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Playbook

Vocabulary — Synonyms

150 stems, 150 unique words. Sentence-context picks the right register. 99% EASY+MOD.

questions in the bank
150
tagged HARD
1%
subtopic(s) covered
1
worked examples
2

When you’ll see it

An underlined word inside a sentence; pick the option closest in meaning.

How this question type works

150 q in 10 years; every single stem uses a unique word — there's no overlap to memorise. So the prep isn't 'memorise 150 words'; it's 'build vocabulary breadth across the 13 thematic families NDA reuses' (see /guide/nda-english/vocab-families).

The sentence frame around the underlined word is not decoration — it sets the register. 'meticulous attention' (positive) vs 'meticulous interrogation' (could be cold/clinical) shifts which synonym fits. Read the surrounding adjectives and the verb tense before scanning options.

Distractor design: the wrong options are almost always real synonyms of *a different sense* of the word. 'CANDID' has options like (a) frank (b) careful (c) clear (d) honest — both frank and honest are correct in different registers, but the sentence's context picks one over the other.

The sub-skills

The rules and habits that decide whether you get this question right.

  • Register matching

    Match the formality of the surrounding sentence. Formal stems get Latinate synonyms (commence); informal stems get Anglo-Saxon (start).

  • Part-of-speech preservation

    If the underlined word is an adjective, all 4 options should be adjectives. If one option is a noun, it's almost certainly wrong — unless the wrap-around grammar would survive the swap.

  • Polarity check

    If the sentence implies criticism, the synonym should be neutral-to-negative. The 'wrong sentiment' option is a common distractor.

2 worked examples from the bank

Real past-year questions tagged to this playbook. Click to reveal options + solution.

Example 1VocabularyEASY
Directions (Q. Nos. 1 to 10): Each item in this section consists of a sentence with underlined word/words followed by four words. Select the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word/words and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
The 'Jataka Tales' present moral narratives in the form of allegories‾\underline{\text{allegories}}.

[Q1 · Apr · 2026]

Example 2VocabularyMODERATE
Directions (Q. Nos. 1 to 10): Each item in this section consists of a sentence with underlined word/words followed by four words. Select the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word/words and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
The obstreperous‾\underline{\text{obstreperous}} behavior of the students inside the classroom drew the attention of the Principal.

[Q3 · Apr · 2026]

Traps to expect

Distractor shapes specific to this playbook. The page-wide Traps section covers the bank-level patterns.

  • Near-synonym of a different sense

    The wrong option is a real synonym of the word in a sense that doesn't fit this sentence. ('clear' for CANDID is right in 'crystal clear' but wrong for 'a candid admission'.)

  • False friend

    An option that LOOKS like it should be the answer (similar root, similar prefix) but isn't. 'inflammable' looks opposite of 'flammable' but means the same — recall the family.

Drill every vocabulary — synonyms question

150 questions from the bank, scoped to the named subtopic.

Drill the 150 questions

Related playbooks

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