NDA (I) 2017 General Ability Test · Question 20 of 149

Correct — D, 'frank'. 'Candid' means open and honest in what one says, holding nothing back, and 'frank' says the same thing. The sentence adds a small twist, since his straight talking has won friends rather than lost them, but the meaning of the word itself is plain outspokenness.

• (a)kind — Kindness is consideration for other people, and a candid opinion is often unwelcome.
• (b)courteous — Courtesy is a matter of polished manners, and candour sometimes cuts straight across politeness.
• (c)generous — Generosity is about giving freely of what one has, which is a different virtue altogether.

'Candid' means truthful and straightforward, saying what one really thinks.

All four options describe likeable people, and the remark about winning friends nudges a reader towards the gentlest of them. The underlined word is about honesty in speech, though, and only one option names that.

• 'Candid' comes from Latin candidus, meaning white or pure.
• The noun formed from it is 'candour', meaning frankness.
• A candid photograph is an unposed one, taken without arrangement.

• Choosing 'kind' or 'courteous' because the sentence has a warm tone.
• Assuming that a quality which wins friends must mean gentleness.

Asked as a synonym item — choose the word or group of words most similar in meaning to the underlined word.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word nearest in meaning to 'candour'.

  • (a)flattery
  • (b)frankness
  • (c)silence
  • (d)hesitation

  Answer(b) frankness — candour is openness and honesty in speech.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'candid'.

  • (a)honest
  • (b)evasive
  • (c)direct
  • (d)simple

  Answer(b) evasive — candid means open and straightforward, so its opposite is evasive.