Daily Vocabulary from International Newspapers ( 13 October 2025): DAILY QUIZ
🧠Daily Vocabulary Challenge – October 13, 2025
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Before you dive into today’s quiz, make sure you’ve studied the words covered in our Daily Vocabulary from Indian Newspapers and Publications – October 13, 2025. These words will help you expand your understanding, improve your expression, and sharpen your command over language — one day at a time.
Once you’ve gone through the words, take the 5-question MCQ quiz below to see how well you’ve mastered them. Let’s make learning new words a daily habit! 💪
Daily Vocabulary from International Newspapers ( 13 October 2025): DAILY QUIZÂ
1. A literary critic describes a novelist’s debut work as “precocious,” noting that the author was only nineteen when it was published. In this context, “precocious” most precisely conveys:
"Precocious" describes development or achievement of abilities, skills, or maturity at an earlier age than typical or expected—specifically implying advanced sophistication beyond one's years. Option B correctly captures this meaning, emphasizing that the nineteen-year-old demonstrated maturity surpassing what would be expected at that age. Option A contradicts the term entirely, as "precocious" indicates advanced development, not immaturity. Option C confuses precocity with speed or efficiency of work, which are unrelated concepts. Option D describes innovation rather than age-related advancement; a work can be innovative without being precocious, and vice versa. Option E focuses on commercial success, which has no inherent connection to precocity—a precocious work might fail commercially, and successful works need not be precocious.
2. Select the phrase where “remnants” would be LEAST appropriately used:
"Remnants" refers to small remaining quantities, traces, or fragments of something that once existed in larger amounts or has been largely destroyed or consumed. Option D is correct because "establish remnants" makes no semantic sense—one cannot create or establish remnants, as they are by definition what remains after something has diminished or been destroyed. Additionally, policies require "guidelines," "parameters," or "frameworks," not remnants. Options A, B, C, and E all appropriately use "remnants": archaeological remains of past civilizations (A), surviving structures after destruction (B), leftover pieces of old fabric (C), and fossilized traces of extinct organisms (E) all represent fragments or traces of something formerly whole or complete.
3. Which of the following best represents a metaphorical rather than literal use of “excavation”?
While "excavation" literally means the act of digging out earth or materials to uncover what lies beneath, it can be used metaphorically to describe the process of uncovering or unearthing hidden psychological or emotional material. Option C employs this metaphorical usage, comparing the therapeutic process of recovering buried memories to the physical act of digging. Options A, B, D, and E all describe literal excavation involving physical digging: construction site preparation (A), paleontological fieldwork (B), mining operations (D), and archaeological investigation (E). These all involve actual removal of earth or materials to access what lies below the surface, representing the term's primary, literal meaning rather than figurative extension.
4. In a scientific paper, a researcher notes that two species exhibit “divergent evolutionary trajectories.” This phrase most accurately suggests:
"Divergent" means moving or extending in different directions from a common point, or becoming increasingly different. In evolutionary biology, divergent trajectories indicate species are developing increasingly distinct characteristics, often from a shared ancestor. Option B correctly captures this—species moving toward different traits, potentially from common ancestry. Option A is incorrect because divergence doesn't preclude common origin; in fact, divergence often implies starting from a shared point. Option C describes similarity, the opposite of divergence. Option D actually describes convergent evolution, the direct antonym of divergent evolution. Option E describes stasis or equilibrium, with no directional movement at all, contradicting the concept of trajectories moving apart.
5. Choose the word that could serve as the most precise synonym for “toppling” in the sentence: “The investigative journalism led to the toppling of the corrupt administration.”
"Toppling" means causing something to fall over or collapse completely, and when used figuratively for governments or administrations, it specifically means complete removal from power. "Overthrow" (option B) is the most precise synonym, as it denotes the complete removal and replacement of a government or authority. Option A (undermining) suggests weakening or gradual erosion but doesn't necessarily imply complete removal. Option C (criticizing) is far too weak—criticism may occur without any toppling. Option D (destabilizing) means making unstable or shaky, which could be a preliminary step but doesn't capture the finality of actual toppling. Option E (reforming) means improving or restructuring, which might allow the administration to remain in power with changes, contradicting the complete removal implied by toppling.
