Infosys Verbal Ability Practice Set 1
25 High-Frequency Fill in the Blanks Questions with Detailed Explanations
Question 1
Subject-Verb AgreementFill in the blank with the grammatically correct option:
Neither the project manager nor the developers _____ present at the client briefing yesterday.
Correct Answer: B) were
Explanation: When subjects are connected using “neither… nor”, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here, “developers” is plural and the sentence refers to the past (“yesterday”), requiring the plural past tense verb were.
Question 2
Vocabulary in ContextChoose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence:
Despite intense deliberations, the board members failed to reach a _____ decision on the merger.
Correct Answer: A) unanimous
Explanation: “Unanimous” means fully agreed upon by everyone involved. The word “despite” signals a contrast—even after intense talks, they couldn’t achieve complete consensus.
Question 3
PrepositionsSelect the correct preposition to complete the sentence:
The senior architect is exceptionally proficient _____ optimizing database queries.
Correct Answer: B) in
Explanation: The adjective “proficient” is followed by the preposition in when denoting skill in a particular activity or domain (e.g., proficient in coding/English).
Question 4
Tense SequenceFill in the blank with the correct verb form:
By the time the system administrator arrived at the datacenter, the main server _____ down twice.
Correct Answer: C) had gone
Explanation: When two actions happened in the past, the earlier completed action uses the Past Perfect tense (had + past participle). The server went down before the administrator arrived.
Question 5
Phrasal VerbsSelect the appropriate phrasal verb:
The team lead had to _____ an urgent client meeting after the sudden outage.
Correct Answer: A) call off
Explanation: “Call off” means to cancel an event or meeting. In this context, the meeting had to be cancelled due to a system outage.
Question 6
ConditionalsFill in the blank with the correct conditional structure:
If the QA team _____ the bug earlier, the deployment failure would have been prevented.
Correct Answer: C) had detected
Explanation: This is a Third Conditional sentence expressing an unreal past situation. The structure requires: If + past perfect (had + V3), would have + V3.
Question 7
ArticlesChoose the correct article for the blank space:
She completed her master's degree from _____ European university known for research in AI.
Correct Answer: A) a
Explanation: Although “European” begins with the vowel letter ‘E’, it starts with a consonant sound (‘yoo-ruh-pee-uhn’). Thus, the indefinite article a is used before it.
Question 8
Correlative ConjunctionsComplete the sentence using the correct conjunction pair:
Not only did the software pass all security audits, _____ it also improved overall response time.
Correct Answer: B) but
Explanation: “Not only” pairs with “but also” to form a correlative conjunction structure emphasizing two positive aspects.
Question 9
VocabularyFill in the blank with the most suitable adjective:
The mentor provided a _____ explanation that eliminated all confusion regarding the algorithm.
Correct Answer: A) lucid
Explanation: “Lucid” means clear and easy to understand. Since the explanation removed all confusion, “lucid” fits perfectly.
Question 10
Subject-Verb AgreementChoose the correct verb form:
The chief technology officer, along with his core team members, _____ attending the tech summit.
Correct Answer: B) is
Explanation: Phrases like “along with”, “together with”, or “as well as” do not alter the number of the singular main subject (“chief technology officer”). Hence, a singular verb is is required.
Question 11
VocabularySelect the word that best fits the sentence:
Unexpected delays in hardware shipments severely _____ the launch of the new product line.
Correct Answer: A) impeded
Explanation: “Impede” means to delay or prevent someone or something by obstructing them. Delays in shipment obstruct the launch.
Question 12
Fixed PrepositionsComplete the sentence with the appropriate preposition:
All employees must strictly adhere _____ the compliance policies outlined in the handbook.
Correct Answer: B) to
Explanation: The verb “adhere” takes the fixed preposition to (e.g., adhere to rules, adhere to guidelines).
Question 13
Tense UsageChoose the option that completes the sentence logically:
By December next year, our company _____ five new delivery centers across Europe.
Correct Answer: B) will have established
Explanation: “By [future time marker]” indicates an action that will be completed prior to a specific point in the future. This requires the Future Perfect tense (will have + V3).
Question 14
Vocabulary in ContextSelect the option that best completes the context:
The system requirements were so _____ that two different developers interpreted them in opposite ways.
Correct Answer: B) ambiguous
Explanation: “Ambiguous” means open to more than one interpretation or unclear. Differing interpretations point to ambiguity in the requirements.
Question 15
Inversion StructuresChoose the correct verb placement for the inverted structure:
Scarcely _____ finished the presentation when the power supply was interrupted.
Correct Answer: B) had he
Explanation: When negative or restrictive adverbs like “Scarcely”, “Hardly”, or “No sooner” begin a sentence, inverted word order (auxiliary verb before subject) is required: Scarcely + had + subject + V3... when....
Question 16
PronounsIdentify the correct pronoun form:
The executive team selected the engineer _____ innovative proposal promised maximum resource optimization.
Correct Answer: C) whose
Explanation: “Whose” is the possessive relative pronoun used to indicate ownership or association with a person (the engineer’s proposal).
Question 17
VocabularyChoose the word that accurately completes the thought:
The CEO made a _____ effort to address employee concerns by hosting weekly open sessions.
Correct Answer: B) conscientious
Explanation: “Conscientious” means showing care, dedication, and thoroughness. Hosting weekly open sessions shows a genuine, diligent effort.
Question 18
ConjunctionsSelect the suitable conjunction:
_____ the continuous traffic disruptions, the support engineers reached the client site on time.
Correct Answer: B) In spite of
Explanation: “In spite of” is a prepositional phrase used before a noun/noun phrase (“the continuous traffic disruptions”). “Although” and “Even though” require a full clause containing a verb.
Question 19
Modal VerbsChoose the correct modal auxiliary:
Candidates _____ carry their original identity proof along with the admit card to enter the hall.
Correct Answer: A) must
Explanation: “Must” expresses mandatory requirement or legal obligation, which fits official exam instructions.
Question 20
Subject-Verb AgreementSelect the correct verb to complete the sentence:
Each of the candidates _____ evaluated based on technical skills and problem-solving ability.
Correct Answer: C) was
Explanation: “Each” is an indefinite pronoun that takes a singular verb (“was”), regardless of the plural noun phrase (“of the candidates”) that follows it.
Question 21
VocabularyFill in the blank with the appropriate choice:
The initial market trend was _____, lasting only a few weeks before consumer demand stabilized.
Correct Answer: A) ephemeral
Explanation: “Ephemeral” means lasting for a very short time. The phrase “lasting only a few weeks” directly describes an ephemeral trend.
Question 22
Parallel StructureComplete the sentence maintaining parallel grammar structure:
The role requires analyzing complex data, writing clean code, and _____ solutions effectively.
Correct Answer: B) presenting
Explanation: Parallelism requires items in a series to share the same grammatical form. Here, gerunds are used: analyzing… writing… and presenting.
Question 23
PrepositionsFill in the blank with the appropriate preposition:
The management has expressed complete confidence _____ the new team lead's strategic vision.
Correct Answer: C) in
Explanation: The noun “confidence” takes the preposition in when expressing trust in a person or concept (confidence in someone/something).
Question 24
VocabularySelect the option that best fits the sentence:
The PR manager delivered a diplomatic response to _____ the concerns raised by angry shareholders.
Correct Answer: B) mollify
Explanation: “Mollify” means to appease, soothe, or reduce severity/anger. A diplomatic response aims to calm or mollify upset shareholders.
Question 25
ConditionalsChoose the grammatically accurate verb structure:
Should you _____ any issues during deployment, contact the escalation desk immediately.
Correct Answer: A) encounter
Explanation: “Should you [verb]” is an inverted form of the first conditional (“If you encounter…”). It requires the base form of the verb encounter.
