Mettl Verbal Ability Comprehension 4

Question 1

Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:

Accepted Answer

It's a good idea to proofread your work.

Answer

'It's' is the contraction of 'it is,' which is what the sentence requires; 'its' is the possessive form.

Question 2

Passage: 'Despite her ostensibly calm exterior, her fidgeting hands betrayed her anxiety.' What does 'ostensibly' mean here?

Accepted Answer

Outwardly or apparently

Answer

'Ostensibly' means outwardly appearing to be a certain way, though the reality may differ.

Question 3

Which word correctly fills the blank? 'The attorney argued that the evidence was ______ to the charges and should be excluded.'

Accepted Answer

Irrelevant

Answer

If the attorney wants evidence excluded, it must be 'irrelevant' — not related to the charges.

Question 4

Select the sentence that is free of redundancy:

Accepted Answer

She gave a brief summary of the report.

Answer

'Brief summary' is not redundant; 'revert back,' 'new innovation,' and 'collaborated together' all repeat meaning unnecessarily.

Question 5

Passage: 'The author's prose was sparse yet evocative, painting vivid images with minimal words.' What does 'sparse' suggest about the writing style?

Accepted Answer

It relied on very few but carefully chosen words.

Answer

'Sparse' means minimal or limited, indicating the author used very few words intentionally.

Mettl Practice Test