Chapter 20
Vocabulary Building
THEORY
1. Roots (the heart of the word)
A root is the core element that carries a word's central meaning. Most academic English roots descend from Latin and Greek. Master the root and you master a family of words.
| Root | Origin / Meaning | Derived words (with meanings) |
|---|---|---|
| bene | Latin: good, well | benevolent (wishing good), beneficial (producing good), benediction (a blessing) |
| mal | Latin: bad, ill | malevolent (wishing ill), malign (to speak evil of), malaria (lit. "bad air") |
| vit / viv | Latin: life, to live | vital (essential to life), vivacious (full of life), revive (bring back to life) |
| mort | Latin: death | mortal (subject to death), mortuary (place for the dead), immortal (deathless) |
| bio | Greek: life | biology (study of life), biography (writing of a life), amphibian (living a double life) |
| chrono | Greek: time | chronology (order of time), chronic (lasting over time), synchronise (same time) |
| geo | Greek: earth | geography (writing about the earth), geology (study of the earth), geocentric (earth-centred) |
| graph / gram | Greek: write, draw | autograph (self-writing), telegram (far-writing), cartography (map-drawing) |
| scrib / script | Latin: write | describe (write about), manuscript (written by hand), inscription (something written on) |
| dict | Latin: say, speak | predict (say beforehand), dictate (say to be written), verdict (a true saying) |
| spec / spect | Latin: look, see | spectator (one who watches), inspect (look into), retrospect (a look back) |
| port | Latin: carry | portable (able to be carried), export (carry out), import (carry in) |
| aqua | Latin: water | aquarium (water tank), aquatic (of water), aqueduct (water channel) |
| anthropo | Greek: man, human | anthropology (study of humankind), philanthropy (love of mankind), misanthrope (hater of mankind) |
| omni | Latin: all | omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnivorous (eating all) |
| phil | Greek: love | philosophy (love of wisdom), bibliophile (lover of books), Anglophile (lover of England) |
| phobia | Greek: fear | claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces), hydrophobia (fear of water), xenophobia (fear of foreigners) |
| magn | Latin: great, large | magnify (make great), magnitude (greatness, size), magnanimous (great-souled, generous) |
| micro | Greek: small | microscope (instrument to see the small), microbe (tiny organism), microcosm (a little world) |
| tele | Greek: far, distant | telephone (far-sound), television (far-seeing), telepathy (feeling at a distance) |
| auto | Greek: self | automatic (self-acting), autonomy (self-rule), autobiography (self-life-writing) |
| ped / pod | Latin ped / Greek pod: foot | pedestrian (one who goes on foot), pedal (operated by foot), tripod (three-footed stand) |
| manu | Latin: hand | manual (done by hand), manufacture (orig. made by hand), manuscript (hand-written) |
| ver | Latin: truth | verify (prove true), veracity (truthfulness), verdict (a true saying) |
| cred | Latin: believe, trust | credible (believable), incredible (unbelievable), credentials (proofs of trust) |
| voc / vok | Latin: call, voice | vocation (a calling), advocate (one who pleads/calls for), revoke (call back) |
| aud | Latin: hear | audible (able to be heard), audience (those who hear), auditorium (place for hearing) |
| vid / vis | Latin: see | visible (able to be seen), vision (sight), evident (clearly seen) |
| fract / frag | Latin: break | fracture (a break), fragment (a broken piece), fragile (easily broken) |
| duc / duct | Latin: lead | conduct (lead together), induce (lead in), aqueduct (lead water) |
| theo | Greek: god | theology (study of god), atheist (one without god), monotheism (belief in one god) |
Five worked examples (how the root unlocks meaning):
- benevolent = bene (good) + vol (wish) → "wishing good" → kind, charitable. Its opposite, mal + vol = malevolent (wishing ill).
- omniscient = omni (all) + sci (know) → "all-knowing" → having infinite knowledge.
- misanthrope = mis (hatred) + anthropo (man) → "hater of mankind". Contrast philanthropist = phil (love) + anthropo (man).
- chronic = chrono (time) → "lasting a long time"; a chronic illness persists over time, unlike an acute (sudden) one.
- magnanimous = magn (great) + anim (soul/mind) → "great-souled" → noble and generous, especially towards a rival.
2. Prefixes (added at the front; usually change meaning)
A prefix is fixed before a root to modify its meaning, most often making it negative, directional or quantitative. Prefixes rarely change the part of speech.
| Prefix | Meaning | Example (with meaning) |
|---|---|---|
| un- | not / reversal | unhappy (not happy); undo (reverse an action) |
| in- / im- / il- / ir- | not (form varies by following letter) | inactive, impossible (before m/p), illegal (before l), irregular (before r) |
| dis- | not / apart / reversal | disagree (not agree); disconnect (take apart) |
| non- | not (neutral negation) | non-fiction (not fiction); nonsense (without sense) |
| anti- | against / opposite | antibiotic (against microbes); antidote (against poison) |
| pre- | before | predict (say before); preview (view before) |
| post- | after | postpone (place after); post-mortem (after death) |
| sub- | under / below | submarine (under the sea); subordinate (of lower rank) |
| super- | above / beyond | supervise (oversee); superhuman (beyond human) |
| trans- | across / through | transport (carry across); transparent (seen through) |
| inter- | between / among | international (between nations); intervene (come between) |
| intra- | within | intravenous (within a vein); intramural (within walls/an institution) |
| mono- | one | monologue (speech by one); monotone (one tone) |
| bi- | two | bicycle (two wheels); bilingual (two languages) |
| tri- | three | triangle (three angles); tripod (three feet) |
| multi- | many | multitude (many); multilingual (many languages) |
| semi- | half / partly | semicircle (half a circle); semi-final (round before the final) |
| mis- | wrongly / badly | misunderstand (understand wrongly); mislead (lead wrongly) |
| re- | again / back | rewrite (write again); recall (call back) |
| over- | too much / above | overeat (eat too much); overlook (fail to notice) |
| under- | too little / beneath | underestimate (judge too low); underground (beneath the ground) |
| ex- | out / former | export (carry out); ex-president (former president) |
| co- | together / with | cooperate (work together); coexist (exist together) |
| hyper- | over / excessive | hyperactive (excessively active); hypertension (high blood pressure) |
| hypo- | under / deficient | hypothermia (under-heat); hypotension (low blood pressure) |
Memory trick — the negative family. in- changes its spelling to match the next letter: im- before m/p (immature, impatient), il- before l (illegible), ir- before r (irresponsible). The rule is one of pronunciation ease (assimilation), not meaning.
Five worked examples:
- antidote = anti (against) + dote (a giving) → a remedy given against poison.
- transparent = trans (through) + parent (appearing) → allowing light through; clear.
- subterranean = sub (under) + terra (earth) → existing under the earth.
- hypertension vs hypotension: hyper (over) raises it, hypo (under) lowers it — one letter, opposite conditions.
- misnomer = mis (wrongly) + nomer (name) → a wrong or unsuitable name.
3. Suffixes (added at the end; usually change word class)
A suffix is fixed after a root, most often to change the part of speech (e.g. turning a verb into a noun) or to add a grammatical sense.
| Suffix | Forms / Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -tion / -sion | noun: act or state of | education, decision |
| -ment | noun: result or action | movement, agreement |
| -ness | noun: state or quality | kindness, happiness |
| -ity / -ty | noun: quality or condition | ability, cruelty |
| -ship | noun: state, rank or skill | friendship, leadership |
| -hood | noun: state or period | childhood, brotherhood |
| -dom | noun: domain or condition | freedom, kingdom |
| -able / -ible | adjective: capable of being | readable, audible |
| -ful | adjective: full of | hopeful, beautiful |
| -less | adjective: without | hopeless, fearless |
| -ous / -ious | adjective: full of, having | famous, curious |
| -ive | adjective: tending to | active, creative |
| -al | adjective: relating to | national, cultural |
| -ise / -ize | verb: to make / to cause | modernise, realise |
| -ify / -fy | verb: to make | simplify, purify |
| -en | verb: to make / become | strengthen, widen |
| -logy | study of / science | biology, geology |
| -cracy / -crat | rule / ruler | democracy (rule by the people), aristocrat |
| -cide | act of killing | suicide (self-killing), homicide (killing of a person) |
| -archy / -arch | rule / ruler | monarchy (rule by one), anarchy (absence of rule) |
Memory trick — -able vs -ible. Use -able when a recognisable whole English word remains (comfort → comfortable, depend → dependable). Use -ible when the stem is an incomplete Latin root (aud → audible, vis → visible, terr → terrible). The rule is reliable, not infallible — but it solves most exam items.
Five worked examples:
- Verb to noun: govern → government (the act/result of governing).
- Adjective to noun: happy → happiness (the quality of being happy).
- Noun to adjective: danger → dangerous (full of danger).
- Adjective/noun to verb: simple → simplify (to make simple).
- Root to discipline: geo + -logy → geology (the study of the earth).
4. Word-formation
English builds vocabulary by several productive processes. A TGT candidate should recognise each:
- Affixation (derivation): adding prefixes/suffixes — happy → unhappy → unhappiness.
- Compounding: joining two words — black + board → blackboard; break + fast → breakfast.
- Conversion (zero-derivation): a word changes class without change of form — to google (noun → verb), a good read (verb → noun).
- Blending (portmanteau): parts of two words fuse — smoke + fog → smog; breakfast + lunch → brunch.
- Clipping: shortening — laboratory → lab; advertisement → advert/ad.
- Acronyms/initialisms: RADAR, NATO, UNESCO.
- Back-formation: a shorter word is derived from a longer one — editor → to edit; television → to televise.
Tip. When an exam asks for the noun/adjective/verb form of a given word, identify the required word class first, then attach the suffix that produces it. Strong (adj) → noun strength → verb strengthen.
A short list of high-frequency exam words:
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| abate | to lessen, subside | candid | frank, honest |
| benevolent | kind, generous | diligent | hard-working, careful |
| frugal | economical, thrifty | gregarious | sociable, fond of company |
| lethargic | sluggish, lacking energy | meticulous | extremely careful about detail |
| obstinate | stubborn | placid | calm, peaceful |
| prudent | wise, cautious | resilient | able to recover quickly |
| tenacious | holding firmly, persistent | verbose | using too many words, wordy |
| zealous | full of enthusiasm | aloof | distant, reserved |
COMMON EXAM ERRORS
| # | Wrong word / usage | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He gave me a good advise. | advice | Advise is the verb; advice is the noun. |
| 2 | The medicine had a strong affect. | effect | Effect is the noun (result); affect is the verb (to influence). |
| 3 | I will loose the match. | lose | Lose = fail to keep/win; loose = not tight. |
| 4 | This is principle Sharma. | principal | Principal = head of a school; principle = a rule or truth. |
| 5 | The weather complimented our trip. | complemented | Complement = to complete; compliment = to praise. |
| 6 | He is a very incredulous story-teller. | credible | A story is credible (believable); a person is incredulous (disbelieving). |
| 7 | The boss adviced caution. | advised | Verb is advise; past form advised. |
| 8 | It is uncapable of flight. | incapable | The negative of capable takes in-, not un-. |
| 9 | His behaviour is unresponsible. | irresponsible | Before r, the prefix in- becomes ir-. |
| 10 | The handwriting is unlegible. | illegible | Before l, in- becomes il-. |
| 11 | She is unpatient with delays. | impatient | Before p, in- becomes im-. |
| 12 | The two events are stationary in time. | stationary (vs stationery) | Stationary = not moving; stationery = writing materials. |
| 13 | The medicine had no noticable effect. | noticeable | Keep the e after a soft c to preserve the soft sound. |
| 14 | His argument was very persuative. | persuasive | The adjective from persuade is persuasive (s, not t). |
| 15 | The plan is practicle. | practical | The adjective ends in -cal; practicle is not a word. |
| 16 | She recieved a prize. | received | "I before E except after C": receive. |
| 17 | That was a concious decision. | conscious | Correct spelling retains -sc-: conscious. |
| 18 | His childish innocence charmed us. | childlike | Childlike = innocent (positive); childish = immature (negative). |
| 19 | The disease is continuous over years. | chronic | Chronic (from chrono) means long-lasting; the precise word here. |
| 20 | He is an eminent danger to society. | imminent | Imminent = about to happen; eminent = distinguished. |
| 21 | The clever child gave an ingenuous solution. | ingenious | Ingenious = clever/inventive; ingenuous = naive/innocent. |
| 22 | This food is noisome to the ear. | noisome (misused) | Noisome means foul-smelling/harmful, not noisy. |
| 23 | He verbalised his report needlessly long. | was verbose | The adjective for wordy is verbose; verbalise merely means to put into words. |
| 24 | A literal man who reads widely. | literate / literary | Literal = word-for-word; literate = able to read; literary = of literature. |
| 25 | The judge gave a just verdict, a true saying. (no error of root) | verdict (correctly used) | Verdict = ver (true) + dict (say); a sound choice when "a finding" is meant. |
EXAM TRICKS
- Decode before you guess. Break an unknown word into prefix + root + suffix. Incorruptible = in- (not) + corrupt + -ible (capable) → "incapable of being corrupted".
- Use the negative prefix to find an antonym. If the question word is positive, scan options for un-, in-, dis-, a-, mal-, mis-. The antonym of benevolent is the option carrying mal-: malevolent.
- Eliminate by root family. "Choose the word meaning 'fear of foreigners'." Spot the phobia root and the xeno (foreign) element → xenophobia. Discard options without -phobia.
- Beware connotation distractors. Synonym sets often include one word that is technically near but wrong in tone (e.g. thrifty [neutral] vs stingy [negative] for frugal). Pick the matching register.
- Spot the false friend. Some options are designed to trap root-decoders: noisome (foul, not noisy), terrific (originally terrifying, now great), nice (originally "ignorant"). Do not over-trust the root for words that have drifted.
- One-word substitution: match the suffix to the sense. "-cide" → a killing; "-phile" → a lover; "-archy/-cracy" → a form of rule; "-logy" → a study. The killer of one's brother is a fratricide (frater = brother).
- For -able/-ible items, test whether a free-standing English word remains (→ -able) or only a Latin stem remains (→ -ible).
- Cross-check with the sentence. In sentence-completion items the surrounding words signal positive or negative polarity; let that confirm your root-based choice.
FREQUENTLY CONFUSED PAIRS
| Pair | Word 1 — meaning | Word 2 — meaning |
|---|---|---|
| credible / credulous | credible — believable | credulous — too ready to believe; gullible |
| ingenious / ingenuous | ingenious — clever, inventive | ingenuous — innocent, naive, frank |
| eminent / imminent | eminent — distinguished, famous | imminent — about to happen soon |
| principal / principle | principal — chief; head of an institution | principle — a fundamental rule or truth |
| stationary / stationery | stationary — not moving | stationery — writing materials |
| complement / compliment | complement — that which completes | compliment — an expression of praise |
| discreet / discrete | discreet — careful, tactful | discrete — separate, distinct |
| elicit / illicit | elicit — to draw out (a response) | illicit — unlawful, forbidden |
| childlike / childish | childlike — innocent (positive) | childish — silly, immature (negative) |
| affect / effect | affect — to influence (verb) | effect — a result (noun) |
| moral / morale | moral — concerning right and wrong | morale — confidence or spirit of a group |
| economic / economical | economic — relating to the economy | economical — thrifty, not wasteful |
EXCEPTIONS — Important, Rare & Advanced
Etymology is a powerful tool, but English has drifted over centuries. Beware these false friends, where the obvious root misleads:
| Word | Misleading guess | Actual meaning |
|---|---|---|
| noisome | "noisy" | foul-smelling, offensive, harmful (from annoy, not noise) |
| enormity | "enormous size" | great wickedness or a monstrous act (size is enormousness) |
| terrific | "terrifying" | excellent, wonderful (meaning has reversed over time) |
| nice | "pleasant" (from a root for "nice"?) | originally meant "ignorant/foolish" (Latin nescius); a famous semantic shift |
| fulsome | "abundant / full" | excessive and insincere (esp. of praise) |
| pedestrian (adj.) | "to do with walking only" | dull, commonplace, unimaginative |
| egregious | "distinguished" (Latin ex grege = out of the flock) | now means outstandingly bad, flagrant |
| manufacture | "made by hand" (manu + fact) | now means made on a large scale, usually by machine |
| moot | "settled / agreed" | open to debate; arguable (a "moot point") |
| prove / probe (the exception in proverbs) | "the exception breaks the rule" | "The exception proves the rule" uses prove in its old sense "to test" |
Caution. When a root-based answer seems "too obvious", check whether the word is a known false friend. Exam setters love noisome, enormity and egregious precisely because the root tempts the wrong choice.
50 MCQs
Easy (1–15)
1. The root bene means:
(a) bad (b) good (c) time (d) life
Answer: (b) good
Explanation: Bene (Latin) = good, as in benevolent and beneficial.
2. The prefix in antibiotic means:
(a) before (b) after (c) against (d) within
Answer: (c) against
Explanation: Anti- = against; an antibiotic works against microbes.
3. The root mort means:
(a) life (b) death (c) earth (d) water
Answer: (b) death
Explanation: Seen in mortal, mortuary and immortal.
4. The suffix -less means:
(a) full of (b) capable of (c) without (d) state of
Answer: (c) without
Explanation: Hopeless = without hope; fearless = without fear.
5. Autograph literally means:
(a) far-writing (b) self-writing (c) good-writing (d) hand-writing
Answer: (b) self-writing
Explanation: Auto (self) + graph (write).
6. The prefix pre- in preview means:
(a) after (b) again (c) before (d) under
Answer: (c) before
Explanation: A preview is a viewing before the main event.
7. Which root means "water"?
(a) geo (b) aqua (c) bio (d) chrono
Answer: (b) aqua
Explanation: Aqua gives aquarium, aquatic, aqueduct.
8. The word visible contains a root meaning:
(a) hear (b) see (c) say (d) carry
Answer: (b) see
Explanation: Vis (Latin) = see; hence visible, vision.
9. The prefix bi- means:
(a) one (b) two (c) three (d) half
Answer: (b) two
Explanation: Bicycle (two wheels), bilingual (two languages).
10. Telephone contains a root meaning:
(a) small (b) self (c) far (d) all
Answer: (c) far
Explanation: Tele = far; phone = sound → "far-sound".
11. The suffix -ful means:
(a) without (b) full of (c) able to (d) one who
Answer: (b) full of
Explanation: Hopeful = full of hope.
12. The root phil means:
(a) fear (b) love (c) hatred (d) study
Answer: (b) love
Explanation: Philosophy = love of wisdom; bibliophile = lover of books.
13. Which word means "all-powerful"?
(a) omniscient (b) omnipotent (c) omnivorous (d) omnipresent
Answer: (b) omnipotent
Explanation: Omni (all) + potent (power).
14. The prefix re- in rewrite means:
(a) not (b) again (c) before (d) badly
Answer: (b) again
Explanation: To rewrite is to write again.
15. The root dict means:
(a) write (b) see (c) say (d) carry
Answer: (c) say
Explanation: Predict (say beforehand), verdict (a true saying).
Moderate (16–35)
16. Choose the word that means "wishing harm to others":
(a) benevolent (b) malevolent (c) magnanimous (d) gregarious
Answer: (b) malevolent
Explanation: Mal (ill) + vol (wish) → wishing ill.
17. The negative form of regular is:
(a) unregular (b) inregular (c) irregular (d) disregular
Answer: (c) irregular
Explanation: Before r, in- becomes ir-.
18. A person who hates mankind is a:
(a) philanthropist (b) misanthrope (c) anthropologist (d) misogynist
Answer: (b) misanthrope
Explanation: Mis (hatred) + anthropo (man).
19. Which suffix would turn the adjective wide into a verb?
(a) -ness (b) -ity (c) -en (d) -ful
Answer: (c) -en
Explanation: Wide → widen (to make wide).
20. Hydrophobia means a fear of:
(a) heights (b) water (c) foreigners (d) closed spaces
Answer: (b) water
Explanation: Hydro (water) + phobia (fear).
21. Choose the correctly spelt word:
(a) recieve (b) receive (c) receeve (d) reciave
Answer: (b) receive
Explanation: "I before E except after C".
22. The word credulous means:
(a) believable (b) too ready to believe (c) unbelievable (d) trustworthy
Answer: (b) too ready to believe
Explanation: Credulous describes a gullible person; a story is credible.
23. The verb form of simple is:
(a) simpleness (b) simplicity (c) simplify (d) simply
Answer: (c) simplify
Explanation: -ify forms a verb meaning "to make".
24. Subterranean means existing:
(a) above the earth (b) under the earth (c) across the earth (d) within the air
Answer: (b) under the earth
Explanation: Sub (under) + terra (earth).
25. A word meaning "the killing of oneself":
(a) homicide (b) genocide (c) suicide (d) fratricide
Answer: (c) suicide
Explanation: Sui (self) + cide (killing).
26. Choose the word that means "distinguished and famous":
(a) imminent (b) eminent (c) immanent (d) eminence-grise
Answer: (b) eminent
Explanation: Eminent = famous; imminent = about to happen.
27. The prefix in hypertension indicates:
(a) under / low (b) over / excessive (c) before (d) within
Answer: (b) over / excessive
Explanation: Hyper- = over; hypertension is high blood pressure.
28. The noun formed from govern is:
(a) governness (b) governance/government (c) governful (d) governity
Answer: (b) governance/government
Explanation: The suffix -ment (or -ance) forms the noun.
29. Democracy literally means rule by:
(a) one (b) the few (c) the people (d) the wealthy
Answer: (c) the people
Explanation: Demos (people) + -cracy (rule).
30. Which word means "clever and inventive"?
(a) ingenuous (b) ingenious (c) ingenue (d) indigenous
Answer: (b) ingenious
Explanation: Ingenious = inventive; ingenuous = naive.
31. Select the correct adjective: a substance that can be carried is …
(a) portation (b) portable (c) porterly (d) portative
Answer: (b) portable
Explanation: Port (carry) + -able (capable of being).
32. The opposite of mortal is:
(a) immortal (b) unmortal (c) dismortal (d) nonmortal
Answer: (a) immortal
Explanation: The prefix im- (a form of in-) negates: deathless.
33. Magnanimous most nearly means:
(a) very large (b) generous and noble (c) ill-tempered (d) talkative
Answer: (b) generous and noble
Explanation: Magn (great) + anim (soul) → "great-souled".
34. Choose the correct spelling of the negative of legible:
(a) unlegible (b) inlegible (c) illegible (d) imlegible
Answer: (c) illegible
Explanation: Before l, in- becomes il-.
35. A lover of books is a:
(a) bibliophobe (b) bibliophile (c) bibliography (d) bibliomaniac
Answer: (b) bibliophile
Explanation: Biblio (book) + phil (love).
Difficult (36–50)
36. The word noisome means:
(a) very noisy (b) foul-smelling or harmful (c) cheerful (d) curious
Answer: (b) foul-smelling or harmful
Explanation: A false friend; it derives from annoy, not noise.
37. Enormity properly refers to:
(a) huge size (b) great wickedness (c) loud noise (d) great speed
Answer: (b) great wickedness
Explanation: Great size is enormousness; enormity = a monstrous act.
38. Which word means "outstandingly bad"?
(a) egregious (b) gregarious (c) prestigious (d) prodigious
Answer: (a) egregious
Explanation: Once "distinguished", it now means flagrantly bad.
39. Choose the word meaning "secret/unlawful":
(a) elicit (b) illicit (c) explicit (d) implicit
Answer: (b) illicit
Explanation: Illicit = forbidden; elicit = to draw out.
40. The adjective pedestrian, used figuratively, means:
(a) energetic (b) dull and commonplace (c) two-footed (d) hurried
Answer: (b) dull and commonplace
Explanation: A drifted sense from ped (foot) → "plodding, ordinary".
41. Which pair are antonyms?
(a) benevolent — malevolent (b) credible — believable (c) frugal — thrifty (d) tenacious — persistent
Answer: (a) benevolent — malevolent
Explanation: Bene (good) vs mal (ill); the rest are near-synonyms.
42. Fulsome praise is praise that is:
(a) generous and sincere (b) excessive and insincere (c) brief (d) well deserved
Answer: (b) excessive and insincere
Explanation: Despite looking like "full", fulsome carries a negative sense.
43. The killing of one's brother is:
(a) patricide (b) regicide (c) fratricide (d) infanticide
Answer: (c) fratricide
Explanation: Frater (brother) + -cide (killing).
44. Select the word that means "the absence of government":
(a) monarchy (b) oligarchy (c) anarchy (d) autocracy
Answer: (c) anarchy
Explanation: An- (without) + -archy (rule).
45. Which word correctly fills the blank? "His report was needlessly long and ____."
(a) verbose (b) terse (c) laconic (d) succinct
Answer: (a) verbose
Explanation: Verbose = wordy; the other three mean brief.
46. Discrete (as opposed to discreet) means:
(a) tactful (b) separate and distinct (c) secretive (d) cautious
Answer: (b) separate and distinct
Explanation: Discrete = distinct; discreet = prudent/tactful.
47. The correctly spelt word is:
(a) concious (b) conscious (c) consious (d) conscius
Answer: (b) conscious
Explanation: Retains -sc- and ends in -ous.
48. Which word means "one who eats all kinds of food"?
(a) carnivorous (b) herbivorous (c) omnivorous (d) insectivorous
Answer: (c) omnivorous
Explanation: Omni (all) + vor (eat).
49. In "a moot point", moot means:
(a) settled (b) open to debate (c) irrelevant (d) proven
Answer: (b) open to debate
Explanation: A moot point is arguable/unresolved.
50. The adjective from persuade is:
(a) persuative (b) persuasive (c) persuadible (d) persuadent
Answer: (b) persuasive
Explanation: The correct form is persuasive (with s).