CMAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Choose the word most OPPOSITE in meaning to 'LACONIC'.

Verbose (Correct answer)
Taciturn
Concise
Reticent

Correct answer: Verbose

Laconic means using very few words, so its antonym is verbose, meaning using more words than necessary.

Question 2: In the sentence 'The committee _______ the proposal after a heated debate,' which word best fills the blank?

ratified (Correct answer)
decimated
proliferated
abstained

Correct answer: ratified

Ratified means formally approved or confirmed, which fits the context of a committee acting on a proposal.

Question 3: Identify the correct sentence with respect to subject-verb agreement.

Neither the manager nor the employees was present.
The data suggests a clear trend. (Correct answer)
A number of students was absent.
Each of the boys have completed their homework.

Correct answer: The data suggests a clear trend.

'Data' is treated as singular in modern usage, making 'suggests' correct; the other sentences have agreement errors.

Question 4: Read the passage: 'Although automation displaces certain jobs, it simultaneously creates new roles requiring higher cognitive skills, ultimately shifting rather than eliminating employment.' What is the author's primary argument?

Automation causes net unemployment.
Automation transforms employment rather than eliminating it. (Correct answer)
Cognitive skills are becoming less important.
New roles created by automation are inferior.

Correct answer: Automation transforms employment rather than eliminating it.

The passage explicitly states automation causes a 'shifting rather than eliminating' of employment.

Question 5: Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier?

Running late, she missed the bus.
Having finished the report, the meeting was adjourned. (Correct answer)
After he completed the task, the team celebrated.
Confused by the map, the tourist asked for directions.

Correct answer: Having finished the report, the meeting was adjourned.

In option B, 'Having finished the report' dangles because the meeting cannot finish a report.

Question 6: Choose the correctly spelled word.

Accomodate
Acommodate
Accommodate (Correct answer)
Acomodate

Correct answer: Accommodate

'Accommodate' is spelled with double 'c' and double 'm'.

Question 7: The idiom 'to bite the bullet' means:

To act aggressively
To endure a painful situation with courage (Correct answer)
To make a hasty decision
To avoid confrontation

Correct answer: To endure a painful situation with courage

'To bite the bullet' means to endure a painful or difficult situation stoically.

Question 8: Select the word that best completes the analogy: AUTHOR : NOVEL :: COMPOSER : ______

Painting
Symphony (Correct answer)
Poem
Sculpture

Correct answer: Symphony

An author creates a novel; similarly, a composer creates a symphony.

Question 9: Passage: 'The proliferation of social media has created an era of information abundance yet simultaneously fostered echo chambers that limit exposure to diverse perspectives.' The word 'proliferation' most nearly means:

Decline
Rapid spread (Correct answer)
Regulation
Consolidation

Correct answer: Rapid spread

Proliferation means rapid increase or spread, fitting the context of social media growth.

Question 10: Identify the sentence that uses the apostrophe correctly.

The dog wagged it's tail.
Its a beautiful day outside.
The children's toys were scattered. (Correct answer)
The boys' father are coming.

Correct answer: The children's toys were scattered.

'Children's' correctly uses an apostrophe to show possession for an irregular plural.

Question 11: Which option correctly identifies the tone of this sentence: 'Despite years of dedicated service, the employee was dismissed without so much as a word of thanks.'

Celebratory
Indignant (Correct answer)
Optimistic
Satirical

Correct answer: Indignant

The sentence conveys resentment and moral outrage, which is characteristic of an indignant tone.

Question 12: Choose the best synonym for 'EPHEMERAL'.

Eternal
Transient (Correct answer)
Robust
Significant

Correct answer: Transient

Ephemeral means lasting for a very short time, making transient its closest synonym.

Question 13: In a reading comprehension passage arguing that renewable energy adoption is accelerating globally, which inference is MOST supported?

Fossil fuels will be eliminated within a decade.
Investment in renewable infrastructure is increasing. (Correct answer)
Governments oppose renewable energy transitions.
Renewable energy is already cheaper than all fossil fuels globally.

Correct answer: Investment in renewable infrastructure is increasing.

Accelerating adoption logically implies increasing investment in renewable infrastructure.

Question 14: Select the option that correctly uses the word 'AFFECT' vs 'EFFECT'.

The medicine had a positive affect on the patient.
The storm will effect the flight schedules.
Her smile affected the mood of the room. (Correct answer)
The new policy will have an immediate affect.

Correct answer: Her smile affected the mood of the room.

'Affected' here is correctly used as a verb meaning to have an influence on.

Question 15: Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: 'She has been working _______ this project since Monday.'

at
for
on (Correct answer)
with

Correct answer: on

The correct preposition is 'on' when referring to working on a project.

Question 16: Passage: 'Urban green spaces reduce heat islands, improve air quality, and enhance mental wellbeing, yet city planners consistently deprioritize them in favor of commercial development.' What implicit criticism does the author make?

City planners lack technical expertise.
Commercial development has no benefits.
City planners undervalue public health benefits. (Correct answer)
Green spaces are too expensive to maintain.

Correct answer: City planners undervalue public health benefits.

The contrast between proven benefits and deprioritization implies city planners undervalue public health.

Question 17: Which sentence correctly uses the subjunctive mood?

I wish I was taller.
If I was you, I would leave.
She demanded that he be present. (Correct answer)
It is important that everyone attends.

Correct answer: She demanded that he be present.

'Be' in 'demanded that he be present' is the correct subjunctive form after a verb of demand.

Question 18: Choose the word that is most SIMILAR in meaning to 'GREGARIOUS'.

Solitary
Sociable (Correct answer)
Aggressive
Cautious

Correct answer: Sociable

Gregarious means fond of the company of others, making sociable its closest synonym.

Question 19: Identify the type of sentence: 'Although he studied hard, he failed the examination.'

Simple
Compound
Complex (Correct answer)
Compound-Complex

Correct answer: Complex

The sentence has one independent clause and one dependent clause introduced by 'although,' making it complex.

Question 20: Which of the following is an example of a non-sequitur logical fallacy in written argument?

She is a doctor, so she must be wealthy. (Correct answer)
All birds can fly; penguins are birds, so penguins can fly.
Either you support this policy or you oppose progress.
This product worked for me, so it will work for everyone.

Correct answer: She is a doctor, so she must be wealthy.

Concluding wealth from being a doctor is a non sequitur—the conclusion does not logically follow from the premise.

Question 21: Choose the sentence with correct parallel structure.

She likes hiking, to swim, and cycling.
He enjoys reading, writing, and to draw.
The project requires planning, budgeting, and executing. (Correct answer)
We need to analyze, creating, and report.

Correct answer: The project requires planning, budgeting, and executing.

Option C uses three gerunds (planning, budgeting, executing) maintaining consistent parallel structure.

CMAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Choose the word most OPPOSITE in meaning to 'LACONIC'.

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