Daily Vocabulary Test – 20 July 2026
✓ Editorials Covered: 3
✓ Total Questions: 80
✓ Difficulty: Moderate–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. What does the phrase ‘means little’ signify in the context of the article on India’s Gen Z?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To have very little importance or significance
💡 Explanation: ‘Means little’ signifies having very little importance, consequence, or value; it carries no weight.
2. In the context of space launches, what does ‘commercial viability’ refer to?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. The ability of a business to compete effectively and make a profit
💡 Explanation: Commercial viability is the ability of a business, product, or service to compete and make a profit.
3. “The pact also faced a hurdle over the U.K.’s steel safeguard quotas…” What does ‘quota’ mean here?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. An allocation, share, allowance, or limit
💡 Explanation: A quota refers to an allocation, share, allowance, or limit imposed on goods.
4. The term ‘informalisation’ in the employment sector refers to:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. The process of shifting towards casual, unregulated, and insecure forms of employment
💡 Explanation: Informalisation is the structural shift towards casualization, deregulation, and the loss of formal jobs.
5. In the article “Maturing approach,” what does ‘cost-disadvantaged’ mean?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Facing higher costs of production or operation compared to competitors
💡 Explanation: Cost-disadvantaged means being uncompetitive or burdened due to higher production costs compared to rivals.
6. What does the term ‘rideshare’ signify in spaceflight?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. An arrangement where multiple different payloads share a single launch vehicle
💡 Explanation: Rideshare is a shared launch or joint payload mission where multiple satellites share one rocket.
7. Which of the following defines ‘demographic dividend’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. The economic growth potential resulting from a high proportion of working-age people
💡 Explanation: Demographic dividend is the economic advantage gained when the working-age population is larger than the non-working-age share.
8. “A similar shift was evident in the New Zealand FTA…” What does ‘evident’ mean?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Plain or obvious; clearly seen or understood
💡 Explanation: Evident means plain, obvious, apparent, noticeable, or clear.
9. In the context of employment, what does ‘casual work’ mean?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Work that is temporary, occasional, and lacks fixed hours or job security
💡 Explanation: Casual work refers to temporary labour, part-time work, or insecure employment lacking security.
10. What does the adjective ‘stringent’ imply in “stringent sanitary standards”?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Strict, precise, and exacting; rigorous
💡 Explanation: Stringent means rigorous, tight, strict, and tough.
11. “India is now only the third country to host private enterprise…” What does ‘host’ mean as a verb here?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To provide the space, facilities, or environment for an entity to operate
💡 Explanation: To host means to accommodate, harbour, or provide a base for an activity or event.
12. What does ‘price-inelastic’ describe in economics?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. A situation where demand does not change significantly when price changes
💡 Explanation: Price-inelastic refers to demand being insensitive to price or demand-stable.
13. The phrase ‘carbon-intensive’ refers to processes that:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Emit a high amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
💡 Explanation: Carbon-intensive refers to high-carbon, heavily polluting, or greenhouse gas-producing processes.
14. What does ‘structural barriers’ refer to?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Systemic or institutional obstacles that prevent a group from accessing certain opportunities
💡 Explanation: Structural barriers are systemic obstacles, institutional hurdles, or fundamental hindrances.
15. “The model Skyroot is betting on… depends on a market of uncertain size.” What does ‘bet on’ mean?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To rely on something happening or being successful
💡 Explanation: To ‘bet on’ means to rely on, bank on, count on, or trust in something.
SECTION B/10: SYNONYMS
16. Choose the closest synonym for ‘disparity’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Inconsistency
💡 Explanation: Disparity means a great difference, inequality, imbalance, discrepancy, or inconsistency.
17. Choose the closest synonym for ‘cumbersome’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Unwieldy
💡 Explanation: Cumbersome means unwieldy, complex, complicated, or burdensome.
18. Choose the closest synonym for ‘competence’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Proficiency
💡 Explanation: Competence is the ability to do something successfully; capability, proficiency, expertise.
19. Choose the closest synonym for ‘corrosive’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Destructive
💡 Explanation: Corrosive means tending to cause deterioration gradually; destructive, damaging, harmful, ruinous.
20. Choose the closest synonym for ‘stark’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Evident
💡 Explanation: Stark means clear, distinct, evident, or striking.
21. Choose the closest synonym for ‘bevy’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Multitude
💡 Explanation: A bevy is a large group of people or things; cluster, multitude, bunch.
22. Choose the closest synonym for ‘falter’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Stumble
💡 Explanation: Falter means to start to lose strength or momentum; struggle, stumble, hesitate, waver.
23. Choose the closest synonym for ‘milestone’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Landmark
💡 Explanation: A milestone is a significant event, stage, or landmark in development.
24. Choose the closest synonym for ‘robust’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Sturdy
💡 Explanation: Robust means strong and healthy or vigorous; strong, vigorous, sturdy, tough.
25. Choose the closest synonym for ‘harness’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Exploit
💡 Explanation: Harness means to utilize, exploit, capitalize on, or make use of.
SECTION C/10: ANTONYMS
26. Choose the antonym for ‘accelerate’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Delay
💡 Explanation: Accelerate means to hasten, expedite, or speed up. Delay is its antonym.
27. Choose the antonym for ‘fragmented’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Integrated
💡 Explanation: Fragmented means divided or disconnected. Integrated implies unified or joined.
28. Choose the antonym for ‘inefficient’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Productive
💡 Explanation: Inefficient means ineffective or unproductive. Productive is its exact antonym.
29. Choose the antonym for ‘stable’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Precarious
💡 Explanation: Stable means firmly established or secure. Precarious means uncertain or insecure.
30. Choose the antonym for ‘blunt’ (as in communication).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: D. Subtle
💡 Explanation: Blunt means uncompromisingly forthright and direct. Subtle is its opposite.
31. Choose the antonym for ‘widespread’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Localized
💡 Explanation: Widespread means extensive, prevalent, or common. Localized means restricted to a specific area.
32. Choose the antonym for ‘dilute’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Strengthen
💡 Explanation: Dilute means to weaken, reduce, or lessen. Strengthen is the antonym.
33. Choose the antonym for ‘shrinking’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Expanding
💡 Explanation: Shrinking means diminishing or dwindling. Expanding means increasing or growing.
34. Choose the antonym for ‘uneven’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: D. Uniform
💡 Explanation: Uneven means not uniform or consistent; unbalanced. Uniform is its antonym.
35. Choose the antonym for ‘stringent’.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Lenient
💡 Explanation: Stringent means strict, precise, or exacting. Lenient is its opposite.
SECTION D/10: IDIOMS & PHRASES
36. What is the meaning of the phrase ’tilt the balance against’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To change a situation so that it becomes disadvantageous for a particular side
💡 Explanation: It means to put at a disadvantage, work against, or prejudice a specific party.
37. What does the phrase ‘in silos’ mean?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Operating in isolation from others, without communication or cooperation
💡 Explanation: ‘In silos’ refers to operating separately, independently, and unconnected from others.
38. “The recent large-scale violent labour protests… reflect the frustration.” What does ‘large-scale’ mean?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Extensive, massive, or wide-ranging
💡 Explanation: Large-scale means extensive, massive, wide-ranging, or widespread.
39. What is the meaning of the phrase ‘spread wings’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. To extend activities or interests, or start to develop one’s potential
💡 Explanation: ‘Spread wings’ means to expand, branch out, flourish, or grow.
40. What does the phrase ‘open the door’ signify?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. To create opportunities for someone or something; pave the way
💡 Explanation: ‘Open the door’ means to make possible, facilitate, or provide an opportunity.
SECTION E/10: ONE WORD SUBSTITUTION
41. An unrealistic hope or wish that cannot be achieved; an illusion or hallucination is known as a:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Mirage
💡 Explanation: A mirage refers to an unrealistic hope or wish that cannot be achieved.
42. The part of an economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government is called the:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Informal economy
💡 Explanation: The informal economy is the unorganized, grey, or shadow economy unregulated by the state.
43. A system of training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training is called:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Apprenticeship
💡 Explanation: Apprenticeship is an internship, traineeship, or probation focused on skill acquisition.
44. A social security agreement between two countries aimed at avoiding double taxation on cross-border workers is known as a:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Double Contribution Convention
💡 Explanation: It ensures cross-border workers don’t pay social security in both home and host countries.
45. The curved trajectory of an object, such as a spacecraft or satellite, around a planet or star is called an:
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Orbit
💡 Explanation: Orbit refers to the path, trajectory, or circuit around a celestial body.
SECTION F/10: FILL IN THE BLANKS
46. The Vikram-1 launch is an engineering ______. Whether it translates to commercial success, is now the question.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. triumph
💡 Explanation: Triumph means a highly successful achievement, technical victory, or mechanical feat.
47. CETA is expected to strengthen India’s export competitiveness, its benefits are likely to be ______ across sectors.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. uneven
💡 Explanation: ‘Uneven’ indicates the benefits will not be uniform, consistent, or balanced across all sectors.
48. A similar disparity ______ among Millennials. Only 5.2% of male graduates and above are unemployed.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. persists
💡 Explanation: ‘Persists’ means to continue to exist or occur over a prolonged period.
49. For most of the youth, education offers a ______ of opportunity: more education leading to better jobs.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. gateway
💡 Explanation: ‘Gateway’ refers to a means of access, entry, pathway, or route to success.
50. Rideshares on larger rockets are still often cheaper per kilogram to ______.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. orbit
💡 Explanation: ‘Orbit’ here means delivering payloads into space trajectories affordably via shared flights.
51. India has historically ______ several trade agreements because of low awareness and cumbersome administration.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. underutilised
💡 Explanation: ‘Underutilised’ means failing to use a resource to its full potential.
52. The numbers tell a ______ story. India’s youth challenge is no longer about whether young people are ready for work.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. blunt
💡 Explanation: ‘Blunt’ implies being uncompromisingly forthright, direct, frank, or plain-spoken about the truth.
53. Smaller firms often lack the documentation and ______ capacity needed to claim these benefits.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. compliance
💡 Explanation: ‘Compliance’ means adherence or conformity to laws, which smaller firms struggle with.
54. It is time India moves beyond merely celebrating its large demographic ______ and begins treating the issue with greater urgency.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. dividend
💡 Explanation: ‘Demographic dividend’ is the economic growth potential stemming from a young working-age population.
55. India also lacks a Space Activities Act, leaving ______ to be governed by policy, contracts, and existing law.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. liability
💡 Explanation: ‘Liability’ refers to legal responsibility, accountability, or financial obligations in space operations.
SECTION G/10: WORD FORMATION
56. What is the verb form of the noun ‘liberalisation’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Liberalise
💡 Explanation: ‘Liberalise’ is the verb form meaning to remove or loosen restrictions.
57. Which of the following is the adjective form of the noun ‘competitiveness’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Competitive
💡 Explanation: ‘Competitive’ is the adjective form relating to or characterized by competition.
58. What is the noun form of the adjective ‘productive’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Productivity
💡 Explanation: ‘Productivity’ is the abstract noun form representing the state or quality of being productive.
59. What is the adverb form of the adjective ‘disproportionate’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Disproportionately
💡 Explanation: ‘Disproportionately’ is the adverb form meaning unevenly, unequally, or lopsidedly.
60. What is the verb form of the noun ‘resolution’?
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Resolve
💡 Explanation: ‘Resolve’ is the root verb meaning to solve a problem or dispute.
SECTION H/10: SPOTTING THE ERROR
61. Read the following sentence to find if there is any grammatical error:
The launch of the Vikram-1 rocket built by Skyroot Aerospace from Sriharikota have marked the Indian private sector’s first orbital flight.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. from Sriharikota have marked
💡 Explanation: The subject ‘launch’ is singular, so the auxiliary verb should be ‘has’ instead of ‘have’.
62. Spot the error:
India has historically underutilised several trade agreement because of low awareness and cumbersome administration.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. underutilised several trade agreement
💡 Explanation: The quantifier ‘several’ must be followed by a plural noun ‘agreements’.
63. Spot the error:
The country is producing educated young people faster than it is produce suitable jobs for them.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. faster than it is produce
💡 Explanation: The present continuous tense requires the gerund ‘producing’ instead of the base verb ‘produce’.
64. Spot the error:
Skyroot are targeting a price per launch below that of the PSLV and above that of the SSLV.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Skyroot are targeting
💡 Explanation: ‘Skyroot’ is a singular company name, so it takes the singular verb ‘is targeting’.
65. Spot the error:
A similar disparity persist among Millennials, with only 5.2% of male graduates being unemployed.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. A similar disparity persist
💡 Explanation: The singular subject ‘disparity’ requires the singular verb ‘persists’.
66. Spot the error:
Reforms since 2020 and the 2023 Space Policy has opened the door for commercial players.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. has opened the door
💡 Explanation: The compound subject connected by ‘and’ is plural, requiring the verb ‘have opened’.
67. Spot the error:
The pact also faced a hurdle over the U.K.’s steel safeguard quotas before implementations.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: D. before implementations.
💡 Explanation: The context dictates the singular form ‘implementation’ when referring to the execution of a policy.
68. Spot the error:
It can become socially corrosive and destabilising even for those who does find work.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: D. who does find work.
💡 Explanation: The relative pronoun ‘who’ refers to the plural ‘those’, so it must be followed by ‘do find’.
69. Spot the error:
The model Skyroot is betting on depend on a market of uncertain size.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. depend on a market
💡 Explanation: The main subject ‘model’ is singular, therefore the verb must be ‘depends’.
70. Spot the error:
Women face structural barriers that keep them out or pushes them into unpaid roles.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. or pushes them into
💡 Explanation: To maintain parallelism with the plural verb ‘keep’, it must be ‘push’ instead of ‘pushes’.
SECTION I/10: SPELLING TEST
71. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Disproportionately
💡 Explanation: Disproportionately means unevenly, unequally, or excessively.
72. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. Competitiveness
💡 Explanation: Competitiveness refers to the ability of a business or economy to compete successfully.
73. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. Satellite
💡 Explanation: A satellite is an artificial body placed in orbit to collect information or for communication.
74. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Apprenticeship
💡 Explanation: Apprenticeship is a system of on-the-job training for a new generation of practitioners.
75. Choose the correctly spelled word.
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. Millennials
💡 Explanation: Millennials are the demographic cohort following Generation X.
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.
“India has one of the world’s largest youth populations, often described as a demographic (76)______. But this is only a promise and does not guarantee an automatic outcome. It (77)______ off only when the (78)______ occurs, (79)______ young people to move from classrooms into decent, (80)______ work with higher skills.”
76. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (76).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: C. dividend
💡 Explanation: ‘Demographic dividend’ is the economic growth potential from shifts in a population’s age structure.
77. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (77).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. pays
💡 Explanation: ‘Pays off’ is a phrasal verb meaning to yield good results, succeed, or bear fruit.
78. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (78).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. transition
💡 Explanation: ‘Transition’ means change, shift, or conversion, referring here to the school-to-work shift.
79. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (79).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: B. enabling
💡 Explanation: ‘Enabling’ means empowering, allowing, permitting, or facilitating the youth’s movement into jobs.
80. Choose the most appropriate word for blank (80).
✓ Check Answer
✓ Correct Answer: A. productive
💡 Explanation: ‘Productive’ means achieving or producing a significant amount or result; fruitful work.
Test Completed
You have completed today’s Editorial Words Daily Vocabulary Test.