Do not hold any preconception about people.
- (a)notion
- (b)experiment
- (c)great idea
- (d)conceit
Correct — A, notion. A preconception is an opinion formed in advance of any real knowledge, and of the four choices only 'notion' means an idea or belief at all — the others name a trial, a compliment and a character flaw. The pairing is familiar from the fixed phrase preconceived notion, which is what makes 'notion' the intended match.
- (b)experiment — 'Experiment' means a test carried out to find something out — the opposite habit of mind to judging in advance.
- (c)great idea — A preconception carries no promise of being good, so adding 'great' imports approval that the tested word does not have.
- (d)conceit — 'Conceit' belongs to the same conceive family but means excessive pride in oneself, or in literature an elaborate extended metaphor.
A synonym item on 'preconception' — an opinion formed before the facts are known — whose nearest equivalent among the choices is 'notion'.
'Notion' by itself is broader than 'preconception', because it drops the in-advance element that the prefix pre- supplies. The fullest one-word equivalent would be 'prejudice', and that is not printed. Among what is offered, 'notion' is the only word that names an idea at all, so it is the nearest in meaning — which is all a synonym item asks for. Rank the choices by closeness instead of hunting for a perfect fit.
- The prefix pre- means before, so a preconception is a conception formed beforehand.
- 'Preconceived notion' is the standard collocation in English.
- 'Conceit' and 'conception' both descend from Latin concipere, to take in or conceive.
- Choosing 'conceit' because it looks and sounds related.
- Rejecting 'notion' for being broader, when the item asks only for the nearest meaning.
Asked as a synonym item — choose the word nearest in meaning to the underlined word 'preconception'.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Select the phrase nearest in meaning to 'prejudice'.
- (a)tested evidence
- (b)preconceived opinion
- (c)careful argument
- (d)final proof
Answer(b) preconceived opinion — a prejudice is a judgement formed before the facts are in.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the meaning of 'conceit' in ordinary use.
- (a)humility
- (b)excessive pride in oneself
- (c)a clear plan
- (d)a shared belief
Answer(b) excessive pride in oneself — the word is unrelated to holding an opinion in advance.