The Professor has been able to instil confidence in her students

Correct — A, inculcate. To 'instil' is to gradually and persistently establish an idea or feeling in someone's mind; 'inculcate' means to impress something on the mind by repeated instruction — the two are synonyms in this context.

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  infer — Means to deduce or conclude from evidence; it is about drawing conclusions, not implanting a feeling in someone.
• (c)
  eradicate — Means to wipe out or remove completely — the opposite of building up confidence in someone.
• (d)
  unlike — Is a preposition/adjective meaning 'different from'; it is not a verb and cannot replace 'instil' in the sentence.

In context, 'instil' (to gradually implant an idea or feeling) is synonymous with 'inculcate'.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  'Inculcate' most nearly means —

  • (a)to teach by repetition
  • (b)to erase
  • (c)to guess
  • (d)to argue
  Answer(a) to teach by repetition — to inculcate is to impress on the mind by repeated instruction.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which word can replace 'instil' in 'to instil discipline'?

  • (a)inculcate
  • (b)infer
  • (c)remove
  • (d)question
  Answer(a) inculcate — both mean to implant an idea or habit gradually.