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