Choose the correct sentence.

A war seems imminent between the two nations.

A war seems eminent between the two nations.

A war seems imminent between the two nations.

A war seems immanent between the two nations.

A war seems emanate between the two nations.

Vocabulary — Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms & One-Word Substitution

Vocabulary looks like the part of the paper that rewards only memory, and that is why most candidates handle it badly: they try to learn word lists at random. The GAT actually draws from a fairly stable pool, and two techniques cut the work dramatically — decoding a word from its roots and prefixes when you have never seen it, and learning idioms in themed clusters rather than alphabetically. This chapter gives you both, plus the confusable pairs that NDA sets almost every year.

Decoding Unfamiliar Words from Roots & Prefixes

You will meet words you have never seen. Do not guess blindly — break the word up. A prefix usually tells you the direction or polarity, and a root tells you the subject matter. That is often enough to eliminate two options and choose between the remaining two.

High-value prefixes and roots
Element	Meaning	Words
bene- / mal-	good / bad	benevolent, benefactor; malicious, malign
ante- / post-	before / after	antecedent; postpone, posthumous
circum-	around	circumference, circumvent, circumspect
-cide	killing	homicide, regicide, insecticide
-archy / -cracy	rule	monarchy, oligarchy; democracy, autocracy
-phile / -phobia	love of / fear of	bibliophile, anglophile; hydrophobia
omni- / ubi-	all / everywhere	omnipotent, omniscient; ubiquitous

🧠 In antonym questions, match the register too

An antonym must be the opposite and of comparable strength. The opposite of "ecstatic" is not merely "sad" but "despondent" — both are extreme. Examiners load the options with mild words to catch candidates who settle for a rough opposite. Read all four before committing, because the second-best answer is always present on purpose.

Idioms & Phrases in Themed Clusters

An idiom cannot be worked out from its words, so it must be learnt — but learning by theme means each new one reinforces the last, and a service exam like NDA leans on the military, effort and difficulty clusters especially.

Effort, courage and difficulty — the NDA-flavoured cluster
Idiom	Meaning
To show the white feather	To show cowardice
To face the music	To bear the consequences
To burn the midnight oil	To work or study late into the night
To leave no stone unturned	To try every possible means
To turn a deaf ear	To refuse to listen
To smell a rat	To suspect something is wrong
To bell the cat	To take the risk for everyone's benefit
A red-letter day	A memorable, important day
To be in the same boat	To be in the same difficult situation
To make both ends meet	To manage within one's income

⚠️ Never translate an idiom literally

The options for "to smell a rat" will include something about smell or about rats, and both are wrong. The wrong options are built precisely from the literal words, so an option that echoes the idiom's vocabulary is a warning sign rather than a hint. Choose the option that paraphrases the situation, not the words.

One-Word Substitution

People, places and tendencies — the three families that recur
Definition	Word
One who loves books	Bibliophile
One who does not believe in God	Atheist (vs agnostic — one who says it cannot be known)
One who speaks many languages	Polyglot
One who eats everything	Omnivorous
Government by the few	Oligarchy
A speech made without preparation	Extempore
Present everywhere	Ubiquitous
That which cannot be corrected	Incorrigible
A remedy for all diseases	Panacea
Occurring after death	Posthumous

Confusable Pairs & Spelling

Pairs NDA sets almost every year
Word	Means
Stationary / Stationery	Not moving / writing materials (e for envelope)
Principal / Principle	Head of a college; chief / a rule (le for rule)
Complement / Compliment	That which completes / words of praise
Eminent / Imminent	Distinguished / about to happen
Advice / Advise	The noun / the verb
Beside / Besides	Next to / in addition to
Historic / Historical	Momentous / relating to history

🎯 How to revise vocabulary so it survives to exam day

Recognition fades; use does not. For every new word, write one sentence of your own using it — that single act moves it from a list you have read to a word you own. Then revisit at widening gaps: the next day, after three days, after a week. Ten words learnt this way outlast a hundred skimmed once, and the app's Revision module is built on exactly this spacing.

Key takeaways

Break an unknown word into prefix + root before guessing: mal- bad, bene- good, omni- all.
An antonym must match in intensity, not just direction — ecstatic ↔ despondent.
Learn idioms in themed clusters; NDA leans on effort, courage and difficulty.
An option echoing an idiom's literal words is a trap, not a hint.
Atheist denies God; agnostic says it cannot be known — the pair is set often.
Stationery has an "e" for envelope; principle has "le" for rule.
Eminent means distinguished; imminent means about to happen.
Write one sentence of your own per new word, then revise at widening gaps.

Practice questions (8)

Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.

Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to "BENEVOLENT".
1. Generous
2. Malevolent
3. Careless
4. Timid
Show answer
Answer: B — Malevolent
The prefix "bene-" means good and "mal-" means bad, so benevolent (wishing well) is the exact opposite of malevolent (wishing harm). "Generous" is a synonym, and the other two are unrelated.
What does the idiom "to show the white feather" mean?
1. To surrender with honour
2. To display cowardice
3. To seek peace
4. To signal victory
Show answer
Answer: B — To display cowardice
It means to show cowardice. Options about surrender and peace are built from the literal image of a white flag — a deliberate trap, since the idiom has nothing to do with flags.
One who believes that the existence of God cannot be known is:
1. Atheist
2. Agnostic
3. Theist
4. Heretic
Show answer
Answer: B — Agnostic
An agnostic holds that it is unknowable; an atheist positively denies God's existence. The distinction — denial versus unknowability — is exactly what the question tests.
Choose the correct word: "He bought pens and paper from the ____ shop."
1. stationary
2. stationery
3. stationaries
4. station
Show answer
Answer: B — stationery
Stationery (with an "e", as in envelope) means writing materials. Stationary with an "a" means not moving.
A remedy for all diseases is called a:
1. Antidote
2. Panacea
3. Placebo
4. Sedative
Show answer
Answer: B — Panacea
Panacea — a cure-all. An antidote counters one specific poison, a placebo has no active ingredient, and a sedative calms.
The idiom "to leave no stone unturned" means:
1. To work carelessly
2. To try every possible means
3. To destroy completely
4. To search for stones
Show answer
Answer: B — To try every possible means
It means to make every possible effort. The last option is the literal reading, which is always wrong for an idiom.
Choose the correct sentence.
1. A war seems eminent between the two nations.
2. A war seems imminent between the two nations.
3. A war seems immanent between the two nations.
4. A war seems emanate between the two nations.
Show answer
Answer: B — A war seems imminent between the two nations.
"Imminent" means about to happen, which fits a war. "Eminent" means distinguished (an eminent scientist) and "immanent" is a philosophical term meaning inherent.
Choose the word nearest in meaning to "UBIQUITOUS".
1. Rare
2. Present everywhere
3. Ancient
4. Unquestionable
Show answer
Answer: B — Present everywhere
The root "ubi-" means everywhere, so ubiquitous = present everywhere. "Unquestionable" is a sound-alike distractor, which is the usual way this word is tested.