Why does fire attract insects ?

discharge. To discharge is to release, emit or dismiss; releasing something is not the same as driving it away, and the word is not the opposite of drawing something in.

destroy. A fire does destroy insects, which is why this option tempts, but destroying them is a different act from driving them off; the item asks for the reverse of attracting.

remove. To remove is to take something away, an act performed on the insects by somebody else, whereas 'repel' describes the fire itself pushing them off.

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NDA (I) 2018 General Ability Test · Question 12 of 150

Question text verified against the official NDA question paper.

Why does fire <u>attract</u> insects ?

Q: What is the answer to NDA (I) 2018 GAT Q12?

C. Correct: C, 'repel'. Attract and repel are the standard opposite pair (one draws things towards itself, the other drives them away) and that is the exact reverse of a fire drawing insects to it.

(a)discharge
(b)destroy
(c)repel
(d)remove

Answer

Why

Correct: C, 'repel'. Attract and repel are the standard opposite pair (one draws things towards itself, the other drives them away) and that is the exact reverse of a fire drawing insects to it.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
discharge: To discharge is to release, emit or dismiss; releasing something is not the same as driving it away, and the word is not the opposite of drawing something in.
(b)
destroy: A fire does destroy insects, which is why this option tempts, but destroying them is a different act from driving them off; the item asks for the reverse of attracting.
(d)
remove: To remove is to take something away, an act performed on the insects by somebody else, whereas 'repel' describes the fire itself pushing them off.

Concept

Attract and repel are a fixed pair in ordinary English and in physics: like charges repel, unlike charges attract.

The pull here is real-world rather than linguistic. Everyone knows what a flame does to a moth, so 'destroy' feels right; but the question is about the word, not about the insect. When an option is true of the situation without being opposite to the underlined word, it is a distractor.

Key facts

In physics, like charges repel and unlike charges attract, and the same pair describes magnetic poles.
'Repellent' as a noun names a substance that keeps insects away.
'Attraction' and 'repulsion' are the matching nouns.

Study next

Fixed antonym pairs in English and in scienceDistractors that are true of the situation but not opposite in meaningNoun forms: attraction, repulsion, attractivenessWords for driving away: deter, repulse, ward off

Common traps

Choosing 'destroy' because it is what fire actually does to insects.
Choosing 'remove', which quietly changes who is doing the acting.

Asked as an antonym item: choose the word most opposite in meaning to the underlined word.

Related PYQs

NDA_GAT_2021_I_Q112021Open & attempt →

He found her extremely attractive and charming.

(a) unnatural
(b) modern
(c) repulsive
(d) disapproving

Answer(c) repulsive

The same attract-and-repel pair tested through its adjectives: that paper asked for the opposite of 'attractive' and marked 'repulsive'.

Practice

practice, not a real PYQ
Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'attractive' in 'an attractive offer'.
- (a)appealing
- (b)tempting
- (c)repulsive
- (d)generous
Answer(c) repulsive: the other three all draw a person towards the offer.
practice, not a real PYQ
Complete the statement: Like magnetic poles ______ each other.
- (a)attract
- (b)repel
- (c)dissolve
- (d)absorb
Answer(b) repel: two north poles push each other apart.

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