NDA (I) 2018 General Ability Test · Question 17 of 150

Correct — C, 'coarse'. 'A fine ear' is one that catches small differences, and 'fine' in that sense — delicate, finely discriminating — pairs with 'coarse', which means rough and unable to make fine distinctions.

• (a)small — Small takes 'fine' as a word about size, but a fine ear is not a small ear.
• (b)close — Close can mean careful, as in close attention, which moves alongside 'fine' rather than against it.
• (d)smooth — Smooth sits on the same side as 'fine' — both are set against rough — so it repeats the sense instead of reversing it.

'Fine' and 'coarse' are a fixed pair, used of grains, cloth, features and, as here, of discrimination — a fine ear, a fine palate, a fine eye for detail.

'Fine' is one of the busiest adjectives in English — a fine day, a fine of five hundred rupees, fine sand, a fine distinction — so the sentence has to be read before the pair can be chosen. 'A fine ear for music' is about discrimination, and the word that reverses discrimination is 'coarse'.

• Fine and coarse describe grain size — fine sand and coarse sand, fine cloth and coarse cloth.
• 'Fine' as a noun and verb is a money penalty, unrelated to the adjective in this sentence.
• 'A fine distinction' is a small one, and 'a coarse joke' is a crude one.

• Taking 'fine' as a word about size and choosing 'small'.
• Choosing 'smooth', which belongs on the same side as 'fine'.

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

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'fine' in 'fine sand'.

  • (a)soft
  • (b)coarse
  • (c)dry
  • (d)clean

  Answer(b) coarse — coarse sand has larger grains.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word closest in meaning to 'discerning' in 'a discerning reader'.

  • (a)careless
  • (b)perceptive
  • (c)hurried
  • (d)doubtful

  Answer(b) perceptive — a discerning reader notices fine differences.