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Free Verbal Ability questions with answers for MBA CET

Grammar, vocabulary, sentence correction, para jumbles, odd sentence out and critical reasoning - the verbal questions asked in MBA CET and other management entrance exams. These 102 questions are also useful for CAT, MAT and ATMA. Tap “Show answer” under any question for the correct option and the explanation.

  1. Question 81

    Choose the option that best completes the analogy: CREDIBLE : BELIEF :: AMBIGUOUS : ______
    • (A)Clarity
    • (B)Certainty
    • (C)Confusion
    • (D)Evidence
    • (E)Precision
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (C) Confusion

    Something 'credible' inspires 'belief'; similarly, something 'ambiguous' creates 'confusion' - the relationship is cause-to-effect.

  2. Question 82

    Choose the word that best replaces the phrase "a person who deliberately sets fire to property".
    • (A)Arbitrator
    • (B)Arsonist
    • (C)Archivist
    • (D)Atheist
    • (E)Autocrat
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) Arsonist

    A person who deliberately sets fire to property is an 'arsonist'.

  3. Question 83

    Choose the grammatically correct sentence.
    • (A)Neither the manager nor the analysts was willing to revise their forecast.
    • (B)Neither the manager nor the analysts were willing to revise their forecast.
    • (C)Neither the manager or the analysts were willing to revise their forecast.
    • (D)Neither the manager nor the analysts is willing to revised their forecast.
    • (E)Neither the manager nor the analysts has willing to revise their forecast.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) Neither the manager nor the analysts were willing to revise their forecast.

    'Neither...nor' takes a verb that agrees with the nearer subject - here, the plural 'analysts' - so 'were' is correct, along with the plural possessive 'their'.

  4. Question 84

    Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: "Each of the proposals / were examined carefully / before the committee / announced its decision."
    • (A)Each of the proposals
    • (B)were examined carefully
    • (C)before the committee
    • (D)announced its decision
    • (E)No error
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) were examined carefully

    'Each' is a singular pronoun, so it needs a singular verb: 'was examined,' not 'were examined' - the error is in that part.

  5. Question 85

    Choose the best pair of words to fill the blanks: The new policy was designed not merely to ______ compliance but also to ______ a culture of accountability.
    • (A)enforce, foster
    • (B)enforced, fostering
    • (C)enforcing, fostered
    • (D)enforce, suppress
    • (E)evade, cultivate
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (A) enforce, foster

    The two blanks need parallel infinitive verbs after 'not merely to... but also to...': 'enforce compliance' and 'foster a culture of accountability'.

  6. Question 86

    Choose the option that best improves the underlined part: "The report is more comprehensive than any report published last year."
    • (A)than any report published last year
    • (B)than any other report published last year
    • (C)than all report published last year
    • (D)than every reports published last year
    • (E)than the reports had published last year
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) than any other report published last year

    Since 'the report' is presumably one of last year's reports, it can't logically be compared to 'any report' (which includes itself); the correct comparison is with 'any other report'.

  7. Question 87

    Choose the most appropriate connector: The company had strong revenue growth; ______, its cash flow weakened because receivables rose sharply.
    • (A)therefore
    • (B)moreover
    • (C)however
    • (D)similarly
    • (E)consequently
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (C) however

    A semicolon-joined contrast (strong growth, yet weaker cash flow) calls for a contrasting connector - 'however' - rather than a connector implying agreement or consequence like 'therefore' or 'moreover'.

  8. Question 88

    Arrange the following sentences to form a coherent paragraph. A. Yet the apparent precision of a forecast can create an illusion of certainty. B. Forecasting is essential because organisations must act before outcomes are known. C. Good forecasters therefore treat predictions as ranges and update them as evidence changes. D. Data and models can reduce uncertainty by organising what is already known. Choose the correct sequence.
    • (A)B-D-A-C
    • (B)D-B-C-A
    • (C)B-A-D-C
    • (D)D-A-B-C
    • (E)A-B-D-C
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (A) B-D-A-C

    The paragraph should open by explaining why forecasting matters (B), then how it works, by reducing uncertainty (D), then pivot to its limitation - the illusion of precision (A, signalled by 'Yet') - and close with the resulting best practice (C, signalled by 'therefore'). Sequence: B-D-A-C.

  9. Question 89

    Choose the sentence that best completes the paragraph: "Remote work has expanded the pool of talent available to many firms. It has also reduced the importance of physical proximity for several knowledge-based roles. ______. As a result, managers must design coordination deliberately rather than assume it will happen automatically."
    • (A)Office rents have increased in every major city.
    • (B)However, distributed teams can struggle with informal communication, shared context and spontaneous problem-solving.
    • (C)Most employees prefer working alone at all times.
    • (D)Technology has eliminated the need for leadership.
    • (E)Remote work is suitable only for software companies.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) However, distributed teams can struggle with informal communication, shared context and spontaneous problem-solving.

    The next sentence must set up the contrast that justifies 'As a result, managers must design coordination deliberately' - option B ('However, distributed teams can struggle with informal communication...') directly provides that reason.

  10. Question 90

    In the sentence "The regulator decided to draw a line in the sand," the phrase means:
    • (A)to delay a decision indefinitely
    • (B)to establish a firm limit or boundary
    • (C)to erase a previous rule
    • (D)to negotiate secretly
    • (E)to avoid taking responsibility
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) to establish a firm limit or boundary

    'Draw a line in the sand' is an idiom meaning to set a firm limit that must not be crossed.

  11. Question 91

    A university plans to make attendance optional, arguing that students who are responsible for their own attendance will become more self-directed learners. Which assumption is necessary for the argument?
    • (A)All students dislike compulsory attendance.
    • (B)Students who attend fewer classes always score better.
    • (C)Giving students greater responsibility can encourage at least some of them to manage their learning more actively.
    • (D)Lectures are unnecessary in higher education.
    • (E)Optional attendance will reduce faculty workload.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (C) Giving students greater responsibility can encourage at least some of them to manage their learning more actively.

    The argument only works if greater responsibility can actually make at least some students more self-directed; without that minimal link, the case for optional attendance collapses.

  12. Question 92

    A company observed that branches with higher employee-engagement scores also had higher customer-retention rates. It concluded that increasing employee engagement will necessarily increase retention. Which option most weakens the conclusion?
    • (A)Some highly engaged employees have worked at the company for many years.
    • (B)Branches with higher engagement scores were also located in markets with much lower competitive intensity.
    • (C)Customer retention is measured annually.
    • (D)The company uses the same engagement survey in every branch.
    • (E)Some customers interact with more than one employee.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) Branches with higher engagement scores were also located in markets with much lower competitive intensity.

    If branches with higher engagement also happened to be in less competitive markets, the higher retention could be explained by weaker competition rather than by engagement itself - undermining the causal claim.

  13. Question 93

    Arrange the five sentences into the most coherent paragraph. A. Yet the gains were uneven: communities without reliable broadband could not make effective use of the new portals. B. During the pandemic, local councils moved many citizen services online. C. That gap led some councils to establish assisted-access kiosks in public libraries. D. For many residents, the shift eliminated tedious journeys and long queues. E. The kiosks, however, proved effective only where trained staff were available to help users navigate the forms.
    • (A)B – A – C – D – E
    • (B)D – B – A – E – C
    • (C)B – D – C – A – E
    • (D)B – D – A – C – E
    • (E)A – B – D – C – E
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (D) B – D – A – C – E

    B introduces the topic: councils moved services online. D follows with the benefit of that shift ('the shift' refers back to B). A then turns to the downside ('Yet the gains were uneven'), which only makes sense after the gains have been mentioned in D. C comes next because 'That gap' refers to the broadband gap in A, and the kiosks are the response. E closes the paragraph with a 'however' about how well the kiosks worked. Correct order: B – D – A – C – E, option (D). In (A) and (E) the 'Yet the gains' sentence comes before any gains are mentioned; in (C), 'That gap' in C has no gap to refer to; in (B), D opens the paragraph with 'the shift' before any shift has been introduced.

  14. Question 94

    Arrange the five sentences into the most coherent paragraph. A. It is tempting, therefore, to read an ancient map as a failed attempt at modern cartography. B. Early maps often depicted religious or political centres at conspicuously exaggerated scales. C. But that judgment assumes geographical precision was the mapmaker's primary objective. D. In many cases, those distortions conveyed a hierarchy of importance rather than a misunderstanding of distance. E. Seen in that light, the map was less a defective measurement tool than an argument about the world.
    • (A)B – A – C – D – E
    • (B)B – D – A – C – E
    • (C)A – B – C – D – E
    • (D)B – C – A – D – E
    • (E)D – B – C – A – E
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (A) B – A – C – D – E

    B states the fact (centres drawn at exaggerated scales). A draws the obvious conclusion from it ('therefore'): the map looks like bad cartography. C challenges that conclusion ('But that judgment...'), so it must follow A. D then supplies the alternative explanation - the distortions show importance, not ignorance of distance ('those distortions' refers back to B's exaggerated scales). E ('Seen in that light') wraps up the new reading. Correct order: B – A – C – D – E, option (A). In (B), the 'tempting, therefore' conclusion would come after the explanation that already shows the map is not a failure, and 'But that judgment' in C would have nothing to answer. (C) opens with 'therefore' before any evidence. (D) puts 'But that judgment' before the judgment is stated. (E) starts with 'those distortions', which has no antecedent.

  15. Question 95

    Four of the following five sentences can be arranged into a coherent paragraph. Identify the sentence that does not belong.
    • (A)Researchers increasingly use satellite imagery to estimate crop yields before harvest.
    • (B)Because such images capture vast areas repeatedly, they permit regional comparisons that were previously expensive to conduct.
    • (C)However, cloud cover and variations in crop characteristics can complicate the interpretation of satellite images.
    • (D)In many developing economies, agricultural insurance remains inaccessible to small-scale farmers.
    • (E)Consequently, reliable yield estimates often require combining satellite observations with measurements collected in the field.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (D) In many developing economies, agricultural insurance remains inaccessible to small-scale farmers.

    Sentences A, B, C and E form one line of thought: satellite images are used to estimate yields (A), they allow cheap regional comparison (B), but they have limits (C), so field measurements are needed as well (E). The order is A – B – C – E. Sentence D talks about agricultural insurance for small farmers - a different topic that none of the other sentences connects to. It is the odd one out, option (D).

  16. Question 96

    Identify the part of the sentence containing a grammatical error. Choose (E) if there is no error. Neither the findings of the internal audit / nor the director's subsequent explanation / were sufficient to account for / the discrepancy in the reported figures.
    • (A)Neither the findings of the internal audit
    • (B)nor the director's subsequent explanation
    • (C)were sufficient to account for
    • (D)the discrepancy in the reported figures.
    • (E)No error.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (C) were sufficient to account for

    With 'neither... nor', the verb agrees with the subject closer to it. The nearer subject here is 'the director's subsequent explanation', which is singular, so the verb should be 'was', not 'were'. The error is in part (C). (The plural noun 'findings' sits inside the first subject but is not the one nearest to the verb.)

  17. Question 97

    Identify the part of the sentence containing a grammatical error. Choose (E) if there is no error. No sooner had the revised policy been announced / when several regional heads objected / to the absence of any provision / for employees on temporary contracts.
    • (A)No sooner had the revised policy been announced
    • (B)when several regional heads objected
    • (C)to the absence of any provision
    • (D)for employees on temporary contracts.
    • (E)No error.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (B) when several regional heads objected

    'No sooner' is a comparative expression and is always followed by 'than', not 'when' ('No sooner had... than...'). 'Hardly/scarcely... when' is the pattern that takes 'when'. So part (B) is wrong; it should read 'than several regional heads objected'.

  18. Question 98

    Select the option that most appropriately replaces the portion in quotation marks. The report is "as much a critique of existing policy than it is a proposal for reform."
    • (A)so much a critique of existing policy as a proposal for reform.
    • (B)as much a critique of existing policy rather than a proposal for reform.
    • (C)more a critique of existing policy as it is a proposal for reform.
    • (D)a critique as much of existing policy than a proposal for reform.
    • (E)as much a critique of existing policy as it is a proposal for reform.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (E) as much a critique of existing policy as it is a proposal for reform.

    The structure is 'as much X as Y'. The error in the original is 'than', which must be 'as' to complete the pair 'as much... as'. (E) fixes this correctly: 'as much a critique of existing policy as it is a proposal for reform'. (A) uses 'so much... as', which is only idiomatic in negatives ('not so much... as') and changes the structure. (B) 'rather than' does not pair with 'as much'. (C) 'more... as' mixes a comparative with 'as'. (D) keeps the wrong 'than'.

  19. Question 99

    Choose the option that most accurately conveys the meaning of the word in quotation marks in the given context. The memorandum's "studied" ambiguity allowed negotiators on both sides to present the compromise as a victory.
    • (A)Deliberately calculated rather than accidental.
    • (B)Acquired through formal academic instruction.
    • (C)Neutral and entirely unintentional.
    • (D)Excessively detailed and methodical.
    • (E)Hastily improvised under pressure.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (A) Deliberately calculated rather than accidental.

    'Studied' used as an adjective means deliberate and carefully cultivated, as in 'studied indifference'. The ambiguity was kept on purpose so that both sides could read the memorandum in their own favour and each call the compromise a victory. (A) is correct. (B) is the literal 'learned' sense and does not fit. (C) is the opposite - the ambiguity was not unintentional. (D) is contradicted by the word 'ambiguity'. (E) 'hastily' is the opposite of 'studied'.

  20. Question 100

    Choose the option that most accurately conveys the meaning of the word in quotation marks in the given context. Despite its abundance of footnotes, the review was unmistakably "tendentious" rather than dispassionate.
    • (A)Excessively cautious in advancing conclusions.
    • (B)Exhaustive in its chronological treatment.
    • (C)Subtly humorous in its criticism.
    • (D)Deliberately slanted to promote a particular interpretation.
    • (E)Dependent entirely on unreliable historical sources.
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: (D) Deliberately slanted to promote a particular interpretation.

    'Tendentious' means expressing a particular point of view, especially a controversial one; biased. The sentence sets it against 'dispassionate' (objective, impartial), and says that even with many footnotes - which would normally suggest scholarly care - the review was clearly slanted. (D) is correct. (A) is the opposite of tendentious. (B), (C) and (E) have no link to bias or to the contrast with 'dispassionate'.

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