EngQuizzitive – CAT – 2.10 (vocab)

Answers

An introduction that comes before something we say or write : prologue [pro – before + logue-word]

Meanings/etymology of other words:

prediction : pre-before + dictum-say
review : re-again + view-see
premonition : pre-before + monit-warn
monologue : mono (one) + logue-word

Characteristic of children or young people : juvenile [juvenus-young] and puerile

Meanings/etymology of other words:
leonine : leo-lion + ine-like
puerile : puer (child) : meaning : childish or immature

A large and impressive building : edifice
Meanings of the other words:
colossal : Of a size, extent, or degree that elicits awe or taxes belief; immense
citadel : A fortress in a commanding position in or near a city

A place where everything is perfect : utopia [eu-good+topos-place]
Meanings of the other words:
nectary : A glandlike organ, located outside or within a flower, that secretes nectar

One who abstains from alcoholic drinks: teetotaler

Meanings of the other words:
bootlegger : To make, sell, or transport (alcoholic liquor) for sale illegally
alderman : A member of the municipal legislative body in a town or city in many jurisdictions
bordure: a border around a shield

EngQuizzitive – GMAT – 09 (grammar)

Topic : Case errors

Pronouns are words used in place of nouns.There are different types of pronouns,this quiz covers personal pronouns (called so coz they are used to indicate individuals only).

Since a pronoun is a word used in place of a noun the usage of a pronoun depends on three aspects of the noun.These three aspects are as follows:

• number ( SN takes SPr ; PN takes PPr) e.g Ram will be replaced by a he/him/his but Ram and Shyam will be replaced by we/us/our/they/them/their
• gender (Ram [M] takes a he , Sita [F] takes a she , bench [N] takes a it and students [ common] takes a he/she)
• case : the case of a pronoun depends on the position of the noun in a sentence i.e whether a noun is used as a subject,object or used to indicate possession

In the usage of personal pronouns we also have to take into consideration the person of the pronouns.

first person singular : I
second person singular : you
third person singular : he/she/it
first person plural : we
third person plural : they

All these pronouns have four forms depending on their position in the sentence.The following table will help you understand the concept better:

Subjective case       Objective case       Possessive Adjective   Possessive Pr

[used in the subject  [used in the object            [used to indicate possession]
position]                   position]

I                             me                              my                                    mine
you                        you                              your                                 yours
he                          him                               his                                    his
she                         her                                her                                  hers
it                            it                                   its                                     its
we                          us                                 our                                  ours
they                        them                             their                                 theirs
who                       whom                           whose                              whose

Hence it can be said that the noun and the pronouns should agree with each other in terms of  number,case and gender.This error is referred to as Pronoun-Antecedent agreement.

Answers :

1. It is I.[Explanation : a common area of confusion, is the verb to be. If in any doubt, try reversing the sentence:You would never say: Me am/is it]
2. It is she. [Explanation : a common area of confusion, is the verb to be. If in any doubt, try reversing the sentence:You would never say:Her is it]
3. She is faster than they (are).[Explanation : comparisons can sometimes cause confusion because of the common omission of the verb in the second part of the comparison.The verb in the second part is always implied hence the nominative case is used]
4. I am thinner than she (is) . [Explanation : comparisons can sometimes cause confusion because of the common omission of the verb in the second part of the comparison.The verb in the second part is always implied hence the nominative case is used]
5. Abhishek like Sheela more than I (like her) or me. [Explanation : either can be used but the meaning would change]

EngQuizzitive – CAT – 2.9 (grammar)

EngQuizzitive – CAT – 2.9 (grammar)

Topic : Case errors

Pronouns are words used in place of nouns.There are different types of pronouns,this quiz covers personal pronouns (called so coz they are used to indicate individuals only).

Since a pronoun is a word used in place of a noun the usage of a pronoun depends on three aspects of the noun.These three aspects are as follows:

• number ( SN takes SPr ; PN takes PPr) e.g Ram will be replaced by a he/him/his but Ram and Shyam will be replaced by we/us/our/they/them/their
• gender (Ram [M] takes a he , Sita [F] takes a she , bench [N] takes a it and students [ common] takes a he/she)
• case : the case of a pronoun depends on the position of the noun in a sentence i.e whether a noun is used as a subject,object or used to indicate possession

In the usage of personal pronouns we also have to take into consideration the person of the pronouns.

first person singular : I
second person singular : you
third person singular : he/she/it
first person plural : we
third person plural : they

All these pronouns have four forms depending on their position in the sentence.The following table will help you understand the concept better:

Subjective case       Objective case       Possessive Adjective   Possessive Pr

[used in the subject  [used in the object            [used to indicate possession]
position]                   position]

I                             me                              my                                    mine
you                        you                              your                                 yours
he                          him                               his                                    his
she                         her                                her                                  hers
it                            it                                   its                                     its
we                          us                                 our                                  ours
they                        them                             their                                 theirs
who                       whom                           whose                              whose

Hence it can be said that the noun and the pronouns should agree with each other in terms of  number,case and gender.This error is referred to as Pronoun-Antecedent agreement.

Answers :

1. It is I.[Explanation : a common area of confusion, is the verb to be. If in any doubt, try reversing the sentence:You would never say: Me am/is it]
2. It is she. [Explanation : a common area of confusion, is the verb to be. If in any doubt, try reversing the sentence:You would never say:Her is it]
3. She is faster than they (are).[Explanation : comparisons can sometimes cause confusion because of the common omission of the verb in the second part of the comparison.The verb in the second part is always implied hence the nominative case is used]
4. I am thinner than she (is) . [Explanation : comparisons can sometimes cause confusion because of the common omission of the verb in the second part of the comparison.The verb in the second part is always implied hence the nominative case is used]
5. Abhishek like Sheela more than I (like her) or me. [Explanation : either can be used but the meaning would change]

EngQuizzitive – GMAT – 08 (vocab)

Food ,glorious food!We eat three square meals a day and what a variety we eat.Vegetables ,meat,fruits,cereals…fried,stirred,roasted ,baked and when it’s time for something special what a spread we have on our tables …. it’s the same spread we have brought in our language too!!!!Thus we use all the goodness of our food to nourish our language in more than one!

Apple of your eye

Origin : In the past, the coloured round portion of our eyes that we call the pupil was called the apple of the eye. This was due to its shape,which was like an apple. We would be blind without our pupils. Since the pupil is such an important part of the eye, anything that is dear to us is called the apple of our eye
Meaning : a thing that is very precious to you.
Usage : Advika is such a fine child. No wonder she is the apple of her mother’s eye. [Answer : both 1 and 2 ]

Eat humble pie

Origin : in the 14th and the 15th centauries, a pie was called ‘umble pie’. Since it sounds like humble and humble means feeling humiliated, it was soon changed to eating humble pie which meant being sorry about something.
Meaning : to feel sorry or be apologetic about something
Usage : Harry boasted about scoring the highest marks in the class but when he saw the results, he had to eat humble pie.[Answer : 2 ]

Full of beans

Origin : We all know that beans are full of protein and energy. If someone ate a lot of beans, then we would expect him to be stronger than the rest of us.So,this idiom refers to people, who are very strong and energetic.
Meaning : to be strong and energetic
Usage : Even after running uphill for ten miles, Uncle Sam seems to be full of beans while the rest of us are dead tired.[Answer : 2]

Not one’s cup of tea

Origin : People in England are very particular about the tea that they drink. Even though there are so many varieties, they will not drink any other than the tea that they are used to. It’s a matter of taste. So anything that you are not used to is not just your cup of tea.
Meaning : something that is not your taste or liking.
Usage : Sneha is very bad at cooking. It’s just not her cup of tea.[Answer : 1]

Nutty as a fruitcake

Origin : First let me tell you what a fruit cake is! It is a cake made with dried fruits and a lot of nuts. Nut is a term we sometimes use to describe people who are crazy.And if someone is as nutty as the nuts in a fruitcake, then they must be really crazy.
Meaning : crazy, mad, eccentric
Usage : Everybody in the country thought that aunt Hilda was nutty as a fruitcake. She wore no warm clothes in the winter and put on two or three sweaters in the summer. [Answer : both 2 and 3]

I hope you liked reading the origin of these idioms.If you know any idioms derived from food items do post them in the comments section of this post.