The Hindu 18/03/2019

Question 1

cult

Answer 1

a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members.

synonyms: sect, religious group, denomination
eg. = “a network of Satan-worshipping cults”

Question 2

fatigues

Answer 2

loose clothing, typically khaki, olive drab, or camouflaged, of a sort worn by soldiers on active duty.

वर्दी

Question 3

stampede

Answer 3

a sudden rapid movement or reaction of a mass of people in response to a particular circumstance or stimulus

eg. = “a stampede of bargain hunters

Question 4

rickety

Answer 4

(of a structure or piece of equipment) poorly made and likely to collapse.

synonyms: shaky, unsteady, unsound, unsafe
eg. = “we went carefully up the rickety stairs”

Question 5

doughty

Answer 5

brave and persistent.

synonyms: fearless, dauntless, determined, resolute
eg. = his doughty spirit kept him going

Question 6

gutsy

Answer 6

having or showing courage, determination, and spirit.

synonyms: courageous, brave, mettlesome, plucky
eg. = her gutsy 80-year-old grandmother

Question 7

riposte

Answer 7

a quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism.

synonyms: retort, counter, rejoinder, sally, return, retaliation, answer, reply, response

Question 8

roulette

Answer 8

a gambling game in which a ball is dropped on to a revolving wheel with numbered compartments, the players betting on the number at which the ball comes to rest

Question 9

machination

Answer 9

a plot or scheme.

synonyms: schemes, plotting, plots, intrigues, conspiracies,
eg. = he was cheated by the political machinations of the legislature

Question 10

veneer

Answer 10

an attractive appearance that covers or disguises someone or something’s true nature or feelings

synonyms: facade, front, false front, show
eg. = a rigid veneer of courtesy hid her mounting fury

Question 11

affliction

Answer 11

a cause of pain or harm.

synonyms: disorder, disease, malady, complaint, ailment, illness
eg. = the herb is reputed to cure a variety of afflictions

Question 12

predicated

Answer 12

found or base something on.

synonyms: base, be dependent, found, establish
eg. = “the theory of structure on which later chemistry was predicated”

Question 13

ballast

Answer 13

give stability to (a ship) by putting a heavy substance in its bilge.

eg.= “the vessel has been ballasted to give the necessary floating stability”

Question 14

rebuff

Answer 14

reject (someone or something) in an abrupt or ungracious manner.

synonyms: reject, turn down, spurn, refuse, decline

“I asked her to be my wife, and was rebuffed in no uncertain terms”

Question 15

stinging

Answer 15

(of criticism) harsh or cruel.

eg. = “a stinging rebuke”

Question 16

compelled

Answer 16

force or oblige (someone) to do something.

synonyms: force, coerce into, pressurize into
eg. = “a sense of duty compelled Harry to answer her questions”

Question 17

yearning

Answer 17

a feeling of intense longing for something.

synonyms: longing, pining, craving, desire, want, wish
eg. = “he felt a yearning for the mountains”

Question 18

discomfiting

Answer 18

make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.

synonyms: embarrass, make uncomfortable, make uneasy
eg. = “he was not noticeably discomfited by her tone”

Question 19

debacle

Answer 19

a sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco.

synonyms: fiasco, failure, catastrophe, disaster

“the only man to reach double figures in the second-innings debacle”

Question 20

misgiving

Answer 20

a feeling of doubt or apprehension about the outcome or consequences of something.

synonyms: qualm, doubt, reservation, scruple;
eg. = “we have misgivings about the way the campaign is being run”

Question 21

lashed out

Answer 21

suddenly attack someone or something physically or criticize him

eg.= I was only teasing him and suddenly he lashed out (at me) and hit me in the face

Question 22

disquiet

Answer 22

a feeling of worry or unease.

synonyms: unease, uneasiness, worry, anxiety,
eg. = “public disquiet about animal testing”

Question 23

tenuous

Answer 23

very weak or slight.

synonyms: slight, insubstantial, flimsy, negligible
eg. = “the tenuous link between interest rates and investment”

Question 24

bandwagon”

Answer 24

used in reference to an activity, cause, etc. that is currently fashionable or popular and attracting increasing support.

eg. = “the environmental bandwagon is feeling mighty crowded”

Question 25

espouses

Answer 25

adopt or support (a cause, belief, or way of life).

synonyms: adopt, embrace, take up, take to,
eg. = “she espoused the causes of justice and freedom for all”

Question 26

put off

Answer 26

स्थगित करना

Question 27

sway

Answer 27

influence, affect, bias, persuade

Question 28

articulate

Answer 28

express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently.

eg. = “they were unable to articulate their emotions”

Question 29

reconciliation

Answer 29

the restoration of friendly relations.

eg. = “his reconciliation with your uncle”

Question 30

despondency

Answer 30

low spirits from loss of hope or courage; dejection.

synonyms: disheartenment, discouragement, dispiritedness
eg. = “an air of despondency”

Question 31

bequest

Answer 31

legacy.

वसीयत