Wordcraft, 24 September 2026

Glossary from the edition

17 words, each quoted in the sentence where it appeared in the 24 September 2026 edition. Meaning first, then the sentence, then where it came from.

The seven lessons

One entry of each type, every day: a system, not a word list.

Worksheet

Every exercise from the session, on paper. Answers are folded under each one; the online session marks them for you and keeps your score.

Word roots · pendere, pensum (to hang, to weigh)

1. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Which word is NOT built on Latin pendere?

   1. penalty
   2. suspend
   3. compensate
   4. expenditure
   Answer

   penalty. Penalty comes from Latin poena, punishment. The other three contain pendere: sub + pendere, ex + pendere, and pensare, to weigh.

2. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

   A reference that the Court has not yet decided is still ___.

   1. pending
   2. compensated
   3. suspended
   4. expended
   Answer

   pending. Pending: hanging, not yet decided.

3. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

   Match each word to its literal sense.

   1. suspend
   2. expend
   3. compensate
   4. depend

   1. to weigh one thing against another
   2. to hang up
   3. to hang down from
   4. to weigh out money
   Answer

   • suspend: to hang up
   • expend: to weigh out money
   • compensate: to weigh one thing against another
   • depend: to hang down from

   Each literal sense still sits inside the modern meaning.

4. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Which word does NOT come from pendere, pensum (to hang, to weigh)?

   1. pending
   2. ponder
   3. penalty
   4. pension
   Answer

   penalty. Penalty belongs to poena. The other four come from pendere or its noun pondus.

5. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Why do pendere words cover both hanging and paying?

   1. Romans paid in pendants
   2. Metal was weighed out on a hanging balance, so to weigh out was to pay
   3. Payments were suspended until the work was finished
   4. Roman debts were written on hanging tablets
   Answer

   Metal was weighed out on a hanging balance, so to weigh out was to pay. Expendere meant to weigh out money; the balance hung from a beam.

6. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

   Match each word to its sense.

   1. pendulum
   2. suspend
   3. expend
   4. ponder

   1. to hang up
   2. to weigh in the mind
   3. to weigh out money
   4. a hanging weight
   Answer

   • pendulum: a hanging weight
   • suspend: to hang up
   • expend: to weigh out money
   • ponder: to weigh in the mind

   From an object that hangs, to hanging something up, to weighing out money, to weighing an idea.

Look-alike words · stationary / stationery

7. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Which sentence is correct?

   1. Ships that stay stationary for months collect biofouling.
   2. The stationery ship blocked the channel.
   3. Ships that stay stationery for months collect biofouling.
   4. The office ordered new stationary.
   Answer

   Ships that stay stationary for months collect biofouling.. A ship that does not move is stationary. Paper and envelopes are stationery.

8. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

   The department’s ___ budget covers paper, files and printer cartridges.

   1. station
   2. stationed
   3. stationery
   4. stationary
   Answer

   stationery. Writing materials are stationery, with an e.

9. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

   Match each phrase to the right spelling.

   1. a ___ hull
   2. office ___
   3. a ___ population
   4. letterhead ___

   1. stationary
   2. stationary
   3. stationery
   4. stationery
   Answer

   • a ___ hull: stationary
   • office ___: stationery
   • a ___ population: stationary
   • letterhead ___: stationery

   Standing still takes the a; paper goods take the e.

10. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the misspelt word.

    The vessel remained stationery in the Gulf for months

    Answer

    stationery → stationary. A vessel that does not move is stationary.

11. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Where does stationery get its meaning?

    1. From the stationer, a trader who sold books and paper from a fixed station
    2. From the stationary engine of a printing press
    3. From station houses of the police
    4. From railway stations that sold paper
    Answer

    From the stationer, a trader who sold books and paper from a fixed station. The stationer sold from a fixed shop, unlike a travelling pedlar; his wares became stationery.

12. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from the Latin root to the modern word for paper goods.

    • statio (a standing)
    • stationery (writing materials)
    • stationer (a seller of books and paper)
    • stationarius (motionless; a trader with a fixed shop)
    Answer

    1. statio (a standing)
    2. stationarius (motionless; a trader with a fixed shop)
    3. stationer (a seller of books and paper)
    4. stationery (writing materials)

    From the idea of standing, to the trader who stood in one place, to what he sold.

Word partners · the verbs of a disqualification: condoned, set aside, sent back, declined to interfere

13. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Under the Tenth Schedule, what may a party condone?

    1. A member’s vote or abstention against the party’s direction, within 15 days
    2. A member’s voluntarily giving up membership
    3. An independent member’s joining a party
    4. A member’s joining another party after a merger
    Answer

    A member’s vote or abstention against the party’s direction, within 15 days. Condonation is available only under Para 2(1)(b), for voting against the whip. The Supreme Court’s point in Danam Nagender’s case was that it does not cover giving up membership.

14. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    The High Court ___ the Speaker’s order and declared the MLA disqualified.

    1. set up
    2. set about
    3. set aside
    4. set off
    Answer

    set aside. To set aside an order is to cancel it.

15. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the actor to the verb.

    1. the party
    2. the Speaker
    3. the High Court
    4. the Supreme Court

    1. set aside the order
    2. decides the petition
    3. declined to interfere
    4. may condone a whip violation
    Answer

    • the party: may condone a whip violation
    • the Speaker: decides the petition
    • the High Court: set aside the order
    • the Supreme Court: declined to interfere

    Each body has one role in the sequence.

16. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the word used in the wrong sense for this context.

    The High Court condoned the Speaker's order and decided the case itself

    Answer

    condoned → set aside. A court sets aside an order it disagrees with. Condone means to accept wrongdoing, and in the Tenth Schedule it is the party’s act, not a court’s.

17. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    What does it mean when the Supreme Court declines to interfere?

    1. It leaves the lower court’s order undisturbed
    2. It sends the case back to the Speaker
    3. It stays the order pending a larger Bench
    4. It refers the question to the President
    Answer

    It leaves the lower court’s order undisturbed. Declining to interfere keeps the order in force; it neither stays nor remits it.

18. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange the steps of the case in order.

    • the Speaker dismisses the petitions
    • the High Court sets aside the Speaker’s order
    • the Supreme Court declines to interfere
    • the member contests on another party’s ticket
    Answer

    1. the member contests on another party’s ticket
    2. the Speaker dismisses the petitions
    3. the High Court sets aside the Speaker’s order
    4. the Supreme Court declines to interfere

    Conduct, the Speaker’s decision, the High Court’s reversal, and the Supreme Court’s refusal to disturb it.

Today's key term · disingenuous

19. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    What did Justice Datta mean by calling the government’s comparison disingenuous?

    1. That it was too complicated to follow
    2. That it was insincere, made by people who knew better
    3. That it was made in good faith but mistaken
    4. That it was not clever enough
    Answer

    That it was insincere, made by people who knew better. Disingenuous means insincere, often by pretending to know less. It says nothing about cleverness.

20. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    The engineers found an ___ way to cool the reactor with seawater.

    1. ingenious
    2. ingenue
    3. disingenuous
    4. ingenuous
    Answer

    ingenious. Clever and inventive is ingenious.

21. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match each word to its meaning.

    1. ingenuous
    2. disingenuous
    3. ingenious
    4. ingenuity

    1. clever
    2. insincere
    3. frank and trusting
    4. cleverness
    Answer

    • ingenuous: frank and trusting
    • disingenuous: insincere
    • ingenious: clever
    • ingenuity: cleverness

    Ingenuity looks like ingenuous but means what ingenious means.

22. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the word used wrongly.

    The clever design was truly disingenuous

    Answer

    disingenuous → ingenious. A clever design is ingenious. Disingenuous would mean the design was insincere.

23. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Why does ingenuity mean cleverness when it comes from ingenuous?

    1. It is a misprint that became standard
    2. Ingenious and ingenuous were so often confused in the 17th century that ingenuity took the sense of ingenious
    3. Latin ingenuus meant clever
    4. It was borrowed from French ingénieur
    Answer

    Ingenious and ingenuous were so often confused in the 17th century that ingenuity took the sense of ingenious. The Online Etymology Dictionary records the confusion, even in Shakespeare.

24. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match each word to its sense.

    1. disingenuous
    2. evasive
    3. disquieting

    1. causing unease about the institution
    2. insincere
    3. avoiding a direct answer
    Answer

    • disingenuous: insincere
    • evasive: avoiding a direct answer
    • disquieting: causing unease about the institution

    The words move from a charge about the argument, to its avoidance of the question, to its effect on confidence.

Cut the padding · one reporting verb is enough

25. Say it shorter Rewrite the sentence below within the word limit.

    On 23 September the Election Commission also issued a statement responding to a newspaper report that two Election Commissioners had recorded objections to decisions taken during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

    Word limit 24

    Model

    On 23 September the Election Commission answered a report that two of its members had objected to decisions taken during the Special Intensive Revision. Issued a statement responding to became answered, had recorded objections to became had objected to, and the repeated title became its members.

26. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which version uses one reporting verb and keeps the attribution?

    1. It was reported that the Minister had stated that the rules would be notified.
    2. The Minister reportedly said the rules would be notified.
    3. In a statement that was issued, it was stated by the Minister that the rules would be notified.
    4. The rules would be notified.
    Answer

    The Minister reportedly said the rules would be notified.. Reportedly keeps the source in one word; the third version drops the attribution altogether.

27. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    The Commission ___ that differing views are a normal part of deliberation.

    1. said
    2. issued a statement saying
    3. put out a statement which said
    4. made a statement stating
    Answer

    said. One act of saying, one verb.

28. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the word that starts a second, unnecessary reporting frame.

    The Commission said in a statement issued that all decisions were unanimous

    Answer

    said in a statement issued → said. Said already reports the act; in a statement issued repeats it.

29. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the stacked frame to its one-verb form.

    1. issued a statement responding to
    2. it was reported that X had stated
    3. recorded objections to
    4. made an announcement that

    1. announced
    2. answered
    3. X reportedly said
    4. objected to
    Answer

    • issued a statement responding to: answered
    • it was reported that X had stated: X reportedly said
    • recorded objections to: objected to
    • made an announcement that: announced

    Each rewrite keeps one verb for one act.

30. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from the most stacked to the leanest.

    • The Commission said it had acted unanimously.
    • The Commission said it acted unanimously.
    • In a statement, the Commission said that it had acted unanimously.
    • It was stated in a statement issued by the Commission that it had acted unanimously.
    Answer

    1. It was stated in a statement issued by the Commission that it had acted unanimously.
    2. In a statement, the Commission said that it had acted unanimously.
    3. The Commission said it had acted unanimously.
    4. The Commission said it acted unanimously.

    Each step removes a frame or a tense shift until one verb carries the claim.

Correct usage · in the light of / in light of, and not in lieu of

31. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which sentence means 'after considering the verdict'?

    1. In the lieu of the verdict, the Commission revised its rules.
    2. In the light of the verdict, the Commission revised its rules.
    3. In lite of the verdict, the Commission revised its rules.
    4. In lieu of the verdict, the Commission revised its rules.
    Answer

    In the light of the verdict, the Commission revised its rules.. In the light of means after considering. In lieu of means instead of.

32. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    Employees may take cash ___ unused leave.

    1. in view of
    2. in light of
    3. in lieu of
    4. in the light of
    Answer

    in lieu of. Cash in place of leave: in lieu of.

33. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match each phrase to its meaning.

    1. in the light of
    2. in light of
    3. in lieu of
    4. in view of

    1. after considering (British)
    2. because of
    3. after considering (North American)
    4. instead of
    Answer

    • in the light of: after considering (British)
    • in light of: after considering (North American)
    • in lieu of: instead of
    • in view of: because of

    Four phrases, three meanings, one regional pair.

34. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the phrase that says the opposite of what the writer meant.

    Examine the Act in lieu of the Anoop Baranwal judgment

    Answer

    in lieu of → in the light of. The writer wants the Act examined after considering the judgment, not instead of it.

35. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Where do lieu and lieutenant come from?

    1. Old English leof, dear
    2. French lieu, place: a lieutenant is a place-holder
    3. French lien, a bond
    4. Latin lux, light
    Answer

    French lieu, place: a lieutenant is a place-holder. Lieu is place; a lieutenant holds the place of a superior.

36. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from the phrase Indian official writing prefers to the one that means something else.

    • in lieu of (instead of)
    • in the light of (British and Indian)
    • in view of (because of)
    • in light of (North American)
    Answer

    1. in the light of (British and Indian)
    2. in light of (North American)
    3. in view of (because of)
    4. in lieu of (instead of)

    Two forms of one phrase, a close neighbour, and a different phrase altogether.

Idioms in answers · kept in the dark

37. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    What does 'kept in the dark' mean in the ECI editorial?

    1. The Commissioners say they were not told of decisions
    2. The Commissioners refused to give information
    3. The Commissioners worked at night
    4. The Commissioners were suspended
    Answer

    The Commissioners say they were not told of decisions. To be kept in the dark is to be deliberately left uninformed.

38. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    Investors were ___ about the company’s losses until the audit.

    1. a leap in the dark
    2. kept in the dark
    3. a shot in the dark
    4. whistling in the dark
    Answer

    kept in the dark. They were deliberately not told: kept in the dark.

39. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the idiom to its meaning.

    1. kept in the dark
    2. a leap in the dark
    3. a shot in the dark
    4. whistle in the dark

    1. an action with an unknown result
    2. pretend not to be afraid
    3. a guess
    4. deliberately not told
    Answer

    • kept in the dark: deliberately not told
    • a leap in the dark: an action with an unknown result
    • a shot in the dark: a guess
    • whistle in the dark: pretend not to be afraid

    Four idioms with one image and four meanings.

40. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the phrase that is too informal for a GS answer.

    The revenue estimate was a shot in the dark

    Answer

    a shot in the dark → a rough guess. A shot in the dark is informal. Say the estimate was poorly founded.

41. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which plain sentence says what 'the Commissioners were kept in the dark' says?

    1. The Commissioners disagreed with the decisions.
    2. Decisions were taken without informing the Commissioners.
    3. The decisions were taken at night.
    4. The Commissioners resigned in protest.
    Answer

    Decisions were taken without informing the Commissioners.. The idiom is about not being informed, not about disagreement.

42. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which wording is plain enough for a GS answer?

    1. the members were kept in the dark
    2. decisions were taken without informing the members
    3. the members were totally clueless
    4. the members were left out in the cold
    Answer

    decisions were taken without informing the members. The first says what happened. The others are figures, and the last two are informal as well.

Writing task · Split, not struck down: explain the Supreme Court's order in exam English

In no more than 100 words, explain to a friend what the Supreme Court decided on 23 September about the Election Commissioners Act, and what it did not decide. Use at least one word from today’s root family (independent, pending, suspend, depend, compensate, expenditure) and at least one word from today’s glossary.

Companion to Vocab Builder (what a word scores in a GS answer) and Key Terms. Wordcraft is the language itself.