Verbal Ability Sectional Test 2026 (30 MCQs with Solutions)

Last Updated: June 2026

This sectional test isolates verbal ability so you can sharpen vocabulary and grammar accuracy in one section. It spans the high-frequency verbal topics candidates report from TCS NQT, Infosys, Wipro, Accenture, and Cognizant rounds: synonyms, antonyms, error spotting, sentence completion, idioms, one-word substitution, and para-jumbles. Sit it in 25 minutes, then study every solution.

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Test Instructions

Parameter	Details
Total Questions	30
Total Time	25 minutes
Section	Verbal Ability only
Marking	+1 correct, -0.25 wrong
Target Score	22+ for placement readiness

Topic Coverage

Topic	Questions
Synonyms and Antonyms	8
Error Spotting	6
Sentence Completion	6
Idioms and One-word	5
Spelling and Rearrangement	5

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Questions

Q1. Synonym of ABUNDANT:

A) Scarce B) Plentiful C) Rare D) Limited

Q2. Synonym of FRAGILE:

A) Strong B) Delicate C) Tough D) Solid

Q3. Antonym of TRANSPARENT:

A) Clear B) Opaque C) Bright D) Visible

Q4. Antonym of PERMANENT:

A) Lasting B) Temporary C) Fixed D) Stable

Q5. Synonym of CANDID:

A) Frank B) Dishonest C) Hidden D) Secret

Q6. Antonym of EXPAND:

A) Grow B) Enlarge C) Contract D) Extend

Q7. Synonym of METICULOUS:

A) Careless B) Careful C) Hasty D) Rough

Q8. Antonym of OPTIMISTIC:

A) Hopeful B) Pessimistic C) Positive D) Confident

Q9. Error spotting: One of my friend (A) / has gone (B) / to Mumbai (C) / No error (D)

A) A B) B C) C D) D

Q10. Error spotting: He is junior (A) / than me (B) / by two years (C) / No error (D)

A) A B) B C) C D) D

Q11. Error spotting: The teacher as well as the students (A) / were present (B) / in the class (C) / No error (D)

A) A B) B C) C D) D

Q12. Error spotting: I have been knowing him (A) / for many years (B) / now (C) / No error (D)

A) A B) B C) C D) D

Q13. Error spotting: Each of the boys (A) / have done (B) / their homework (C) / No error (D)

A) A B) B C) C D) D

Q14. Error spotting: She did not went (A) / to the party (B) / yesterday (C) / No error (D)

A) A B) B C) C D) D

Q15. Fill in the blank: He is good ___ playing chess.

A) in B) at C) for D) on

Q16. Fill in the blank: She has been ill ___ Monday.

A) for B) since C) from D) by

Q17. Fill in the blank: The book ___ on the table belongs to me.

A) lying B) laying C) lain D) lie

Q18. Fill in the blank: If I ___ rich, I would travel the world.

A) am B) was C) were D) be

Q19. Fill in the blank: He ___ his homework before dinner yesterday.

A) finishes B) finished C) has finished D) had finished

Q20. Fill in the blank: Neither of the answers ___ correct.

A) are B) is C) were D) have

Q21. Idiom: "To hit the nail on the head" means:

A) To injure oneself B) To be exactly right C) To work hard D) To make a mistake

Q22. Idiom: "To cost an arm and a leg" means:

A) To be cheap B) To be very expensive C) To get hurt D) To be free

Q23. One word substitution: A person who speaks for others.

A) Spokesperson B) Leader C) Manager D) Critic

Q24. One word substitution: A place for keeping books.

A) Library B) Studio C) Gallery D) Archive

Q25. Idiom: "To turn over a new leaf" means:

A) To read a book B) To start afresh C) To go outdoors D) To change jobs

Q26. Correctly spelled word:

A) Seperate B) Separate C) Seperete D) Sepparate

Q27. Correctly spelled word:

A) Occured B) Occurred C) Ocurred D) Occurd

Q28. Rearrange: (P) every morning (Q) a walk (R) he takes (S) in the park

A) RQSP B) RQPS C) RPQS D) RSPQ

Q29. Rearrange: (P) is the best policy (Q) honesty (R) in life (S) always

A) QPSR B) QSPR C) QPRS D) QRSP

Q30. Rearrange: (P) of the company (Q) the success (R) hard work (S) depends on the

A) QPSR B) QPRS C) QRPS D) QPSR

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Answer Key

Q	Ans	Q	Ans	Q	Ans	Q	Ans	Q	Ans
1	B	7	B	13	B	19	D	25	B
2	B	8	B	14	A	20	B	26	B
3	B	9	A	15	B	21	B	27	B
4	B	10	B	16	B	22	B	28	A
5	A	11	B	17	A	23	A	29	A
6	C	12	A	18	C	24	A	30	A

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Worked Solutions

Q1. ABUNDANT means existing in large quantity, that is, plentiful. Answer: B.

Q2. FRAGILE means easily broken, that is, delicate. Answer: B.

Q3. TRANSPARENT means see-through; its opposite is opaque. Answer: B.

Q4. PERMANENT opposite is temporary. Answer: B.

Q5. CANDID means honest and direct, that is, frank. Answer: A.

Q6. EXPAND opposite is contract. Answer: C.

Q7. METICULOUS means showing great attention to detail, that is, careful. Answer: B.

Q8. OPTIMISTIC opposite is pessimistic. Answer: B.

Q9. "One of my friend" should be "one of my friends" (plural after "one of"). Error at A. Answer: A.

Q10. "Junior" takes "to", not "than". Error at B. Answer: B.

Q11. "The teacher as well as the students" has the singular subject "teacher", so it should be "was present". Error at B. Answer: B.

Q12. "Know" is a stative verb and is not used in continuous form, so "have been knowing" should be "have known". Error at A. Answer: A.

Q13. "Each of the boys" is singular, so it should be "has done". Error at B. Answer: B.

Q14. "Did not went" is wrong; after "did" the base verb is used, so "did not go". Error at A. Answer: A.

Q15. "Good at" is the correct collocation. Answer: B.

Q16. "Since" is used with a point in time (Monday). Answer: B.

Q17. The book is in a resting position, so "lying" is correct. Answer: A.

Q18. Second conditional uses "were" for all subjects: "If I were rich". Answer: C.

Q19. Two past actions with one before the other use past perfect for the earlier: "had finished". Answer: D.

Q20. "Neither of" takes a singular verb: "is correct". Answer: B.

Q21. "To hit the nail on the head" means to be exactly right. Answer: B.

Q22. "To cost an arm and a leg" means to be very expensive. Answer: B.

Q23. One who speaks for others is a spokesperson. Answer: A.

Q24. A place for keeping books is a library. Answer: A.

Q25. "To turn over a new leaf" means to start afresh. Answer: B.

Q26. Correct spelling: Separate. Answer: B.

Q27. Correct spelling: Occurred. Answer: B.

Q28. Correct order: He takes a walk in the park every morning. Answer: A.

Q29. Correct order: Honesty is the best policy always in life. Answer: A.

Q30. Correct order: The success of the company depends on the hard work. Answer: A.

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Score Interpretation

Score	Performance	Recommendation
26-30	Excellent	Verbal is a strength
22-25	Good	Build vocabulary depth
16-21	Average	Drill grammar error patterns
Below 16	Needs Work	Start a daily vocabulary habit

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Verbal Improvement Plan

Verbal ability rewards two separate habits: a steady vocabulary build and a finite set of grammar rules. Candidates report that error spotting and sentence completion are the highest-return sub-topics because the rules repeat across every test. Keep a running list of the grammar traps you miss, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, conditionals, and review it before every drive. Vocabulary grows slowly; grammar accuracy can jump in a week.

The Twenty Grammar Rules That Cover Most Errors

Error spotting in placement tests draws from a small, repeating pool of rules. Master these and you will catch the majority of planted errors.

Subject-verb agreement

• "One of the" is always followed by a plural noun but takes a singular verb: one of the boys has gone.
• "Each", "every", "either", "neither" take singular verbs: each of the students has a book.
• "The number of" is singular; "a number of" is plural: the number of cars is rising; a number of cars are parked.
• With "as well as", "along with", and "together with", the verb agrees with the first subject, not the second: the teacher as well as the students was present.

Prepositions that are frequently tested

Word	Correct preposition	Example
good	at	good at chess
afraid	of	afraid of the dark
junior, senior	to	junior to me
married	to	married to a doctor
prefer	to	prefer tea to coffee
interested	in	interested in music
fond	of	fond of music
accustomed	to	accustomed to hard work

Tense and verb form

• After "did", "does", and "do", always use the base verb: she did not go, not did not went.
• Stative verbs like "know", "believe", and "understand" are not used in the continuous form: I have known him, not I have been knowing him.
• For two past actions, the earlier one takes the past perfect: he had finished his homework before dinner.
• Second conditional uses "were" for every subject: if I were rich.

Articles and pronouns

• Use "an" before a vowel sound, including silent-h words: an honourable man, an hour.
• Use "a" before a consonant sound, including some vowel letters: a university, a one-day match.
• Reflexive pronouns are only used when subject and object are the same: he hurt himself, not he and myself went.

How To Approach Each Verbal Question Type

Question type	Fast approach
Synonym or antonym	If unsure, use word roots and the sentence tone; do not guess blindly under negative marking
Error spotting	Scan for the twenty common rules above before reading for meaning
Sentence completion	Read the full sentence first to catch the tense and tone the blank must match
Idioms	Learn them as fixed phrases; they cannot be reasoned out from the words
Para-jumbles	Find the opening sentence first, then link by pronouns and connectors

Candidates report that the single biggest verbal score gain comes from drilling error spotting against this rule list until recognition is automatic, since those marks are won by rule, not by guessing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What verbal topics do placement tests focus on?

Candidates report synonyms, antonyms, error spotting, sentence completion, idioms, and para-jumbles as the core verbal ability topics in TCS NQT, Infosys, and Wipro rounds. Reading comprehension appears in some companies but the vocabulary and grammar base is universal, so this sectional test weights those heavily.

How do I improve verbal ability quickly?

Build a vocabulary habit: ten new words a day with usage, plus drilling the twenty most common grammar error patterns. Candidates report that error spotting and sentence completion are the most learnable verbal sub-topics because the rules are finite and repeat across tests.

Is the verbal section easier than quant and reasoning?

For strong English readers, verbal is often the fastest section to score in, but it punishes guessing on vocabulary you do not know. Candidates report the best approach is to bank the grammar and rearrangement marks with certainty and only attempt vocabulary questions where you genuinely know the word.