1. The list of pending claims, along with the supporting papers, was submitted on time. Correct answer.
  2. Neither the branch manager nor the clerks was present at the hearing.
  3. Each of the surveyors have signed the assessment report.
  4. A number of policyholders has filed complaints with the ombudsman.

Explanation

In this sentence the subject 'the list' is singular and the intervening phrases 'of pending claims' and 'along with the supporting papers' do not alter the verb, so 'was' is correct. The other sentences all break standard agreement rules.

Question 38English Language

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: ______ had the auditor left the premises than the fire alarm rang through the building.

  1. Hardly
  2. Rarely
  3. No sooner Correct answer.
  4. Scarcely

Explanation

The correlative pair 'no sooner ... than' introduces the second event after 'than'. 'Hardly' and 'scarcely' pair with 'when', not 'than', so only 'No sooner' fits the given structure.

Question 39English Language

Choose the option that best substitutes the underlined phrase: Because the premium remained unpaid, the policy lapsed, and the nominee was informed accordingly.

  1. the policy lapsed, and accordingly the nominee was informed of
  2. the policy lapsed, and the nominee was informed according to it
  3. the policy lapsed, and the nominee informed accordingly
  4. the policy lapsed, and the nominee was informed accordingly Correct answer.

Explanation

'Accordingly' is an adverb meaning 'in a corresponding way' and needs no preposition after it. The clause 'the nominee was informed accordingly' is complete and idiomatic, whereas the other versions either misuse the preposition or omit the passive auxiliary.

Question 40English Language

In the sentence 'Unless the premium is paid by the due date, the policy shall stand lapsed', the underlined clause 'Unless the premium is paid by the due date' is which type of clause?

  1. A principal clause carrying the main assertion
  2. A noun clause acting as the subject
  3. An adjectival clause qualifying 'policy'
  4. An adverbial clause of condition Correct answer.

Explanation

'Unless' introduces a condition on which the main assertion depends, making the clause adverbial and conditional. It does not name a thing, qualify a noun, or stand as the main clause.

Question 41Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

In a coded language, 'OFFICER' is written as 'PGGJDFS'. Using the same rule, how is 'BRANCH' written?

  1. CSBODJ
  2. CSBODI Correct answer.
  3. DSBODI
  4. CSBNDI

Explanation

Each letter is shifted one place forward in the alphabet: O→P, F→G, F→G, I→J, C→D, E→F, R→S. Applying the same +1 shift to BRANCH gives C, S, B, O, D, I. The pattern is a uniform forward shift, so no letter changes by any other amount.

Question 42Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

A sum of money becomes 1.5 times itself in 5 years at simple interest. What is the annual rate of interest?

  1. 10% Correct answer.
  2. 12%
  3. 15%
  4. 8%

Explanation

Under simple interest, the interest earned in 5 years equals half the principal (since the amount is 1.5 times the principal). Thus interest = P/2, and rate = (interest × 100)/(P × time) = (0.5P × 100)/(P × 5) = 10%. The doubling time relation confirms that 10% simple interest adds half the principal in five years.

Question 43Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

Pointing to a photograph, Meera said, 'He is the only son of my mother's mother.' How is the man in the photograph related to Meera?

  1. Cousin
  2. Brother
  3. Maternal uncle Correct answer.
  4. Father

Explanation

Meera's mother's mother is her maternal grandmother. The only son of the maternal grandmother is Meera's mother's brother, that is, her maternal uncle. Since the man is a son of the grandmother rather than of Meera's mother, he cannot be her father or brother.

Question 44Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

A train 180 m long crosses a pole in 12 seconds. How long will it take to cross a platform 240 m long?

  1. 30 seconds
  2. 28 seconds Correct answer.
  3. 16 seconds
  4. 22 seconds

Explanation

The speed of the train is length divided by time, so 180/12 = 15 m/s. To cross a platform, the train must cover its own length plus the platform length, that is 180 + 240 = 420 m. Dividing 420 by 15 gives 28 seconds.

Question 45Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

Statement: All clerks are officers. Some officers are managers. Which conclusion definitely follows?

  1. Some officers are clerks Correct answer.
  2. Some clerks are managers
  3. No clerk is a manager
  4. All managers are officers

Explanation

From 'All clerks are officers' the reverse particular follows: at least some officers are clerks, because the class of clerks is non-empty in syllogistic reasoning. The link between officers and managers is only particular, so nothing definite can be said about clerks and managers together.

Question 46Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

What comes next in the series: 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?

  1. 117
  2. 129
  3. 127 Correct answer.
  4. 95

Explanation

Each term is double the previous term plus one: 3×2+1=7, 7×2+1=15, and so on. Applying the rule to 63 gives 63×2+1 = 127. Equivalently each term is one less than a power of two.

Question 47Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

A shopkeeper marks an article 40% above cost and then allows a discount of 25% on the marked price. What is his profit percentage?

  1. 15%
  2. 10%
  3. 5% Correct answer.
  4. 20%

Explanation

Let the cost price be 100. The marked price becomes 140, and a 25% discount reduces it to 140 × 0.75 = 105. The selling price of 105 against a cost of 100 gives a profit of 5%.

Question 48Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

Which number completes the analogy: 8 : 512 :: 6 : ?

  1. 36
  2. 64
  3. 180
  4. 216 Correct answer.

Explanation

The relation is cube: 8 cubed equals 512, since 8×8×8 = 512. Applying the same rule, 6 cubed equals 216. The second number is the cube of the first, not its square or product.

Question 49Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

A and B together can finish a work in 12 days, while A alone can finish it in 20 days. In how many days can B alone finish the work?

  1. 30 days Correct answer.
  2. 24 days
  3. 32 days
  4. 28 days

Explanation

A's one-day work is 1/20 and the combined one-day work is 1/12. B's one-day work is therefore 1/12 − 1/20 = (5 − 3)/60 = 2/60 = 1/30. So B alone needs 30 days.

Question 50Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude

In a class of 60 students, 36 play cricket and 30 play football, while 12 play neither game. How many play both games?

  1. 24
  2. 18 Correct answer.
  3. 12
  4. 30

Explanation

The number playing at least one game is 60 − 12 = 48. By the inclusion-exclusion rule, both = cricket + football − at least one = 36 + 30 − 48 = 18. Checking: 18 cricket-only plus 12 football-only plus 18 both equals 48.