NIACL Assistant key terms

A word whose meaning is opposite to another word, such as 'scarce' for 'abundant'. Antonym questions test whether you can identify contrast in meaning quickly and accurately.

A word that carries the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as 'begin' and 'commence'. Recognising synonyms helps you answer vocabulary and cloze items without guessing.

Choosing the word that fits the grammar and meaning of a particular sentence rather than relying on the word's most common meaning. Cloze tests and error-spotting items depend heavily on this skill.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'to bite the bullet'. Idiom questions ask for the correct meaning or the right idiom to complete a sentence.

A question type where a highlighted part of a sentence must be replaced by the grammatically and logically correct option. The original phrase is often deliberately flawed in tense, preposition or agreement.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, as in 'The list of applicants is long'. Error-spotting items frequently hide a mismatched verb behind a long phrase.

Answering questions about a passage's main idea, tone, implied meaning and specific details. Correct answers must be supported by the passage, not by general knowledge or personal opinion.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the passage even though it is not stated directly. Inference questions reward careful reading of tone and implication rather than word matching.

A reasoning item built from two or more statements, such as 'All clerks are graduates', from which you decide which conclusions necessarily follow. Only conclusions true in every possible case are valid.

A technique of drawing overlapping circles to represent statements and check whether a conclusion holds in every arrangement. It makes syllogism and some seating puzzles faster and less error-prone.

A conclusion worded with 'can be' or 'may be', which is true if at least one valid arrangement supports it. This differs from a definite conclusion, which must hold in all arrangements.

A puzzle describing family links through statements or a diagram, asking how two people are related. Drawing a family tree with clear male and female markers prevents most errors.

A set of clues fixing the order or positions of people or objects in rows, circles or floors. Solving requires combining clues and eliminating impossible placements systematically.

A machine applies a fixed rule step by step to a line of words or numbers, and you must predict a later step. Identifying the rule from the first two steps is the key skill.

Letters, words or numbers are converted using a pattern, and you must decode a new word or encode a given one. Patterns may involve shifts, reversals, position values or symbol substitution.

A sequence mixing letters, numbers and symbols where you find the next element or count elements meeting a condition. Careful tracking of positions is more reliable than guessing the pattern.

A question gives a problem plus two statements, and you decide whether the statements, alone or together, supply enough information to answer it. You do not need to compute the final value.

Two quantities are given and you decide which is larger, whether they are equal, or whether the relation cannot be determined. Approximation often beats exact calculation here.

A table, bar graph, pie chart or line graph is followed by questions requiring calculation of totals, ratios, averages or percentage change. Reading units and labels correctly is essential.

The difference between a new and old value expressed as a percentage of the old value. It is computed as (new minus old) divided by old, multiplied by 100.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, and a proportion states that two ratios are equal. These ideas underpin partnership, mixture and map-scale problems.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. Average questions often involve a change when one item is added, removed or replaced.

Simple interest is charged only on the principal, while compound interest is charged on principal plus accumulated interest. Knowing both formulas lets you compare schemes and solve instalment problems.

Distance equals speed multiplied by time, with relative speed used for trains and boats. Converting units, such as km/h to m/s by multiplying by five-eighteenths, prevents common errors.

Rounding numbers to convenient values to estimate an answer quickly, usually enough when options are far apart. It saves time in simplification and data interpretation sets.

Total insurance premium collected in a country expressed as a percentage of its gross domestic product. It measures how deeply insurance activity is embedded in the economy.

Insurance premium per capita, that is, total premium divided by population. It shows average spending on insurance by each person in a country.

The amount a policyholder pays an insurer, in a lump sum or instalments, to keep a policy in force. It is the insurer's main source of income and is priced on assessed risk.

The person who owns an insurance policy and usually pays the premium, which may differ from the person insured or the nominee. The policyholder holds the contractual rights under the policy.

A person named in the policy to receive the benefit in the event of the policyholder's death. A valid nomination avoids delay and dispute in claim settlement.

The process by which an insurer assesses the risk of an applicant and decides whether to accept it, and on what terms and premium. It protects the common pool of policyholders from unfair risk.

Insurance bought by an insurer from another insurer to share large or accumulated risks. It protects the original insurer's solvency and allows it to accept bigger policies.

The percentage of claims an insurer settled against the claims it received in a period. It is a commonly cited indicator of an insurer's reliability in paying claims.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, which licenses insurers and intermediaries and frames rules protecting policyholders. It is the statutory regulator of the insurance sector in India.

The sale of insurance products through bank branches and staff, often as an add-on to banking relationships. It widens distribution reach, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.

The computer's volatile working memory, holding programs and data currently in use. Its contents are lost when power is switched off, unlike storage such as a hard disk.

A small, very fast memory placed close to the processor that stores frequently used data. It reduces the time the processor waits for slower main memory.

System software that manages hardware, files, memory and processes and provides a platform for applications. Examples include Windows, Linux and Android.

Software written to damage, disrupt or gain unauthorised access to a system, including viruses, worms, trojans and ransomware. Antivirus tools and timely updates are the basic defence.

A fraud in which attackers impersonate a trusted entity through email, messages or fake websites to steal credentials or money. Verifying the sender and never sharing passwords are key precautions.

A login method requiring two different proofs of identity, typically a password plus a one-time code. It limits damage even if a password is stolen.