Question

The text in the passage can be best termed as

• A. narrative
• B. descriptive
• C. persuasive
• D. expository
• A. highlight the difficulties faced by innovators.
• B. focus on the hardships of patent -seekers.
• C. compare innovators to inventors.
• D. reveal the importance of inventors
• A. innovators enhance the utility of inventions.
• B. innovators face fewer challenges than inventors do.
• C. every inventor has a patent for the invention.
• D. invention is the same as innovation.
• A. there is no place for mistakes in the process of making an innovation.
• B. making a mistake before finding success is not unusual.
• C. failure is a permanent stumbling block.
• D. all innovators have to go through failure.
• A. a highly-planned and deeply researched invention
• B. the fruit of failure
• C. the need of the hour
• D. an accidental invention
• A. his ingenuity and good fortune.
• B. the carelessness of Elisha‘s lawyer.
• C. the clever trick played by his lawyer.
• D. the biased officials in the patent office.
• A. Inventors may not be innovators.
• B. Innovators are not expected to be enterprising.
• C. To get a patent, the applicant has to follow a legal process.
• D. Intellectual property rights are not always easy to get.
• A. The world of inventions and innovations is a competitive one.
• B. Not every innovation sees the light of the day.
• C. Thus, inventors and innovators have to be intrepid enough to take risks;
• D. None of the above
• A. hasty
• B. intellectual
• C. daring
• D. rich
• A. praiseworthy
• B. challenging
• C. tiring
• D. disgraceful

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The correct option is (D): expository.

Answer 2

This question asks us to identify the overall style or purpose of the passage. Let's assess each option against what the passage actually does:

1. narrative: A narrative text tells a story with a plot, characters, and a sequence of events building toward some resolution. While the passage mentions people like Steve Jobs and George de Mestral, it does not tell their stories as a connected plot; it uses them as examples to explain an idea, so this label does not fit.
2. descriptive: A descriptive text focuses on painting a vivid sensory picture of a person, place, or thing. The passage is not concerned with describing appearances or scenes; it is concerned with explaining a concept, so this does not fit either.
3. persuasive: A persuasive text tries to convince the reader to accept an opinion or take a particular action, usually using emotional or rhetorical appeals. The passage presents information and examples in a balanced way without urging the reader toward a particular action or belief, so this label does not fit.
4. expository: An expository text explains or clarifies a concept using facts, examples, and logical organisation. The passage does exactly this: it defines invention and innovation, explains how they differ, and supports the explanation with examples like the iPhone, Velcro, and the telephone patent dispute.

The passage's purpose throughout is to inform and explain a distinction, not to tell a story, paint a picture, or argue a case.

Therefore, the correct answer is expository.

Answer 3

One way to classify a passage is to ask where a piece of writing like it would typically be published and what job it is doing for the reader, rather than checking dictionary definitions in isolation. Applying that lens to each option:

1. narrative: A piece of narrative writing would typically appear as a short story or biography chapter, built around a sequence of events happening to specific characters, moving toward some resolution. This passage instead jumps between separate examples, Velcro, the telephone patent dispute, Edison's patents, each illustrating a single point rather than continuing one storyline, so it is not doing a narrative's job.
2. descriptive: A descriptive piece would typically appear in travel writing or a novel's scene-setting, focused on sensory detail about how something looks, sounds, or feels. This passage instead states facts and figures, such as Edison's 1,093 patents, without painting sensory pictures, so it is not doing a descriptive job.
3. persuasive: A persuasive piece would typically appear as an opinion column or advertisement, urging the reader toward a specific belief or action using emotional or rhetorical appeals. This passage lays out both sides of the invention-innovation relationship evenly, praising both roles equally at the end, rather than pushing the reader toward taking any action, so it is not doing a persuasive job.
4. expository: An expository piece would typically appear in a textbook or explainer article, using definitions, facts, and examples to clarify a concept for the reader. This passage does exactly this job, defining "invention" and "innovation," then clarifying the distinction using the iPhone, Velcro, and telephone examples.

Matching the passage's actual job, informing and clarifying a concept, against where each writing style typically belongs shows it fits only one category.

Therefore, the correct answer is expository.

Answer 4

The correct option is (C): compare innovators to inventors.

Answer 5

This question asks for the passage's central purpose, as opposed to any single detail within it. Let's weigh each option:

1. highlight the difficulties faced by innovators: The passage does mention that not every innovation succeeds, but this is only one supporting point among several, not the passage's overall purpose, so this option describes a detail rather than the main idea.
2. focus on the hardships of patent-seekers: The passage discusses patents, including Edison's numerous patents and the telephone dispute, but this is used as one illustrative example within a larger discussion, not the central focus of the whole passage, so this option is too narrow.
3. compare innovators to inventors: From the very first line, the passage explicitly states that invention and innovation "are closely linked, but not interchangeable," and it spends every paragraph explaining how inventors and innovators differ in role while both facing risk and failure. This captures the passage's overall structure and purpose.
4. reveal the importance of inventors: The passage values inventors, but it gives equal, if not more, attention to innovators and how they build on inventions, so focusing only on inventors' importance leaves out half of the passage's content.

The option that reflects the passage's central, sustained purpose, rather than a single supporting detail, is the one that captures the comparison the whole text is built around.

Therefore, the correct answer is compare innovators to inventors.

Answer 6

A good way to test a main-idea option is to imagine it rewritten as the passage's title and ask whether the entire passage would fit comfortably under it.

1. highlight the difficulties faced by innovators: As a title, this would suggest an entire passage devoted to innovators' struggles alone. But the passage spends equal space on inventors' struggles and on simply defining both roles, so this title would only cover part of the content.
2. focus on the hardships of patent-seekers: As a title, this would suggest the whole passage is about patent difficulties. But patents are discussed only in the later paragraphs, while the opening paragraphs are devoted to defining invention versus innovation, so this title is too narrow for the full passage.
3. compare innovators to inventors: As a title, this fits every paragraph, the opening definitions, the risk-and-failure discussion, the Velcro example, and the patent stories, since all of them serve to draw out how these two roles differ and relate.
4. reveal the importance of inventors: As a title, this would suggest the passage argues mainly for inventors' value. But the passage gives innovators equal credit throughout, especially in its closing lines, so this title leaves out half the passage's balance.

Only one option works as an accurate title for the passage as a whole, rather than for just one section of it.

Therefore, the correct answer is compare innovators to inventors.

Answer 7

The correct option is (A): innovators enhance the utility of inventions.

Answer 8

This question asks which statement accurately reflects a belief expressed by the author in the passage. Let's check each option against the passage's actual content:

1. innovators enhance the utility of inventions: The passage states that the innovator "uses various resources, skills and time to make the invention available for use," and may "modify it or even blend two or more inventions to make one marketable product." This directly supports the idea that innovators make inventions more useful and usable.
2. innovators face fewer challenges than inventors do: The passage states that "if an invention is the result of countless trials and errors, so can be the case with an innovation," treating both roles as facing similar struggles. Nothing in the passage suggests innovators have it easier, so this statement is not supported.
3. every inventor has a patent for the invention: The passage explicitly contradicts this, noting that "there have been inventors who failed to get a single patent," and describing Antonio Meucci, who could not secure a patent for his telephone design. This statement is directly contradicted by the passage.
4. invention is the same as innovation: The passage opens by stating that invention and innovation "are closely linked, but they are not interchangeable," which directly contradicts this option.

Only one statement is both stated and supported by details in the passage, while the other three are either unsupported or directly contradicted.

Therefore, the correct answer is innovators enhance the utility of inventions.

Answer 9

Several of these options make sweeping, absolute claims ("every," "same as," "fewer"), which are easy to test against a passage that generally describes things as varied and uncertain. Checking each option's degree of certainty against the passage's own hedged language helps here.

1. innovators enhance the utility of inventions: This is a moderate, specific claim about what innovators do, and it matches the passage's own description of the innovator making "the invention available for use," modifying it, or blending it into a marketable product, exactly what "enhancing utility" means.
2. innovators face fewer challenges than inventors do: This is a comparative claim implying one group has it easier, but the passage explicitly treats both groups as facing "countless trials and errors" in equal measure, offering no basis for ranking one as easier than the other.
3. every inventor has a patent for the invention: This is an absolute claim using "every," but the passage specifically undercuts absolutes by describing inventors, such as Antonio Meucci, who could not secure a patent at all.
4. invention is the same as innovation: This is an equivalence claim, but the passage's very first sentence rejects this equivalence outright, stating the two are "closely linked, but not interchangeable."

The one option that makes a measured, specific claim, rather than an absolute or comparative one the passage does not support, is the one the passage's own wording backs up.

Therefore, the correct answer is innovators enhance the utility of inventions.

Answer 10

The correct option is (B): making a mistake before finding success is not unusual.

Answer 11

The passage quotes both Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs on the topic of mistakes and success, so this question checks how well each option matches what they actually said:

1. there is no place for mistakes in the process of making an innovation: This is the opposite of what the passage says. Franklin is described as believing "success doesn't come without challenge, mistake, and in a few cases failure," which directly makes room for mistakes, so this option contradicts the passage.
2. making a mistake before finding success is not unusual: Franklin's belief that success involves "challenge, mistake, and in a few cases failure," combined with Jobs's statement that "sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes," together suggest that mistakes are a normal, expected part of the process rather than something rare or shocking.
3. failure is a permanent stumbling block: The passage explicitly states the opposite view, that inventors and innovators must "consider failures as stepping stones and not stumbling blocks," so this option directly contradicts the passage's wording.
4. all innovators have to go through failure: The passage says failure happens "in a few cases," not in every case, so claiming that every innovator must go through failure overstates what Franklin and Jobs are quoted as saying.

Weighing the quoted beliefs against each option shows that only one option matches both Franklin's and Jobs's views without contradiction or overstatement.

Therefore, the correct answer is making a mistake before finding success is not unusual.

Answer 12

Three of these four options use strong, absolute language ("no place," "permanent," "all"), while the passage's quotes from Franklin and Jobs are notably measured in tone. Checking the intensity of each option against the moderate tone of the two quotes helps here.

1. there is no place for mistakes in the process of making an innovation: This is an absolute claim ruling mistakes out entirely, directly opposite to Franklin's own view that "success doesn't come without challenge, mistake, and in a few cases failure."
2. making a mistake before finding success is not unusual: This is a moderate claim, simply saying mistakes are common, not rare or shocking, matching both Franklin's acceptance of mistakes as part of success and Jobs's matter-of-fact "sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes."
3. failure is a permanent stumbling block: This is an absolute, negative claim, the opposite of the passage's own framing that failures should be seen "as stepping stones and not stumbling blocks."
4. all innovators have to go through failure: This is an absolute claim using "all," stronger than the passage's own wording that failure occurs only "in a few cases."

The one option pitched at the same moderate intensity as the passage's own quotes, acknowledging mistakes without declaring them universal or impossible, is the one that reflects both Franklin's and Jobs's stated views.

Therefore, the correct answer is making a mistake before finding success is not unusual.

Answer 13

The correct option is (D): an accidental invention

Answer 14

The passage describes exactly how Velcro came about, so this question can be answered by matching each option to that description:

1. a highly-planned and deeply researched invention: The passage says George de Mestral discovered the idea for Velcro while "hiking in the woods" and noticing burrs stuck to his clothes and his dog's fur, an unplanned, everyday moment rather than the result of a planned research project, so this option does not match.
2. the fruit of failure: The passage does not describe any failed attempt that led to Velcro; instead, de Mestral simply observed something in nature and studied it, so there is no mention of failure being involved in this invention.
3. the need of the hour: The passage gives no indication that Velcro was invented to meet an urgent, pressing demand of its time; it presents it purely as the result of an observant hiker noticing something interesting, so this option is not supported.
4. an accidental invention: The passage's description of de Mestral stumbling upon burrs while hiking, then studying them out of curiosity, fits the idea of a chance discovery that was not deliberately planned, matching the passage's own framing of Velcro under "inventions that are the result of a keen observation or a simple discovery."

The passage frames Velcro specifically as arising from an unplanned observation rather than planning, failure, or urgent necessity.

Therefore, the correct answer is an accidental invention.

Answer 15

The four options each describe a different category of how inventions typically come about, planned research, a failed attempt turned into something useful, a response to urgent demand, or pure chance. Sorting the Velcro story into one of these categories settles the question.

1. a highly-planned and deeply researched invention: This category requires a deliberate research process with a set goal from the start. De Mestral was simply out hiking when burrs stuck to his clothes, with no mention of him setting out to invent anything, so this category does not fit.
2. the fruit of failure: This category requires an earlier failed attempt at something else that accidentally produced a useful result. The passage describes no prior failed project of de Mestral's; the burrs were noticed during an ordinary walk, not during a failed experiment, so this category does not fit.
3. the need of the hour: This category requires a pressing existing demand that the invention was created to solve. The passage gives no indication that fastening fabric was an urgent unmet need at the time; it presents the discovery as arising from curiosity, not necessity, so this category does not fit.
4. an accidental invention: This category requires an unplanned chance event that leads to a discovery. De Mestral's noticing burrs while hiking, followed by studying them out of curiosity, fits this category precisely, as also signalled by the passage's own framing under "a keen observation or a simple discovery."

Testing the Velcro story against each of these four categories shows it belongs to only one of them.

Therefore, the correct answer is an accidental invention.

Answer 16

The correct option is (A): his ingenuity and good fortune.

Answer 17

The passage gives a fairly detailed account of how Graham Bell came to hold the first telephone patent, so each option can be checked directly against that account:

1. his ingenuity and good fortune: The passage credits Bell with independently designing the telephone (his ingenuity) around the same time as Antonio Meucci and Elisha Gray, and then says "by sheer chance, Graham's lawyer's turn to file the papers came first," which is a matter of good fortune rather than any wrongdoing. Together, these two elements match the passage's account closely.
2. the carelessness of Elisha's lawyer: The passage does not say Elisha Gray's side was careless; it only says that Bell's lawyer's turn to file came first "by sheer chance." There is no mention of a mistake or carelessness on Gray's part, so this option is not supported.
3. the clever trick played by his lawyer: The passage explicitly attributes the timing to "sheer chance," not to any deliberate scheme or trick by Bell's lawyer, so this option contradicts the passage's own wording.
4. the biased officials in the patent office: The passage makes no mention of bias or unfairness on the part of the patent office officials; it simply describes the order in which the filings happened to arrive, so this option is unsupported.

The passage's own words point to a combination of independent effort and simple luck in timing, not to any misconduct by other parties.

Therefore, the correct answer is his ingenuity and good fortune.

Answer 18

The passage explicitly names the reason for the outcome using the phrase "by sheer chance," so testing each option against this specific phrase, rather than the general story, is a direct way to check them.

1. his ingenuity and good fortune: "Ingenuity" matches the passage's description of Bell independently designing the telephone, and "good fortune" matches "by sheer chance" describing the filing order. Both halves of this option are explicitly present in the passage's own words.
2. the carelessness of Elisha's lawyer: The word "chance" describes randomness, not a mistake by anyone. The passage never says Gray's lawyer did anything careless; it only says whose turn came first, so this option invents a fault the passage does not mention.
3. the clever trick played by his lawyer: The word "chance" directly rules out any deliberate scheme, since something attributed to chance cannot, by definition, also be a planned trick.
4. the biased officials in the patent office: The passage's account is only about the order lawyers arrived to file papers; it says nothing about the officials themselves favouring anyone, so this option introduces a claim absent from the text.

Testing each option against the passage's own phrase "by sheer chance" shows only one option matches it without adding an unsupported claim.

Therefore, the correct answer is his ingenuity and good fortune.

Answer 19

The correct option is (B): Innovators are not expected to be enterprising.

Answer 20

This question asks us to find the one statement that the passage does NOT support, so each option needs to be checked against the passage's actual wording:

1. Inventors may not be innovators: The passage states directly that "it is not easy, and at times almost impossible, for an inventor to be an innovator too," which supports this statement as true.
2. Innovators are not expected to be enterprising: The passage describes the innovator as "the enterprising innovator who uses various resources, skills and time," explicitly calling the innovator enterprising. This directly contradicts the statement that innovators are "not expected to be enterprising," making this statement untrue.
3. To get a patent, the applicant has to follow a legal process: The passage's account of the telephone patent, involving filing papers and a lawyer's turn to submit them, implies a formal legal filing process, supporting this statement as true.
4. Intellectual property rights are not always easy to get: The passage states that "there have been inventors who failed to get a single patent," directly supporting the idea that securing intellectual property rights is not always easy.

Three of the four statements are directly backed by the passage's wording, while one directly contradicts a line in the passage.

Therefore, the correct answer is Innovators are not expected to be enterprising.

Answer 21

Since the question asks which statement is untrue, and one option is phrased as a negative ("are not expected to"), it helps to first rewrite each option in its plainest form and then check it against the passage.

1. Inventors may not be innovators: plainly, this says the two roles do not always overlap. The passage's line that "it is not easy, and at times almost impossible, for an inventor to be an innovator too" confirms this plainly stated idea, so the statement is true.
2. Innovators are not expected to be enterprising: rewritten in positive form, this claims innovators are NOT expected to show initiative or resourcefulness. But the passage's own definition calls the innovator "the enterprising innovator" directly, which plainly states the opposite, that innovators are indeed expected to be enterprising. This makes the original statement false.
3. To get a patent, the applicant has to follow a legal process: plainly, this says patents involve formal procedure. The passage's account of filing papers and lawyers' turns to submit them confirms a legal process is involved, so this statement is true.
4. Intellectual property rights are not always easy to get: plainly, this says patents can be hard to obtain. The passage's mention of inventors who "failed to get a single patent" confirms this, so this statement is true.

Rewriting each statement in its plainest sense and checking it directly against the passage shows three hold true while one directly contradicts the passage's own wording.

Therefore, the correct answer is Innovators are not expected to be enterprising.

Answer 22

The correct option is (B): Not every innovation sees the light of the day.

Answer 23

This question asks which quoted line from the passage is specifically about failure, so each line needs to be read for what it actually states:

1. "The world of inventions and innovations is a competitive one.": This line describes competition among inventors and innovators, which is about rivalry, not about something failing to succeed, so it does not indicate failure.
2. "Not every innovation sees the light of the day.": This line states plainly that some innovations never reach the public or succeed at all, which is a direct and clear statement of failure.
3. "Thus, inventors and innovators have to be intrepid enough to take risks;": This line is about the courage needed to take risks, a call to action, rather than a statement that failure has actually occurred, so it does not itself indicate failure.
4. "None of the above.": Since one of the three lines above does clearly describe failure, this option cannot be correct.

Only one of the quoted lines directly states that something does not succeed, which is the clearest indication of failure among the choices.

Therefore, the correct answer is Not every innovation sees the light of the day.

Answer 24

Looking at the grammatical function each line performs, whether it states a fact about what does or does not happen, describes a general setting, or urges an attitude, helps identify which line is actually reporting a failure.

1. "The world of inventions and innovations is a competitive one.": This is a descriptive statement about a general condition (competitiveness), not a statement about any single event succeeding or failing.
2. "Not every innovation sees the light of the day.": This is a factual statement about outcomes, explicitly saying that some innovations never happen or reach the public, which is a direct statement of failure occurring.
3. "Thus, inventors and innovators have to be intrepid enough to take risks;": This is a statement of obligation or recommendation ("have to be"), advising a required attitude, not reporting that a failure has actually taken place.
4. None of the above: Ruled out because the second line above is a clear statement of failure as fact.

Only one line is phrased as a factual report of things not succeeding, rather than as a general description or a piece of advice.

Therefore, the correct answer is Not every innovation sees the light of the day.

Answer 25

The correct option is (C): daring.

Answer 26

The passage uses "intrepid" in the line "inventors and innovators have to be intrepid enough to take risks," so the replacement word must fit both the dictionary meaning of "intrepid" and this context of taking risks. Let's check each option:

1. hasty: This word means acting too quickly, often without enough thought or care. "Intrepid" is about fearlessness, not speed or carelessness, so "hasty" does not carry the same meaning.
2. intellectual: This word relates to the mind, reasoning, and knowledge. "Intrepid" has nothing to do with intelligence or thinking ability; it is about courage, so this word does not match.
3. daring: This word means bold and willing to take risks or face danger without fear, which is the standard dictionary meaning of "intrepid." It fits perfectly into the sentence about taking risks.
4. rich: This word relates to wealth or abundance and has no connection to courage or fearlessness, so it cannot replace "intrepid."

Only one option shares the same core meaning of fearless boldness that "intrepid" carries in the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is daring.

Answer 27

The word "intrepid" comes from Latin "in-" (not) plus "trepidus" (alarmed, fearful, trembling), literally meaning "not trembling" or "unafraid." Tracing each option back to this sense of fearlessness shows which one matches.

1. hasty: This word relates to speed and haste, acting quickly, sometimes carelessly. There is no connection to fear or its absence in this word's meaning, so it does not match "intrepid."
2. intellectual: This word relates to thought and reasoning ability. It carries no sense of fear or courage at all, so it does not match either.
3. daring: This word directly describes someone willing to face danger or difficulty without being deterred by fear, the same core sense of "not trembling" that "intrepid" carries from its Latin root.
4. rich: This word relates to wealth and material abundance, entirely unconnected to fear or courage.

Only one option shares the Latin root's sense of facing danger without fear.

Therefore, the correct answer is daring.

Answer 28

The correct option is (D): disgraceful.

Answer 29

The word "laudable" comes from the Latin "laudare," meaning to praise, so it describes something worthy of praise or commendation. We need the word that means the exact opposite. Let's look at each option:

1. Praiseworthy: This word means deserving of praise, which is essentially a synonym of laudable, not its opposite. It can be ruled out.
2. Challenging: This describes something that tests one's abilities or is demanding. It carries no sense of praise or blame, so it is unrelated to the meaning of laudable and cannot be its antonym.
3. Tiring: This means causing fatigue or exhaustion. Like "challenging," it describes a physical or mental effect rather than a moral judgement, so it does not oppose laudable in meaning.
4. Disgraceful: This word means shameful or bringing dishonour, which is the direct moral opposite of being praiseworthy. Where laudable invites admiration, disgraceful invites condemnation, making it the true antonym.

Only "disgraceful" sits on the opposite end of the moral scale from "laudable," while the other choices either mean the same thing or describe something unrelated to praise and blame.

Therefore, the correct answer is disgraceful.

Answer 30

Antonym questions are best solved by first pinning down the emotional charge of the given word: "laudable" carries a positive charge, meaning it invites approval or praise. The opposite word must therefore carry a negative charge, condemning rather than praising. Sorting the four options by the feeling they carry settles the question quickly.

1. Praiseworthy: This word sits in the same positive bracket as laudable, since both describe something that earns admiration. Two words carrying the same charge cannot be antonyms of each other.
2. Challenging: This word carries no charge at all, positive or negative. It simply describes a degree of difficulty, so it fails the test of being the opposite of a word that is fundamentally about approval.
3. Tiring: Like "challenging," this word is neutral in terms of moral judgement. It describes an effect on energy levels rather than a verdict of praise or blame, so it cannot supply the needed opposite charge.
4. Disgraceful: This is the only option that carries a clearly negative charge, describing conduct that invites blame and disapproval. Placed next to laudable, the two words sit at opposite ends of the same scale of judgement.

Sorting the four choices into praise, neutral, and blame leaves disgraceful as the sole word in the negative bracket, which is exactly what an antonym of laudable requires.

Therefore, the correct answer is disgraceful.