Vocabulary Made Easy series: Steering through competitive exams without hassles

Candidates appearing for competitive exams like UPSC, SBI, TOEFL etc cannot afford to not prepare for the verbal section which is common in most of the exams now.

Honing your vocabulary/work skills is not a herculean task. With constant hard work and solving mock tests, one can make sure they are prepared to face verbal questions. Improving your word skills is not just beneficial for the exam but also helps in steering through the career ladder with effective communication skills.

Here's a way to improve your vocabulary. Check out the words for the day and a small quiz to push yourself to improve your word power.

Placate (Verb)

Meaning: make (someone) less angry or hostile

Example: He has tried to placate his critics within the party

Plaintive (Adjective)

Meaning: sounding sad and mournful

Example: She writes plaintive songs of love and heartbreak

Plethora (Noun)

Meaning: a large or excessive amount of something

Example: Allen won a plethora of medals during his illustrious career

Plod (Verb)

Meaning: walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps

Example: Then it was a dire plod back along Rainhill Road, through Nutgrove then home

Put your thinking cap on and try to answer the following questions to understand how much you have grasped.

1. They were content to __________ on with tedious tasks. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Plod, Plethora)
2. Can you think of some antonyms for the word Plaintive?
3. Can you think of some synonyms for the word Placate?

Also Read: Vocabulary Made Easy series: Improve your word skills to excel in exams

Watch out for this space for your weekly update on improving word power.

(Definitions and examples are from Oxford Languages)