‘Principal’ and ‘Principle’
- (a)‘Principal’ means belief system, and ‘principle’ means head of an educational institution
- (b)‘Principal’ means head of an educational institution, and ‘principle’ means original sum on which interest is charged
- (c)‘Principle’ means moral rule, and ‘principal’ means head of an educational institution.
- (d)‘Principal’ means original sum on which interest is charged, and ‘principle’ means head of an educational institution.
Correct — C, the option that gives 'principle' as a moral rule and 'principal' as the head of an educational institution. Both halves are right: 'principle' is only ever a rule, a settled truth or a basis of conduct, and 'principal' as a noun names the head of a school or college. No other option keeps both words on the correct side of the line.
- (a)‘Principal’ means belief system, and ‘principle’ means head of an educational institution — Both halves are swapped. A belief system is a matter of principles, and the head of an institution is the principal.
- (b)‘Principal’ means head of an educational institution, and ‘principle’ means original sum on which interest is charged — Its first half is right, but 'principle' never names a sum of money — the amount on which interest is charged is the principal.
- (d)‘Principal’ means original sum on which interest is charged, and ‘principle’ means head of an educational institution. — Its first half is right too, since the original sum is indeed the principal, yet the head of an institution is also the principal and never the principle.
'Principal' does double duty: as a noun it is the head of an institution and also the original sum of money in a loan, and as an adjective it means chief. 'Principle' is only a noun, and only ever a rule or a fundamental truth.
Two options in this set get one half right, and that is the design of the item — 'principal' carries more than one legitimate meaning, so an option can state one of them correctly and still fail by handing the second meaning to 'principle'. Judge each half on its own and reject the option the moment either half misfires. The hook that survives exam pressure is that a rule is a principle, and both words end in -le.
- 'Principal' names the head of a school or college, the chief item in a set, and the capital sum on which interest is calculated.
- 'Principle' is always a rule, a standard or a basic truth — never a person and never an amount of money.
- Accepting an option because its first half is correct.
- Treating 'principle' as a possible spelling for the head of an institution.
Asked as a paired-words item — choose the statement that defines both members of the pair correctly.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the correct sentence.
- (a)She is a woman of high principals.
- (b)She is a woman of high principles.
- (c)The principle of the college addressed us.
- (d)He repaid the principle along with the interest.
Answer(b) She is a woman of high principles — principles are rules of conduct.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Fill in the blank. The bank charges interest on the __________ amount.
- (a)principle
- (b)principal
- (c)principled
- (d)principally
Answer(b) principal — the original sum on which interest is calculated.