WORD POWER
I] IMPORTANT IDIOMS AND PHRASES:
1 Heart and soul (the central core of something)
•Now, we are getting to the heart and soul of the matter.
2 Helter skelter (disorderly)
•On arrival of the police the strikers ran helter skelter.
3 First and foremost (first of all)
•To be sincere and devoted is the first and formost requirement for this job.
4 Might and main (with as much effort or strength as one can muster)
•She attacked the punching bag with might and main.
5 Milk and water (weak)
•The foreign policy of India is nothing more than a milk and water policy.
6 Live-wire (a very lively or energetic person)
•Gurvind is such a live-wire that its tough to keep up with his stories.
7 Ins and outs (the intricate details of situation)
•Before starting any new business you must know all ins and outs of it.
8 To flog a dead horse (to waste time to do something)
•He keeps trying to get his essay published, but I think he is flogging a dead horse.
9 To fall flat (to fail miserably)
The Principal’s speech fell flat on the students.
10 To get into hot water (in trouble)
•The manager got into
hot water while
participating in the
union meeting.
11 Fair field and no
favour (with honesty
and sincerity)
•The staff wants a fair field and no favour in the matter of transfer.
12 Far and wide (have great extent)
•Many tourists come to see the Taj from far and wide
13. To move heaven and
earth (to do everything possible)
•He can move heaven and earth to get it done on time.
14. To be weak or vacant in the upper storey (lack in willpower)
•I can’t assign such work to him, as he is vacant in the upper storey.
15.To be under one’s
thumb (under the
control of someone)
•She is no more under the thumb of her mother-in-law.
16. To be at daggers drawn (to be angry with each other)
•Both the brothers are at daggers drawn.
17. To pull a long face (look sad)
• My son pulled a long face when he was scolded by his mother.
18.To play truant (absent from school without leave)
It is a very bad habit of the students to play truant from class.
19. To make light of (to treat something as not very serious)
I wish you wouldn’t make light of his problems.
20.To make both ends meet (to earn the minimum amount of money necessary for living)
•Sudden increase in prices has made it difficult for the employees to make both ends meet.
21. Right and left (on all sides or everywhere)
•The robbers looted the village right and left and fled away.
22. Safe and sound (unharmed)
•She reached there safe & sound.
23. To go on a fool's errand (a fruitless mission)
•The key was in his pocket and he sent me on a fool’s errand to search the same at the
shopping complex.
24.The last nail in the coffin (to shorten life)
•The reservation policy of VP Singh was the last nail in the coffin of the Janta Party.
25. Thick and thin (good and bad times)
•I shall support you through thick and thin.
26.To make sure (to ensure)
•I went to the college to make sure if our exams would commence from the next week.
27.To make neither head nor tail (to fail to understand)
•The leader spoke so rapidly that the audience could make neither head nor tail of his lecture.
28. To nip in the bud (to stop something from developing further)
•Many serious illnesses can be nipped in the bud if they are detected early enough.
29.Tooth and nail (with every available resources)
•Students of general caste opposed the reservation policy tooth and nail but to no avail.
30.To knit the brow (to frown)
•My father always knits his brow at everything I do.
II] One Word Substitution:
Directions(Q.Nos.1-30)
In each of the following questions, choose the alternative which can be substituted for
the given words/sentence.
1. A tank where fish or water plants are kept
(a)Apiary (b)Aviary (c)Nursery (d)Aquarium
2. Yearly celebration of a date or an event :
(a)Birthday (b)Anniversary (c)Jubilee (d)Centenary
3. Custom of having many wives
(a)Bigamy (b)Monogamy (c)Polygamy (d)Matrimony
4. Customs of having several husbands at the sametime:
(a)Polyandry (b)Polyglot (c)Polysexual (d)Polygamy
5.One who knows many languages :
(a)Polygamy (b)Popular (c)Panacea (d)Polyglot
6. A remedy for all diseases (a)Recoil (b)Panacea (c)Marvel (d)Treatment
7. An examination of dead body
(a)Ante-mortem (b)Autopsy (c)Morgue (d)Cremation
8.A supporter of the cause of women :
(a)Feminist (b)Colleague (c)Extempore (d)Womanish
9. A man having no hair on the scalp
(a)Hoary (b)Naked (c)Gaudy (d)Bald
10. A building where dead bodies are kept :
(a)Aviary (b)Hospital (c)Zoo (d)Mortuary
11. The violation of profaning of sacred things (
a)Solemn (b)Sinecure (c)Posthumous (d)Sacrilege
12. A place where birds are kept
(a)Apiary (b)Aviary (c)Nursery (d)Extempore
13. Killing one’s brother (a)Suicide (b)Fratricide (c)Patricide (d)Matricide
14.One who is not easily pleased by anything .
(a)Maiden (b)Pessimist (c)Vulnerable (d)Fastidiou
15.A group of three persons sharing power:
(a)Triology (b)Tetralogy (c)Triumvirate (d)Tripode
16.A person who regards the whole world as his country (a)Cosmopolitan (b)Nationalist
(c)Patriot (d)Metropolitan
17. Of unknown authorship (a)Anonymous (b)Unanimous (c)Amiguous (d)Extempore
18. A person who rules without consulting the opinion of others :
(a)Democrat (b)Autocrat (c)Bureaucrat (d)Fanatic
19. One who is well versed in the science of female ailments:
(a)Cardiologist (b)Surgeon (c)Gynecologist (d)Sergeant
20. One who eats everything (a)Omnipotent (b) Insolvent
(c) Irresistible (d)Omnivorous
21.An elderly unmarried woman
(a)Spinster (b)Vandal (c)Bachelor (d)Adult
22.Amanwhowasteshismoneyon luxury :
(a)Extempore (b)Extravagant (c)Nymph (d)Surge
23. In capable of being seen through :
(a) Invisible (b)Obsolete (c)Opaque (d)Transparent
24. One who sacrifices his life for a cause:
(a)Patriot (b)Martyr (c)Soldier (d)Revolutionary
25.A person coming to a foreign land to settle :
(a) Immigrant (b)Visitor (c)Tourist (d)Emigrant
26.Murder of a king
(a)Homicide (b)Matricide (c)Patricide (d)Regicide
27. An associate in a office or institution
(a)Companion (b)Ally (c)Colleague (d)Accomplice
28. An official numbering of the population :
(a)Censor (b)Counting (c)Census (d)Demography
29. A name assumed by a writer or a false name
(a)Lie (b)Portable (c)Anonymous (d)Pseudonym
30.One who believes in fate (a)Atheist (b)Philanthropist (c)Fatalist (d)Amateur
31. List of headings of the business to be transacte data meeting
(a)Schedule (b)Agenda (c)Proceedings (d)Excerpts
32. A government run by a dictator
(a)Democracy (b)Autocracy (c)Oligarchy (d)Theocracy
33. An office or post with no work but highpay
(a)Honorary (b)Sinecure (c)Gratis (d)Ex-officio
34.Person who believes that God is everything and everything is God
(a)Agnostic (b)Theist (c)Pantheist (d)Pantechnicon
35. Relationship by blood or birth :
(a)Parentage (b)Affiliation (c)Consanguinity (d)Nepotism
36.Walking in sleep: (a)Somniloquism (b)Somnambulism
(c)Obsession
(d)Hallucination
37 A person who kills somebody especially for political reason.
(a)Criminal (b)Murderer (c)Assassin (d)Hangman
38. Study of mankind (a)Pathology (b)Physiology (c)Philology (d)Anthropology
39. Through which light cannot pass :
(a)Dull (b)Dark (c)Obscure (d)Opaque
40. A person not sure of the existence of God :
(a)Theist (b)Atheist (c)Agnostic (d)Cynic
Answers:
1 (d) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 (a) 5 (d) 6 (b) 7 (b) 8 (a) 9 (d) 10 (d) 11 (d)
12 (b) 13 (b) 14 (d) 15 (c) 16 (a) 17 (a) 18 (b) 19 (c) 20 (d) 21 (a) 22 (b) 23 (c) 24 (b) 25 (a) 26
(d) 27 (c) 28 (c) 29 (d) 30 (c) 31 (b) 32 (b) 33 (b) 34 (c) 35 (c) 36 (b) 37 (c) 38(d) 39 (d) 40 (c )
III ] Spellings:
Directions(Q.Nos.1-10)
In each of the following questions, a word has been written in four different ways,out of
which only one is correctly spelt. Find the correctly spelt word.
1. (a)Cancelation (b)Cancelletion
(c)Cancellation
(d)Cancellasion
2. (a)Mischeivous (b)Mischevous
(c)Mischievous
(d)Mischivous
3. (a)Foreigner (b)Forienor
(c)Foriegnor (d)Foriegnar
4. (a)Exhilirate (b)Exhilarate (c)Exhiliret (d)Exhilerate
5. (a) Inimitable (b) Imimatible (c) Inimitible (d) Inimmitable
6. (a)Skeletan (b)Sekeleton (c)Skelaton (d)Skeleton
7. (a)Colaborate (b)Collaboratte (c)Collaborate (d)Collabarate
8. (a)Scriptur (b)Scriptare (c)Scripture (d)Scripcher
9. (a)Commettee (b)Committee (c)Committe (d)Commitee
10. (a)Obssesion (b)Obsession (c)Obssession (d)Obsessien
Directions (Q. Nos. 11-20) In the following questions, there are four words in each
question,find the word which is wrongly spelt.
11. (a)Eficient (b)Horrible
(c) Insignificant (d)Barren
12. (a)Adulation (b)Recieve (c)Prejudice (d)Rythm
13. (a)Prolong (b)Conditional (c)Obscure (d)Cautios
14. (a)Worshipped (b)Deterred (c)Murmurred (d)Lapped
15. (a) Inept (b)Amature (c)Vacuum (d)Glorify
16. (a)Appraise (b)Behaviour (c)Commend (d)Mentanence
17. (a)Fortunately (b) Internaly (c)Uniquely (d)Coldly
18. (a)Benefecial (b)Regular (c)Despise (d)Deprave
19. (a)Narrator (b)Oversear (c)Pretence (d)Licence
20. (a)Seperation (b)Desertion (c)Serenity (d)Rejoice
Directions(Q.Nos.21-25) Find. the correctly spelt words.
21. (a)Reminiscent
(b)Reminicent
(c)Riminisent
(d)Reminisent
22. (a)Emphetic (b)Emphatic (c)Emphatick (d)Emphattic
23. (a)Epilogue (b)Epiloug (c)Eppilogue (d)Epiloge
24. (a)Massacar (b)Masacre (c)Messacre (d)Massacre
25. (a)Opressed (b)Oppresed (c)Oppressed (d)Operessed
Directions (Q.Nos. 25-30) Out of the four alternatives choose the one which can be
substituted for the given words/sentence.
25. One who can not be corrected:
(a) Incorrigible (b) Ineligible
(c) Indolent (d) Indefatigable
26. Put side by side:
(a) Impose (b) Juxtapose
(c) Depose.(d)Propose
27.Chief or Commander of army
(a) Major (b) Lieutenant
(c) Colonel (d) General
28. One who pays rent to the landlord.
(a) Termagant (b) Trojan
(c) Tenant (d) Payee
29. Two pieces of bread spread with butter or any other food.
(a) Sand dune (b) Loaves
(c) Bun (d) Sandwich
30.Without change of tone or pitch:
(a) Monotone. (c ) One tone
(b) Single tone. (d) First tone
Answers:
1 (c) 2 (c) 3 (a) 4 (b) 5 (a) 6 (d) 7 (c) 8 (c) 9 (b) 10 (b) 11 (a) 12 (b) 13 (d) 14 (c) 15 (b) 16 (d) 17
(b) 18 (a) 19 (b) 20 (a) 21 (a) 22 (b) 23 (a) 24 (d) 25 (a) 26 (b) 27 (d) 28(c) 29 (d) 30 (a)
