English - Competitive Questions

English - Competitive Questions

-Compiled by Dr. Lalit Kumar Setia*

The English questions for competitive examinations are also available on the following link:

BestQuestions - Important Questions for English in Competitive Examinations

Challenging Words in Articles

1) Clamour (noun) ( कोलाहल):  cla-mar

Meaning -  

a loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting.

Synonyms -  

uproar, tumult, protest, complaints, outcry

Antonyms - 

silence, calmness, peace

Example -  

People began to clamour for the resignation of the corrupt chief minister.

2) Disseminate (verb) (प्रसारित करना) :  dis-eminate

Meaning -  

spread (something, especially information) widely.

Synonyms - 

spread, scatter ,circulate, publicize.

Antonyms - 

conceal, hide, gather, collect

Example - 

Cover your mouth while sneezing so that you do not disseminate bacteria.

3) Coterie (noun) (मंडली ): coat-rie

Meaning -

a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

Synonyms-

clique, set, gang, band, pack, crew

Example - 

The president’s coterie of advisers was unable to offer him a solution to the national problem.

4) Farce (noun)  (स्वांग):     far-s

Meaning -  

a ridiculous situation or event, a form of comedy, with little or no purpose other than to prompt laughter from the audience.

Synonyms-

mockery, slapstick, burlesque, vaudeville, travesty

Antonyms - 

seriousness,solemnity, ,sobriety,tragedy

Example - 

The actor refused to star in such a farce, insisting his talents were above such humor.

5) Profound (adjective) – (गहन) -  pro-faund

Meaning -  

extremely deep

Synonyms - 

intense, very great, extreme.

Antonyms - 

trivial, unimportant

Example - 

The motivational speaker’s profoundwords made me think about my future.

6) Embattled (adjective)  (संकटग्रस्त,परेशानियों से घिरा) - em-battle-ed

Meaning - 

(of a person) troubled by problems or difficulties.

Synonyms -  

pressed, oppressed, depressed, deadlocked

Antonyms - 

happy, delighted

Example -

After losing eight matches continuously, the team's captain seems to be embattled.

7) Absurd (noun) (बेतुका) - ab-surd

Meaning - 

wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.

Synonyms- 

preposterous, ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, laughable

Antonyms  - 

logical, practical, rational

Example - 

Instead of completing his assignment, the lazy student come up with the absurd excuse that his dog ate his homework.

8) Wanting (adjective)  (कमी ) - want-ing

Meaning - 

lacking in a required or necessary quality.

Synonyms- 

deficient, inadequate, lacking, insufficient

Antonyms - 

adequate, enough, present

Example - 

During the presentation in Seminar, the students weren't wanting in confidence.

9) Temperament (noun) (स्वभाव)  - compre-hen-sive

Meaning-   

the nature or personality of an animal or individual

Synonyms -  

disposition, nature, character, personality

Antonyms -  

indisposition ,inability

Example - 

While the twins are identical physically, they differ in temperament with one being extrovert and the other shy.

10) Impending (adjective)  -  (आसन्न , निकट) - impend-ing

Meaning-   

going to occur, be about to happen.

Synonyms -  

imminent, at hand, close, near, upcoming.

Antonyms - 

gone, past, distant, later

Example - 

Because Abhinav suffers from anxiety, he frequently has fears of impending disaster.

11) Hitherto (adverb)(अब तक): Hether-to

Meaning  - 

until now or until the point in time under discussion.

Synonyms - 

previously, formerly, earlier, so far, thus far, before

Antonyms - 

afterwards, later, subsequently hereupon, thereupon

Example - 

Before John learned to fly an aeroplane, he had hitherto been afraid of heights.

12)Dovish (adverb)(शांतिपूर्ण): do-vis

Meaning  -  supporting discussion or other peaceful solutions in political relationships rather than the use of force

Synonyms -  peaceful, diplomatic, accommodating.

Antonyms -agitated, turbulent, disturbed

Example - Since becoming president in 1993 he has encouraged dovish leaders to move on the path to peace.

13)Incipient (adjective)  (उत्पन्न होनेवाला) : in-sip-ent

Meaning  -  just beginning to appear or develop

Synonyms - initial, developing, growing.

Antonyms -conclusion,end,finish

Example - The best way to stop the disease from spreading is by identifying it while it is incipient.

14)Exemplify (verb) (उदाहरण देना) : exem-pli-fie

Meaning  -  to show or illustrate by example

Synonyms - illustrate, demonstrate, instance.

Antonyms -  becloud, blur, cloud, darken, fog

Example - The citizenship trophies are presented to exemplify the best examples of good citizenship among the student body.

15)Stand pat (noun)   (अटल होना) : stand-pat

Meaning  - stick stubbornly to one's opinion or decision.

Synonyms - holdout, resist, stay put, rigid, unyielding

Antonyms -facile,flexible,pliable

Example -Head coach Tom Higgins is standing pat on his team and will go with the same 40 men he used last week.

16)Upshot (noun) – (परिणाम) : up-shot

Meaning  -the final or eventual outcome or conclusion of a discussion, action, or series of events.

Synonyms - result, consequence, outcome, out-turn, effect, reaction

Antonyms - cause, origin, initial

Example - The upshot of the meeting was that he was elected chief economic officer of the company. 

17)Hover : waver, poise, linger

Antonyms -settle,rest

Example - Because I was sick a lot when I was a child, my mother would always hover over me.

18)Loom (adjective) (असन्तुष्ट) : loom-ing

Meaning  -  (of an event regarded as threatening) seem about to happen/appearing as a visible thread

Synonyms - threaten,menace,impend,emerge

Antonyms -defend,assist,protect

Example -There is a financial crisis looming in China.

19)Vigilance (noun)  (जागरूकता) : vigi-lance

Meaning  - the state of keeping a careful watch for danger

Synonyms - watchfulness, careful observation, surveillance, attentiveness, attention, alertness

Antonyms -  inattentiveness,ignore,neglect

Example - Lack of vigilance caused the Titanic to crash into an iceberg that no one saw coming.

*Phrases/Phrasal Verbs in the Article -*

20)Keep something/someone in check (phrase)   (नियंत्रित करना) : 

Meaning  -to control someone or something that might cause damage or harm to keep under control; curb/restrain, hold back.

Synonyms - curb,restrain,hold back,check

Antonyms - release,encourage

Example - You know, bats are actually good to have around because they keepthe mosquitos in check.

21)In something’s/someone's shadow (phrase)  (कम ध्यान प्राप्त करना) : 

Meaning  -Given less attention or thought of as less notable, important, or successful compared to someone else.

Example - He's been struggling to get out from under his father's shadow during his political career.

22)Head off (phrasal verb)   (रोकना) : head-of

Meaning  -  to prevent something from taking place

Synonyms -  avoid, put an end to, stop, divert

Antonyms -allow, permit, promote

Example - The police acted quickly and managed to head off a violent confrontation.

23)Lay out (phrasal verb) (रूपरेखा) : lay-aaut

Meaning  -to arrange something according to a detailed plan/to spread something out, or to arrange things so you can see them easily

Synonyms - outline, draw up, formulate.

Antonyms - disorganize

Example - They had already laid out a substantial sum for the wedding.

Important Words:

Ideology- विचारधारा

Decay- सड़ना

Cascading- प्रपात की तरह गिरता हुआ

Palatial- आलीशान 

Simmering- गुनगुनाहट

Eerily- अस्वाभाविक भयानकतापूर्ण ढंग से

Septuagenarian- सत्तर वर्ष की अवस्था का मनुष्य

Cache- गुप्त भंडार

Blow up- बढा चढा कर कहना

Robbery- डकैती

Personnel- कर्मचारी संबंधी

Ecstatic- अति आनंदित

Groan- कराहना

Numerous- बहुत से

Rejuvenation- कायाकल्प

Maul- आसानी से पराजित कर देना

Ammunition- युद्ध उपकरण/लड़ाई का सामान

Feat- कमाल, साहसिक कार्य

Defecation- मलत्याग

A herculean task- कठिन कार्य 

Delicacy- नज़ाकत, कोमलता

Voluminous- घुमावदार, बहुत बड़ा

Induct- नियुक्त करना

Blockade- नाकाबन्दी

Trample- कुचलना

Gun down- बन्दूक से घायल होना

Humongous- भारी

Congregation- एकत्रीकरण

Emblematic- प्रतीकात्मक

Xenophobic- अज्ञात व्यक्ति या विदेशियों से जिसे भय लगे 

Credo- सिद्धान्त और विश्वास

Hence- अतः

Imbibe- आत्मसात करना

Do away with- ख़त्म करना

Expel- निकालना

Expunge- मिटाना

Proselytisation- धर्म परिवर्तन

Stipend-  वज़ीफ़ा

Unscrupulous- अनैतिक

Brisk- तेज़

Woefully- शोकाकुल ढंग से

Swamp- दलदल

Deflate- आत्मविश्वास कम करना

Slew- घुमाना

Pantomime- तमाशा, मूकाभिनय

Fairy- परी

Woven in- बुना हुआ

Topography- भौगोलिक स्थिति

Satire- व्यंग्य

Incursions- घुसपैठ

Attrition- घिसाई, घिसावट

Slugfest-कठिन प्रतिस्पर्धा 

Dodgy- मक्कार, खतरनाक

Iniquitous- अन्यायपूर्ण

Profligacy- फ़िज़ूलखर्ची

Millennia- सदियों

Sieve- छलनी

Plangent- कोलाहलपूर्ण, उदास

Unflagging- अथक, लगातार

Cowering- झुकना या पीछे हटना

Embroiled- झगड़ा

Tarnished- कलंकित

Rands- किनारा

Expropriation- सम्पत्तिहरण, स्वामित्वहरण

Hubris- दर्प, घमंड

Allusions- उल्लेख

Laissez faire- अहस्त्क्षेप

Abjure- छोड़ देना

Agonizing - अत्यंत दुखदायी

Nudge- कुहनी से छूना

Clustered- गुच्छेदार

*Copyright © 2017 Dr. Lalit Kumar. All rights reserved. 

For more questions:

1. http://drlalitsetia.blogspot.com/p/english-for-competitive-questions-for.html

2. http://drlalitsetia.blogspot.com/p/english-for-competitive-questions-for_3.html

Latest Questions on Current Affairs

Example of Banking Frauds in Routine Life

Examples of Banking Frauds in Routine Life

By Dr. Lalit Kumar Setia |  @drlalitsetia  |  drlalitsetia@gmail.com  

In the era of technology, frauds have also been transformed and common-men face cyber crimes. The cultural values are changing and no-one can be trusted easily like in earlier times. On 31^st August, 2018; two persons arrived in a bank and asked to change the registered mobile number of an account. One of them claimed that the account is related to him but he was liar. After getting the new mobile number registered, they started to carry out online transfer of money with receiving the One-Time Passwords (OTPs) on the new registered mobile number. An amount of Rs. 11.5 lac withdrawn and transferred to six different accounts and from the accounts, the amount is withdrawn using cheques and ATMs. The gang of people was from Jharkhand and the accounts used for this purpose were of Syndicate Bank and Bank of Baroda. Definitely, the banking employees may also be involved to perform such frauds. However, the gang was caught by New Delhi District Police but such frauds affects the life of people very adversely.

Experiencing banking fraud:

Let me share another experience in the form of a story regarding a banking fraud. 

Yesterday evening, I received a call from a girl. 

(कल शाम को एक काल आयी, कोई लड़की थी।)

She asked: "Dear Sir, I tried to get registered for a job. But wrongly, by mistake, I entered your mobile number because there is lot of similarity between your and my number. Sir, you will receive an OTP on your number; please share with me as it is very important for my career."

(बोली," सर, मैं जॉब के लिए रेजिस्ट्रेशन कर रही थी। गलती से आपका नम्बर डाल दिया है, क्योकि मेरे और आपके मोबाइल नंबर में काफी समानता है। आपके पास थोड़ी देर में एक ओटीपी आएगी, प्लीज बता दो सर, ज़िन्दगी का सवाल है।")

Her statements looked genuine and when I checked my inbox what I found that there were two messages,  one for OTP and second from a mobile number stating that "Sir, the OTP you have received, please send on this number. Thanks in advance."

(बात बिल्कुल जेनुइन लग रही थी, मैनें इनबॉक्स चेक किया, दो मैसेज आये थे। एक पर ओटीपी था, दूसरा एक मोबाइल से आया मैसेज। लिखा था, dear सर, आपके पास जो ओटीपी आयी है, प्लीज इस नंबर पर भेज दीजिये।thanks in advance.)

While reading the message, I again received a call from the same girl. But number was different from earlier. She said, "Sir, you have seen the OTP, please either tell me or send ot to me. Please."

(मैसेज देख ही रहा था कि फोन दोबारा आया .... मैनें ओके क्लिक किया। वही सुमधुर आवाज। बस नंबर दूसरा था।

" सर, आपने देखा होगा अब तक ओटीपी आ गयी होगी। या तो बता दो या फारवर्ड कर दो उस नंबर पर...प्लीज...")

I asked her,  "I will tell you the OTP but before that I would request you".

She asked, "Tell me, Sir?"

("बता दूंगा, पर आप पहले एक काम करो.."

"हा सर.. बोलिये..")

I asked her, "You have entered my mobile number in registration form and my number is similar to your number that is why this mistake has happened."

"Please call me from that similar number so that I can be sure that you are telling me true event. "

("जो नंबर आपनें डाला है रेजिस्ट्रेसन में, वो मेरा नम्बर है और उसी से मिलता जुलता नम्बर आपके पास भी है, तभी आपसे ये गलती हुई , है न?"

"हां सर.."

"ओके, उसी नम्बर से मुझे आप कॉल करो, ताकि मैं वेरीफाई कर सकूं की आप सही हो..")

She replied, "Sir... actually.. that number has no balance. Sir.. can't you trust upon a girl?"

("वो क्या है सर, उस नम्बर में बैलेंस नही है।सर.. एक लड़की की बात पर आपको भरोसा नही..")

I asked, "I would just like to verify your authenticity before trusting you?"

("बात लड़की, लड़के और भरोसे की नही है। मैं आपको नही जानता, तो बिना जांचे परखे कैसे भरोसा कर लूं..)

She became rude and replied, "If you cannot trust then please avoid it but I am telling you due to people like you, noone trusts upon humanity."

(" तो रहने दीजिए आप..आप जैसे दुस्ट लोगों की वजह से आज मानवता से लोगों का भरोसा उठ गया है। ")

She became angry and start fighting upon call and then cut the call.

(दो चार गालियों के साथ उस सुमधुर कर्कशा ने फोन काट दिया।)

I became sentimental and thought that I have become more technical and a person who never trust upon others... 

(मन भारी हो गया था। शायद मैं ज्यादा अविश्वासी और टेक्निकल होता जा रहा हूँ।)

I picked my mobile so that I can dial the number and tell her the received OTP. 

But suddenly I received an email from the bank. I read the email - "Dear Sir/Madam; if you are facing problems in changing your internet banking password, then please click the link below.."

(दोबारा से उस नम्बर को डायल करके ओटीपी बताने के लिए फ़ोन उठाया। तभी बैंक का ईमेल का नोटिफिकेशन स्क्रीन पर फ़्लैश हुआ।बैंक का नोटिफिकेशन था, देखना जरूरी था।

लिखा था, "अगर आप इंटरनेट बैंकिग का पासवर्ड नहीं बदल पा रहे तो नीचे दिए लिंक पर क्लिक करें.... ")

I astonished to know the fraud by demanding favor in humanity. So much fraud...

(मैं सन्न रह गया। मानवता के नाम पर भी इतनी ठगबाज़ी.. धोखेबाज़ी..)

I became angry and tried to call her with anger. But I received a reply after dialing her number : "The number you are trying to reach is out of coverage area."

(मन गुस्से से भर उठा, रीडायल किया, लड़ाई के मूड में..

उधर से जवाब आ रहा था, "आप जिस नंबर पर बात करना चाहते हैं वो पहुँच से बाहर हैं ।")

*Copyright © 2017 Dr. Lalit Kumar. All rights reserved. 

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