Overcome and Succeed Choose the option that most appropriately describes the meaning of both the words.
- (a)Overcome means triumph over and succeed means to achieve something
- (b)Overcome means achieve something and succeed means to triumph over
- (c)Overcome means to be successful and succeed means to achieve something
- (d)Overcome means winning and succeed means to rise above
Answer
A
Why
Correct — A. To 'overcome' is to prevail or triumph over a difficulty or obstacle, and to 'succeed' is to achieve a desired aim or result. Option A gives each verb its correct meaning.
Why the others are wrong
- (b)Overcome means achieve something and succeed means to triumph over — Swaps the two — achieving an aim is 'succeed', while triumphing over an obstacle is 'overcome'.
- (c)Overcome means to be successful and succeed means to achieve something — Blurs 'overcome' into 'succeed'; overcoming is specifically defeating an obstacle, not merely being successful.
- (d)Overcome means winning and succeed means to rise above — Reverses the natural pairing — 'rise above' fits overcome, while winning/achieving fits succeed.
Concept
'Overcome' means to prevail or triumph over an obstacle; 'succeed' means to achieve one's aim or result.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
'Overcome' is closest in meaning to —
- (a)surrender to
- (b)triumph over
- (c)avoid
- (d)ignore
Answer(b) triumph over — to overcome is to prevail over a difficulty.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'The plan finally ______; sales doubled within a month.' The best word is —
- (a)overcame
- (b)succeeded
- (c)rose
- (d)prevailed
Answer(b) succeeded — the plan achieved its aim (doubled sales).