NDA (II) 2023 GAT Q30: I abandoned the task due to

Q: What is the answer to NDA (II) 2023 GAT Q30?

B. Correct — B, laziness. 'Indolence' is a settled disinclination to exert oneself, so the speaker is saying he gave up the task out of plain laziness. 'Laziness' names that disposition exactly, and none of the other options describes the person rather than the work.

NDA (II) 2023 General Ability Test · Question 30 of 146

Question text verified against the official NDA question paper.

I abandoned the task due to indolence.

(a)difficulty
(b)laziness
(c)ugliness
(d)helplessness

Answer

Why

Correct — B, laziness. 'Indolence' is a settled disinclination to exert oneself, so the speaker is saying he gave up the task out of plain laziness. 'Laziness' names that disposition exactly, and none of the other options describes the person rather than the work.

Why the others are wrong

(a)difficulty — 'Difficulty' would place the reason in the task, while 'indolence' places it in the person who will not make the effort.
(c)ugliness — 'Ugliness' is about appearance and has no bearing on effort or the will to work.
(d)helplessness — 'Helplessness' is being unable to act; indolence is being unwilling to. The gap between cannot and will not is the whole point of the word.

Concept

'Indolence' reaches English through Latin from a sense of being free from pain or trouble, and settled into the habit of avoiding exertion.

The near-miss is 'difficulty', because the natural story behind abandoning a task is that it was too hard. The word chosen tells a different story, and puts the failing in the speaker rather than the work. Nouns that name a personal disposition — indolence, diffidence, obstinacy — should always be tested against the person, not against the circumstances.

Key facts

The adjective is 'indolent', used of a person who avoids exertion.
In medical writing 'indolent' describes a condition that develops slowly and causes little pain.

Study next

Nouns naming dispositions: indolence, diffidence, obstinacyCause located in the person as against cause located in the task'Indolent' in everyday and in medical useVocabulary of effort and its absence: sloth, lethargy, torpor

Common traps

Assuming the reason for abandoning a task must be its difficulty.
Confusing unwillingness, which is indolence, with inability.

Asked as a synonym item where the tempting option supplies the likelier real-world reason rather than the word's meaning.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the word nearest in meaning to 'indolent'. The indolent clerk left the files untouched for weeks.
- (a)efficient
- (b)lazy
- (c)anxious
- (d)honest
Answer(b) lazy — an indolent person avoids exertion.
practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the word nearest in meaning to 'lethargy'. A heavy lunch left him in a state of lethargy.
- (a)alertness
- (b)sluggishness
- (c)anger
- (d)curiosity
Answer(b) sluggishness — lethargy is a dull lack of energy.