DFCCIL MTS key terms

The act of sending a person back to their own country, especially someone who was stranded, deported, or working abroad. In current affairs it appears in news about migrant workers, prisoners, or citizens rescued from conflict zones.

The organized removal of people from a dangerous place to a safer one. In news reporting it is used for rescue operations during floods, cyclones, fires, or war, and is often carried out by armed forces or disaster response teams.

National Disaster Response Force, a specialized Indian force raised under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It conducts rescue and relief during floods, earthquakes, cyclones, and building collapses, and is frequently mentioned in current affairs on disasters.

The planning and action taken to reduce the damage caused by disasters, covering prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. In India it is governed mainly by the Disaster Management Act, 2005, with NDMA at the national level.

A formal arrangement between two countries covering trade, defence, migration, or another shared interest. In current affairs questions it appears in the form of memoranda of understanding and treaties signed between India and another nation.

The exchange of goods and services between two countries. It is measured in imports and exports and is often reported when leaders meet or when a trade agreement is signed, making it a common current affairs topic.

The difference between a country's exports and its imports over a period. A surplus means exports exceed imports; a deficit means imports exceed exports. It is a standard term in economy-based general awareness questions.

The gap between the government's total expenditure and its total receipts, excluding borrowings. It shows how much the government must borrow and is announced with the Union Budget, so it appears in economy current affairs.

The annual statement of the Indian government's estimated receipts and expenditure, presented in Parliament before the financial year begins. It is a frequent topic in general awareness, including the name of the Finance Minister presenting it.

The rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities. Changes in it affect loan interest rates and inflation, and the rate is set by the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee.

The actions of a central bank to control money supply, credit, and inflation, mainly through interest rates and reserve requirements. In India it is framed by the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee, making it a common economy question.

The management of relations between countries through negotiation, dialogue, and representatives such as ambassadors. News of summits, visits by heads of state, and joint statements falls under this heading in current affairs.

A reasoning question that states a relationship between two items and asks you to find the same relationship in another pair. The relationship may be of part and whole, cause and effect, worker and workplace, or degree.

A reasoning task in which four or five items are given and one must be identified as different from the rest because the others share a common property. It is also called odd one out and tests the ability to spot a shared rule.

A question format where all options except one belong to the same category, such as all being prime numbers or all being capital cities. The candidate must name the item that does not fit the shared category.

A question giving a sequence of numbers, letters, or figures that follow a hidden rule, with one or more terms missing. The candidate must identify the pattern, such as adding consecutive odd numbers or multiplying by a fixed value.

A sequence of numbers arranged by a rule such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, squares, or alternating patterns. Finding the next term or the wrong term requires spotting how each number is obtained from the previous one.

A sequence of letters that follows a rule based on the position of letters in the alphabet, such as skipping one or two letters each step. It tests both pattern recognition and familiarity with alphabetical order.

A reasoning topic in which words or numbers are written in a disguised form according to a rule, and the candidate must either decode a given code or apply the same rule to a new word.

Reasoning questions that describe family relationships in words or symbols, such as pointing to a man and saying he is the son of my mother's brother. The candidate must work out how two people are related.

A reasoning topic about movement in the four or eight compass directions, often asking for the final distance or direction from a starting point. Drawing a rough diagram is the standard way to solve such questions.

A puzzle in which people are placed in a row or around a table according to given conditions, such as facing north or sitting opposite someone. The candidate must arrange them correctly and answer questions about positions.

A logic question giving two or more statements about categories, such as all A are B, and asking which conclusions necessarily follow. Only conclusions that are always true count as valid, not merely possible.

A diagram using overlapping circles to show how sets relate, used to solve questions about groups that share properties. It helps answer problems on people who read two newspapers, speak two languages, or belong to overlapping categories.

A non-verbal reasoning question showing a figure and asking how it would look when reflected in a mirror placed to its side. The left and right sides swap while top and bottom stay the same.

A non-verbal reasoning task in which a sheet of paper is folded, sometimes punched or cut, and then unfolded. The candidate must identify the pattern of holes or creases that appears on the opened sheet.

A non-verbal question in which a simple shape is hidden inside a more complex drawing, and the candidate must find which option contains the given shape exactly, without rotation or change of size.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. It is used to find a missing value when the average and count are known, and to solve problems on combined averages of two groups.

A fraction expressed as a part of one hundred, written with the percent sign. Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages quickly is essential for profit and loss, discount, and data interpretation questions.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, while a proportion states that two ratios are equal. These ideas are used to divide amounts in given shares and to solve mixture and partnership problems.

Arithmetic problems based on cost price, selling price, and the gain or loss as a percentage of cost price. Common variants include successive discounts, marked price, and finding the selling price from a given profit percentage.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, using the formula principal times rate times time divided by one hundred. It is contrasted with compound interest, which is calculated on the growing amount.

Interest calculated on the principal plus interest already earned, so the amount grows faster than under simple interest. For two years the difference from simple interest equals the interest on the first year's interest.

Problems relating distance covered, speed, and time through the formula distance equals speed multiplied by time. Variants include average speed, relative speed of two moving objects, and trains crossing poles or platforms.

Problems where workers or pipes complete a task at given rates, and the candidate finds the combined time or the work done in a period. The standard method is to take total work as the least common multiple of the given days.

A variation of time and work in which inlet pipes fill a tank and outlet pipes empty it. Filling rates are taken as positive and emptying rates as negative, and the net rate gives the total time.

A business arithmetic topic where two or more people invest money for different periods and share profit in proportion to capital multiplied by time. It uses the same ratio ideas as profit sharing problems.

Vocabulary questions asking for a word with the same meaning as the given word, or with the opposite meaning. Building word lists by theme and learning common prefixes and suffixes helps answer them quickly.

Fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words, such as to let the cat out of the bag. Questions ask for the correct meaning or for the idiom that fits a given sentence.

A vocabulary item in which a phrase or description is replaced by a single precise word, such as a person who speaks many languages being called a polyglot. It tests precision and breadth of English vocabulary.

A grammar question in which a sentence is divided into parts and the candidate must find the part containing a grammatical mistake. Common errors involve subject-verb agreement, prepositions, articles, and tense consistency.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb. Errors often arise with collective nouns, either-or constructions, and phrases inserted between subject and verb.

A question type where one or more words are missing from a sentence and the candidate selects the option that fits grammatically and in meaning. Prepositions, articles, conjunctions, and vocabulary are commonly tested.

A passage followed by questions on its main idea, details, inference, and tone. The candidate must answer strictly from the passage, avoiding outside knowledge, and should read the questions before scanning the text.

A question giving jumbled parts of a sentence or jumbled sentences of a paragraph, which must be put into a logical order. Finding the opening part and linking pronouns and connectors are the main strategies.