NDA (II) 2022 General Ability Test · Question 14 of 150

Correct — A, temporal. 'Impermanent' means not lasting, and 'temporal' carries precisely that sense of belonging to time and so lasting only for a while — the sense set against 'eternal' in the familiar temporal-and-eternal contrast. Immortal and never-ending say the reverse, and 'divinely' is an adverb that answers nothing here.

• (b)immortal — 'Immortal' means deathless and everlasting, which is the opposite of impermanent.
• (c)never-ending — 'Never-ending' means without end, so it too reverses the idea of not lasting.
• (d)divinely — 'Divinely' is an adverb meaning in a godlike manner. It matches neither the meaning nor the adjective slot the tested word occupies.

A synonym item on 'impermanent' — not lasting — whose nearest equivalent among the printed choices is 'temporal', in its sense of lasting only for a time.

The most exact single words for 'impermanent' are 'transient' and 'temporary', and neither appears on the list, so the item turns on recognising the temporal-against-eternal opposition. In that pairing, temporal names what belongs to time and passes away, while eternal names what stands outside it. Two options are outright opposites and a third is the wrong part of speech, which leaves 'temporal' as the only candidate on the correct side, and that is what the official key marks.

• 'Temporal' derives from Latin tempus, time, and stands in contrast with 'eternal'.
• Transient, transitory, ephemeral and fleeting are the closest synonyms of 'impermanent'.
• The sentence pairs 'mortal' with 'impermanent', both pointing at what does not last.

• Reading 'temporal' only as relating to time and missing its lasting-for-a-time sense.
• Choosing 'immortal' or 'never-ending', which reverse the meaning.

Asked as a synonym item — choose the word nearest in meaning to the underlined word 'impermanent'.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Select the word nearest in meaning to 'transient'.

  • (a)permanent
  • (b)fleeting
  • (c)eternal
  • (d)fixed

  Answer(b) fleeting — both describe what lasts only a short while.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Select the word opposite in meaning to 'eternal'.

  • (a)everlasting
  • (b)temporal
  • (c)infinite
  • (d)undying

  Answer(b) temporal — in this pairing temporal names what belongs to time and comes to an end.