CDS English · Vocabulary
Match-the-list vocabulary: fix the sure pairs, strike the codes
Four words in List I, four meanings in List II and four answer codes. Fix the two pairs you are surest of and let the codes do the rest.
Why this matters
Recent CDS English papers set match lists of words and meanings, often on one theme: games and arenas, animal sounds, words for speech or belief, or words for law and money. You rarely need to know all four words. Two sure pairs usually leave only one code standing.
Concept 1 of 4: Solve a match list: fix two sure pairs, then strike codes
Each option is a code: a full set of four pairings, such as A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2. Only one code is right, so every pair you are sure of strikes the codes that disagree with it. Start with the easiest word, not with word A.
Definition
The method:
- Read List I and pick the word you know best. Find its meaning in List II.
- Strike every code that does not have that pair.
- Pick a second sure word whose pair differs among the codes left. A pair shared by all surviving codes tells you nothing.
- Usually one code is left. Read it against the two hard words only to confirm.
- Literal senses count: a list may give the plain, physical meaning of a word (morass = muddy ground) rather than its figurative one.
Sets tested this way:
- 2025 (I): nadir (lowest point), rhapsody (expression of praise), amble (walk slowly), pittance (very small amount of money).
- 2025 (I): damp squib (an event less impressive than expected), excerpt (small part of a longer text), rostrum (raised platform on a stage), scourge (cause of great trouble).
- 2025 (II): caveat (warning), amble (walk at a slow pace), acolyte (ardent follower), archaic (old-fashioned).
- 2025 (II): kernel (soft part inside a seed), brook (small stream), jinx (cause of bad luck), solace (comfort).
- 2025 (II): hatch (a door in an aircraft), haughty (arrogant), gruff (rough and low in pitch), gruelling (tiring and demanding).
- 2025 (II): ensue (happen as a result), morass (muddy ground), imbroglio (complex dispute), potpourri (collection of different things).
- 2026 (I): blizzard (severe snowstorm with strong winds), tornado (rotating column of air from a thunderstorm to the ground), thunderstorm (storm with thunder, lightning and rain), typhoon (tropical cyclone over the western Pacific).
Worked example
Match List I with List II. List I: A. Siesta B. Pariah C. Fiasco D. Labyrinth. List II: 1. An outcast 2. A maze 3. A short afternoon sleep 4. A complete failure. Codes: (a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 (b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 (c) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3 (d) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (II) 2025 — English · Q104Moderate
Example 1 · Vocabulary · Word Meaning: Themed Match Lists
Directions: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists : List I (Word/Expression), List II (Meaning).
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Caveat | 1. Old-fashioned |
| B. Amble | 2. Warning |
| C. Acolyte | 3. Walking at a slow pace |
| D. Archaic | 4. Ardent follower |
Starting with word A wastes time
Word A is often the hardest. Start with the word you know best, wherever it sits. One sure pair usually removes two codes at once.
The common sense is not always the listed sense
Hatch was matched with 'a door in an aircraft', not with eggs; morass with 'muddy ground', not just a confusing mess. Read every meaning in List II before you rule a word out.
Two words for a mess
Morass and imbroglio both suggest a tangle. Separate them by the literal sense: a morass is a bog, an imbroglio is a complicated quarrel or dispute.
Concept 2 of 4: Collocations: groups, sounds, arenas and sport words
Some words simply go together in English: a school of fish, a tennis court, an elephant's trumpet. Pairs like these are collocations. A word for a group, such as school or flock, is a collective noun. You cannot work them out from meaning. You learn them as fixed pairs.
Definition
What to learn:
- Collocation: words that habitually go together (a golf course, a cricket pitch).
- Collective noun: a word for a group (a school of fish, a colony of ants).
- Group words also apply to things: a clump of grass, a bunch of flowers, a stack of firewood, a bundle of clothes.
- Sport words: each sport has its own terms (butterfly in swimming, touché in fencing).
| Word | Goes with | Type of pair | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf | Course | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Cricket | Pitch | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Polo | Ground | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Tennis | Court | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Dolphin | Click | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) |
| Elephant | Trumpet | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) |
| Monkey | Chatter | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) |
| Cheetah | Chirp | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) Cheetahs do not roar. They chirp, a high bird-like call. |
| Fish | A school of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| Ducks | A paddling of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| Ants | A colony of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| Crows | A flock of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| A clump of | Grass | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| A bunch of | Flowers | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| A stack of | Firewood | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| A bundle of | Clothes | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| Swimming | Butterfly (a stroke) | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
| Kho kho | Chaser | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
| Kabaddi | Ankle hold | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
| Fencing | Touché (a hit is admitted) | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
Learn the pairs as sets of four: each match list in this group stayed inside one theme.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (II) 2024 — English · Q101Easy
Example 2 · Vocabulary · Word Meaning: Themed Match Lists
Directions: match List I with List II using the code
Match List I with List II.
| List I (Game) | List II (Arena) |
|---|---|
| A. Golf | 1. Court |
| B. Cricket | 2. Pitch |
| C. Polo | 3. Course |
| D. Tennis | 4. Ground |
Pitch or ground
Cricket is played on a pitch (the strip in the middle) and polo on a ground. Students give cricket the ground and are left with nothing for polo. Pair the game whose word is unique first.
Bunch, bundle, stack and clump
A bunch is held together at one end (flowers, keys). A bundle is tied up (clothes, sticks for carrying). A stack is piled up (firewood). A clump grows close together (grass, trees).
The big cat sound is not always a roar
The cheetah chirps; the dolphin clicks. The exam picks animals whose sound you would not guess. Learn the odd ones; the obvious ones fall into place.
Concept 3 of 4: Words for speech, language and belief
These words name kinds of language, ways of speaking or arguing, and beliefs ending in -ism. Within each group the words are close, so learn them side by side: who uses this language, and what is it for?
Definition
How to separate them:
- For a kind of language, ask who uses it: ordinary people (vernacular), a profession (jargon), a group (parlance), or a speaker trying to persuade (rhetoric).
- For a way of speaking, ask how it is said: aggressively (harangue), meaninglessly (gibberish), forcefully pouring out (spew), questioning (impugn).
- For an -ism, read the root: hedone = pleasure, ego = I, fate, nihil = nothing.
| Word | Meaning | Hook | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernacular | The language of ordinary people of a region | The vernacular press = local-language newspapers | 2025 (I) |
| Rhetoric | Language meant to persuade or influence people | Often used for showy, empty speech | 2025 (I) |
| Parlance | The way of speaking of a particular group | In military parlance, a 'sitrep' is a situation report | 2025 (I) |
| Jargon | Special terms used in a profession or field | Legal or medical jargon | 2025 (I) |
| Wrangle | A long, complicated argument | Sounds like wrestle: a fight with words | 2025 (I) |
| Wacky | Amusing and strange | Informal, light | 2025 (I) |
| Codex | An ancient text in book form | Not a code | 2025 (I) |
| Postscript | Information added after the main text | post = after; the P.S. in a letter | 2025 (I) |
| Impugn | To express doubt about, to question someone's honesty | To impugn his motives | 2025 (II) |
| Spew | To pour out in a forceful flow | A volcano spews lava | 2025 (II) |
| Harangue | A long, aggressive lecture | A coach shouting at the team | 2025 (II) |
| Gibberish | Meaningless talk | Sounds like jabber | 2025 (II) |
| Inveterate | Habitual, long-established | An inveterate liar always lies | 2025 (I) |
| Sangfroid | Calmness in a difficult situation | French: cold blood | 2025 (I) |
| Oracy | Ability to express oneself well in speech | Oral + literacy | 2025 (I) |
| Interment | Burial of the dead | Not internment, which is confinement | 2025 (I) |
| Nihilism | The denial of all reality or meaning | nihil = nothing | 2026 (I) |
| Fatalism | Accepting that you cannot prevent what will happen | Fate decides | 2026 (I) |
| Hedonism | The belief that pleasure is the most important thing | hedone = pleasure | 2026 (I) |
| Egoism | Thinking that you are more important than others | ego = I | 2026 (I) |
Inside a set, the four meanings are deliberately close. Match by the hook, not by the general mood of the word.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (II) 2025 — English · Q103Moderate
Example 3 · Vocabulary · Word Meaning: Themed Match Lists
Directions: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists : List I (Word/Expression), List II (Meaning).
| List I (Word/Expression) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Impugn | 1. Meaningless words |
| B. Spew | 2. Expressing doubts about something |
| C. Harangue | 3. Flowing out of something in a forceful way |
| D. Gibberish | 4. Aggressive lecturing |
Parlance and jargon are close
Jargon is the special vocabulary of a profession, used for specialised communication. Parlance is the general way a group speaks. If the meaning mentions specialised communication, choose jargon.
Interment is not internment
One letter changes everything. Interment (in + terra, earth) is burial. Internment is confining people, usually in wartime.
Egoism is not hedonism
Both sound selfish. Egoism is about seeing yourself as more important; hedonism is about chasing pleasure. Nihilism denies all meaning; fatalism accepts that events are fixed.
Concept 4 of 4: Words for law, crime, money and property
This group comes from courts, crime, money and property. The four words in a set often share a field, so the wrong codes pair a word with its neighbour: mortgage with lease, felony with diatribe. Learn the exact act each word names.
Definition
How to separate them:
- Ask who does what to whom: who gives property, who takes money, who is cleared.
- Property words: bequeath (leave by will), mortgage (pledge as security), endowment (fund for an institution), lease (rent agreement).
- Money words: clawback (getting back money already paid), mulct (extract money by fine or tax), malversation (corruption in public office).
- Court words: exonerate (clear of blame), revoke (cancel officially), felony (serious crime), restitution (giving back what was lost or stolen).
| Word | Meaning | Hook | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internecine | Conflict within the same group or community | An internecine war = a civil war | 2025 (I) |
| Revoke | To officially cancel (a licence, an agreement) | re = back + voke = call: call back | 2025 (I) |
| Exonerate | To clear someone officially of an accusation | ex = out + onus = burden: the burden is removed | 2025 (I) |
| Venerable | Valued and respected, often because of age | Venerate = respect deeply | 2025 (I) |
| Atonement | Making amends for a wrong | At-one-ment: being at one again | 2025 (I) |
| Sacrilege | Violating or disrespecting a holy place or thing | sacr = holy | 2025 (I) |
| Clawback | Getting back money already paid | The government claws back a wrong refund | 2025 (I) |
| Bandwagon | A popular movement that many people join | To jump on the bandwagon | 2025 (I) |
| Felony | A serious crime | Murder or robbery, not a minor offence | 2025 (I) |
| Restitution | Returning a lost or stolen thing to its owner | Restore | 2025 (I) |
| Chagrin | Distress caused by humiliation or failure | Much to his chagrin, he lost to a junior | 2025 (I) |
| Diatribe | A long, bitter piece of criticism | Speech or writing that attacks | 2025 (I) |
| Malversation | Corrupt conduct by a public servant | mal = bad | 2025 (II) |
| Conundrum | A confusing and difficult problem | A riddle | 2025 (II) |
| Incessant | Continuing without a break | Incessant rain | 2025 (II) |
| Mulct | To extract money by fines or taxes | Sounds like milk: to milk someone of money | 2025 (II) |
| Bequeath | To leave property to someone through a will | The bequest goes to the heir | 2026 (I) |
| Mortgage | To pledge property as security for a loan | The bank holds the house until the loan is repaid | 2026 (I) |
| Endowment | Funds given to run a useful institution | An endowment for a school or hospital | 2026 (I) |
| Lease | An agreement to use property in return for rent | A shop on a five-year lease | 2026 (I) |
The four property words of 2026 (I) differ only in what happens to the property: left, pledged, funded or rented.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — English · Q109Moderate
Example 4 · Vocabulary · Word Meaning: Themed Match Lists
Directions: In the following items, match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists.
| List I (Word/Expression/Specialised term) | List II (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| A. Bequeath | 1. To pledge property as a security |
| B. Mortgage | 2. To leave property for beneficiary via a will |
| C. Endowment | 3. Agreement for use of property against rent |
| D. Lease | 4. To grant funds for running a socially-beneficial institution |
Venerable is not vulnerable
Venerable means respected, usually for age or wisdom. Vulnerable means easily hurt. In a law-and-crime set, the positive word stands out; match it to 'valued and respected'.
Exonerate is not punish
Students tie every court word to punishment. Exonerate is the opposite: it clears the person. Restitution is also not a punishment; it returns what was lost.
Atonement is done by the wrongdoer
Atonement is making amends for your own mistake. It is not forgiveness given by others, and not the punishment itself.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Collocations: groups, sounds, arenas and sport words20 rows
| Word | Goes with | Type of pair | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf | Course | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Cricket | Pitch | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Polo | Ground | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Tennis | Court | Game and arena | 2024 (II) |
| Dolphin | Click | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) |
| Elephant | Trumpet | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) |
| Monkey | Chatter | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) |
| Cheetah | Chirp | Animal and sound | 2024 (II) Cheetahs do not roar. They chirp, a high bird-like call. |
| Fish | A school of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| Ducks | A paddling of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| Ants | A colony of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| Crows | A flock of | Animal and group | 2024 (II) |
| A clump of | Grass | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| A bunch of | Flowers | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| A stack of | Firewood | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| A bundle of | Clothes | Group and object | 2024 (II) |
| Swimming | Butterfly (a stroke) | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
| Kho kho | Chaser | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
| Kabaddi | Ankle hold | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
| Fencing | Touché (a hit is admitted) | Sport and term | 2024 (II) |
Learn the pairs as sets of four: each match list in this group stayed inside one theme.
Words for speech, language and belief20 rows
| Word | Meaning | Hook | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernacular | The language of ordinary people of a region | The vernacular press = local-language newspapers | 2025 (I) |
| Rhetoric | Language meant to persuade or influence people | Often used for showy, empty speech | 2025 (I) |
| Parlance | The way of speaking of a particular group | In military parlance, a 'sitrep' is a situation report | 2025 (I) |
| Jargon | Special terms used in a profession or field | Legal or medical jargon | 2025 (I) |
| Wrangle | A long, complicated argument | Sounds like wrestle: a fight with words | 2025 (I) |
| Wacky | Amusing and strange | Informal, light | 2025 (I) |
| Codex | An ancient text in book form | Not a code | 2025 (I) |
| Postscript | Information added after the main text | post = after; the P.S. in a letter | 2025 (I) |
| Impugn | To express doubt about, to question someone's honesty | To impugn his motives | 2025 (II) |
| Spew | To pour out in a forceful flow | A volcano spews lava | 2025 (II) |
| Harangue | A long, aggressive lecture | A coach shouting at the team | 2025 (II) |
| Gibberish | Meaningless talk | Sounds like jabber | 2025 (II) |
| Inveterate | Habitual, long-established | An inveterate liar always lies | 2025 (I) |
| Sangfroid | Calmness in a difficult situation | French: cold blood | 2025 (I) |
| Oracy | Ability to express oneself well in speech | Oral + literacy | 2025 (I) |
| Interment | Burial of the dead | Not internment, which is confinement | 2025 (I) |
| Nihilism | The denial of all reality or meaning | nihil = nothing | 2026 (I) |
| Fatalism | Accepting that you cannot prevent what will happen | Fate decides | 2026 (I) |
| Hedonism | The belief that pleasure is the most important thing | hedone = pleasure | 2026 (I) |
| Egoism | Thinking that you are more important than others | ego = I | 2026 (I) |
Inside a set, the four meanings are deliberately close. Match by the hook, not by the general mood of the word.
Words for law, crime, money and property20 rows
| Word | Meaning | Hook | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internecine | Conflict within the same group or community | An internecine war = a civil war | 2025 (I) |
| Revoke | To officially cancel (a licence, an agreement) | re = back + voke = call: call back | 2025 (I) |
| Exonerate | To clear someone officially of an accusation | ex = out + onus = burden: the burden is removed | 2025 (I) |
| Venerable | Valued and respected, often because of age | Venerate = respect deeply | 2025 (I) |
| Atonement | Making amends for a wrong | At-one-ment: being at one again | 2025 (I) |
| Sacrilege | Violating or disrespecting a holy place or thing | sacr = holy | 2025 (I) |
| Clawback | Getting back money already paid | The government claws back a wrong refund | 2025 (I) |
| Bandwagon | A popular movement that many people join | To jump on the bandwagon | 2025 (I) |
| Felony | A serious crime | Murder or robbery, not a minor offence | 2025 (I) |
| Restitution | Returning a lost or stolen thing to its owner | Restore | 2025 (I) |
| Chagrin | Distress caused by humiliation or failure | Much to his chagrin, he lost to a junior | 2025 (I) |
| Diatribe | A long, bitter piece of criticism | Speech or writing that attacks | 2025 (I) |
| Malversation | Corrupt conduct by a public servant | mal = bad | 2025 (II) |
| Conundrum | A confusing and difficult problem | A riddle | 2025 (II) |
| Incessant | Continuing without a break | Incessant rain | 2025 (II) |
| Mulct | To extract money by fines or taxes | Sounds like milk: to milk someone of money | 2025 (II) |
| Bequeath | To leave property to someone through a will | The bequest goes to the heir | 2026 (I) |
| Mortgage | To pledge property as security for a loan | The bank holds the house until the loan is repaid | 2026 (I) |
| Endowment | Funds given to run a useful institution | An endowment for a school or hospital | 2026 (I) |
| Lease | An agreement to use property in return for rent | A shop on a five-year lease | 2026 (I) |
The four property words of 2026 (I) differ only in what happens to the property: left, pledged, funded or rented.
Watch out for (12)
- Starting with word A wastes time→ Solve a match list: fix two sure pairs, then strike codes
- The common sense is not always the listed sense→ Solve a match list: fix two sure pairs, then strike codes
- Two words for a mess→ Solve a match list: fix two sure pairs, then strike codes
- Pitch or ground→ Collocations: groups, sounds, arenas and sport words
- Bunch, bundle, stack and clump→ Collocations: groups, sounds, arenas and sport words
- The big cat sound is not always a roar→ Collocations: groups, sounds, arenas and sport words
- Parlance and jargon are close→ Words for speech, language and belief
- Interment is not internment→ Words for speech, language and belief
- Egoism is not hedonism→ Words for speech, language and belief
- Venerable is not vulnerable→ Words for law, crime, money and property
- Exonerate is not punish→ Words for law, crime, money and property
- Atonement is done by the wrongdoer→ Words for law, crime, money and property
Test yourself on Vocabulary
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.