Daily Vocabulary Test – 28 July 2026
✓ Editorials Covered: 3
✓ Total Questions: 80
✓ Difficulty: Tough–Advanced
✓ Estimated Time: 45 Minutes
Covers:
✓ Vocabulary MCQs
✓ Synonyms
✓ Antonyms
✓ Idioms & Phrases
✓ One Word Substitution
✓ Fill in the Blanks
✓ Word Formation
✓ Spotting the Error
✓ Spelling Test
✓ Cloze Test
Start Test ↓
SECTION A/10: VOCABULARY MASTERY
1. In the context of international trade, what does the term ‘farce’ imply about the situation?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. An absurd or ridiculous event; a mockery or travesty
💡 Explanation: A farce refers to an absurd or ridiculous event, a mockery, travesty, or joke.
2. How is ‘technology-neutral’ defined in the context of automotive regulations?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Not favoring or prescribing one specific technology over another to achieve a regulatory goal
💡 Explanation: Technology-neutral means unbiased, non-prescriptive, objective, and impartial regarding technology choices.
3. What does ‘conspicuously’ mean in a diplomatic context?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. In a clearly visible or noticeable way; obviously
💡 Explanation: Conspicuously means noticeably, visibly, clearly, or obviously.
4. The term ‘genocidal’ strictly relates to:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. The deliberate killing of a large group of people; murderous or annihilative
💡 Explanation: Genocidal relates to or involves the deliberate, mass killing of a large group of people.
5. In trade and economics, an ’embargo’ is best described as:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. An official government order that prohibits or restricts trade with a particular country
💡 Explanation: An embargo is a trade ban, trade restriction, commercial blockade, or prohibition.
6. If a regulatory mandate has ‘stringency’, it possesses the quality of:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Being strict, precise, and exacting
💡 Explanation: Stringency refers to the quality of being strict, precise, rigid, firm, and exact.
7. What does the term ‘leverage’ mean in political negotiations?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Influence, power, advantage, or clout
💡 Explanation: Leverage denotes influence, power, advantage, or economic/political clout.
8. When an action is performed ‘belatedly’, it happens:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Later than should have been the case; tardily or overdue
💡 Explanation: Belatedly means late, tardily, overdue, or behind time.
9. Which of the following defines ‘formalisation’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Officialization, regularisation, validation, or certification
💡 Explanation: Formalisation is the process of making something official, validated, or certified.
10. ‘Nuclear enrichment’ is accurately described as:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. The process of increasing the percentage of Uranium-235 to make it suitable for power or weapons
💡 Explanation: It refers to uranium enrichment or isotope separation for energy or weapons.
11. What does the term ‘ambiguous’ signify?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Equivocal, unclear, cryptic, or obscure
💡 Explanation: Ambiguous means having more than one interpretation; unclear, cryptic, obscure.
12. The phrase ‘excess capacity’ refers to:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Overcapacity, surplus capacity, or unused/idle capacity
💡 Explanation: Excess capacity refers to unused, idle, or surplus production capabilities.
13. In the context of regulatory mechanisms, ‘compliance’ means:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Adherence, observance, conformity, or obedience
💡 Explanation: Compliance denotes adherence, conformity, and obedience to rules or standards.
14. What does ‘credit-deficient’ mean for an automaker under CAFE norms?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Lacking the required number of regulatory credits to meet compliance standards
💡 Explanation: Credit-deficient means non-compliant, failing standards, or falling short of required regulatory credits.
15. If a leader decides to ‘shelve’ a project, they:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Decide not to proceed with it either temporarily or permanently; postpone it
💡 Explanation: To shelve means to postpone, put off, delay, or mothball a plan or project.
SECTION B/10: SYNONYMS
16. Choose the closest synonym for ‘supposedly’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Ostensibly
💡 Explanation: Supposedly means allegedly, purportedly, ostensibly, or presumably.
17. Choose the closest synonym for ‘reciprocal’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Mutual
💡 Explanation: Reciprocal means given or done in return; mutual, corresponding, shared, joint.
18. Choose the closest synonym for ‘reversal’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Volte-face
💡 Explanation: A reversal is a turnaround, turnabout, U-turn, or volte-face in policy or direction.
19. Choose the closest synonym for ‘vulnerability’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Susceptibility
💡 Explanation: Vulnerability implies susceptibility, weakness, defenselessness, or fragility.
20. Choose the closest synonym for ‘offset’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Counterbalance
💡 Explanation: To offset means to counterbalance, balance out, cancel out, or compensate for.
21. Choose the closest synonym for ‘prompt’ (verb).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Elicit
💡 Explanation: To prompt means to cause, generate, elicit, or trigger an action or feeling.
22. Choose the closest synonym for ‘instructive’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Illuminating
💡 Explanation: Instructive means useful and informative; illuminating, educational, revealing.
23. Choose the closest synonym for ‘imperative’ (noun).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Necessity
💡 Explanation: An imperative is an essential or urgent thing; a necessity, requirement, or priority.
24. Choose the closest synonym for ‘surge’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Escalate
💡 Explanation: Surge means to increase suddenly, rise, escalate, skyrocket, or jump.
25. Choose the closest synonym for ‘evident’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Conspicuous
💡 Explanation: Evident means plain, obvious, clear, apparent, noticeable, or conspicuous.
SECTION C/10: ANTONYMS
26. Choose the antonym for ‘temporary’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Permanent
💡 Explanation: Temporary means short-term or provisional. Permanent is the exact antonym.
27. Choose the antonym for ‘unlikely’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Probable
💡 Explanation: Unlikely means improbable or doubtful. Probable is the antonym.
28. Choose the antonym for ‘ambiguous’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Clear
💡 Explanation: Ambiguous means unclear or having multiple interpretations. Clear is its direct opposite.
29. Choose the antonym for ‘deepen’ (in terms of conflict or tension).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Alleviate
💡 Explanation: Deepen means to intensify or exacerbate. Alleviate means to ease or lessen.
30. Choose the antonym for ‘strengthen’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Weaken
💡 Explanation: Strengthen means to reinforce or fortify. Weaken is its clear antonym.
31. Choose the antonym for ‘stricter’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Lenient
💡 Explanation: Stricter means more stringent or rigid. Lenient implies permissiveness and lack of strictness.
32. Choose the antonym for ‘flexibility’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Rigidity
💡 Explanation: Flexibility is adaptability or adjustability. Rigidity implies inflexibility and stiffness.
33. Choose the antonym for ‘belatedly’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Prematurely
💡 Explanation: Belatedly means later than it should have been. Prematurely means too early.
34. Choose the antonym for ‘lagging’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Outperforming
💡 Explanation: Lagging means falling behind in pace. Outperforming or leading means moving ahead successfully.
35. Choose the antonym for ‘voluntary’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Mandatory
💡 Explanation: Voluntary means optional or unforced. Mandatory means compulsory or required.
SECTION D/10: IDIOMS & PHRASES
36. What is the meaning of the idiom ‘deal a body blow’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To inflict severe damage or a major setback on a person or system
💡 Explanation: ‘Deal a body blow’ means to inflict serious damage, deliver a severe setback, or undermine.
37. If an action ‘flies in the face of’ standard protocols, it:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Is completely opposite to what is usual or expected; defies
💡 Explanation: ‘Fly in the face of’ means to go against, defy, contradict, or completely oppose expectations.
38. What does the phrase ‘leave open’ mean in diplomatic negotiations?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To keep an option or opportunity available for the future
💡 Explanation: ‘Leave open’ means to maintain as a possibility, keep open, or allow for future use.
39. The phrase ‘to put this in perspective’ is used to:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Compare something to other things so that it can be accurately and fairly judged
💡 Explanation: It means to give context, comparatively speaking, to frame an issue properly.
40. When a rule is considered valid ‘in effect’, it is:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. In practice, even if not formally acknowledged; practically, essentially
💡 Explanation: ‘In effect’ means practically, essentially, effectively, or virtually in operation.
SECTION E/10: ONE WORD SUBSTITUTION
41. A tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports is known as a:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Tariff
💡 Explanation: A tariff is a tax, duty, toll, or levy imposed on imported or exported goods.
42. The process of increasing the percentage of Uranium-235 to make it suitable for nuclear power or weapons is called:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Nuclear enrichment
💡 Explanation: Nuclear enrichment (or isotope separation) upgrades uranium for power or weapons.
43. An official government order that prohibits or restricts trade, the transport of goods, or commercial dealings with a particular country is an:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Embargo
💡 Explanation: An embargo is a trade ban, trade restriction, or commercial blockade.
44. The practice of mixing 20% ethanol with 80% petrol to reduce fossil fuel consumption and emissions is known as:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. E20 blending
💡 Explanation: E20 blending is the biofuel mix of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol.
45. A metric evaluating the overall fuel efficiency of an automaker’s entire fleet of vehicles produced in a year is called:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Corporate Average Fuel Consumption (CAFC)
💡 Explanation: CAFC tracks the corporate average fuel consumption for automakers.
SECTION F/10: FILL IN THE BLANKS
46. The 10% tariff that the United States has ________ on India and several other countries over their imports of goods…
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. imposed
💡 Explanation: ‘Imposed’ means to force, inflict, levy, or exact a tariff or tax.
47. The U.S. Supreme Court’s February 2026 decision dealt a ________ to the U.S.’s attempts to secure trade deals.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. body blow
💡 Explanation: A ‘body blow’ refers to a severe setback, huge blow, or devastating impact.
48. The tariffs would also not have had as many product-wise ________ and country-wise quotas as the final version has.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. exemptions
💡 Explanation: ‘Exemptions’ denote exclusions, immunity, or dispensations from tariffs.
49. Matters became more ________ when U.S. President Donald Trump added a new condition to the agreement.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. complicated
💡 Explanation: ‘Complicated’ means involving many different and confusing aspects; intricate or difficult.
50. Saudi Arabia has long ________ to develop a civilian nuclear programme to diversify its economy.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. sought
💡 Explanation: ‘Sought’ (past of seek) means attempted to obtain or desired to achieve.
51. A condition which was ________ absent when the agreement was initially signed raised immediate concerns.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. conspicuously
💡 Explanation: ‘Conspicuously’ means in a clearly visible, noticeable, or obvious way.
52. The debate over India’s proposed CAFE III norms comes at a crucial time for the global automobile industry as it ________ from internal combustion engines.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. transitions
💡 Explanation: ‘Transitions’ implies a change, shift, conversion, or transformation from one state to another.
53. Ironically, the Obama administration’s loan to Tesla in 2010 helped ________ an EV industry now dominated by China.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. accelerate
💡 Explanation: ‘Accelerate’ means to hasten, expedite, speed up, or precipitate industry growth.
54. Companies that fail to earn enough NEV credits through EV or ________ production must purchase credits.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. plug-in hybrid
💡 Explanation: A ‘plug-in hybrid’ is a vehicle combining an internal combustion engine and a rechargeable battery.
55. Expressed in CAFE terms, the lower penalty ________ is broadly equivalent to a little over ₹5,000 per gram of CO2/km.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. threshold
💡 Explanation: ‘Threshold’ refers to the limit or starting point at which penalties are applied.
SECTION G/10: WORD FORMATION
56. What is the adjective form of the noun ‘compliance’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Compliant
💡 Explanation: ‘Compliant’ is the adjective indicating adherence to rules or regulations.
57. What is the noun form of the verb ‘exempt’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Exemption
💡 Explanation: ‘Exemption’ is the state of being free from an obligation or liability.
58. Which of the following is the verb form of the noun ‘formalisation’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Formalise
💡 Explanation: ‘Formalise’ is the verb meaning to make something official or valid.
59. What is the noun form indicating the state of being ‘ambiguous’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Ambiguity
💡 Explanation: ‘Ambiguity’ is the abstract noun denoting unclarity or multiple meanings.
60. What is the adjective form of the noun ‘strategy’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Strategic
💡 Explanation: ‘Strategic’ is the adjective relating to long-term planning and tactical aims.
SECTION H/10: SPOTTING THE ERROR
61. Read the following sentence to find if there is any grammatical error:
The 10% tariff that the United States have imposed on India and several other countries has drawn sharp criticism.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. United States have imposed
💡 Explanation: ‘United States’ is a singular entity (a single country) and requires the singular auxiliary ‘has’.
62. Spot the error:
The U.S. Supreme Court’s February 2026 decision deal a body blow to the U.S.’s attempts to secure trade deals.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. February 2026 decision deal
💡 Explanation: The past event requires the past tense verb ‘dealt’ instead of the present tense ‘deal’.
63. Spot the error:
Matters became more complicated when U.S. President Donald Trump, after the agreement had been sign, added new conditions.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. after the agreement had been sign,
💡 Explanation: The past perfect passive voice requires the past participle ‘signed’ after ‘had been’.
64. Spot the error:
Saudi Arabia has long sought to developing a civilian nuclear programme to diversify its economy.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. long sought to developing
💡 Explanation: The infinitive marker ‘to’ should be followed by the base verb ‘develop’, not the gerund ‘developing’.
65. Spot the error:
This flies in the face of the U.S. opposition to any Iranian enrichments on its soil.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: D. enrichments on its soil.
💡 Explanation: ‘Enrichment’ in this context (nuclear processing) is an uncountable abstract noun; the plural ‘enrichments’ is incorrect.
66. Spot the error:
The debate over India’s proposed CAFE III norms come at a crucial time for the global automobile industry.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. come at a crucial time
💡 Explanation: The main subject ‘debate’ is singular, so the verb must be ‘comes’, not ‘come’.
67. Spot the error:
China’s experience with regulatory frameworks is even more instructively for growing economies.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. is even more instructively
💡 Explanation: The linking verb ‘is’ requires a predicate adjective (‘instructive’), not an adverb (‘instructively’).
68. Spot the error:
The revised framework introduces several flexibility mechanism that substantially reduce its effective stringency.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. several flexibility mechanism
💡 Explanation: The quantifier ‘several’ indicates plurality, so it should be ‘mechanisms’.
69. Spot the error:
Ethanol is also more expensive than petrol, and have lower energy density, which lowers overall mileage.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. and have lower energy density,
💡 Explanation: The singular subject ‘Ethanol’ requires the singular verb ‘has’ instead of ‘have’.
70. Spot the error:
Regulation should shape markets rather then simply accommodate prevailing market preferences.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. markets rather then
💡 Explanation: To indicate preference or alternative, ‘rather than’ must be used, not ‘rather then’.
SECTION I/10: SPELLING TEST
71. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Privilege
💡 Explanation: Privilege is an entitlement, prerogative, or special right.
72. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Exemption
💡 Explanation: Exemption means the state of being free from an obligation.
73. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Omission
💡 Explanation: Omission means exclusion, leaving out, or deletion.
74. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Vulnerability
💡 Explanation: Vulnerability refers to susceptibility or defenselessness.
75. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Trajectory
💡 Explanation: Trajectory refers to a course, path, route, or direction.
SECTION J/10: CLOZE TEST
Directions (Questions 76-80): Read the passage below and fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words from the options provided.
“These developments (76)______ the urgency and significance of revising India’s CAFE norms, as they offer an opportunity to (77)______ a macroeconomic (78)______ while helping (79)______ India’s Glasgow (80)______ on energy efficiency.”
76. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (76).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. highlight
💡 Explanation: ‘Highlight’ means to draw special attention to or emphasize the urgency of the revisions.
77. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (77).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. address
💡 Explanation: ‘Address’ means to think about and begin to deal with an issue or problem.
78. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (78).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. vulnerability
💡 Explanation: ‘Vulnerability’ points to susceptibility or weakness in the macroeconomic structure.
79. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (79).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. meet
💡 Explanation: ‘Meet’ means to fulfill, satisfy, or achieve a requirement or condition.
80. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (80).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. commitment
💡 Explanation: ‘Commitment’ refers to a pledge or undertaking, such as the Glasgow climate pledge.
Test Completed
You have completed today’s Editorial Words Daily Vocabulary Test.
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