Agniveer Vayu key terms

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as 'begin' and 'start'. Questions often ask you to pick the closest match from four options.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as 'hot' and 'cold'. Identifying opposites helps answer questions that ask for the word most different in meaning.

The total set of words a person knows and can use. In English papers it covers word meanings, one-word substitutions, idioms and spellings tested through objective questions.

A fixed group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words, such as 'to let the cat out of the bag' meaning to reveal a secret.

A small group of words that works together as a unit but does not contain both a subject and a finite verb, for example 'in the morning'.

A group of words that contains a subject and a verb. A main clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a subordinate clause cannot.

A complete unit of thought that begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, and normally contains a subject and a predicate.

The subject is the part of a sentence that names what is being talked about; the predicate is the rest, which says something about the subject, usually with a verb.

Voice shows whether the subject performs the action (active: 'The pilot flew the plane') or receives it (passive: 'The plane was flown by the pilot').

The form of a verb that shows the time of an action or state, such as present, past or future, each with simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous forms.

Direct speech reports someone's exact words inside quotation marks; indirect speech reports the same meaning without quotes, changing pronouns and tenses appropriately.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

A word such as 'in', 'on', 'at' or 'between' that links a noun or pronoun to another word and shows place, time, direction or relationship.

A word such as 'and', 'but', 'because' or 'although' that joins words, phrases or clauses together in a sentence.

Replacing a long descriptive phrase with a single precise word, for example 'a person who studies stars' becomes 'astronomer'. This is a common objective question type.

A physical quantity fully described by magnitude alone, with no direction, such as mass, time, distance, speed, work and temperature.

A physical quantity that needs both magnitude and direction to be fully described, such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, force and momentum.

Three laws stating that a body stays at rest or in uniform motion unless a net force acts, that force equals mass times acceleration, and that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

A push or pull that changes or tends to change the shape, speed or direction of motion of a body. It is a vector quantity measured in newtons.

The product of a body's mass and its velocity, a vector quantity measured in kilogram metre per second. It changes only when an external force acts.

Work is done when a force moves a body through a distance in the direction of the force, calculated as force times displacement. Its SI unit is the joule.

The capacity of a body to do work. It exists in forms such as kinetic, potential, chemical and electrical, is measured in joules, and can be transformed but not created or destroyed.

The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, equal to work divided by time. Its SI unit is the watt, where one watt equals one joule per second.

Distance is the total path length travelled, a scalar; displacement is the straight-line change in position with direction, a vector. They differ whenever the path is not straight.

At constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, so voltage equals current times resistance.

The rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured in amperes. One ampere equals one coulomb of charge passing a point per second.

The opposition a material offers to the flow of electric current, measured in ohms. It depends on the material, length, thickness and temperature of the conductor.

The bending of light as it passes from one transparent medium into another of different optical density, caused by a change in the speed of light.

The bouncing back of light when it strikes a surface. The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, and the incident ray, reflected ray and normal lie in one plane.

A transparent piece of glass or plastic with curved surfaces that refracts light to converge or diverge rays, forming real or virtual images.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind by division; a proportion states that two ratios are equal. These ideas underlie problems on mixtures, scales and partnership shares.

A way of expressing a number as a fraction of one hundred. It is used to compare quantities and to solve problems on profit, loss, discount and simple interest.

The sum of a set of quantities divided by the number of quantities. It gives a single value representing the whole group and is heavily tested in numerical ability sections.

Simple interest is calculated only on the original principal; compound interest is calculated on the principal plus interest already earned, so it grows faster over time.

The highest common factor is the largest number dividing two or more numbers exactly; the lowest common multiple is the smallest number divisible by each of them.

The branch of mathematics dealing with measuring lengths, perimeters, areas and volumes of plane and solid figures such as triangles, circles, cylinders and spheres.

The study of relationships between the sides and angles of triangles, using ratios such as sine, cosine and tangent, and standard values for common angles.

A reasoning question that presents a relationship between two items and asks you to find another pair showing the same relationship, such as 'doctor is to hospital as teacher is to school'.

A reasoning task in which you identify the odd item out from a group, based on a shared property that the other items have and the odd one lacks.

A sequence of numbers, letters or figures that follows a hidden rule. You must find the pattern and choose the term that comes next or completes the sequence.

A reasoning topic where letters or numbers are replaced by other letters or numbers according to a fixed rule, and you must apply the rule to decode or encode a given word.

Reasoning puzzles that describe family links in words or symbols and ask how two people are related, often testing careful tracking of generations and genders.

Problems that trace a person's movement through turns and distances on the ground and ask for the final direction or shortest distance from the starting point.

A logic problem giving two or more statements assumed true and asking which conclusion necessarily follows from them, using terms such as 'all', 'some' and 'no'.

The basic rights guaranteed to citizens by Part III of the Indian Constitution, including equality, freedom of speech, protection from exploitation and the right to constitutional remedies.

A list in Article 51A of the Indian Constitution setting out moral obligations of citizens, such as respecting the Constitution, the national flag and the national anthem.

The opening statement of the Indian Constitution that declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and sets out justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as its aims.

The air arm of the Indian armed forces, responsible for aerial warfare and air defence. It is one of the three services a candidate may join through defence recruitment.

A defence recruitment scheme under which selected candidates serve for a fixed four-year term, with a portion retained for regular service after the period ends.

The graded order of positions in the armed forces, from junior ranks such as airman up to senior officer ranks, which defines authority, duties and forms of address.

The emblems that represent India, including the national flag, anthem, song, bird, animal, flower, fruit and river, often asked in general awareness sections.

Recent events of national and international importance, such as appointments, defence exercises, awards and space missions, which are tested in general awareness sections.

Joint military drills between India and other countries, often named with code words, used to practise interoperability and strengthen strategic ties.

Organised programmes of launching and operating spacecraft, such as those run by ISRO, which often appear in current affairs questions about launches and payloads.

The ability to carry out daily tasks with alertness and without undue fatigue, built through regular exercise, adequate nutrition, rest and a healthy lifestyle.

The ability of the body, especially the heart and lungs, to keep working over long periods. It is improved by running, swimming and cycling and is tested in fitness assessments.

The range of movement possible at a joint or group of joints, developed through stretching. It helps prevent injury during training and physical tests.

Working cooperatively with others towards a shared goal by sharing tasks, communicating clearly and supporting teammates, a key trait assessed in adaptability tests.

The ability to guide, motivate and take responsibility for a group, setting an example and making decisions under pressure, valued in defence selection.

The capacity to adjust quickly to new conditions, tasks or people without losing effectiveness, including willingness to learn and stay calm under stress.