The one rule that governs everything here
Ornament loses marks. Precision wins them. Examiners reward clarity and economy and penalise decoration. Wordcraft never teaches a word so you can sound impressive. It teaches the word that is exactly right, the pair you must never swap, the verb a noun takes, and the fifteen words you can delete.
Glossary from the edition
13 words, each quoted in the sentence where it appeared in the 13 October 2026 edition. Meaning first, then the sentence, then where it came from.
a clear difference or contrast, especially between people or things that are similar or related
हिंदी: भेद, अंतर
The author starts from a distinction the bench appeared to draw: making the courts' work accessible in Indian languages is one thing; changing the language regime of the judiciary is another.
available for use
हिंदी: व्यय-योग्य, ख़र्च के लिए उपलब्ध
Consumption and income: households' total disposable income decides their consumption.
From Economics Nobel 2026: Hall, Woodford on Stabilisation Policy
the act of bringing something into use or existence for the first time, or of bringing something to a place for the first time
हिंदी: प्रचलन में लाना, शुरुआत
Bt cotton was first cleared in 2002; 2006 is the introduction of Bollgard II.
From Unregulated Use of GM: Illegal HTBt Cotton and GEAC Rules
that allows information to be passed continuously and in both directions between a computer or other device and the person who uses it
हिंदी: संवादात्मक, अंतःक्रियात्मक
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 12 October 2026 dedicated to the nation its Cyclone Warning and Marine Weather Services Decision Support System (DSS), an interactive WebGIS-based platform.
From Current Affairs Today 13 October 2026: UPSC News Roundup
consisting of many different kinds of things that are not related and do not easily form a group
हिंदी: विविध, फुटकर
The 13.75% in personal care and miscellaneous goods sits beside silver jewellery at 87.80%.
From CPI Inflation September 2026: 5.54% on the 2024 Base Series
to gradually grow or become bigger, more advanced, stronger, etc.
हिंदी: विकसित होना, धीरे-धीरे बनना
The extra-polar ocean surface reached a record high for September, "as an exceptionally strong El Niño continued to develop" in the tropical Pacific.
From Current Affairs Today 13 October 2026: UPSC News Roundup
not allowed by the law
हिंदी: अवैध, ग़ैरक़ानूनी
In a post on X, he said the meeting underscores a shared resolve to combat "terrorism, transnational organized crime, narcotics radicalization, trafficking, illicit financial flows, and cyber threats".
From Current Affairs Today 13 October 2026: UPSC News Roundup
a strong opinion or belief
हिंदी: दृढ़ विश्वास; (अदालत में) दोषसिद्धि
The values are integrity and courage of conviction, and the line between advice and decision: the officer advises frankly, the elected authority decides, and the record shows both.
From Civil Service Ethics: Whom Do We Serve? Lessons for GS4
a person, system, etc. that decides whether somebody/something will be allowed or not allowed to reach a particular place or person
हिंदी: द्वारपाल; पहुँच तय करने वाला
Sharma describes the model TRAI built as an "open, interoperable architecture with no central gatekeeper": anyone can set up or aggregate a hotspot, and one app finds the nearest one, verifies the user, takes payment and connects across providers.
From Wi-Fi for Everyone: PM-WANI Public Hotspots and BharatNet
to use something to try to make a profit, especially in a way that other people do not approve of
हिंदी: व्यावसायीकरण करना, मुनाफ़े के लिए उपयोग करना
Scientists, she writes, face "increasing pressure" to "develop technologies", "build products", "commercialise research" and "deliver solutions".
From India's Science Problem: Basic Research Funding and GERD
a temporary stopping of an activity, especially by official agreement
हिंदी: अस्थायी रोक, स्थगन
Finally, "a moratorium on all development projects until each is rigorously reassessed for its environmental impact, hazard-averseness and climate resilience".
a way of dealing with somebody/something; a way of doing or thinking about something such as a problem or a task
हिंदी: दृष्टिकोण, तरीका
Steeper slopes concentrate damage vertically, requiring infrastructure to be located much higher above the riverbed, while gentler slopes spread destruction horizontally, demanding an entirely different zoning approach.
to be about something
हिंदी: से संबंधित होना
the only "ceiling of fifty per cent" in the text, and it concerns carried-forward unfilled vacancies
From Karnataka HC Strikes Down SC/ST Quota Hike: 50% Ceiling
The seven lessons
One entry of each type, every day: a system, not a word list.
1 · Word roots
flō · blow
Latin: blow (Wiktionary, etymologies of inflation, inflate and deflate)
Tuesday’s two economics pieces run on one word. The CPI article reports that retail inflation rose to 5.54% in September from 4.83% in August, and the Nobel article adds the adjective: "To slow a booming, inflationary economy the Keynesian recipe is to raise rates or cut spending, not to cut rates." Wiktionary traces inflation through Old French inflation, "swelling", to Latin īnflātiō, "expansion, blowing up", from īnflātus, the participle of īnflō, "blow into, expand", which is in, "into", plus flō, "blow". Prices, like a balloon, are blown up. Deflate was coined in 1891, Wiktionary says, in reference to balloons, and the economist’s family grew from there.
| Word | How it is built | Meaning (Wiktionary, economics sense where there is one) |
|---|---|---|
| inflate | Latin īnflātus, participle of īnflō | to enlarge by pushing air into; to raise or expand abnormally |
| inflation | Latin īnflātiō, "expansion, blowing up" | in the edition: the year-on-year rise in consumer prices, 5.54% in September 2026 |
| deflate | de- + (in)flate; Latin dē-, "away, from" | to reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices |
| deflation | deflate + -ion | a decrease in the general price level |
| disinflation | dis- + inflation | a decrease in the inflation rate; Wiktionary marks its use to mean deflation as proscribed |
| reflation | reflate + -ion, "parallel to deflation" | restoring a deflated general level of prices to a previous or desired level |
The edition uses none of the last three words, but September’s print shows why they matter. Inflation went up from 4.83% to 5.54%: prices rose faster. Had it gone down to, say, 4%, prices would still be rising, only more slowly: that is disinflation. Only if the price level itself fell would it be deflation. Keep the two apart in an answer: one says prices rise more slowly, the other that they fall.
From the CPI article (retail inflation "rose to 5.54% in September 2026, provisional, from 4.83% in August") and the Nobel article ("a booming, inflationary economy"), checked against Wiktionary’s entries for inflation, inflate, deflate, deflation, disinflation and reflation. The edition itself uses none of deflation, disinflation or reflation.
2 · Look-alike words
elicit · illicit
elicit, a verb: to get information or a reaction from somebody · illicit, an adjective: not allowed by the law (Oxford)
The roundup quotes the Home Minister’s post on the BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting that India is hosting: a shared resolve to combat "terrorism, transnational organized crime, narcotics radicalization, trafficking, illicit financial flows, and cyber threats". Oxford gives illicit and elicit the same pronunciation, /ɪˈlɪsɪt/, so the ear cannot tell them apart and the pen must. One is an adjective about the law; the other is a verb about drawing out a reply.
| elicit | illicit | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb: elicit, elicited, eliciting | adjective |
| Sound (Oxford) | /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ | /ɪˈlɪsɪt/, the same |
| Oxford sense | "to get information or a reaction from somebody, often with difficulty" | "not allowed by the law"; also "not approved of by the normal rules of society" |
| Pattern | elicit something (from somebody) | before a noun: illicit financial flows |
| Built from (Wiktionary) | Latin ēliciō, "draw forth" | Latin illicitus: in-, "not", + licitus, "allowed" |
The test. Can you put unlawful in its place? Write illicit. Can you put draw out in its place? Write elicit. The roots help too: illicit is in-, "not", plus licitus, "allowed"; elicit is ēliciō, "draw forth".
From the roundup ("illicit financial flows", quoted from the Home Minister’s post), checked against Oxford’s entries for elicit and illicit and Wiktionary’s etymologies of both.
3 · Word partners
drought relief · its verbs
who does what, step by step, in the words of the Manual for Drought Management as the drought explainer quotes it
The Hindu’s editorial says the Centre "must desist from frustrating States and release support as soon as the findings of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team have been publicly verified". Karnataka has declared 217 of its 240 taluks drought-hit, and Andhra Pradesh 388 of its 688 mandals. To write about that wait you need the verb that belongs to each step, because each verb has its own subject. Every verb below is from our explainer, which quotes the manual (2016, updated up to December 2020).
| Who | Verb | What the explainer says |
|---|---|---|
| the State | notify (declare) | "States will notify Kharif drought by 31st October and the Rabi drought by 31st March"; the State notifies the area as moderate or severe |
| the State | de-notify | a notification is valid for not more than 6 months unless de-notified earlier |
| the State | submit a memorandum | for a severe drought, the memorandum goes to the Union agriculture department "within a week of the declaration"; Karnataka submitted its Kharif 2026 memorandum on 10 September 2026 |
| the Centre | send a central team | an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) is sent "within a week of receipt of the Memorandum" |
| the SC-NEC | recommend | the team’s report goes to the Sub Committee of the National Executive Committee, which recommends the amount from the NDRF |
| the Ministry of Finance | release | money is released "upon the recommendation of the High Level Committee (HLC)" |
| the Ministry of Home Affairs | administer | the SDRF and the NDRF are administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs |
Two habits keep an answer exact. Give each verb its own subject: in the manual the State notifies, a committee recommends and the Ministry of Finance releases. And keep recommend and release apart: the editorial’s quarrel is with the time between them.
From the drought explainer: its table of steps from the Manual for Drought Management ("States will notify Kharif drought by 31st October", "within a week of receipt of the Memorandum", "upon the recommendation of the High Level Committee (HLC)") and its timeline of Karnataka’s memorandum.
4 · Today's key term
precautionary principle · Rio, Principle 15
where harm could be serious or irreversible, lack of full scientific certainty is no reason to put off measures that prevent it
Two of today’s pieces argue from caution, and our notes on both name the principle. On Archana Vaidya’s column in The Hindu, our note says: "For GS4, the column is an argument for the precautionary principle: when the harm is irreversible and the science still settling, the burden falls on the project to prove it is safe." On the Indian Express editorial about unapproved herbicide-tolerant cotton, which the paper headed "A cautionary tale", our note lists the precautionary principle among the keywords to keep handy. The term is ours in both places, not the writers'.
| Part | What the source says | What to say in an answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The text | Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992), Principle 15: "Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation." | quote the trigger (serious or irreversible damage) and the rule (uncertainty is no excuse for delay) |
| 2. The word | Rio’s first sentence: "the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities" | approach is the treaty’s word; if you quote Rio, quote it exactly |
| 3. The burden | our note on the Himalayas column: "the burden falls on the project to prove it is safe" | a stronger reading than Rio’s text, which does not say who must prove safety; present it as a reading |
| 4. Today’s cases | the Himalayas column’s moratorium "until each is rigorously reassessed"; HT cotton, which "is not approved" | name the harm, the uncertainty and the measure in each |
Our note on the Himalayas column gives the method: keep apart "what the record shows", "what the author recommends" and "what is still uncertain". The precautionary principle is a rule about the third: what to do while the science is still settling.
From our explainer on Archana Vaidya’s column ("the burden falls on the project to prove it is safe") and our explainer on the GM cotton editorial (the precautionary principle among its keywords), checked against Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration.
5 · Cut the padding
the buzzword way forward
holistic, multi-pronged, all stakeholders: words that sound like a plan and name no step
What padding looks like
A buzzword is a word used because it sounds expert, not because it carries meaning. Buzzwords gather in the last paragraph of a GS answer: "A holistic, multi-pronged approach involving all stakeholders is the need of the hour." That typical sentence (13 words) names no actor, no action and no number. Today’s edition does the opposite: its drought explainer closes on steps such as "publish the IMCT’s findings" and "release NDRF support promptly once they are verified", and none of its pieces uses holistic, multi-pronged or stakeholders.
Why it costs marks
In a 150-word answer, those 13 words take the place of a fact or a step. The sentence could close an answer on drought, on Himalayan dams or on science funding without a word changed, and a sentence that fits every answer earns nothing in any of them.
Fix it in three steps
- Find the buzzword phrase: holistic, multi-pronged, comprehensive, all stakeholders, the need of the hour.
- Replace it with the verb that does the work, or delete it when the sentence already has that verb.
- Check that every fact stays: the actor, the action and any figure or condition.
Worked example. Start: "The Centre should adopt a holistic approach to release NDRF support as soon as the IMCT’s findings are verified." (19 words). Find: "adopt a holistic approach to". Replace: the sentence already has its verb, release, so delete the wrapper. Check: the Centre, the release, the NDRF and the condition all stay. Result: "The Centre should release NDRF support as soon as the IMCT’s findings are verified." (15 words).
Before and after
| Padded | Plain | Words saved |
|---|---|---|
| States must adopt a multi-pronged strategy involving all stakeholders to impose water discipline. | States must impose water discipline. | 8 |
| The Centre should adopt a holistic approach to release NDRF support promptly. | The Centre should release NDRF support promptly. | 5 |
| Publishing the IMCT’s findings is the need of the hour. | Publishing the IMCT’s findings is urgent. | 4 |
| all stakeholders, including the Centre and the States | the Centre and the States | 3 |
| a comprehensive and holistic review of basic research funding | a review of basic research funding | 3 |
When not to cut
Keep the word when it is the source’s own term or a defined one. Rio’s Principle 15 says "the precautionary approach", and today’s quiz lists "whole-of-government approach" among its Mains keywords: quote such terms exactly. Keep a list of stakeholders when you name them, because then each name is a fact.
Try it in your answer
Cut this to its working words: "A comprehensive, multi-pronged approach involving all stakeholders is the need of the hour to protect basic research funding." The model is in the exercises.
From the drought explainer ("publish the IMCT’s findings", "release NDRF support promptly once they are verified") and the quiz ("whole-of-government approach"). The padded sentences are typical answer drafts, not quotations from the edition.
6 · Correct usage
senior to · not senior than
senior already means "higher in rank or status than others" (Oxford), so it takes to
Verdict: Avoid in exams
What people write
"An officer of the 2010 batch is senior than one of the 2012 batch." "He is senior than me by two years." Both are easy to write after a lesson on inter-se seniority, and both read as slips.
What to write instead
"An officer of the 2010 batch is senior to one of the 2012 batch." "He is senior to me by two years." If you want than, change the words: "He has two more years of service than I have."
Why
Oxford Learner’s gives the pattern senior to somebody and defines the adjective as "high in rank or status; higher in rank or status than others". The comparison is already inside the word, so adding than doubles it. Vipul Anekant’s column in The Hindu is about the noun: inter-se seniority, the order of rank within one batch, which rule 4 of the IAS (Regulation of Seniority) Rules, 1987 fixes for direct recruits by the order of merit.
A quick test
Put "higher in rank" in place of senior. If the sentence now needs than, you needed only "senior to".
In your answer
"Because inter-se seniority is fixed at entry, an officer who ranked higher in the examination stays senior to a batchmate for a whole career; as the column puts it, 'Exceptional service does not erase this initial handicap'."
From our explainer on Vipul Anekant’s column (rule 4: direct recruits "shall be ranked inter-se in the order of merit"; "Exceptional service does not erase this initial handicap"), checked against Oxford’s entry for senior.
7 · Idioms in answers
drive a hard bargain
to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangement (Oxford)
Lokesh Ohri’s column on the Kishau dam in the Indian Express argues, as our explainer reports, that Himachal Pradesh "seems to have driven a hard bargain" while Uttarakhand stayed silent. Our explainer adds what the record shows: "Himachal’s share of water goes to Delhi and Rajasthan in return for their sharing the cost of Himachal’s part of the power component."
The family
| Expression | What it means | Plain equivalent | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| drive a hard bargain (also strike a hard bargain) | to argue aggressively and force the other side to agree on the best possible price or arrangement (Oxford) | negotiate firmly; secure favourable terms | neutral; fine in an essay or interview |
| strike a bargain (with somebody) | to make an agreement in which both sides have an advantage (Oxford) | reach an agreement | neutral |
| into the bargain | also; as well (Oxford) | also | conversational |
Where to use it
| Setting | Use it? | How |
|---|---|---|
| GS answer, introduction | No | Open with the fact: the agreement among six States on the project, and who pays for what. |
| GS answer, body | With care | At most one idiom in the whole answer, placed just after the terms it sums up. |
| GS answer, conclusion | With care | Only if the body has none; "secured favourable terms" is always safe. |
| Essay | Yes | One or two in the whole essay, in the body or the conclusion, explained in the next sentence. |
| Ethics case study | No | State the action and its justification plainly. |
| Interview | Yes | Natural in speech; once, never a string of idioms. |
| Précis and the compulsory English paper | No | None in a précis; in that paper’s essay, as for any essay. |
Model sentences
With the idiom, after the fact: "Under the agreement, Himachal’s share of water goes to Delhi and Rajasthan, who in return share the cost of Himachal’s part of the power component; the columnist reads this as Himachal driving a hard bargain."
Plain, for a GS answer: "Himachal Pradesh secured favourable terms: Delhi and Rajasthan share the cost of its part of the power component in return for its share of water."
Don’t confuse
A bargaining chip, taught on 28 September, is a thing held for use in a negotiation; it says nothing about how hard a side negotiated. And bargain on its own is usually Oxford’s first sense, "a thing bought for less than the usual price"; the idioms use its second, "an agreement between two or more people or groups".
From our explainer on Lokesh Ohri’s column (Himachal Pradesh "seems to have driven a hard bargain"; "Himachal’s share of water goes to Delhi and Rajasthan in return for their sharing the cost of Himachal’s part of the power component"), checked against Oxford’s entry for bargain.
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 · flō, flāre: Latin, to blow
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which Latin verb lies behind inflation, inflate and deflate?
- flō
- flectō
- fluō
Answer
flō. Wiktionary traces inflation to īnflō, "blow into, expand", which is in, "into", plus flō, "blow"; deflate is de- plus (in)flate.
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
When the general price level falls, economists call it ___.
- deflation
- reflation
- disinflation
Answer
deflation. Wiktionary: deflation is a decrease in the general price level. Disinflation is a decrease in the inflation rate, with prices still rising; reflation is restoring a deflated price level.
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Retail inflation rose from 4.83% in August 2026 to 5.54% in September. What did prices do in September?
- rose more slowly
- fell
- rose faster
Answer
rose faster. A higher inflation rate means prices rose faster than before. Rising more slowly would be disinflation; falling would be deflation. September was neither.
-
Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.
Match each word to its meaning (Wiktionary).
- deflation
- disinflation
- reflation
- inflate
- a decrease in the inflation rate
- to enlarge by pushing air into
- restoring a deflated price level
- a decrease in the general price level
Answer
- deflation: a decrease in the general price level
- disinflation: a decrease in the inflation rate
- reflation: restoring a deflated price level
- inflate: to enlarge by pushing air into
All four senses are Wiktionary’s. The two easily confused are deflation (prices fall) and disinflation (prices rise more slowly).
-
Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word is wrong for the sense. Find it.
When inflation slows from 6% to 4%, prices still rise: that is deflation.
Answer
deflation. → disinflation.. Prices that still rise, only more slowly, show a fall in the inflation rate: disinflation. Deflation is a fall in the price level itself.
-
Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.
Put the forms in Wiktionary’s order, from flō to the English word.
- flō
- īnflātus
- īnflō
- īnflātiō
- inflation
Answer
- flō
- īnflō
- īnflātus
- īnflātiō
- inflation
In + flō gave īnflō, "blow into"; its participle is īnflātus; the noun īnflātiō, "expansion, blowing up", reached English through Old French inflation, "swelling".
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
To slow a booming, ___ economy the Keynesian recipe is to raise rates or cut spending.
- inflationary
- inflated
Answer
inflationary. The Nobel article’s word is inflationary, the adjective of inflation. Inflated is the participle of inflate, blown up or raised abnormally, and does not describe an economy with rising prices.
Look-alike words · elicit / illicit
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
The Home Minister’s post named terrorism, trafficking and ___ financial flows among the threats.
- elicit
- illicit
Answer
illicit. An adjective before a noun, meaning not allowed by the law: illicit. Elicit is a verb.
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
A calm interviewer can ___ a frank answer from a nervous candidate.
- illicit
- elicit
Answer
elicit. The slot needs a verb meaning to draw out a reply: elicit, Oxford’s "to get information or a reaction from somebody".
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which sentence uses both words correctly?
- The probe sought to elicit details of the elicit trade.
- The probe sought to illicit details of the elicit trade.
- The probe sought to elicit details of the illicit trade.
- The probe sought to illicit details of the illicit trade.
Answer
The probe sought to elicit details of the illicit trade.. The verb (draw out details) is elicit; the adjective (unlawful trade) is illicit.
-
Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word is wrong. Find it.
The agency could not illicit a reply from the bank.
Answer
illicit → elicit. Getting a reply out of somebody is to elicit it. Illicit is an adjective and cannot follow "could not".
-
Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word is wrong. Find it.
The meeting listed elicit financial flows among the threats.
Answer
elicit → illicit. Flows that the law does not allow are illicit. Elicit is a verb, so it cannot describe a noun.
-
Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.
Match each item to what it is.
- elicit
- illicit
- elicit something from somebody
- illicit financial flows
- the roundup’s phrase
- a verb: to draw out a reply
- an adjective: not allowed by the law
- Oxford’s pattern for the verb
Answer
- elicit: a verb: to draw out a reply
- illicit: an adjective: not allowed by the law
- elicit something from somebody: Oxford’s pattern for the verb
- illicit financial flows: the roundup’s phrase
Both senses and the pattern are Oxford’s; the phrase is quoted in the roundup from the Home Minister’s post.
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Oxford gives elicit and illicit the same pronunciation. What tells them apart in a written answer?
- stress on the first syllable
- the vowel at the end
- spelling and part of speech
Answer
spelling and part of speech. Oxford gives both as /ɪˈlɪsɪt/, stressed on the second syllable, with the same final vowel. Only the spelling and the job in the sentence (verb or adjective) differ.
Word partners · the verbs of drought relief: notify, submit, send, recommend, release
-
Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.
Put the steps of central drought relief in the order the manual sets.
- The Centre sends an IMCT
- The State submits a memorandum
- The State notifies the drought
- The Ministry of Finance releases the money
- The High Level Committee recommends release
- The SC-NEC recommends an amount
Answer
- The State notifies the drought
- The State submits a memorandum
- The Centre sends an IMCT
- The SC-NEC recommends an amount
- The High Level Committee recommends release
- The Ministry of Finance releases the money
The explainer: the State notifies, sends a memorandum within a week, the IMCT is sent within a week of receipt, the SC-NEC recommends the amount, and the Ministry of Finance releases it on the High Level Committee’s recommendation.
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
In the manual’s words: "States will ___ Kharif drought by 31st October and the Rabi drought by 31st March."
- announce
- notify
- proclaim
Answer
notify. The manual’s verb is notify: the State issues a notification for the area, valid for up to 6 months.
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which body releases NDRF money for a drought?
- the Ministry of Finance
- the SC-NEC
- the High Level Committee
- the central team (IMCT)
Answer
the Ministry of Finance. Money is released by the Ministry of Finance "upon the recommendation of the High Level Committee". The IMCT reports and the SC-NEC recommends; neither releases.
-
Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One verb has the wrong subject. Find it.
The SC-NEC releases the amount from the NDRF.
Answer
releases → recommends. The SC-NEC recommends the amount from the NDRF; the Ministry of Finance releases it.
-
Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One verb is wrong. Find it.
Karnataka released its Kharif 2026 drought memorandum on 10 September.
Answer
released → submitted. A State submits a memorandum; release is the Ministry of Finance’s verb, for money.
-
Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.
Match each verb to the body that does it.
- notify the drought
- send an IMCT
- recommend the amount
- release the money
- the SC-NEC
- the Ministry of Finance
- the Centre
- the State
Answer
- notify the drought: the State
- send an IMCT: the Centre
- recommend the amount: the SC-NEC
- release the money: the Ministry of Finance
Each verb has one subject in the manual’s steps as the explainer quotes them.
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
The SDRF and the NDRF are ___ by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- administered
- distributed
- recommended
Answer
administered. The explainer’s verb is administered. Committees recommend amounts; the funds themselves are administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Today's key term · precautionary principle
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Under Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration, what shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures?
- the cost of the measures
- the absence of a treaty
- a State’s limited capabilities
- lack of full scientific certainty
Answer
lack of full scientific certainty. Principle 15: "lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation". Capabilities shape how States apply the approach; they are not the excuse the principle rules out.
-
Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
Principle 15 applies "where there are threats of serious or ___ damage".
- unprecedented
- irreversible
- transboundary
Answer
irreversible. Rio’s trigger is "serious or irreversible damage". Our note on the Himalayas column uses the same idea: "when the harm is irreversible".
-
Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which is the Rio Declaration’s own word in Principle 15?
- doctrine
- approach
- principle
Answer
approach. Rio says "the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States". Principle is the name our notes use.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Our note says the burden falls on the project to prove it is safe. How does that compare with Rio’s text?
- It repeats Rio’s words exactly
- It contradicts Rio’s text
- It goes further than Rio’s text
Answer
It goes further than Rio’s text. Rio says uncertainty must not delay cost-effective measures; it does not say who must prove safety. Shifting the burden to the project is a stronger reading, not a contradiction.
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Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.
Match each part of Principle 15 to its words.
- the trigger
- the rule
- who applies it
- the measures
- uncertainty is no reason to delay
- cost-effective, to prevent degradation
- States, according to their capabilities
- serious or irreversible damage
Answer
- the trigger: serious or irreversible damage
- the rule: uncertainty is no reason to delay
- who applies it: States, according to their capabilities
- the measures: cost-effective, to prevent degradation
All four come from the text of Principle 15.
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Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word misstates Principle 15. Find it.
Under Principle 15, lack of full scientific certainty justifies postponing preventive measures.
Answer
justifies → does not justify. Rio says lack of full scientific certainty "shall not be used as a reason for postponing" the measures: the reverse of justifying delay.
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Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
The Himalayas column asks for a ___ on all development projects until each is rigorously reassessed.
- moratorium
- mandate
- memorandum
Answer
moratorium. Vaidya’s word is moratorium, a temporary stop (Oxford). A memorandum is a document, as in a State’s drought memorandum.
Cut the padding · the buzzword way forward: holistic, multi-pronged, all stakeholders
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Say it shorter Rewrite the sentence below within the word limit.
Cut the padding in 5 words or fewer.
States must adopt a multi-pronged strategy involving all stakeholders to impose water discipline.
Word limit 5
Model
States must impose water discipline. "adopt a multi-pronged strategy involving all stakeholders to" (8 words) wraps the real verb, impose. The States and the water discipline stay.
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Say it shorter Rewrite the sentence below within the word limit.
Cut the padding in 15 words or fewer.
The Centre should adopt a holistic approach to release NDRF support as soon as the IMCT’s findings are verified.
Word limit 15
Model
The Centre should release NDRF support as soon as the IMCT’s findings are verified. "adopt a holistic approach to" goes; the actor, the release, the fund and the condition stay.
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Say it shorter Rewrite the sentence below within the word limit.
Cut the padding in 7 words or fewer.
A comprehensive, multi-pronged approach involving all stakeholders is the need of the hour to protect basic research funding.
Word limit 7
Model
Basic research funding must be protected now. The only content is that basic research funding needs protecting, urgently. Everything else names no step.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which sentence names a step an examiner can credit?
- Publish the IMCT’s findings and release funds once verified.
- Ensure a multi-pronged strategy for timely relief.
- Take comprehensive steps to address the issue.
- Adopt a holistic approach involving all stakeholders.
Answer
Publish the IMCT’s findings and release funds once verified.. Only the first says who acts on what: publish findings, release funds, on a condition. The others could end any answer on any topic.
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Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One phrase is padding. Find it.
The Centre should adopt a holistic approach to release NDRF support promptly.
Answer
adopt a holistic approach to → (delete). The sentence already has its verb, release. The wrapper adds words and no fact.
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Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.
Put the three steps of the method in order.
- Check that actor, action and figures remain
- Find the buzzword phrase
- Replace it with the working verb, or delete it
Answer
- Find the buzzword phrase
- Replace it with the working verb, or delete it
- Check that actor, action and figures remain
Find, replace, check: you cannot replace what you have not found, and the check comes last.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
When should you keep the word approach?
- whenever an answer runs short
- when a sentence has no verb
- when it is the source’s own term
Answer
when it is the source’s own term. Rio’s "precautionary approach" and the quiz’s "whole-of-government approach" are terms to quote exactly. Padding an answer is never a reason.
Correct usage · senior to, never senior than
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Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
Under inter-se seniority, the officer ranked first in a batch stays senior ___ the rest of the batch.
- than
- to
- from
Answer
to. Oxford’s pattern is senior to somebody. Than doubles a comparison the word already makes.
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Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word is a slip. Find it.
An officer of the 2010 batch is senior than one of the 2012 batch.
Answer
than → to. Senior means higher in rank than others, so it takes to: senior to one of the 2012 batch.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which sentence is standard?
- She is senior than me by two years.
- She is senior from me by two years.
- She is senior to me by two years.
Answer
She is senior to me by two years.. Senior to somebody is Oxford’s pattern.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Why does senior take to and not than?
- Than is used only with numbers
- Its meaning already includes than
- It is a noun, not an adjective
Answer
Its meaning already includes than. Oxford defines senior as "higher in rank or status than others": the comparison is built in. Senior here is an adjective.
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Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
Rule 4: direct recruits "shall be ranked ___ in the order of merit".
- inter alia
- per se
- inter-se
Answer
inter-se. Inter-se means among themselves: the officers of one batch are ranked against each other.
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Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word is a slip. Find it.
Exceptional service does not make him senior than his batchmates.
Answer
than → to. Senior to his batchmates. Than belongs with comparatives such as higher or more.
Idioms in answers · drive a hard bargain
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Ohri says Himachal Pradesh "seems to have driven a hard bargain". What does he suggest?
- It paid most of the project’s cost
- It pressed hard for favourable terms
- It gave in to the other States
Answer
It pressed hard for favourable terms. Oxford: to drive a hard bargain is to argue aggressively and force the best possible arrangement. Ohri contrasts it with Uttarakhand’s silence.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which plain phrase can replace the idiom in a GS answer?
- made a costly concession
- secured favourable terms
- struck a fair compromise
Answer
secured favourable terms. Secured favourable terms keeps the meaning without the image. A concession or a fair compromise says the opposite or something milder.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Where in a GS answer may "drove a hard bargain" go?
- in every paragraph, for colour
- once, after the fact it sums up
- in the first sentence, as a hook
Answer
once, after the fact it sums up. House rule: at most one idiom in a GS answer, never in the first sentence, and only after the fact it sums up.
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Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.
Both sides gained something, so the two States ___ a bargain.
- drove
- struck
- pushed
Answer
struck. Oxford: to strike a bargain is to make an agreement in which both sides have an advantage. Drive appears only in drive a hard bargain, where one side presses hard.
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Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.
Which setting takes no idiom at all?
- an essay’s conclusion
- an ethics case study
- an interview answer
Answer
an ethics case study. In a case study, state the action and its justification plainly. An essay may carry one or two idioms; an interview may carry a natural one.
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Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.
Match each expression to its meaning (Oxford).
- drive a hard bargain
- strike a bargain
- into the bargain
- a bargain (sense 1)
- a thing bought for less than the usual price
- also; as well
- force the best possible terms
- agree so that both sides gain
Answer
- drive a hard bargain: force the best possible terms
- strike a bargain: agree so that both sides gain
- into the bargain: also; as well
- a bargain (sense 1): a thing bought for less than the usual price
All four senses are from Oxford’s entry for bargain.
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Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.
One word breaks the idiom. Find it.
The column says Himachal Pradesh seems to have driven a soft bargain.
Answer
soft → hard. The idiom is fixed: drive a hard bargain. Soft has no place in it.
Reading in the CSAT shape
A passage quoted from India's Science Problem: Basic Research Funding and GERD, then inference questions on it.
Scientists, she writes, face "increasing pressure" to "develop technologies", "build products", "commercialise research" and "deliver solutions". These are "legitimate national priorities but technology cannot be produced on demand". Her example: a diagnostic platform may need "years of work on disease biology, pathogen behaviour, host response, biomarkers and molecular mechanisms before a product becomes possible." Her verdict: "We are emphasising the last few stages while underinvesting in the first."
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
- India’s scientists lack the talent needed to build diagnostic products.
- Basic research should replace product development entirely.
- Useful products rest on years of earlier research that cannot be rushed.
- Commercialising research is not a legitimate national priority at all.
Answer
Useful products rest on years of earlier research that cannot be rushed.. The diagnostic example needs "years of work" before "a product becomes possible", and technology "cannot be produced on demand". Talent is never questioned; the priorities are called legitimate; and "replace entirely" is too extreme.
The writer’s verdict rests on which assumption?
- Funding for Indian science has fallen sharply in recent years.
- Products can be made on demand if enough money is spent.
- Scientists prefer basic research to building products.
- Research moves in stages, with basic work coming before products.
Answer
Research moves in stages, with basic work coming before products.. "The last few stages" and "the first" only make sense if research runs in stages from basic work to products. The passage gives no funding trend or preference, and the last option is the reverse of its claim.
What is the crux of the passage?
- Pressing for quick products while starving early research is self-defeating.
- Scientists should refuse to commercialise the research they do.
- National priorities in science are illegitimate and should be dropped.
- Diagnostic platforms are the most urgent need of Indian science today.
Answer
Pressing for quick products while starving early research is self-defeating.. The verdict joins the two halves: emphasis on "the last few stages" with underinvestment "in the first" undercuts the very products being demanded. The diagnostic platform is only an example.
Which policy step follows most directly from the passage?
- Ask scientists to deliver products within fixed deadlines
- Stop all public support for commercialising research
- Fund the early stages of research, not only the final products
- Judge laboratories only by the products they release
Answer
Fund the early stages of research, not only the final products. If the first stages are underfunded, the remedy is to fund them. Deadlines and product counts deepen the problem; stopping commercialisation goes beyond the passage, which calls it legitimate.
Writing task · Drought relief, step by step
In 100 words or fewer, explain how a drought-hit State gets help from the NDRF under the Manual for Drought Management, and where the delay The Hindu complains of arises. Give each verb its proper subject, and end with one concrete step, not a buzzword way forward.
Companion to Vocab Builder (what a word scores in a GS answer) and Key Terms. Wordcraft is the language itself.
