TCS NQT Verbal Ability 2026: 10 Question Types, Worked Answers

The TCS NQT Verbal Ability section has 24 questions to answer in 30 minutes with no negative marking, making it the highest-return sub-section in the Foundation paper. Five question types appear across every TCS hiring cycle: synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, error spotting, and reading comprehension. The worked examples below cover all five, at the difficulty level TCS has used consistently.

The full TCS NQT section breakdown and track context covers the Advanced section for Digital and Prime candidates, and the full 80-question Foundation paper structure.

TCS NQT Verbal Ability 2026: Section at a Glance

The Verbal Ability sub-section is part of the NQT Foundation paper, which all three TCS hiring tracks (Ninja, Digital, and Prime) complete. The full Foundation paper has 80 questions across three sub-sections in 120 minutes. Verbal Ability accounts for 24 of those questions.

Feature	Detail
Questions	24
Part of	Foundation paper (120 min total)
Negative marking	None
Question types	Synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, error spotting, reading comprehension
Language	English

No negative marking means every unanswered question is a guaranteed zero. If you’re unsure about an option, eliminate what you can and take your best guess. A wrong answer leaves your score exactly where it was; a correct guess adds one mark.

Synonyms: 3 Worked Examples

Synonym questions ask you to identify the word closest in meaning to a given word. TCS keeps synonym vocabulary at a standard dictionary level, not literary or archaic words. Read all four options before selecting; near-synonyms that miss the register (formal vs. informal) are common distractors.

• Q1: The word closest in meaning to CANDID is: (A) Hostile (B) Frank (C) Secretive (D) Timid

• Answer: (B) Frank. Candid means open, honest, and direct. Frank shares that core meaning. Hostile and Secretive are near-antonyms; Timid is unrelated to openness.

• Q2: Choose the synonym for LETHARGIC: (A) Energetic (B) Alert (C) Sluggish (D) Vibrant

• Answer: (C) Sluggish. Lethargic means sluggish or slow due to tiredness. Energetic, Alert, and Vibrant are all opposites in this context.

• Q3: Which word is closest in meaning to TACITURN? (A) Talkative (B) Reserved (C) Enthusiastic (D) Generous

• Answer: (B) Reserved. Taciturn means habitually reluctant to speak. Reserved captures that restraint accurately. Talkative is the antonym; the other options do not relate to speech habits.

Antonyms: 2 Worked Examples

Antonym questions follow the same format as synonyms but ask for the opposite meaning. The most common error is selecting a word that is merely different rather than genuinely opposite. Check whether the option is a synonym, neutral, or true antonym of the root word.

• Q4: The word most opposite in meaning to BENEVOLENT is: (A) Charitable (B) Kind (C) Malevolent (D) Generous

• Answer: (C) Malevolent. Benevolent means well-meaning and kindly. Malevolent (wishing harm on others) is its direct antonym. Charitable and Generous are synonyms of benevolent, not antonyms.

• Q5: Choose the antonym for VERBOSE: (A) Wordy (B) Garrulous (C) Concise (D) Articulate

• Answer: (C) Concise. Verbose means using more words than necessary to convey a point. Concise means expressing much in few words — the direct opposite. Wordy and Garrulous are synonyms of verbose; Articulate describes clarity, not brevity.

Sentence Completion: 3 Worked Examples

Sentence completion questions give a sentence with one blank and ask which option fits best in meaning and grammar. Read the full sentence before evaluating options: the surrounding context almost always signals the register and direction of the missing word.

• Q6: The teacher asked the students to _______ the summary before submitting the final draft. (A) Delete (B) Revise (C) Publish (D) Avoid

• Answer: (B) Revise. Submitting a final draft implies a prior editing step. Revise is the only option that describes improving a piece of writing before submission. Delete and Avoid both produce a logically broken sentence.

• Q7: Despite his _______ schedule, he made time to attend every team meeting. (A) Flexible (B) Free (C) Hectic (D) Quiet

• Answer: (C) Hectic. Despite signals a contrast: a challenging schedule makes attending every meeting noteworthy. Flexible and Free describe easy schedules that would make attendance unremarkable, not admirable.

• Q8: The committee decided to _______ the proposal until more data was available. (A) Ratify (B) Defer (C) Implement (D) Abandon

• Answer: (B) Defer. The phrase “until more data was available” signals postponement, not rejection or approval. Defer means to put off to a later time. Ratify and Implement mean to approve or act; Abandon means to discard permanently.

Error Spotting: 2 Worked Examples

Error spotting questions present a sentence divided into labelled segments and ask you to identify which segment contains a grammatical error. If no error exists, select “No error.” Subject-verb agreement and neither/nor agreement are the two types TCS tests most frequently.

• Q9: Identify the error in this sentence: “The team of engineers (A) have been working (B) on the project (C) since last year (D). No error (E).”

• Answer: Part (B). “The team” is a singular collective noun. The correct verb is “has been working,” not “have been working.” The prepositional phrase “of engineers” does not change the grammatical subject.

• Q10: Find the error: “Neither the manager nor the employees (A) was present (B) at the meeting (C) yesterday (D). No error (E).”

• Answer: Part (B). In “neither…nor” constructions, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it. “Employees” is plural, so the correct verb is “were present,” not “was present.” This is one of the most consistently tested error types across TCS NQT verbal sections.

Reading Comprehension: 2 Worked Questions

TCS NQT reading comprehension passages are 150 to 200 words. Questions test your ability to locate stated facts and draw direct inferences from the text. Rare vocabulary and outside knowledge are not tested; every answer is in or directly implied by the passage.

Passage for Q11 and Q12:

Robots are increasingly used in manufacturing plants to perform repetitive tasks. This reduces the risk of human error and improves productivity. However, it also raises concerns about job displacement for unskilled workers. Companies argue that automation creates new roles in maintenance and programming. Critics contend that these roles require skills many displaced workers do not currently possess.

• Q11: According to the passage, what concern is raised about robots in manufacturing? (A) Robots increase human error. (B) Robots reduce productivity. (C) Workers may be displaced from their jobs. (D) Robots require no maintenance.

• Answer: (C) Workers may be displaced. The passage explicitly states “concerns about job displacement for unskilled workers.” Options (A) and (B) directly contradict the passage; option (D) is not mentioned.

• Q12: How do companies respond to concerns about automation, according to the passage? (A) By reducing the number of robots used. (B) By creating new roles in maintenance and programming. (C) By training all displaced workers for free. (D) By limiting automation to certain industries.

• Answer: (B) By creating new roles in maintenance and programming. The passage states this directly. Options (C) and (D) are not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

For timed practice across all three Foundation sub-sections in a single sitting, the TCS NQT mock test questions and solutions article has a full set of practice problems with section-by-section timing guidance.

Verbal Ability and the TCS AI Hiring Shift

A clean Verbal Ability score positions you for the Ninja track. For Digital and Prime, the picture shifts.

Track	CTC band	What the NQT routes you to
Ninja	₹3.5 to 3.9 LPA	Foundation score above Ninja threshold; Technical + HR rounds follow
Digital	₹7.0 to 7.5 LPA	Foundation + Advanced section; higher cut-off
Prime	₹9.0 to 11.0 LPA	Foundation + Advanced + extended technical with AI/data project review

According to TCS CHRO Sudeep Kunnumal at the AI Impact Summit in March 2026, 60% of TCS’s fresher hires in FY26 are AI-skilled, up from 10 to 15% three years ago. The Prime track’s extended technical round now includes a review of AI or data projects. For Digital and Prime candidates, verbal ability is necessary but not the differentiating factor between one track and the other.

TCS reduced its FY27 fresher intake to approximately 25,000, down from 44,000 onboarded in FY26, with a heavier weighting toward AI-skilled candidates in Prime and Digital. Getting the verbal section right and building one AI project are not competing priorities for a final-year engineering student who plans the semester carefully.

The TCS NQT aptitude questions and solutions guide covers the Numerical and Reasoning sub-sections with the same worked-example format as this article.

For the AI side: the 12 verbal examples above sharpen your NQT score for the Ninja threshold, but the Prime track’s AI project review needs something built. TinkerLLM is a ₹299 sandbox for building that first project.