Quick Theory

Verbal Reasoning tests your ability to understand, analyse and draw logical conclusions from words and sentences. Railway exams focus on four core areas: (1) Vocabulary—synonyms, antonyms, odd-word & word-formation; (2) Comprehension—passage-based inference, title, theme; (3) Grammar & Usage—error spotting, sentence improvement, fill-in-the-blanks; (4) Verbal Logic—assumptions, conclusions, course of action, cause-effect, statement–argument.

Questions seldom check rote memory; they reward structural reading—spotting qualifiers (always, never, some), negation words, parallel markers (either-or, not only-but also) and comparative/superlative clues. For synonym/antonym sets, root analysis (Latin/Greek) and collocation (words that “sit” together) save 10-15 s. In RC, first-last sentence skim gives 60 % of the answers; for error spotting, S-V-O agreement + parallelism knock out 2 options instantly.

Finally, elimination > solving: railway options are designed so that 2 choices are “close” and 2 are “absurd”. Strike the absurd first; you jump from 25 % to 50 % accuracy with zero extra effort.

Practice Set – 25 MCQs

Directions (Q1-Q25): Choose the best option.

1. Easy | Select the word that is closest in meaning to ABOLISH.
   A. Annihilate
   B. Establish
   C. Diminish
   D. Delay

2. Easy | Pick the opposite of FLEXIBLE.
   A. Pliable
   B. Rigid
   C. Elastic
   D. Lenient

3. Easy | Find the odd one out.
   A. Square
   B. Rectangle
   C. Triangle
   D. Sphere

4. Easy | Which word cannot be formed from “RAILWAYPLATFORM”?
   A. FORMAT
   B. WARM
   C. TRAIL
   D. PLIGHT

5. Easy | Replace the blank: “He is ___ honest man.”
   A. a
   B. an
   C. the
   D. No article

6. Medium | In the sentence “She is junior than me”, the error is:
   A. She
   B. is
   C. than
   D. me

7. Medium | Choose the correctly spelt word.
   A. Accomodate
   B. Accommodate
   C. Acommodate
   D. Accomadate

8. Medium | Synonym of OBLIVIOUS is:
   A. Watchful
   B. Unaware
   C. Angry
   D. Anxious

9. Medium | Antonym of FRUGAL is:
   A. Thrifty
   B. Economical
   C. Extravagant
   D. Prudent

10. Medium | One-word substitution for “A person who does not believe in the existence of God”.
    A. Theist
    B. Atheist
    C. Agnostic
    D. Pagan

11. Medium | Idiom “To burn the midnight oil” means:
    A. To waste oil
    B. To study/work late
    C. To set fire
    D. To sleep early

12. Medium | Improve the sentence: “No sooner the train arrived when the passengers rushed.”
    A. than
    B. then
    C. but
    D. as

13. Hard | Statement: “All engines are machines. Some machines are noisy.” Conclusion: “Some engines are noisy.”
    A. Definitely true
    B. Probably true
    C. Definitely false
    D. Can’t say

14. Hard | Assumption: Statement—“Use ABC app for hassle-free ticket booking.” Assumption—“People want hassle-free booking.”
    A. Assumption implicit
    B. Assumption not implicit
    C. Assumption contradictory
    D. Data insufficient

15. Hard | Course of action after heavy fog delaying 50 trains:
    I. Cancel all trains for the day.
    II. Install automatic fog-pass signalling.
    A. Only I follows
    B. Only II follows
    C. Both follow
    D. Neither follows

16. Hard | Passage (abridged): “Indian Railways plans 100 % electrification by 2030. This will cut 2.4 % of India’s oil import bill.” Inference:
    A. Railways currently uses only diesel.
    B. Electrification will reduce forex outgo.
    C. Solar is cheaper than coal.
    D. None of these

17. Hard | Para-jumble (1) P: “on time” / Q: “passengers must” / R: “ensure” / S: “that trains run”. Correct order:
    A. QSRP
    B. QPSR
    C. RQPS
    D. PQRS

18. Hard | Double blank: “The new policy is ___ but not ___; it encourages growth yet checks pollution.”
    A. liberal, restrictive
    B. restrictive, liberal
    C. static, dynamic
    D. dynamic, static

19. Hard | Error spotting (compound sentence): “Neither the driver nor the passengers was willing to wait at the station.”
    A. was
    B. wait
    C. at
    D. station

20. Hard | Synonym pair not matching:
    A. Persuade – Convince
    B. Abundant – Scarce
    C. Coerce – Compel
    D. Annoy – Irritate

21. Hard | Statement–Argument: Should platform tickets be priced at ₹50 to reduce crowd?
    Argument-I: Yes, it will deter unnecessary visitors.
    Argument-II: No, it may hurt genuine attendants.
    A. Only I strong
    B. Only II strong
    C. Both strong
    D. Neither strong

22. Hard | Fill blank using same word with different meaning: “The ___ of the engine ___ far across the platform.”
    A. sound, resounded
    B. horn, blew
    C. chug, echoed
    D. whistle, travelled

23. Hard | Cause–Effect:
    (A) Fog reduced visibility to 50 m.
    (B) Railways cancelled 30 trains.
    A. A is cause, B is effect
    B. B is cause, A is effect
    C. Both independent
    D. Both effects of cold wave

24. Hard | Vocabulary in context: In “The policy acts as a panacea for all logistical ills”, panacea means:
    A. Cause
    B. Cure-all
    C. Barrier
    D. Warning

25. Hard | Critical reasoning: The author argues that “Railways must privatise catering to improve quality.” Which fact weakens the argument most?
    A. Private caterers already operate 70 % trains.
    B. Passenger complaints dropped 40 % last year.
    C. IRCTC profit rose 25 %.
    D. Quality audit shows government units outperforming private ones.

Answer Key

1. Answer

   Correct: **A**. Abolish = formally put an end; annihilate is closest in intensity.
2. Answer

   Correct: **B**. Rigid is direct opposite of flexible.
3. Answer

   Correct: **D**. Sphere is 3-D; rest are 2-D figures.
4. Answer

   Correct: **D**. PLIGHT needs letter ‘H’ not present in RAILWAYPLATFORM.
5. Answer

   Correct: **B**. ‘Honest’ starts with vowel sound; hence ‘an’.
6. Answer

   Correct: **C**. ‘Junior **to**’ is correct comparative; ‘than’ is wrong.
7. Answer

   Correct: **B**. Double ‘m’ + double ‘c’ → Accommodate.
8. Answer

   Correct: **B**. Oblivious = unaware.
9. Answer

   Correct: **C**. Frugal = saving; opposite is extravagant.
10. Answer

    Correct: **B**. Atheist.
11. Answer

    Correct: **B**. Idiom means working/studying late night.
12. Answer

    Correct: **A**. ‘No sooner … **than**’ is standard paired conjunction.
13. Answer

    Correct: **D**. Middle term “machines” not distributed; can’t conclude “some engines are noisy”.
14. Answer

    Correct: **A**. The very appeal of app assumes people dislike hassle.
15. Answer

    Correct: **B**. II is scientific long-term solution; I is extreme.
16. Answer

    Correct: **B**. 2.4 % oil import saving implies reduced forex outgo; other choices make absolute claims.
17. Answer

    Correct: **A**. QSRP → “passengers must ensure that trains run on time”.
18. Answer

    Correct: **A**. Growth needs liberal; pollution check needs some restrictiveness.
19. Answer

    Correct: **A**. ‘Neither … passengers’ is plural subject; verb should be **were**.
20. Answer

    Correct: **B**. Abundant ≠ Scarce; rest are valid synonyms.
21. Answer

    Correct: **C**. Both arguments address valid stakeholder interests—hence both strong.
22. Answer

    Correct: **A**. “Sound of the engine resounded” uses single word ‘sound’ as noun & ‘resounded’ as verb.
23. Answer

    Correct: **A**. Low visibility (A) forced cancellations (B).
24. Answer

    Correct: **B**. Panacea = universal remedy.
25. Answer

    Correct: **D**. If government units outperform private ones, privatisation may not improve quality—directly weakens argument.

Quick Shortcuts & Tips

1. Vocab Eliminator: For synonym/antonym, remove prefix/suffix first; 40 % answer from root itself (e.g., ‘bene’ = good).
2. RC 3-2-1: Read first+last paragraph & first sentence of each middle para → answer 75 % questions; deep-read only if clue not found.
3. Error Spotting 3-pointer: (i) S-V agreement (ii) Parallelism (iii) Modifier placement—catches 90 % errors.
4. Idiom 2-word hack: Replace idiom with literal meaning in sentence—if passage still makes sense, option is wrong.
5. Cause-effect litmus: Ask “Does A happen before B & directly explain B?” If yes → A causes B; else treat as independent.
6. Assumption test: Negate the assumption; if argument collapses, assumption is implicit.
7. Time saver: Attempt vocab & phrase replacement in first 3 min; they are fact-based and fetch quick marks, boosting confidence for harder logic sets.