GATE CS Basic vocabulary: 3 chapters, 11 previous year questions (52% of Verbal Aptitude), 180 practice questions and one solved question from each chapter.
A question from this chapter
Question 1
2026 Slot Set2 PYQ
Level 3: Exam Standard
Expedite, Hasten, Hurry, __________
Fill the blank by choosing a word with a meaning similar to that of the words given above.
Question 2
2026 Slot Set2 PYQ
Level 3: Exam Standard
Water : P :: Food : Q
Choose the P and Q combination from the options below to form a meaningful analogy.
Question 3
2025 Slot Set1 PYQ
Level 3: Exam Standard
“I put the brown paper in my pocket along with the chalks, and possibly other things. I suppose every one must have reflected how primeval and how poetical are the things that one carries in one’s pocket: the pocket-knife, for instance the type of all human tools, the infant of the sword. Once I planned to write a book of poems entirely about the things in my pocket. But I found it would be too long: and the age of the great epics is past.”
(From G.K. Chesterton’s “A Piece of Chalk”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?
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GATE CS Basic vocabulary: 3 chapters, 11 previous year questions (52% of Verbal Aptitude), 180 practice questions and one solved question from each chapter.
About Basic vocabulary Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
11 previous year questions from Basic vocabulary in GATE CS, grouped by chapter with the exam year, answer key and step-by-step solution for each.
Basic vocabulary Weightage in GATE CS
Basic vocabulary accounts for 11 of 21 Verbal Aptitude previous year questions in our bank (52%), about 1.4 per paper across 8 papers.
One Solved Question from Each Basic vocabulary Chapter
Question 1 · Synonyms, Antonyms and Contextual Vocabulary · 2026_Set2MCQ
Expedite, Hasten, Hurry, __________
Fill the blank by choosing a word with a meaning similar to that of the words given above.
A.
Accelerate
B.
Retard
C.
Provide
D.
Disable
Correct Answer:
A
Step-by-Step Solution
Insight: This is a synonym series question testing semantic clustering, not just random vocabulary.
Exam route: "Expedite", "Hasten", and "Hurry" all mean to make something happen faster. We need a fourth word in this cluster. "Accelerate" means to increase speed. "Retard" is the opposite. "Provide" and "Disable" are unrelated.
Learning route:
Step 1: Identify the core shared meaning of the given words. "Expedite", "Hasten", and "Hurry" all share the core meaning of increasing speed or making an action occur sooner.
Step 2: Determine the required relationship. The prompt asks for a word with a "similar" meaning, placing it in the same semantic cluster.
Step 3: Evaluate options against the cluster. "Accelerate" means to gain speed or cause something to happen faster, fitting the cluster perfectly. "Retard" means to delay or slow down (antonym). "Provide" and "Disable" have entirely different meanings.
Step 4: Conclude that "Accelerate" is the only logically consistent choice.
Question 2 · Word Analogies and Semantic Relationships · 2026_Set2MCQ
Water : P :: Food : Q
Choose the P and Q combination from the options below to form a meaningful analogy.
A.
P = Thirst; Q = Hunger
B.
P = Drink; Q = Hunger
C.
P = Thirst; Q = Satiated
D.
P = Wet; Q = Critic
Correct Answer:
A
Step-by-Step Solution
Key idea: This is a need-based functional analogy, recognizable because the first word in each pair is an item that satisfies a specific biological or physiological need represented by the second word.
Step 1: Analyze the first pair. Water is a substance consumed to satisfy or quench the physiological need of Thirst.
Step 2: Apply the exact same relationship to the second pair. Food is a substance consumed to satisfy or quench the physiological need of Hunger.
Step 3: Evaluate the options to find the pair that matches this "Item : Need it satisfies" structure. Option A provides P = Thirst and Q = Hunger, which perfectly aligns with the established relationship.
Step 4: Check other options to ensure no better fit. Option B uses "Drink" (an action, not a need). Option C uses "Satiated" (a state of being, not a need). Option D uses unrelated words.
“I put the brown paper in my pocket along with the chalks, and possibly other things. I suppose every one must have reflected how primeval and how poetical are the things that one carries in one’s pocket: the pocket-knife, for instance the type of all human tools, the infant of the sword. Once I planned to write a book of poems entirely about the things in my pocket. But I found it would be too long: and the age of the great epics is past.”
(From G.K. Chesterton’s “A Piece of Chalk”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?
A.
The author of the passage carries a mirror in his pocket to reflect upon things.
B.
The author of the passage had decided to write a poem on epics.
C.
The pocket-knife is described as the infant of the sword.
D.
Epics are described as too inconvenient to write.
Correct Answer:
C
Step-by-Step Solution
Key idea: This is a detail-extraction and figurative language interpretation question. The correct option must be strictly supported by the text without adding external assumptions or literal misinterpretations.
Step 1: Evaluate Option A. The passage uses "reflected" in the mental sense ("must have reflected how primeval..."), meaning "thought about". It does not imply the physical act of using a mirror. This is a literal interpretation trap.
Step 2: Evaluate Option B. The author planned to write poems about "the things in my pocket", not about epics. The mention of epics is to explain why the pocket-themed book was abandoned (its length would rival great epics, and that age is past).
Step 3: Evaluate Option C. The passage explicitly states: "the pocket-knife, for instance the type of all human tools, the infant of the sword." This directly and accurately matches the option.
Step 4: Evaluate Option D. The author found the book of poems about pocket items would be "too long", not that epics themselves are inconvenient to write.