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JCE English practice questions

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Question 1Reading Comprehension

Read this sentence: 'The committee reviewed the proposal carefully before it submitted its final recommendation.' What is the grammatical subject of the main clause?

  1. its final recommendation
  2. it
  3. The committee Correct answer.
  4. the proposal

Explanation

The main clause is 'The committee reviewed the proposal carefully'. The verb 'reviewed' is performed by 'the committee', so that noun phrase is the subject. 'The proposal' is the direct object, and 'it' appears inside a subordinate clause.

Question 2Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Although the data were incomplete, the researchers published their findings,' what does the word 'Although' signal about the relationship between the two clauses?

  1. A cause-and-effect link between the clauses
  2. A chronological sequence of events
  3. A contrast or concession between the clauses Correct answer.
  4. An additional supporting point

Explanation

'Although' is a subordinating conjunction of concession: it introduces a clause that works against the expectation set up by the main clause. The incomplete data would normally discourage publication, so the two ideas contrast.

Question 3Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'The new policy reduced waiting times in urban clinics but had little measurable effect in rural districts.' Which inference is best supported by this statement?

  1. The policy's impact varied by location Correct answer.
  2. Waiting times rose in every district
  3. Rural clinics rejected the policy outright
  4. Urban clinics had longer waits to begin with

Explanation

The sentence explicitly contrasts a strong urban effect with a weak rural effect, which directly supports the claim that impact depended on location. The other options add information the sentence never provides.

Question 4Reading Comprehension

Which option best states the main idea of a paragraph that describes how a city replaced diesel buses with electric ones, retrained mechanics, and installed charging depots?

  1. A city carried out a coordinated transition to electric public transport Correct answer.
  2. Charging depots require large amounts of urban land
  3. Electric buses are cheaper to buy than diesel buses
  4. Mechanics often resist learning new maintenance skills

Explanation

The paragraph lists several linked steps of one change, so the main idea is the overall transition rather than any single detail. A main idea must cover all the listed elements, not just one of them.

Question 5Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'The report, which had been circulated the previous week, was discussed at length,' what is the function of the clause 'which had been circulated the previous week'?

  1. It introduces a condition for the discussion
  2. It adds non-essential descriptive information about the report Correct answer.
  3. It states the main action of the sentence
  4. It identifies which report among several is meant

Explanation

The clause is set off by commas, which marks it as non-defining: it supplies extra detail rather than picking out one report from a set. Removing it leaves a complete and still specific main clause.

Question 6Reading Comprehension

A writer wants to show that two studies reached the same conclusion. Which connector best fits the blank: 'Study A found a strong correlation; ____, Study B reported a similar pattern.'

  1. nevertheless
  2. otherwise
  3. likewise Correct answer.
  4. consequently

Explanation

The second study agrees with the first, so a connector of similarity is required. 'Likewise' signals that the same point is being repeated or extended.

Question 7Reading Comprehension

In the phrase 'the rapidly expanding network of charging stations', which word is the head noun of the noun phrase?

  1. network Correct answer.
  2. rapidly
  3. stations
  4. expanding

Explanation

The head noun is the core noun that the rest of the phrase modifies. 'Rapidly expanding' modifies 'network', and 'of charging stations' is a prepositional phrase attached to it.

Question 8Reading Comprehension

A paragraph opens with 'Remote work has reshaped commercial real estate.' Which sentence would best function as the topic sentence's supporting detail?

  1. Cities have always changed the way they use land
  2. Office vacancy rates in central districts have climbed steadily since 2020 Correct answer.
  3. Commercial real estate is a complex asset class with many participants
  4. Many people enjoy working from home for personal reasons

Explanation

A supporting detail should give specific evidence for the stated claim about commercial real estate. Rising vacancy rates directly illustrate the reshaping the topic sentence asserts.

Question 9Reading Comprehension

Read this sentence: 'Neither the manager nor the employees were informed about the schedule change.' Which statement about the verb is accurate?

  1. The verb should be singular because 'neither' begins the subject
  2. The plural verb agrees with the nearer subject 'employees' Correct answer.
  3. The verb should be 'was' because the subject is 'the manager'
  4. The verb is correct only if 'nor' is replaced by 'or'

Explanation

With 'neither...nor', the verb conventionally agrees with the subject closer to it. Here the nearer subject is the plural 'employees', so the plural 'were' is appropriate.

Question 10Reading Comprehension

A passage notes that a drug showed promise in laboratory cultures but failed in large human trials. What is the most reasonable conclusion a reader should draw?

  1. Laboratory results alone do not guarantee effectiveness in humans Correct answer.
  2. The drug is unsafe for all patients
  3. The laboratory cultures were contaminated
  4. Human trials are generally poorly designed

Explanation

The contrast between promising lab results and failed human trials supports a cautious conclusion about generalising from cultures to people. The passage gives no evidence about safety, trial design, or contamination.

Question 11Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Had the funding been approved, the project would have started in spring,' what does the opening structure express?

  1. A hypothetical condition that was not met Correct answer.
  2. A prediction about the future
  3. A confirmed fact about the past
  4. A polite request for funding

Explanation

The inverted 'Had...been approved' replaces 'If the funding had been approved' and combines with 'would have started' to form a third conditional. This describes an unreal past condition, implying the funding was not approved.

Question 12Reading Comprehension

A text argues: 'Cities should invest in shade trees rather than additional air-conditioning units. Trees lower street temperatures, reduce energy demand, and improve air quality, whereas air-conditioning adds to peak electricity load.' Which technique is the writer mainly using?

  1. Comparing benefits to support a recommendation Correct answer.
  2. Citing a single expert opinion as proof
  3. Presenting a personal anecdote as evidence
  4. Appealing to tradition to justify a choice

Explanation

The writer weighs the advantages of one option against the drawbacks of another and uses that comparison to recommend a course of action. No expert, tradition, or anecdote is invoked.

Question 13Reading Comprehension

Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly in an academic text?

  1. The results were inconclusive; and the authors recommended further testing
  2. The results were inconclusive; because further testing was needed
  3. The results were; inconclusive and further testing was recommended
  4. The results were inconclusive; the authors recommended further testing Correct answer.

Explanation

A semicolon can join two independent clauses that are closely related and not already linked by a coordinating conjunction. Option 0 does exactly this, separating two complete clauses.

Question 14Reading Comprehension

A paragraph begins: 'Critics of the new zoning rules raise three objections.' Which organisational pattern do the following sentences most likely follow?

  1. A list of objections with responses Correct answer.
  2. A definition of technical zoning terms
  3. A chronological narrative of the rules' history
  4. A comparison of zoning in different countries

Explanation

Announcing 'three objections' signals that the paragraph will enumerate them, typically followed by replies or evaluation. The other patterns would require different signposting such as dates, comparisons, or definitions.

Question 15Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'The engineer explained the fault to the technicians in the briefing room,' which element is the indirect object?

  1. the technicians Correct answer.
  2. the engineer
  3. the briefing room
  4. the fault

Explanation

The indirect object is the recipient of what is explained. 'The fault' is the direct object, and 'to the technicians' names who received the explanation.

Question 16Reading Comprehension

A report states: 'Sales rose by 12 percent, a figure that exceeded the company's own forecast of 8 percent.' What does the second part of the sentence do?

  1. It restates the first figure exactly
  2. It clarifies the first figure by comparison Correct answer.
  3. It contradicts the first figure
  4. It questions whether the first figure is reliable

Explanation

The appositive 'a figure that exceeded...' comments on the preceding number and compares it with the forecast. It adds context rather than disputing or merely repeating the figure.

Question 17Reading Comprehension

Which revision best removes the ambiguity in: 'The supervisor told the intern that her report needed revision'?

  1. The supervisor told the intern, 'Your report needs revision' Correct answer.
  2. The supervisor told the intern that her report needed revision soon
  3. The supervisor told the intern that the report needed revision by her
  4. The supervisor told the intern she needed to revise her report

Explanation

The original leaves unclear whether 'her' refers to the supervisor or the intern. Direct quotation with 'Your report' assigns the report to the intern unambiguously.

Question 18Reading Comprehension

A passage says: 'While the initial cost of solar panels is high, the lifetime savings often outweigh it.' What assumption underlies this claim?

  1. The panels will operate long enough to recover the initial cost Correct answer.
  2. The panels require no maintenance at all
  3. Government subsidies will cover the full purchase price
  4. Electricity prices will fall sharply in the future

Explanation

Claiming that lifetime savings outweigh a high upfront cost assumes the system runs long enough to generate those savings. Without sufficient operating life, the comparison would fail.

Question 19Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Not only did the trial fail to show benefit, but it also revealed unexpected side effects,' what is the effect of starting with 'Not only'?

  1. It changes the sentence to the passive voice
  2. It triggers inversion of the auxiliary and subject Correct answer.
  3. It converts the clause into a subordinate one
  4. It makes the sentence a question

Explanation

When a negative or restrictive expression such as 'Not only' opens a clause, English requires subject-auxiliary inversion: 'did the trial fail'. This is a stylistic fronting device emphasising the added point.

Question 20Reading Comprehension

A writer claims: 'Because three of the five surveyed shops reported higher sales, the entire retail sector is recovering.' Which criticism of the reasoning is most accurate?

  1. It confuses correlation with causation in prices
  2. It assumes that shops cannot change owners
  3. It relies on an unrepresentative definition of sales
  4. It generalises to a whole sector from a very small sample Correct answer.

Explanation

The conclusion extends a result from three shops to the entire sector, which is an overgeneralisation from a tiny sample. The flaw lies in the scope of the inference, not in definitions or ownership.

Question 21Reading Comprehension

Read these two sentences: 'The prototype passed every stress test. Nevertheless, the board delayed production.' Which statement best captures the logical relation?

  1. The second sentence gives the cause of the first
  2. The second sentence repeats the first in different words
  3. The second sentence reports an outcome contrary to what the first would predict Correct answer.
  4. The second sentence provides an example of the first

Explanation

'Nevertheless' marks concession: passing all tests would normally lead to approval, so the delay runs against that expectation. The relation is contrast, not cause, restatement, or illustration.

Question 22Reading Comprehension

A study reports: 'Participants who slept fewer than six hours scored lower on the memory task, but the design was cross-sectional.' What is the main limitation the writer is flagging?

  1. The participants were not told the purpose of the study
  2. The design cannot establish whether poor sleep caused the lower scores Correct answer.
  3. The memory task was too easy for most participants
  4. The sample size was too small to yield any statistics

Explanation

A cross-sectional design measures variables at one point in time, so it cannot determine the direction of causation. The writer is warning against reading the association as proof that short sleep caused poorer memory.

Question 23Reading Comprehension

Which sentence most effectively integrates a source into an academic paragraph without plagiarism?

  1. It is a well-known fact that remote teams develop informal norms replacing office routines
  2. Remote teams develop informal norms; this is obvious and needs no citation
  3. Remote teams often develop informal communication norms that substitute for office routines, as everyone knows
  4. As Okonkwo (2021) demonstrates, remote teams often develop informal communication norms that substitute for office routines Correct answer.

Explanation

Proper integration names the source and attributes the specific claim to it, distinguishing the author's idea from the writer's own. The other options present borrowed claims as common knowledge or dismiss citation.

Question 24Reading Comprehension

A passage argues: 'If we accept that automation displaces workers, we must also accept that retraining programmes are essential.' Which hidden premise does the argument depend on?

  1. Workers displaced by automation leave the labour force permanently
  2. Automation never creates any new jobs
  3. Retraining programmes are always funded by employers
  4. Displaced workers can be helped by retraining into new roles Correct answer.

Explanation

The move from displacement to the necessity of retraining assumes retraining is an effective remedy for displaced workers. If retraining could not help them, the conclusion would not follow.

Question 25Reading Comprehension

In 'The proposal that the committee rejected was widely criticised,' how does the relative clause 'that the committee rejected' function compared with a comma-set clause?

  1. It is a noun clause acting as the subject
  2. It is non-defining and adds optional detail
  3. It is defining and identifies which proposal is meant Correct answer.
  4. It is an adverbial clause of reason

Explanation

Without commas, a 'that' clause is defining: it restricts the noun 'proposal' to the specific one the committee rejected. A comma-set clause would instead add non-essential information about an already identified proposal.

Question 26Reading Comprehension

A passage describes a study of 40 office workers and concludes that 'open-plan offices reduce concentration for all employees everywhere.' Which criticism of the inference is most accurate?

  1. The study would be stronger if the workers had been interviewed rather than observed.
  2. The conclusion is valid because open-plan offices are common in many countries.
  3. The sample is small and limited to one type of worker, so the universal claim is unsupported. Correct answer.
  4. The passage should have used a bar chart to present the finding more clearly.

Explanation

A conclusion that generalises to 'all employees everywhere' requires a sample that is large and representative of that wider population. A study of 40 office workers in one setting cannot support such a sweeping claim, regardless of how clearly the results are presented. The flaw is one of overgeneralisation from limited evidence.

Question 27Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'The committee approved the budget after a lengthy debate,' what grammatical function does 'after a lengthy debate' perform?

  1. It is a noun phrase renaming 'the budget'.
  2. It modifies the verb by expressing when the approval occurred. Correct answer.
  3. It acts as the subject of the clause.
  4. It identifies the direct object of the verb 'approved'.

Explanation

An adverbial phrase answers questions such as when, where, or how about the verb. Here 'after a lengthy debate' tells the reader when the committee approved the budget, so it functions as a time adverbial modifying 'approved'. It is not a subject, object, or appositive.

Question 28Reading Comprehension

A paragraph in an academic article presents evidence for one side of a debate, then states 'Admittedly, this evidence rests on a single longitudinal cohort.' What is the rhetorical purpose of the second sentence?

  1. It restates the first sentence using different vocabulary.
  2. It introduces a completely new topic unrelated to the first sentence.
  3. It provides a counter-argument that entirely refutes the earlier evidence.
  4. It concedes a limitation in order to make the argument more credible. Correct answer.

Explanation

Academic writers often acknowledge the weaknesses of their own evidence to show balance and to pre-empt criticism. The word 'Admittedly' signals a concession, which strengthens credibility rather than destroying the argument. A concession limits a claim without abandoning it.

Question 29Reading Comprehension

Which sentence uses 'however' with correct punctuation in a formal report?

  1. The trial was short, however the results were consistent across sites.
  2. The trial was short; however the results were consistent across sites.
  3. The trial was short; however, the results were consistent across sites. Correct answer.
  4. The trial was short however, the results were consistent across sites.

Explanation

'However' is a conjunctive adverb, so when it joins two independent clauses it needs a semicolon before it and a comma after it. The pattern is: clause; however, clause. This keeps the two clauses properly separated while marking the contrast.

Question 30Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'The museum's new wing attracted record visitors. Ticket revenue, moreover, doubled within six months.' What relationship does 'moreover' signal between the two sentences?

  1. It introduces a contrast with the previous statement.
  2. It signals that the second statement is a concession.
  3. It adds a further supporting point in the same direction. Correct answer.
  4. It presents a cause of the previous statement.

Explanation

'Moreover' is an additive connector: it introduces an additional point that reinforces the preceding one. Both sentences report positive outcomes, so the second strengthens the first rather than opposing or explaining it. Contrast would need 'however', causation 'therefore', and concession 'admittedly'.

Question 31Reading Comprehension

Read this sentence: 'The researchers, who had spent three years on the project, published their findings.' How do the commas around the relative clause affect the meaning?

  1. They show that the clause is the main idea of the sentence.
  2. They indicate that the information in the clause is uncertain.
  3. They mark the clause as defining, identifying which researchers published the findings.
  4. They mark the clause as non-defining, implying all the researchers had spent three years on the project. Correct answer.

Explanation

Commas around a relative clause make it non-defining (non-restrictive): it adds extra information about an already identified noun. Without commas, the clause would be defining and would single out a subset of researchers. The punctuation therefore changes what is presupposed about the group.

Question 32Reading Comprehension

Which option best paraphrases the sentence 'The new policy was implemented despite widespread opposition from staff'?

  1. Staff largely opposed the policy, yet it was still put into effect. Correct answer.
  2. The policy was implemented only after staff opposition ended.
  3. The policy was withdrawn because staff opposed it.
  4. Staff supported the policy, so it was put into effect quickly.

Explanation

'Despite' signals that an obstacle existed but did not prevent the outcome. The paraphrase must preserve both elements: staff opposition and the policy nonetheless being implemented. Option 0 keeps both ideas in the correct logical relationship.

Question 33Reading Comprehension

A text states: 'The manufacturer recalled 20,000 units after a fault was detected in the battery casing.' Which question is answered directly by this sentence?

  1. How long did the recall process take?
  2. How much did the recall cost the manufacturer?
  3. What triggered the recall of the units? Correct answer.
  4. Who first detected the fault?

Explanation

The sentence gives a cause ('after a fault was detected in the battery casing') for the recall, so it directly answers what triggered the recall. Cost, the identity of the detector, and duration are not mentioned, so those questions cannot be answered from the sentence alone.

Question 34Reading Comprehension

A passage notes that a city's bike-share scheme grew rapidly, then adds: 'Correlation with rising cycling injuries does not establish that the scheme caused them.' What reasoning does the author rely on here?

  1. Correlation between two trends is not sufficient evidence of a causal link. Correct answer.
  2. Rising injuries prove that the scheme should be cancelled.
  3. The scheme's growth was unrelated to any change in cycling numbers.
  4. Injury statistics are always unreliable and should be ignored.

Explanation

The author distinguishes correlation from causation: two trends moving together may share a cause or coincide by chance. This is a standard caution in causal reasoning, and it does not itself conclude that the scheme is harmful. The claim is about the limits of the evidence, not about the policy's merits.

Question 35Reading Comprehension

Which sentence best integrates a paraphrase of a source into an academic paragraph?

  1. Everyone knows that remote teams develop informal communication norms that substitute for shared office routines.
  2. As Okonkwo says, remote teams develop informal communication norms that substitute for shared office routines, and this is a very important point.
  3. As Okonkwo (2021) observes, remote teams often develop informal communication norms that substitute for shared office routines. Correct answer.
  4. Remote teams often develop informal communication norms that substitute for shared office routines.

Explanation

A well-integrated paraphrase names the source in a reporting clause and restates the idea in the writer's own words, so the reader can see whose claim it is. Option 0 does this concisely. The others either drop attribution, add empty commentary, or present the idea as common knowledge.

Question 36Reading Comprehension

A paragraph begins: 'The decline of the high street can be traced to three interacting pressures.' Which sentence would best serve as the second sentence of that paragraph?

  1. Some economists disagree about the exact scale of the decline.
  2. Many people have fond memories of shopping on the high street as children.
  3. Online retail, rising rents, and changed commuting patterns together explain much of the shift. Correct answer.
  4. The photograph on the next page shows a typical high street in 1975.

Explanation

The opening sentence announces three interacting pressures, so the next sentence should name them to set up the paragraph's structure. Option 0 lists three factors that match the promised framework and prepares for detailed discussion. The others digress into nostalgia, dispute the scale, or refer to an external item.

Question 37Reading Comprehension

Read this sentence: 'The auditor examined the accounts, which had been kept in a disorganised manner, for several weeks.' What is the most likely source of ambiguity?

  1. The phrase 'for several weeks' could modify when the accounts were kept or how long the examination lasted. Correct answer.
  2. The relative clause could refer to either the auditor or the accounts.
  3. The word 'auditor' could refer to more than one person.
  4. The verb 'examined' is being used as a noun.

Explanation

The adverbial 'for several weeks' sits at the end of a sentence containing two possible time references, so it can attach to the examination or to the keeping of the accounts. Repositioning it, for example 'For several weeks, the auditor examined...', would remove the ambiguity. The relative clause clearly refers to 'the accounts'.

Question 38Reading Comprehension

A passage argues: 'If hospitals adopt electronic records, then administrative errors will fall. Therefore, if administrative errors fall, hospitals must have adopted electronic records.' Which description of the reasoning is correct?

  1. It treats a sufficient condition as though it were also a necessary one. Correct answer.
  2. It is a valid deduction because the first premise is conditional.
  3. It relies on an irrelevant emotional appeal.
  4. It commits a circular argument by assuming its own conclusion.

Explanation

The premise states that adopting electronic records is sufficient for fewer errors, not that it is the only route to that outcome. Concluding that a fall in errors implies adoption reverses the conditional and confuses a sufficient condition with a necessary one. This is the fallacy of affirming the consequent.

Question 39Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'What surprised the reviewers was the clarity of the methodology section,' what is the grammatical subject of the main clause?

  1. The noun 'clarity'
  2. The nominal clause 'What surprised the reviewers' Correct answer.
  3. The noun 'reviewers'
  4. The noun phrase 'the methodology section'

Explanation

The main clause is 'What surprised the reviewers was the clarity of the methodology section.' The element before 'was' is a nominal (noun) clause functioning as the subject, and 'the clarity of the methodology section' is the complement. A useful test is to replace the clause with 'It': 'It was the clarity...'.

Question 40Reading Comprehension

A paragraph reports: 'The survey found that 68 percent of respondents preferred flexible hours. The sample, however, was drawn entirely from one industry.' What is the function of the second sentence in the paragraph's argument?

  1. It qualifies the generalisability of the statistic just reported. Correct answer.
  2. It introduces a new survey to compare with the first.
  3. It restates the statistic in numerical form.
  4. It provides additional evidence supporting the statistic.

Explanation

The second sentence limits how far the 68 percent figure can be extended, because a single-industry sample may not represent other workers. It therefore qualifies the first sentence's generalisability rather than supporting it. The connector 'however' signals this limiting move.

Question 41Reading Comprehension

Which sentence most effectively uses a colon in an academic context?

  1. The study reached a clear conclusion: early intervention improves long-term outcomes. Correct answer.
  2. The study reached a clear conclusion, early intervention: improves long-term outcomes.
  3. The study reached: a clear conclusion that early intervention improves long-term outcomes.
  4. The study: reached a clear conclusion that early intervention improves long-term outcomes.

Explanation

A colon introduces an explanation, list, or expansion of what precedes it, and what follows should complete the idea. In option 0 the clause after the colon spells out the conclusion. A colon should not separate a verb from its object or split a clause arbitrarily.

Question 42Reading Comprehension

A writer wants to combine these sentences: 'The vaccine was tested on 30,000 volunteers. The results were published in a peer-reviewed journal.' Which combined version is grammatically correct and clear?

  1. The vaccine was tested on 30,000 volunteers the results were published in a peer-reviewed journal.
  2. The vaccine was tested on 30,000 volunteers, and the results published in a peer-reviewed journal were.
  3. The vaccine, tested on 30,000 volunteers, produced results that were published in a peer-reviewed journal. Correct answer.
  4. The vaccine was tested on 30,000 volunteers, the results were published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Explanation

Option 0 uses a participial phrase to compress the first sentence and a relative clause for the second, producing a single grammatical sentence. It avoids the comma splice and the missing conjunction that spoil the other options. The meaning of both original sentences is preserved.

Question 43Reading Comprehension

A passage claims: 'Universities should abolish lectures because students retain little from passive listening.' Which hidden assumption is essential to this argument?

  1. Lectures cannot be redesigned to include active learning that improves retention. Correct answer.
  2. Some universities have already abolished lectures.
  3. Students generally enjoy attending lectures more than seminars.
  4. Retention of information is unrelated to how material is taught.

Explanation

The argument moves from 'lectures involve passive listening' to 'lectures should be abolished', which only follows if lectures cannot be made active. If lectures could be redesigned to include active learning, the proposed remedy would not follow. Identifying this assumption is the key to evaluating the argument.

Question 44Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Only after the data had been verified did the team publish its conclusions,' why is 'did' placed before the subject?

  1. The verb 'publish' is intransitive and needs an auxiliary.
  2. The past perfect requires inversion in all formal writing.
  3. The sentence is a direct question and requires question word order.
  4. A negative or restrictive adverbial at the start triggers subject-auxiliary inversion. Correct answer.

Explanation

When a sentence opens with a restrictive adverbial such as 'only after', English requires subject-auxiliary inversion in the main clause. The auxiliary 'did' moves ahead of 'the team', and the main verb stays in its base form. This is a stylistic rule of formal written English, not a question form.

Question 45Reading Comprehension

A writer summarises a long report as follows: 'The report recommends raising fees, cutting staff, and that facilities should be shared with partner institutions.' What is the main stylistic problem?

  1. The list mixes gerund and clause structures, so the items are not parallel. Correct answer.
  2. The sentence uses the passive voice inappropriately.
  3. The sentence contains a dangling participle.
  4. The list contains too many items for a single sentence.

Explanation

Parallelism requires items in a list to share the same grammatical form. Here two gerunds ('raising fees', 'cutting staff') are followed by a that-clause, which breaks the pattern. Rewriting the third item as 'sharing facilities with partner institutions' would restore balance.

Question 46Reading Comprehension

A passage presents two historians' accounts of the same treaty. Account A stresses economic motives; Account B stresses dynastic ambition. What is the most reasonable conclusion for a reader to draw?

  1. Both accounts are unreliable because historians always disagree.
  2. Account B should be preferred because dynastic ambition is easier to prove.
  3. The accounts emphasise different causes and may be complementary rather than mutually exclusive. Correct answer.
  4. One account must be factually false because the two disagree.

Explanation

Different emphases in historical interpretation often reflect different selections of evidence rather than outright contradiction. Economic and dynastic explanations can both be valid and may reinforce one another. The reader should assess the evidence behind each account rather than assume one must be wrong.

Question 47Reading Comprehension

Read this sentence: 'The proposal that the committee rejected was widely criticised, although its authors defended it vigorously.' Which statement about the sentence's structure is correct?

  1. 'That the committee rejected' is a defining relative clause identifying which proposal is meant. Correct answer.
  2. 'Was widely criticised' is a non-finite clause with no subject.
  3. 'Although its authors defended it vigorously' is a noun clause acting as the subject.
  4. 'That the committee rejected' is a complement clause serving as the object of 'criticised'.

Explanation

Here 'that' introduces a restrictive relative clause modifying 'the proposal'; it tells us which proposal is at issue. The clause is defining because it is not set off by commas and restricts the noun. The 'although' clause is a subordinate adverbial clause, and the main verb phrase is finite.

Question 48Reading Comprehension

An author writes: 'It is often said that peer review guarantees quality. This view deserves scrutiny.' What does the second sentence mainly do in the argument?

  1. It introduces a definition of peer review for the reader.
  2. It endorses the preceding claim as established fact.
  3. It provides statistical evidence against the preceding claim.
  4. It signals that the preceding claim will be examined critically rather than accepted. Correct answer.

Explanation

'Deserves scrutiny' marks the preceding claim as something the author intends to question, setting up a critical evaluation. It does not itself supply evidence or a definition. This is a common rhetorical move that distances the author from a widely held view before challenging it.

Question 49Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'The subsidy reduced household energy bills by an average of 9 percent. However, the scheme cost more to administer than it saved.' Which overall judgement does the passage support?

  1. The scheme achieved its stated benefit but may not have been cost-effective. Correct answer.
  2. The scheme failed to reduce household energy bills.
  3. The scheme was cost-effective because bills fell.
  4. The passage provides no information about the scheme's benefits.

Explanation

The passage reports two facts: bills fell by 9 percent (a benefit achieved) and administration costs exceeded savings (a doubt about efficiency). Together they support the judgement that the benefit was real but the scheme may not have been worthwhile financially. A careful reader must hold both findings at once.

Question 50Reading Comprehension

In the sentence 'Rarely has a single study provoked such sustained criticism from the field,' what is the effect of the inverted structure?

  1. It gives emphatic prominence to the rarity of the event being described. Correct answer.
  2. It turns the sentence into an indirect question.
  3. It makes the statement more tentative and hedged.
  4. It shifts the sentence into the passive voice.

Explanation

Fronting the negative adverb 'rarely' triggers inversion and places strong emphasis on how unusual the event is. The construction is a rhetorical device for emphasis, not a question, a passive, or a hedge. The reader should recognise it as a marked, formal alternative to 'A single study has rarely provoked...'.