Mettl Verbal Ability 6 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the word that is closest in meaning to CANDID as used in: 'The manager gave candid feedback during the appraisal.'
- Harsh
- Frank (Correct answer)
- Brief
- Formal
Correct answer: Frank
Candid means honest and straightforward, which matches 'frank'.
Candid describes speech that is open, honest and direct. 'Frank' carries the same meaning. 'Harsh' implies severity, 'brief' refers to length and 'formal' refers to tone, none of which capture the idea of honesty. Mettl verbal sections often test synonyms in workplace contexts like appraisals and meetings.
Question 2: Select the option that best completes the sentence: 'Neither the finance team nor the project lead ____ approved the revised budget yet.'
- have
- were
- are
- has (Correct answer)
Correct answer: has
With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject, 'the project lead', which is singular.
In a 'neither...nor' construction, the verb agrees with the subject that is nearest to it. Here the nearer subject is 'the project lead', a singular noun, so the singular verb 'has' is required. 'Have', 'were' and 'are' are all plural forms and would be incorrect.
Question 3: Identify the error in the sentence: 'The report, along with the supporting spreadsheets, were submitted before the deadline.'
- 'along with' should be 'and'
- 'were' should be 'was' (Correct answer)
- 'before' should be 'prior'
- There is no error
Correct answer: 'were' should be 'was'
The subject is 'The report' (singular); the phrase 'along with...' does not change the number of the subject.
The grammatical subject of the sentence is 'The report', which is singular. The phrase 'along with the supporting spreadsheets' is a parenthetical addition and does not make the subject plural. Therefore the verb must be 'was', not 'were'. Changing 'along with' to 'and' would also fix agreement, but that alters the meaning and is not the error being tested.
Question 4: Read the passage: 'Remote work has improved employee retention at several firms, yet some managers report reduced spontaneous collaboration. Companies are therefore experimenting with hybrid schedules.' What is the primary purpose of the passage?
- To argue that remote work should be abandoned
- To prove that hybrid schedules increase retention
- To describe a trade-off and a response to it (Correct answer)
- To criticize managers who resist remote work
Correct answer: To describe a trade-off and a response to it
The passage presents a benefit, a drawback, and the resulting compromise.
The passage balances a benefit (better retention) against a cost (less spontaneous collaboration) and then explains that companies respond with hybrid schedules. It does not argue for abandoning remote work, does not claim hybrid schedules increase retention, and does not criticize managers. Identifying the purpose requires seeing the structure of contrast followed by consequence.
Question 5: Choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to METICULOUS.
- Careless (Correct answer)
- Thorough
- Deliberate
- Punctual
Correct answer: Careless
Meticulous means extremely careful about details; its opposite is 'careless'.
Meticulous describes someone who pays great attention to detail and precision. The antonym is 'careless', meaning not paying enough attention. 'Thorough' and 'deliberate' are near-synonyms of meticulous, and 'punctual' relates to timeliness rather than attention to detail.
Question 6: Arrange the sentences to form a coherent paragraph: (P) As a result, customer complaints dropped by 30 percent. (Q) The support team introduced a new ticketing system in March. (R) Agents could now see the full history of every customer. (S) This visibility helped them resolve issues faster.
- R-Q-P-S
- Q-P-R-S
- S-R-Q-P
- Q-R-S-P (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Q-R-S-P
The system was introduced (Q), enabling visibility (R), which sped up resolution (S), leading to fewer complaints (P).
A logical paragraph moves from cause to effect. The introduction of the ticketing system (Q) is the initial event. It gave agents visibility into customer history (R), which helped them resolve issues faster (S). The final measurable outcome, a 30 percent drop in complaints, is signalled by 'As a result' (P). Only Q-R-S-P preserves this chain.
Mettl Verbal Ability 6
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to CANDID as used in: 'The manager gave candid feedback during the appraisal.'