CIL MT key terms

The interest rate at which a country's central bank lends short-term funds to commercial banks. Changes in it influence borrowing costs, credit growth, inflation and the overall money supply.

The gap between a government's total expenditure and its total receipts excluding borrowings in a financial year. It shows how much the government must borrow to fund its spending.

A set of moral obligations listed in Part IVA of the Indian Constitution, added by the 42nd Amendment. They guide citizens to respect the Constitution, national symbols and public property.

An international treaty signed in 1971 for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Member countries designate wetlands of international importance, called Ramsar sites.

A period of rapid growth in crop production, especially wheat and rice, achieved through high-yielding varieties, irrigation, fertilisers and modern farming methods.

A constitutional provision under Article 356 allowing central government rule in a state when its constitutional machinery fails. The state legislature is suspended or dissolved during this period.

A grouping of countries that emerged during the Cold War and chose not to align formally with either the Western or Soviet bloc. It promotes sovereignty and independence.

A form of logical reasoning in which conclusions are drawn from two or more given statements called premises. Questions test whether a conclusion follows necessarily from those premises.

A reasoning topic where the relationship between people is described through family ties, and the candidate must identify how one person is related to another.

A reasoning topic in which words or numbers are converted into a code using a fixed rule, and the candidate must apply the same rule to decode or encode another item.

A puzzle type where people or objects are placed in rows, circles or lines according to given conditions, and the candidate must determine each position.

A reasoning question that presents a statement and asks which hidden assumptions are implicit in it. An assumption is an unstated idea necessary for the statement to make sense.

A reasoning question that asks for a relationship between two items and then requires finding another pair with the same relationship.

A sequence of numbers arranged by a hidden rule. The candidate must identify the pattern and find the missing or next number.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, without adding previously earned interest. Formula: SI = (P × R × T) / 100.

Interest calculated on both the original principal and accumulated interest from earlier periods. It grows faster than simple interest because interest earns interest.

The smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more given numbers. It is used to find common denominators and solve problems involving repeating events.

The largest positive number that divides two or more given numbers exactly, leaving no remainder. Also called greatest common divisor.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. It gives a single representative value for the group.

Ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, while proportion states that two ratios are equal. These concepts are used to solve sharing and scaling problems.

A quantitative topic that relates the time taken to complete a job with the rate of work. It often involves combining the work rates of several people or machines.

The study of gain or loss when an item is sold at a price different from its cost. Profit occurs when selling price exceeds cost price; loss occurs when it is lower.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Synonym questions test vocabulary by asking for the closest equivalent in meaning.

A word that has the opposite meaning of another word. Antonym questions test vocabulary by asking for the word most opposite in meaning.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meanings of its individual words. For example, 'break the ice' means to start a conversation.

Two ways of expressing an action. In active voice the subject performs the action; in passive voice the subject receives it and the doer may be omitted.

Two ways of reporting what someone said. Direct speech quotes the exact words; indirect speech reports the meaning without quotation marks, often changing pronouns and tenses.

A reading exercise in which words are removed from a passage and the candidate must choose the best word to fill each blank using context and grammar.

A question type where sentences of a paragraph are given in scrambled order and the candidate must arrange them into a coherent, logically connected paragraph.

The grammatical rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb.

The layer of soil and rock lying above a mineral deposit or coal seam. In mining, it must be removed or handled to access the ore.

A horizontal step or ledge cut into the side of an open-pit mine or quarry. Benches provide safe working platforms and help control slope stability.

The controlled supply of fresh air and removal of harmful gases, dust and heat from underground mine workings. It is essential for the health and safety of miners.

A sudden, violent release of stored stress energy from rock in an underground opening. It can eject rock fragments and cause serious injury or damage.

A safety connection that links exposed metal parts of electrical equipment to the ground. It provides a low-resistance path for fault current and reduces shock risk.

An automatic switch that opens an electrical circuit when current exceeds a safe level. Unlike a fuse, it can be reset and reused after the fault is cleared.

The ratio of a material's or structure's ultimate strength to the maximum working stress it is expected to carry. It provides a margin against uncertainty and failure.

A field test that measures the consistency or workability of fresh concrete. A standard cone is filled and lifted, and the decrease in height is recorded.