Wordcraft, 11 October 2026

Glossary from the edition

12 words, each quoted in the sentence where it appeared in the 11 October 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 · tropic: from Greek tropē, a turning

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

   Oxford’s Word Origin note traces tropic to a Greek word meaning what?

   1. turning
   2. heat
   3. equator
   4. belt
   Answer

   turning. Oxford: via Latin from Greek tropikos, from tropē "turning", from trepein "to turn". Heat and belt describe the tropics today; they are not what the root means.

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

   Temperate species are also better represented than ___ ones, which have seen steeper declines since 1970.

   1. tropic
   2. tropical
   3. tropics
   Answer

   tropical. Before ones you need the adjective, tropical. A tropic is one of the two lines, and the tropics is the region between them.

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

   Match each term to its meaning.

   1. Tropic of Cancer
   2. Tropic of Capricorn
   3. the tropics
   4. tropical

   1. coming from, found in or typical of the tropics
   2. the line 23° 26′ south of the equator
   3. the line 23° 26′ north of the equator
   4. the area between the two tropics
   Answer

   • Tropic of Cancer: the line 23° 26′ north of the equator
   • Tropic of Capricorn: the line 23° 26′ south of the equator
   • the tropics: the area between the two tropics
   • tropical: coming from, found in or typical of the tropics

   All four meanings are from Oxford Learner’s entries for tropic and tropical.

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

   Find the word that is the wrong form.

   El Niño is a climate pattern of the tropic Pacific.

   Answer

   tropic → tropical. Before a noun you need the adjective: the tropical Pacific, as the explainer writes. A tropic is one of the two lines of latitude.

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

   Put these lines of latitude in order from north to south.

   • Tropic of Cancer
   • Tropic of Capricorn
   • the equator
   Answer

   1. Tropic of Cancer
   2. the equator
   3. Tropic of Capricorn

   Oxford places the Tropic of Cancer 23° 26′ north of the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn 23° 26′ south of it.

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

   Which phrase uses the noun correctly?

   1. species found across the tropics
   2. species found across the tropic’s
   3. species found across a tropical
   4. species found across the tropicals
   Answer

   species found across the tropics. The tropics, plural with the, names the region (Oxford). Tropical is an adjective and takes no plural, and tropic’s is a possessive with nothing to own.

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

   As the El Niño explainer quotes IMD, the return of the north-easterly trade winds is associated with what?

   1. the northward movement of the ITCZ
   2. the end of El Niño in the Pacific
   3. the southward movement of the ITCZ
   4. a neutral Indian Ocean Dipole
   Answer

   the southward movement of the ITCZ. IMD: the north-easterly trade winds return, "associated with the southward movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)". The neutral IOD is a separate point in the outlook.

Look-alike words · curb / kerb

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

   Azad says a credible State Security Commission would help establish policy, evaluate performance and ___ unwarranted interference.

   1. curb
   2. curve
   3. kerb
   Answer

   curb. The verb of limiting is curb. Kerb is a noun, the stone edge of a pavement, and curve is a bend.

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

   Which sentence uses kerb correctly, in British spelling?

   1. The order placed a kerb on the Metro.
   2. The bus stopped close to the kerb.
   3. Petitions challenged the kerbs on the internet.
   4. The new rule will kerb misuse of mobile data.
   Answer

   The bus stopped close to the kerb.. Kerb is only the pavement edge. The other three are limits, so each needs curb or curbs.

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

    Find the word that is misspelt.

    Petitions challenged the kerbs on public transport and mobile internet.

    Answer

    kerbs → curbs. These are limits, so the spelling is curbs, as the Supreme Court report writes. A kerb is the edge of a pavement.

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

    Match each phrase to its meaning.

    1. curb unwarranted interference
    2. the curbs on the Metro
    3. step off the kerb
    4. the curb, in American spelling

    1. leave the edge of the pavement
    2. limits placed on a service
    3. limit something unwanted
    4. the edge of the pavement, too
    Answer

    • curb unwarranted interference: limit something unwanted
    • the curbs on the Metro: limits placed on a service
    • step off the kerb: leave the edge of the pavement
    • the curb, in American spelling: the edge of the pavement, too

    Curb is the limit in every variety of English; for the pavement edge, Oxford gives kerb as British and curb as North American.

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

    Oxford labels kerb with which variety of English?

    1. Australian English
    2. British English
    3. Indian English
    4. North American English
    Answer

    British English. Oxford marks kerb British English and notes that North American English spells the same word curb.

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

    According to Oxford’s Word Origin note, kerb began as what?

    1. a Latin word for stone
    2. a variant of kirk
    3. a French word for road
    4. a variant of curb
    Answer

    a variant of curb. Oxford: mid 17th century, denoting a raised border or frame, a variant of curb. Curb itself goes back to Old French courber and Latin curvare.

Word partners · the verbs of a monsoon forecast: prevail, strengthen, weaken, set in, develop

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

    IMD says neutral IOD conditions ___ now and are likely to continue through the northeast monsoon season.

    1. fall short
    2. prevail
    3. develop
    4. set in
    Answer

    prevail. Conditions that exist now prevail, as the explainer writes. A monsoon sets in, a cyclone develops, and an area falls short of rain.

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

    The northeast monsoon is likely to ___ over Tamil Nadu between 15 and 21 October.

    1. develop
    2. set in
    3. prevail
    4. strengthen
    Answer

    set in. The start of a season over a place is set in, the verb the explainer uses in reporting the IMD director.

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

    Which sentence keeps IMD’s hedge?

    1. The monsoon will certainly set in over Tamil Nadu on 15 October.
    2. The monsoon is likely to set in between 15 and 21 October.
    3. The monsoon must set in over Tamil Nadu no later than 21 October.
    4. The monsoon has already set in over Tamil Nadu this October.
    Answer

    The monsoon is likely to set in between 15 and 21 October.. The IMD director gave a likely window, 15 to 21 October. The other sentences turn a forecast into a certainty, a past event or a deadline.

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

    Match each verb to its job in a forecast.

    1. prevail
    2. strengthen
    3. set in
    4. develop

    1. says an event is growing over time
    2. says when a season begins over a place
    3. says when a storm system forms
    4. says what conditions exist now
    Answer

    • prevail: says what conditions exist now
    • strengthen: says an event is growing over time
    • set in: says when a season begins over a place
    • develop: says when a storm system forms

    Each job is taken from how the explainer and IMD’s outlook use the verb.

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

    Find the verb that does the wrong job.

    The same Pacific warming that prevails the southwest monsoon over most of India.

    Answer

    prevails → weakens. Prevail takes no object. The warming acts on the monsoon, so the verb is weakens, as the explainer writes.

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

    In the explainer’s line "The same Pacific warming that weakens the southwest monsoon", what is the subject of weakens?

    1. the northeast monsoon
    2. the Pacific warming
    3. the southwest monsoon
    4. most of India
    Answer

    the Pacific warming. The warming does the weakening; the southwest monsoon is what is weakened.

Today's key term · tipping point, and the positive tipping point

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

    In the report’s definition, what happens first in a positive tipping point?

    1. governments agree a target for the decade
    2. the change begins to reverse itself
    3. the change becomes faster, cheaper and harder to reverse
    4. a system crosses a threshold into a healthier state
    Answer

    a system crosses a threshold into a healthier state. The definition runs in order: a system crosses a threshold into a healthier state, the change begins to reinforce itself, and then it becomes faster, cheaper and harder to reverse.

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

    Put the stages of a positive tipping point in the order the report gives them.

    • the change becomes faster, cheaper and harder to reverse
    • a system crosses a threshold into a healthier state
    • the change begins to reinforce itself through feedback loops
    Answer

    1. a system crosses a threshold into a healthier state
    2. the change begins to reinforce itself through feedback loops
    3. the change becomes faster, cheaper and harder to reverse

    The report’s definition: the threshold first, then the self-reinforcing change, and "Once that happens" the change becomes faster, cheaper and harder to reverse.

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

    The global energy system "has passed a positive tipping point and entered its ___ phase".

    1. stabilisation
    2. deceleration
    3. consolidation
    4. acceleration
    Answer

    acceleration. The report’s words are "acceleration phase". The explainer’s evidence is that global solar capacity is doubling every three years.

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

    According to the report, which systems still need to reach their own tipping points within this decade?

    1. food and energy
    2. energy and transport
    3. energy and finance
    4. food and finance
    Answer

    food and finance. Energy has already passed a positive tipping point. Food and finance "need to reach their own tipping points within this decade".

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

    Match each item to what the explainer says about it.

    1. coral reefs
    2. the global energy system
    3. food and finance
    4. University of Exeter

    1. must tip within this decade
    2. the tipping-point research in the report
    3. a tipping point usually discussed as a risk
    4. has passed a positive tipping point
    Answer

    • coral reefs: a tipping point usually discussed as a risk
    • the global energy system: has passed a positive tipping point
    • food and finance: must tip within this decade
    • University of Exeter: the tipping-point research in the report

    Each pairing is from the Living Planet Report explainer.

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

    Find the word that says the wrong thing.

    After a positive tipping point, the change becomes slower and harder to reverse.

    Answer

    slower → faster. The report: once a system tips, "the change becomes faster, cheaper and harder to reverse".

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

    Which sentence uses the phrase with the precision the report shows?

    1. A tipping point is always a disaster for the system concerned.
    2. Positive tipping points can never be reached within a decade.
    3. Energy has passed a positive tipping point; food and finance have not.
    4. The whole world has now passed every positive tipping point.
    Answer

    Energy has passed a positive tipping point; food and finance have not.. The report names the system that has tipped (energy) and the systems that have not (food and finance). The others are too sweeping, and the last contradicts the report’s call for food and finance to tip within this decade.

Cut the padding · whether or not: when "or not" adds nothing

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

    Cut the padding in 9 words or fewer.

    A forecaster must decide whether or not to update the outlook.

    Word limit 9

    Model

    A forecaster must decide whether to update the outlook. Deciding whether to update already covers the choice not to, so "or not" adds nothing.

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

    Cut the padding in 9 words or fewer.

    The debate is over the question as to whether the target is realistic.

    Word limit 9

    Model

    The debate is over whether the target is realistic. "The question as to whether" says no more than "whether": four words saved.

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

    In which sentence must "or not" stay?

    1. The officer asked whether or not the figure was current.
    2. Check whether or not the data are from this year.
    3. It depends on whether or not the cyclone develops.
    4. Relief plans must be ready whether or not the rain arrives.
    Answer

    Relief plans must be ready whether or not the rain arrives.. Only in the first does the clause mean "regardless of whether". In the other three it follows asked, depends on or check, so "or not" can go.

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

    Relief plans must be ready ___ the rain arrives on time.

    1. whether
    2. whether or not
    3. as to whether
    Answer

    whether or not. The plans must be ready in either case, so you need "whether or not". "Whether" alone leaves the sentence incomplete, and "as to whether" does not fit here.

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

    Find the word that needs "or not" after it.

    Relief plans must be ready whether the rain arrives on time.

    Answer

    whether → whether or not. The clause means "regardless of whether", so "or not" is doing work here and must stay.

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

    Match each phrase to its plain form.

    1. decide whether or not to
    2. the question as to whether
    3. depends on whether or not
    4. ready whether or not it rains

    1. decide whether to
    2. keep as it is
    3. whether
    4. depends on whether
    Answer

    • decide whether or not to: decide whether to
    • the question as to whether: whether
    • depends on whether or not: depends on whether
    • ready whether or not it rains: keep as it is

    Cut "or not" after decide and depends on; keep it where the clause means "regardless of whether".

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

    Which test tells you that "or not" must stay?

    1. "regardless of whether" fits in its place
    2. the sentence is longer than twenty words
    3. the verb before it is decide or check
    4. the clause comes at the start of the sentence
    Answer

    "regardless of whether" fits in its place. If "regardless of whether" fits, the clause means "in either case" and needs "or not". Length and position do not decide it, and after decide or check "or not" is usually padding.

Correct usage · protester, not protestor

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

    Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries spells the noun ___.

    1. protestar
    2. protester
    3. protestor
    Answer

    protester. Oxford Learner’s shows protester only: "a person who makes a public protest".

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

    Find the misspelt word.

    The protestors gathered near the station.

    Answer

    protestors → protesters. Use the spelling Oxford Learner’s shows, protester, and its plural protesters.

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

    Which sentence spells the noun as Oxford Learner’s does?

    1. The protestors asked for a hearing.
    2. The protestars asked for a hearing.
    3. The protesters asked for a hearing.
    4. The protestours asked for a hearing.
    Answer

    The protesters asked for a hearing.. Only protesters matches the Oxford Learner’s entry.

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

    Which noun is the most neutral for people taking part in a demonstration?

    1. rioters
    2. the mob
    3. troublemakers
    4. protesters
    Answer

    protesters. Protesters says what people did. The other three pass a judgment on their conduct, which belongs to a source you quote, not to your own voice.

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

    Match each noun to what it says about the people it names.

    1. protesters
    2. organisers
    3. rioters
    4. the mob

    1. neutral: says they arranged the event
    2. passes a judgment on a crowd
    3. says they took part in a riot
    4. neutral: says they made a public protest
    Answer

    • protesters: neutral: says they made a public protest
    • organisers: neutral: says they arranged the event
    • rioters: says they took part in a riot
    • the mob: passes a judgment on a crowd

    Neutral nouns describe what people did; loaded ones judge it. In your own voice, use the neutral ones.

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

    Name people by what they did: the ___ asked the court to hear their petitions.

    1. petitioners
    2. agitating mob
    3. troublemakers
    Answer

    petitioners. People who file petitions are petitioners. The other two pass a judgment the sentence has no grounds for.

Idioms in answers · fall short

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

    For the areas likely to fall ___, promote water conservation, efficient irrigation and agricultural contingency measures.

    1. short
    2. shortage
    3. shortly
    Answer

    short. The idiom is fall short: to fail to reach the standard you need (Oxford). Shortly means soon, and shortage is a noun.

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

    What does "options short of sweeping restrictions" mean?

    1. options that stop before sweeping restrictions
    2. options that ran out before the restrictions
    3. options that lasted a short time only
    4. options with too few sweeping restrictions
    Answer

    options that stop before sweeping restrictions. Short of means "without something; unless something happens" (Oxford): options that do not go as far as sweeping restrictions.

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

    Match each expression to its meaning.

    1. fall short of
    2. short of
    3. stop short of
    4. run short of

    1. nearly do but hold back
    2. without; unless
    3. not have enough of
    4. fail to reach a standard
    Answer

    • fall short of: fail to reach a standard
    • short of: without; unless
    • stop short of: nearly do but hold back
    • run short of: not have enough of

    All four meanings are from the Oxford Learner’s idioms under short.

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

    Find the word that is the wrong form.

    Rain in some districts may fall shortfall of normal.

    Answer

    shortfall → short. Shortfall is the noun. The verb phrase is fall short of: rain may fall short of normal.

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

    Where should you avoid using "fall short"?

    1. a body paragraph of a GS answer
    2. the opening line of a GS answer
    3. a reply to a question at interview
    4. a paragraph in the middle of an essay
    Answer

    the opening line of a GS answer. Open a GS answer with the fact or figure. In the body, an essay or an interview, the idiom is plain enough to use, with the standard named.

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

    Which sentence uses stop short of correctly?

    1. The district stopped short of water this year.
    2. The forecast stopped short for three weeks.
    3. The rain stopped short of the normal total.
    4. The report stopped short of a recommendation.
    Answer

    The report stopped short of a recommendation.. Stop short of means nearly doing something but holding back (Oxford). Rain falls short of a total, and a district runs short of water.

Reading in the CSAT shape

A passage quoted from El Niño and Tamil Nadu: Why the Northeast Monsoon Differs, then inference questions on it.

In an El Niño year, writes R. Venkatesan in The Hindu, India "has recorded deficient rainfall and a higher incidence of droughts, on average. However, Tamil Nadu has reported a strikingly different pattern." The long record supports him: a study of coastal Tamil Nadu from 1901 to 2020, published in IMD's journal Mausam, concluded that "prolonged El Niño events lead to excess rainfall, while La Niña events result in rainfall deficit." The IMD director made a milder point: El Niño "generally did not have a major negative impact on Northeast monsoon rainfall", though "the relationship between El Nino and rainfall had changed over time."

The column notes that forecasts are updated when a depression or cyclone develops, because a cyclone's formation is nonlinear and hard to predict until it has fully developed. IMD makes a similar point about the whole season: its predictability is "limited to some extent by the strong day to day atmospheric variability", caused by disturbances in the tropical easterlies and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). IMD's outlook is a set of probabilities for three categories (above normal, normal, below normal), not a rainfall total for each district.

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

   1. El Niño years always bring excess rainfall to every part of Tamil Nadu.
   2. IMD has stopped issuing seasonal outlooks because of day-to-day variability.
   3. A rule that holds for India as a whole may not hold for one of its states.
   4. The study of coastal Tamil Nadu covered the whole of India from 1901 to 2020.
   Answer

   A rule that holds for India as a whole may not hold for one of its states.. The first excerpt sets the all-India record (deficient rainfall and more droughts, on average) against Tamil Nadu’s "strikingly different pattern". The second option is too extreme: the study speaks of prolonged El Niño events and the IMD director says the relationship has changed over time. The third is contradicted, since the passage describes IMD’s outlook. The fourth misreads the study, which was of coastal Tamil Nadu.

2. The column says forecasts are updated when a depression or cyclone develops. Which of the following does this point assume?

   1. District rainfall totals are fixed in advance and never need changing.
   2. Cyclones can be predicted precisely weeks before they begin to form.
   3. A forecast issued before a cyclone forms cannot fully allow for that cyclone.
   4. Seasonal outlooks are wrong whenever a cyclone develops over the sea.
   Answer

   A forecast issued before a cyclone forms cannot fully allow for that cyclone.. Updating a forecast only makes sense if the earlier one could not account for the new system; the passage says a cyclone is hard to predict until it has fully developed. The second option reverses the passage, the third is too extreme, and the fourth contradicts the point that IMD gives no district totals.

3. Which of the following best captures the crux of the passage?

   1. The Madden-Julian Oscillation matters more to Tamil Nadu’s rainfall than El Niño does.
   2. IMD has stopped trying to forecast the northeast monsoon because of daily variability.
   3. El Niño’s effect on rain varies by region, and a seasonal forecast is a probability.
   4. El Niño brings deficient rain and droughts to Tamil Nadu just as it does across India.
   Answer

   El Niño’s effect on rain varies by region, and a seasonal forecast is a probability.. The first excerpt is about a regional difference, the second about forecasts as probabilities; the right option joins both. The second option reverses the first excerpt, the third compares two drivers the passage never ranks, and the fourth is not stated.

4. If the passage is correct, which of the following follows for a district official in Tamil Nadu?

   1. A strong El Niño year means the district can safely skip drought planning.
   2. A normal outlook for the state does not settle what each district will receive.
   3. The district will receive exactly the rainfall total that IMD forecasts.
   4. The official should ignore IMD and rely on the 1901 to 2020 study alone.
   Answer

   A normal outlook for the state does not settle what each district will receive.. IMD’s outlook is a set of probabilities for three categories, "not a rainfall total for each district". The second option is too extreme, the third contradicts the passage, and the fourth goes beyond it.

5. What is the message the passage most clearly conveys?

   1. Every forecast that is later updated was a failure of the forecasters.
   2. Tamil Nadu should stop relying on the northeast monsoon for its water.
   3. Long rainfall records are of little use once a strong El Niño has begun.
   4. Read a climate signal against the local record before drawing a conclusion.
   Answer

   Read a climate signal against the local record before drawing a conclusion.. The passage tests the all-India El Niño rule against Tamil Nadu’s own record and treats forecasts as probabilities. The second option reverses its use of the long record, the third reverses its account of updates, and the fourth is outside its scope.

Writing task · Why a strong El Niño need not mean a dry season for Tamil Nadu

In 100 words or fewer, explain, as R. Venkatesan’s column in The Hindu and IMD’s outlook set it out, why a strong El Niño year need not mean a poor northeast monsoon for Tamil Nadu. Use one of today’s forecast verbs (prevail, strengthen, weaken, set in or develop), keep IMD’s hedges, and write "whether", not "whether or not".

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