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IBPS ENGLISH · Vocabulary in context

Use the context. Choose the meaning.

Use surrounding ideas to work out a word’s meaning, choose a suitable opposite and recognise natural word combinations.

Learn the method ↓Try 8 questions

Worked examples · 8 original questions · Answers explained

BUILD A REPEATABLE METHOD

Four steps to a better answer.

Read the complete context

Look before and after the target word. A definition, example, contrast, cause or result may explain what it means here.

Make a simple prediction

Cover the options and suggest a short meaning in your own words. Decide whether the tone is positive, negative, cautious or neutral when that matters.

Substitute and compare

Try each option in the sentence. Check both meaning and grammatical form; a familiar dictionary meaning may be wrong for this particular use.

Record the useful phrase

Keep the word with its sentence or word partner, such as reach a consensus. Note the clue that led to the answer so you can apply the method again.

SEE THE THINKING

Two worked examples.

Let the sentence explain the word

The plan remained tentative: the organisers had not yet confirmed the venue or date.

Does tentative mean final, expensive or not yet fixed?

Not yet fixed or final.

The explanation after the colon says that key details are unconfirmed. It directly supports a provisional meaning. Nothing in the sentence establishes the plan’s cost.

One word, different senses

The receptionist asked for my address. The report will address the problem of long queues.

Does address have the same meaning in both sentences?

No. The first is a location; the second means deal with or give attention to.

The grammar and surrounding nouns identify the sense. In the first sentence, address is a noun associated with a person’s location. In the second, it is a verb whose object is a problem.

Common mistakes to avoid
Choosing the first meaning you know

A common word can have several senses. Check which one fits this sentence.

Using a clue too strongly

A sentence may suggest caution without proving fear or a legal prohibition. Match the strength of the claim.

Confusing a similar word with an opposite

Read the task carefully: closest meaning and opposite meaning require different choices.

Ignoring word partners

Correct grammar does not guarantee natural phrasing. Learn combinations such as reach a consensus and meet a deadline in context.

PUT THE METHOD TO WORK

Try eight original questions.

Read each sentence and answer the specific task: meaning, opposite, sense or word choice. Select the best option for this context, then use the explanation to identify the clue.

Untimed learning practice, not an official paper or full mock exam. One point per correct answer; no negative marking here. Show answer earns no point. Your score lasts for this page visit and does not predict an exam result.

Read the full questions below and expand each answer explanation. The interactive version needs JavaScript.

All 8 questions & answer explanations

  1. “The meeting date is tentative because the venue is still awaiting confirmation.” Tentative most nearly means:

    1. fixed beyond any possibility of change
    2. not yet final or confirmed
    3. announced without anyone knowing
    4. far more expensive than expected
    5. held every week
    Answer 1 & explanation

    B. not yet final or confirmed

    The clue is that the venue still needs confirmation. Tentative means proposed or arranged provisionally rather than finally settled. The sentence does not establish secrecy, cost or a weekly schedule.

  2. “The barriers were installed to mitigate the effects of flooding, although they could not eliminate the risk.” Mitigate most nearly means:

    1. measure without acting
    2. make more severe
    3. predict with certainty
    4. reduce the severity of
    5. remove completely
    Answer 2 & explanation

    D. reduce the severity of

    Mitigate means make the harmful effects less severe. The contrast with “could not eliminate” rules out complete removal. Measuring, predicting and making the effects worse do not fit the purpose described.

  3. “The two records showed different totals, so the clerk investigated the discrepancy.” Discrepancy most nearly means:

    1. a difference between things expected to agree
    2. a deliberate decision to stop working
    3. an agreement signed by two people
    4. a request for an earlier appointment
    5. a complete absence of records
    Answer 3 & explanation

    A. a difference between things expected to agree

    The different totals provide the clue: a discrepancy is a difference or inconsistency between things that should correspond. The word does not by itself prove fraud or deliberate wrongdoing; it identifies the mismatch being investigated.

  4. “With the available staff and equipment, the proposal was feasible.” Feasible most nearly means:

    1. already completed
    2. certain to make a profit
    3. required by law
    4. impossible to carry out
    5. practical and possible to carry out
    Answer 4 & explanation

    E. practical and possible to carry out

    Feasible means possible and practical to do. The reference to available staff and equipment supports that judgement. It does not mean the work is finished, legally required or guaranteed to make a profit.

  5. “During the dry season, clean water was scarce.” Which word is closest to the opposite of scarce here?

    1. limited
    2. insufficient
    3. abundant
    4. costly
    5. unsafe
    Answer 5 & explanation

    C. abundant

    Scarce means available only in small or insufficient amounts. Abundant means plentiful, so it is the best opposite. Cost and safety are different qualities; neither tells us whether there is plenty of water.

  6. “The selection process was transparent: applicants could see the criteria and how decisions were made.” Transparent most nearly means:

    1. physically clear like glass
    2. conducted in complete secrecy
    3. finished unusually quickly
    4. open and easy to understand
    5. unnecessary to explain
    Answer 6 & explanation

    D. open and easy to understand

    The explanation after the colon shows that information about the process was available and understandable. This is the figurative sense of transparent. The literal sense of a see-through material does not fit a selection process.

  7. “The new procedure is designed to address repeated delays.” What does address mean here?

    1. write a street name
    2. deal with or give attention to
    3. send a parcel
    4. make the delay longer
    5. announce a person’s name
    Answer 7 & explanation

    B. deal with or give attention to

    Address is a verb taking “repeated delays” as its object. It means deal with or give attention to that problem. It does not guarantee that the procedure will solve it completely, and it is unrelated to a postal address here.

  8. Choose the most natural word: “After discussing the alternatives, the committee managed to ___ a consensus.”

    1. perform
    2. arrive
    3. conduct
    4. go
    5. reach
    Answer 8 & explanation

    E. reach

    Reach a consensus means come to general agreement. Arrive would need a preposition: arrive at a consensus. Perform, conduct and go do not form the intended expression with a consensus.

MAKE THE LEARNING STICK

Review before moving on.

  1. Copy each target word with the context clue that explains it.
  2. Write a new sentence using the same sense, rather than merely replacing the example’s names.
  3. Keep a short phrase list, including reach a consensus, address a problem and mitigate an effect.

Use the IBPS exam routes and official sources for the current pattern, timings and marking rules. These lessons develop shared English skills; question types and requirements differ by exam and stage.

KEEP BUILDING YOUR SKILLS

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