Choose the correct one-word substitute for: 'A formal split within a religious organization'.

Correct — D. A schism is a split between strongly opposed groups within an organization, above all the formal separation of a church into two.

The stem's 'A formal split within a religious organization' is that core sense → option (d).

The word comes from Greek skhisma, 'a split', from skhizein, 'to split'.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Sedition — Sedition is speech or conduct inciting rebellion against the authority of a state. It is a political offence, not a division inside a religious body.
• (b)
  Heresy — Heresy is a belief contrary to orthodox religious doctrine. A heresy can lead to a split, but the word names the belief, not the split.
• (c)
  Apostasy — Apostasy is one person's abandonment of a faith. It describes an individual leaving, not an organization dividing into opposed groups.

All four options come from the vocabulary of religious and political conflict, so the definition's head noun decides. The stem asks for a split within an organization.

Heresy is a belief. Apostasy is an individual's departure. Sedition is incitement against a state. Schism alone names a division of the body itself.

The best-known example is the East–West Schism of 1054, which divided the Christian church into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Key facts

• A schism is a split within a group, especially the formal separation of a church.
• The East–West Schism of 1054 separated the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
• Schism comes from Greek skhizein, 'to split', the root also seen in schizophrenia.
• Heresy names a belief and apostasy the abandonment of a faith, so neither is a split.

Common traps

• Picking Heresy because a heresy can cause a split, when the word names the belief, not the division
• Picking Apostasy because it is also a religious word, without asking whether it describes a person or a group

No directly related past PYQ was found.