NDA (I) 2018 General Ability Test · Question 2 of 150

Correct — B, 'assault'. To attack is to set upon something with hostile intent, and 'assault' is the direct one-word equivalent — both are used of physical violence and of hostile action taken against ideas, reputations and property.

• (a)beckon — To beckon is to signal to someone to come nearer, a gesture of invitation with no hostile sense at all.
• (c)belch — To belch is to release gas noisily from the stomach, or of a chimney to send out smoke in gusts; it is unconnected with attacking.
• (d)appreciate — To appreciate is to value something and recognise its worth, which points in the opposite direction from attacking it.

Attack and assault are near-exact synonyms, both meaning to launch a violent or hostile act against a person or a thing.

This is the simplest shape a synonym item takes — one true equivalent and three words chosen for looking or sounding vaguely similar rather than for meaning anything close. 'Beckon' and 'belch' can be eliminated at a glance, which leaves the real choice between the hostile word and the approving one. The printed sentence reads a little oddly, but the item is settled at the level of the single underlined word.

• 'Assault' works for attacks on things as well as people — an assault on a fortress, an assault on civil liberties.
• In legal English 'assault' is defined narrowly as the threat or attempt to apply force, which is why it is distinguished from the use of force itself.
• Both words serve as noun and verb without changing form — they attacked, the attack; they assaulted, the assault.

• Being distracted by the odd wording of the sentence instead of testing each option against the underlined word.
• Picking 'appreciate' because it is the only other familiar word in the list.

Asked as a synonym item — choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word closest in meaning to 'assail'.

  • (a)praise
  • (b)attack
  • (c)avoid
  • (d)assist

  Answer(b) attack — to assail someone is to set upon them.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word closest in meaning to 'raided' in 'The police raided the warehouse.'

  • (a)inspected
  • (b)guarded
  • (c)stormed
  • (d)abandoned

  Answer(c) stormed — a raid is a sudden forced entry, not a routine inspection.