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Today’s article talks about how the scrapping of 10th and 12th standard exams by CBSE has led the educational system of India to rethink their policies.
The article title is: ‘Use the pause’.
Did you find words that were absolutely new? Great! Below are the explanations given for some of those difficult words you found. Go through them slowly and don’t forget to do the exercises at the end.
Important words and idioms from the article
CONDUCIVE
Pronunciation: kuhn-dyoo-suhv
Part of Speech: adjective
Meaning: making certain situation or outcome possible
Synonyms: favourable, contributive, promotive, helpful
Antonyms: adverse, unfavourable, discouraging
Usage: The weather is conducive to playing outdoor games.
Forms: conduct(noun), conductive(adjective), conduction(noun)
SCENARIO
Pronunciation: see-neh-ree-ow
Part of Speech: noun
Meaning: a sequence of development of events
Synonyms: outline, sketch, plot
Usage: So far the things are not going according to the plan, the scenario does not look good.
Forms: scenery(noun), scenic(adjective)
ASCERTAIN
Pronunciation: uh-suh-tn
Part of Speech: verb
Meaning: make sure of something
Synonyms: confirm, assure, verify, check
Forms: ignore, overlook, neglect
Usage: The teacher made it a point to ascertain that the children were okay.
Forms: certain(adjective,pronoun) certainly(adeverb)
COMPREHENSIVE
Pronunciation: kawm-pruh-hen-suhv
Part of Speech: adjective
Meaning: a) including all the aspects of something
b) easily understandable
Synonyms: inclusive, full, thorough, completed
Antonyms: empty, incomplete, narrow, limited
Usage: The directions on the pamphlet were easy and comprehensive.
Forms: comprehension(noun), comprehend(verb), comprehensible(adjective)
BURDEN
Pronunciation: buh-dn
Part of Speech: noun, verb
Meaning: a) a heavy load(noun)
b) to load heavily(verb)
Synonyms: strain, task, hardship, difficulty
Antonyms: light, easy, relief
Usage: Having a full-time job and then managing household chores is a burden.
WEIGHTAGE
Pronunciation: weit-ij
Part of Speech: noun, verb
Meaning: a)the importance of something(noun)
b) to give something importance(verb)
Synonyms: importance, gravity, seriousness
Antonyms: triviality, lightness, ignorance
Usage: We need to give more weightage to the case of burglary.
Forms: weight(noun), weigh(verb), weighty(adjective)
STAGGER
Pronunciation:sta-guh
Part of Speech: verb, noun
Meaning: a) to move in an unsteady motion(verb)
b) deeply shock(verb)
c) an unsteady walk(noun)
Synonyms: falter, lurch, teeter, wobble
Antonyms: steady, stable
Usage: Pramit was terribly ill, he was walking in a stagger.
DISPROPORTIONATE
Pronunciation: dis-pruh-pawr-shuhn-it
Part of Speech: adjective
Meaning: too large or too small in comparison with something else
Synonyms: inordinate, unequal, asymmetric, uneven
Antonyms: proportionate, balanced, even
Usage: The body parts of the sculpture were disproportionate.
Forms: disproportion(noun), proportion(noun), proportionate(adjective)
STALL
Pronunciation: stall
Part of Speech: verb
Meaning: stop or cause to stop making progress
Synonyms: delay, halt, hamper, distract
Antonyms: advance, continue, encourage
Usage: Hritesh stalled Sushma from her work with his unnecessary banter.
ANXIETY
Pronunciation: ang-zai-uh-tee
Part of Speech: noun
Meaning: feeling nervousness or uneasy about the uncertain outcome of something
Synonyms: angst, apprehension, concern, panic
Antonyms: calm, collected, composed
Usage: Susan’s anxiety knew no bounds before the declaration of her exam results.
Forms: anxious(adjective)
Practice Questions
Q1) If the words ‘stall’ and ‘distract’ make a perfect pair, select the correct pair from the following set of words following the same logic:
- Anxiety-Calm
- Conducive-Adverse
- Stagger-Wobble
- Ascertain-Uncertain
Q2) Create sentences of your own with the following words:
- Anxiety
- Conducive
- Scenario
- Burden
- Weightage
Tell us your answers in the comments below.
