Free Comprehension MCQs with Answers

11. In the sentence "He was as brave as a lion", the figure of speech is

• A. metaphor
• B. simile
• C. irony
• D. alliteration

Explanation: The comparison is made explicit with as, which is the defining mark of a simile along with like. Removing the as and writing he was a lion would turn it into a metaphor. Recognising the signal word is enough to answer this class of question.

12. In the sentence "I have told you a million times", the figure of speech is

• A. hyperbole
• B. understatement
• C. metaphor
• D. paradox

Explanation: Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration for effect and is not meant to be believed literally. Its opposite is understatement, as in saying a serious injury is just a scratch. Both are rhetorical devices for emphasis rather than statements of fact.

13. The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" uses which figure of speech, where an object stands for the wider idea it represents?

• A. metonymy
• B. simile
• C. oxymoron
• D. alliteration

Explanation: The pen stands for writing and persuasion, and the sword for military force, so each object represents the larger institution associated with it, which is metonymy. An oxymoron combines contradictory terms, as in deafening silence. Alliteration concerns repeated initial sounds rather than meaning.

14. Read the passage: "Antibiotic resistance grows when antibiotics are prescribed for viral infections, which they cannot cure. Each unnecessary course kills sensitive bacteria and leaves resistant ones to multiply." The main idea is that

• A. antibiotics are dangerous drugs
• B. unnecessary prescribing selects for resistant bacteria
• C. viral infections are more serious than bacterial ones
• D. antibiotics should never be prescribed

Explanation: The passage explains a mechanism: pointless courses remove the sensitive bacteria and leave the resistant ones with no competition. It does not claim antibiotics are dangerous in themselves or that they should never be used, both of which overstate the argument. Main idea questions reward the option that covers the whole passage without exaggerating it.

15. Read the passage: "Antibiotic resistance grows when antibiotics are prescribed for viral infections, which they cannot cure." It can be inferred that

• A. viruses are unaffected by antibiotics
• B. all bacteria are now resistant
• C. doctors never prescribe correctly
• D. antibiotics cure most viral illnesses

Explanation: The clause which they cannot cure states directly that antibiotics do not work against viruses, so the inference is close to the text. The other options overstate what is written, and a valid inference must follow from the passage rather than extend beyond it. Watch for absolute words such as all and never in wrong options.

16. Read the passage: "Although vaccination campaigns have reduced measles worldwide, outbreaks still occur where coverage falls below the level needed for herd immunity." The tone of the passage is best described as

• A. informative
• B. sarcastic
• C. humorous
• D. hostile

Explanation: The passage states facts and a condition without emotive language or judgement, which is the mark of an informative or expository tone. Sarcasm and hostility would require loaded wording. Tone questions are answered from word choice, not from the subject matter.

17. Complete the sentence: The results were inconclusive; ____, further research is needed.

• A. however
• B. therefore
• C. in contrast
• D. for example

Explanation: Inconclusive results logically lead to the need for more work, so a consequence connector is required. However and in contrast both signal opposition, which does not fit the relationship between the two clauses. For example would introduce an illustration rather than a conclusion.

18. Identify the error: Each of the boys have submitted their assignment.

• A. Each should be All
• B. have should be has
• C. boys should be boy
• D. There is no error

Explanation: Each is singular and controls the verb, so has is required no matter how plural the intervening phrase sounds. The prepositional phrase of the boys never governs the verb. Strictly, formal usage would also prefer his rather than their, though that point is less often marked.

19. Complete the sentence: The patient's condition ____ steadily since the operation.

• A. improves
• B. has improved
• C. improved
• D. is improving

Explanation: Since the operation marks a period running from a past point up to now, which calls for the present perfect. The simple past would close the period off and cut the link to the present. The present continuous describes what is happening now without connecting it to the operation.

20. In the sentence "The silence in the examination hall was deafening", the figure of speech is

• A. oxymoron
• B. simile
• C. metonymy
• D. hyperbole

Explanation: Deafening silence places two contradictory ideas side by side, which is the definition of an oxymoron, as in bittersweet or living dead. A paradox is the related device applied to a whole statement rather than a phrase. The contradiction is deliberate and creates the effect.