ESIC Stenographer key terms

A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. In English grammar questions it is often tested through number, gender, and case, and it usually functions as subject, object, or complement in a sentence.

A word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition, such as he, she, it, they, or who. Exam items usually test pronoun-antecedent agreement and correct case forms like I versus me.

The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers back to in a sentence. Clear writing requires the pronoun to match its antecedent in number and gender, and ambiguity in this link is a common error tested in correction questions.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, as in she writes versus they write. Questions often hide the true subject inside phrases, inverted order, or collective nouns to trap the candidate.

Another name for grammatical agreement between sentence elements, especially subject and verb or noun and determiner. Errors in concord, such as each of the boys were present, are standard items in error-spotting sections.

A singular word naming a group, such as team, jury, or committee. It normally takes a singular verb when the group acts as one unit, but a plural verb when members act individually.

The determiners a, an, and the. Definite the marks something already identified; indefinite a or an introduces one unspecified item, and the choice between a and an depends on the following sound, not letter.

The principle that a is used before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds, judged by pronunciation. Hence an hour and a university are correct because the initial sounds, not the letters, decide the article.

A word such as in, on, at, by, or between that links a noun or pronoun to another element and shows relations of place, time, or manner. Fixed verb-preposition pairs are frequently tested.

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition to create a new meaning, such as give up or look after. Candidates must memorise which particle pairs with which verb, since literal translation usually fails.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as spill the beans or at the eleventh hour. Idiom questions ask for the correct meaning or the right word to complete the phrase.

A single word that replaces a descriptive phrase, such as philanthropist for a lover of mankind or omnipotent for all-powerful. This is a recurring vocabulary item in general English papers.

A word with a meaning close to another word, such as begin and commence. Exam items ask you to pick the nearest match, so attention to register and slight differences in sense matters more than rough similarity.

A word with an opposite meaning to another, such as scarce and abundant. Questions usually present four options and expect the exact opposite in the same part of speech, not merely an unrelated contrast.

One of two or more words that sound alike but differ in spelling or meaning, such as their, there, and they're, or principal and principle. Spotting these prevents spelling and usage errors in correction questions.

Two ways of presenting an action: active makes the doer the subject, as in the clerk typed the letter, while passive makes the receiver the subject, as in the letter was typed by the clerk.

Two ways of reporting words: direct quotes them exactly inside quotation marks, while indirect reports them with shifted tense and pronouns. Conversion questions test these systematic backshift rules.

A verb form ending in -ing that works as a noun, as in swimming is good exercise. It can be subject, object, or object of a preposition, and questions test verbs that must be followed by it.

The base form of a verb, usually preceded by to, functioning as noun, adjective, or adverb, as in to err is human. Certain verbs take only an infinitive after them, which is a standard test point.

A verb form used as an adjective, either present in -ing or past in -ed or an irregular form, as in a running tap or a broken vase. Dangling participle errors are common in sentence correction.

A question presenting a pair of related words and asking you to find a second pair with the same relationship, such as worker to factory as farmer to field. Identifying the exact relation type is the key skill.

A classification item giving several items that share a hidden rule and one that does not. You must detect the common property, such as being prime numbers or state capitals, and pick the exception.

A question with a sequence of numbers, letters, or figures following a pattern, asking for the next or missing element. Candidates should check differences, ratios, alternating sub-series, and letter-position jumps.

A reasoning item where words or letters are converted by a rule and you must apply the same rule to a new word. Common patterns include letter shifts, reversal, and substitution ciphers.

A puzzle describing family links through statements or symbols, asking how two people are related. Drawing a quick family tree with clear gender marks prevents the usual confusion between generations and in-laws.

A problem tracking movement in terms of north, south, east, and west, often with turns, asking final distance or facing direction. Sketching each step on paper is the safest approach.

A puzzle placing people in rows or around a table according to clues about who sits beside or opposite whom. Candidates draw positions and apply constraints one by one, starting with the most definite clue.

A logic item giving two or more premises and asking which conclusions necessarily follow. Valid conclusions must hold in every possible arrangement of the terms, so Venn diagrams are the standard tool.

A reasoning format where a short passage is followed by conclusions you must judge as definitely true, probably true, or not following. Only conclusions implied strictly by the statement should be accepted.

A non-verbal item asking what a figure, letter, or clock would look like reflected in a vertical mirror. The horizontal order reverses while vertical positions stay unchanged, so practice with letters is useful.

A non-verbal question showing a sheet folded and punched, then asking how the holes appear when unfolded. The number and symmetry of holes follow from the number of folds and the punch position.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred, written with the percent sign. Percentage problems cover increase, decrease, successive change, and comparison, and they underpin profit, loss, 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 split amounts and to solve mixture, partnership, and speed problems.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. Questions test combined averages of groups, the effect of adding or removing an item, and weighted averages of different subgroups.

Interest calculated only on the original principal, using the formula principal times rate times time divided by one hundred. It never compounds, so the yearly interest amount stays constant throughout the period.

Interest calculated on both the principal and previously earned interest, so the amount grows each period. The standard formula is principal times one plus rate over one hundred, raised to the number of periods.

The relationship that distance equals speed multiplied by time, with consistent units. Typical items involve relative speed, trains crossing poles or platforms, and boats moving with or against a current.

Problems where the rate of work is the reciprocal of the time taken, and combined rates add. Candidates often use the unitary method or take total work as the least common multiple of the given days.

A set of questions based on a table, bar chart, line graph, or pie chart. The work is mostly careful reading plus percentage and average calculations, so estimating before computing saves time.

The highest common factor is the largest number dividing each given number, and the lowest common multiple is the smallest number each divides. They help with fractions, grouping, and repeating-event problems.

The supreme law of the country, adopted in 1949 and enforced from 26 January 1950. Awareness questions ask about its parts, schedules, fundamental rights, and the amending process.

Guarantees in Part III of the Constitution, covering equality, freedom, protection against exploitation, religion, culture, and constitutional remedies. They are enforceable in courts through writs like habeas corpus and mandamus.

The three-tier system of local self-government at village, block, and district levels, given constitutional status by the 73rd Amendment. It reserves seats for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and women.

A statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment that runs social security schemes covering sickness, maternity, disability, and dependants' benefits for insured workers and their families.

The total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a given period. It is the headline measure of economic size and is often quoted at constant prices for real growth.

The interest rate at which the central bank lends short-term funds to commercial banks against securities. Raising it usually cools inflation, and the Monetary Policy Committee announces changes in its bi-monthly reviews.

A phonetic writing system using strokes, curves, and hooks based on sound rather than spelling. Its rules of consonant outlines, vowel placement, and phraseography form the core of most Indian stenography syllabi.

The shorthand symbol or combination of strokes written for a word or phrase. Correct outlines depend on writing the consonants in order and placing vowels according to the rules of the system.

A single shorthand sign standing for a whole common word, such as a dot for a or a short stroke for it. Learning the standard list of these greatly increases dictation speed.

The shorthand practice of joining outlines of frequent word combinations into one continuous form without lifting the pen. It raises speed but demands careful adherence to the prescribed phrase list to stay legible.

The act of reading back shorthand notes and typing them out in longhand English. Accuracy and speed in this stage decide the final marks, and candidates must finish within the time allowed.

The reading aloud of a passage at a fixed words-per-minute rate while the candidate writes it in shorthand. The usual test runs for a set duration, after which the notes are transcribed.

The standard speed measure for shorthand and typing, calculated from the number of words written or typed in a minute. Shorthand tests usually deduct marks for errors from the gross speed.

Checking a typed transcript against the original for spelling, punctuation, and word errors before submission. In stenography tests, uncorrected errors directly reduce the net speed and may cause failure.

System software that manages hardware, files, and programs and provides a user interface, such as Windows or Linux. Computer knowledge questions ask about its functions, types, and common file operations.

Volatile working memory that holds programs and data currently in use, losing its contents when power is cut. More of it allows more applications to run smoothly at the same time.

A keyboard combination that triggers a command quickly, such as Ctrl+C for copy or Ctrl+P for print. Familiarity with these saves time in practical computer tests and in daily office work.

Typing without looking at the keyboard, using an assigned finger for each key from the home row. It is the foundation of high typing speed with low error rates in skill tests.

Software that arranges data in rows and columns of cells and can calculate with formulas, such as Excel. Basic questions cover cell references, functions like SUM, and simple chart creation.