Daily English Vocab
PDF 22nd Dec 2016
Demonetization — an unkind postscript
In November, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Urjit Patel, said there was a ‘confluence
of thought’ in the government and the central bank to deal with black money by removing existing
Rs.500 and Rs. 1,000 notes as legal tender. Now, just about ten days before the deadline to deposit
these bank notes into accounts, a similar confluence of ideas has led to a stunning decision to make
it harder for people to do so. The new caveats (आपत्ति सच
ू ना/चेतावनी), announced on Monday,
restricting deposits over Rs. 5,000 (roughly $70) are not just difficult to fathom (पर्
ू ण रूप से समझना)
but also constitute an unfair change in the rules of the game. Those opting to disclose unaccounted
income under the new amnesty (क्षमादान) scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, face
no restriction on depositing old notes. But anyone depositing Rs. 5,000 or more into a bank account
will have to satisfactorily explain to two bank officials why this was not done earlier. However,
the Finance Minister has suggested that such explanations will not be required for anyone making
a deposit for the first time. Apart from the human tendency to act only when a deadline nears, there
could be genuine reasons for people not to have queued up at banks till now — including their
faith in the Prime Minister, as well as the Finance Minister’s statements that they had till December
30 to do so.
Overstretched bankers may somehow cope with (सामना करना) this latest diktat (फरमान/ आदेश). But
implementation is likely to be arbitrary (मनमानी/ इच्छाधीन) as each bank branch may come up with
its own ground rules, just as they are doing in the case of cash withdrawal limits. Nevertheless,
tasking them to record and flag for audit purposes deposits amounting to just 1.66 per cent of the
personal income tax threshold is tantamount (समान/ बराबर) to outsourcing the taxman’s job to the
banker for no ostensible (प्रत्यक्ष/ दृश्यमान) revenue pay-off. Initially, the Centre said deposits up to
Rs.2.5 lakh would not be questioned, but later held that all deposits could be scrutinized (जाांच करना)
— even though the Income Tax Department will struggle to complete scrutiny (जाांच) of lakhs of
accounts within the legally stipulated (त्तनधाणररत /त्तनयत) two-year deadline. The Prime Minister had
said exchange limits for old notes would be enhanced from November 25; instead, the exchange
facility was stopped altogether. By December 10, Rs.12.44 lakh crore, or 80 per cent of the old
notes, was back in the system, and by December 30 most, if not all, could well return. Perhaps
spooked (दर जाना/भयभीत होना) by that prospect, the Finance Ministry suggested that double counting
may have skewed the numbers, but bankers have dismissed that possibility. The latest flip-flop to
make deposits difficult appears to suggest that the government is itself in panic mode over its bold
gambit.
(Courtesy: The Hindu)
1. Caveat (noun): A warning of the limits of a particular agreement or statement. (आपत्ति
सच
ू ना/चेतावनी)
 Synonyms: Admonition, Alarm, Caution, Forewarning, Monition, Alert.
 Antonyms: Ignorance, Incognizance.
Example: The caveat of the contract includes a penalty fee if the loan is not repaid on time.
2. Fathom (verb): Penetration for understanding./ The extent of understanding (a difficult
problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought. (पूर्ण रूप से समझना)
 Synonyms: Understand, Comprehend, Grasp, Catch, Follow, Perceive, Absorb.
 Antonyms: Misinterpret, Misunderstand, Estimate, Guess, Lose, Neglect.
Example: Since I have always done my work, I cannot fathom why my boss just fired me.
Verb forms: Fathom, Fathomed, Fathomed.
Related words:

Fathomless (noun) - अथाह
3. Amnesty (noun): Grant a pardon to. (क्षमादान)
 Synonyms: Forgiveness, Immunity, Reprieve, Absolution, Dispensation.
 Antonyms: Punishment, Penalty.
Example: The peace agreement calls for the guerrillas to turn in their weapons, in return for
complete amnesty.
Verb forms: Amnesty, Amnestied, Amnestied.
Related words:
 Amnesty (verb) - क्षमा करना
4. Cope with (phrasal verb): To face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties,
especially successfully or in a calm or adequate manner. (सामना करना)
 Synonyms: Face, Deal, Encounter, Contest, Wrestle, Contest.
 Antonyms: Give Up, Make Peace, Retreat, Surrender, Give In.
Example: It remains to be seen whether the government can cope with the differing viewpoints
of the business sector and the anti-poverty groups.
Verb forms: Cope with, Coped with, Coped with.
5. Diktat (noun): An order or decree imposed by someone in power without popular consent.
(फरमान/ आदेश)
 Synonyms: Order, Decree, Command, Instructions, Behest.
 Antonyms: Defiance, Disobedience, Contempt.
Example: The company president issued a diktat that employees may not wear jeans to work.
6. Arbitrary (adjective): Not done for any particular reason; chosen or done at random. (मनमानी/
इच्छाधीन)

Synonyms: Capricious, Whimsical, Random, Erratic, Unpredictable, Inconsistent, Wild,
Irrational.
 Antonyms: Consistent, Definite, Logical, Reasonable, Regular, Reliable, Sensible, Steady.
Example: In spite of the cold weather, we made an arbitrary trip to the beach.
Related words:
 Arbitrarily (adverb) – मनमाने ढंग से

Arbitrariness (noun) – मनमानापन
7. Tantamount (adjective): Equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as. (समान/ बराबर)
 Synonyms: Commensurate, Identical, Alike, Equal, Equivalent, Parallel.
 Antonyms: Different, Opposite, Polar, Reverse.
Example: Some parents say that spanking is tantamount to child abuse while others believe it's
effective discipline.
8. Ostensible (adjective): To all outward appearance./ stated or appearing to be true, but not
necessarily so. (प्रत्यक्ष/ दृश्यमान)

Synonyms: Apparent, Seeming, Outward, Avowed, Presumed, Purported, Pretended,
Feigned.
 Antonyms: Improbable, Obscure, Unlikely, Vague.
Example: Ostensibly, the celebrity seemed to be hiding from photographers by wearing a disguise.
Related words:
 Ostensibly (adverb) - प्रकट रूप से
9. Stipulate (verb): To specify as a condition or requirement (as of an agreement or offer)
(त्तनधाणररत /त्तनयत)
 Synonyms: Designate, Lay Down, Require, Specify, Put condition, Contract, Covenant.
 Antonyms: Break, Confuse, Decline, Mix up.
Example: The software company’s policies stipulate employees must take two fifteen-minute
breaks a day.
Verb forms: Stipulate, Stipulated, Stipulated
Related words:
 Stipulation (noun) - अनबु ंध/ननयम

Stipulatory (adjective) – अनबु ंधगत
10. Spook (verb): Frighten or scare by or from something. (दर जाना/भयभीत होना)
 Synonyms: Frighten, Scare, Unnerve, Panic, Horrify.
 Antonyms: Calm, Comfort, Delight, Please, Soothe.
Example: Spooked by the ostensible images in his dream, Jack decided not to go out in the dark.
Verb forms: Spook, Spooked, Spooked.
Related words:
 Spooky (adjective) - डरावना
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