One-Word Substitution
One-Word Substitution
One-word substitution gives 2 to 3 questions in the Part-III English paper and is pure recall, which makes it the most efficiently preparable topic in the whole vocabulary block. Grouping the words by theme and by suffix family, rather than alphabetically, roughly halves the effort.
People by Belief or Attitude
| Definition | Word |
|---|---|
| One who believes in God | Theist |
| One who denies the existence of God | Atheist |
| One who holds that nothing can be known of God | Agnostic |
| One who loves mankind | Philanthropist |
| One who hates mankind | Misanthrope |
| One who is indifferent to pleasure and pain | Stoic |
| One who thinks only of himself | Egotist |
| One who believes the world is bad | Pessimist |
People by Occupation or Skill
| Definition | Word |
|---|---|
| One who writes another's life | Biographer |
| One who writes his own life | Autobiographer |
| One who studies the past through remains | Archaeologist |
| One who repairs machines | Mechanic |
| One who studies handwriting | Graphologist |
| One who cannot read or write | Illiterate |
| One who speaks many languages | Polyglot |
| One who compiles a dictionary | Lexicographer |
Places, Fears and Killings
Three suffix families cover a large number of questions on their own, so learning the suffix is worth more than learning each word.
- -ary / -orium for places: aviary for birds, apiary for bees, granary for grain, sanatorium for the sick, armoury for weapons.
- -phobia for fear: hydrophobia water, acrophobia heights, claustrophobia enclosed spaces, xenophobia foreigners.
- -cide for killing: homicide a person, patricide father, matricide mother, fratricide brother, regicide a king, genocide a race, suicide oneself.
- -logy for study: etymology word origins, entomology insects, ornithology birds, seismology earthquakes.
Etymology and entomology are the pair most often confused, and both are regularly placed in the same question — word origins against insects.
✗ Entomology is the study of the origin of words | ✓ That is etymology; entomology is the study of insects
Situations and Conditions
| Definition | Word |
|---|---|
| A speech made without preparation | Extempore |
| Something that cannot be corrected | Incorrigible |
| Something no longer in use | Obsolete |
| A word opposite in meaning | Antonym |
| A person living at the same time | Contemporary |
| Something that can be heard | Audible |
| Something that cannot be avoided | Inevitable |
| A government by the people | Democracy |
| A period of a hundred years | Century |
| An animal that eats both plants and flesh | Omnivorous |
Notice how many of these are built from a prefix meaning not — in-, im-, ir-, un-. Once the root is known, the negative form follows, which is why the word-formation topic later in this chapter is not a separate skill but the same one.
उपसर्ग-प्रत्यय सीखिए — एक समूह के सब शब्द एक साथ आते हैं।
TRE pointer: Learn by suffix family rather than alphabetically: the -cide, -phobia, -logy and -ary groups between them cover a large share of what gets asked, and each is learnt in one sitting. The etymology and entomology pair is the classic trap. Because this topic is pure recall with no reasoning available, an unknown word is a genuine case for option E when a wrong answer costs −1/3.
60-Second Recap
- Theist believes, atheist denies, agnostic holds it unknowable.
- Philanthropist loves mankind; misanthrope hates it.
- -ary and -orium for places, -phobia for fear, -cide for killing, -logy for study.
- Etymology is word origins; entomology is insects.
- Aviary for birds, apiary for bees, granary for grain, armoury for weapons.
- Learn by theme and suffix family, never alphabetically.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between etymology and entomology?
Etymology is the study of the origin and history of words, while entomology is the study of insects. The two look almost identical and are deliberately placed in the same question. Linking entomology to insect through the shared letters helps keep them apart.
What is an agnostic?
Someone who holds that the existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved, and so suspends judgement. This is different from an atheist, who denies God's existence, and a theist, who affirms it. All three usually appear together as options.
What is the best way to learn one-word substitutions?
By theme and by suffix family rather than alphabetically. The killing words all end in -cide, the fear words in -phobia, the study words in -logy and the place words in -ary or -orium. Each family can be learnt in a single sitting.
What is the word for a place where birds are kept?
An aviary. The related terms are apiary for bees, granary for grain, armoury for weapons, sanatorium for the sick and orphanage for orphans. These place words come up regularly and are among the easiest marks in the vocabulary block.