SET BBA key terms

A word that carries the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in a given context. Exams test whether you can pick the closest match without changing the sentence's tone or register.

A word whose meaning is opposite to that of another word. Choosing the correct antonym requires attention to part of speech and to shades of meaning, since many words have more than one opposite.

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. Idioms are learnt as whole units.

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition to create a new meaning, as in 'give up' (to quit) or 'put off' (to postpone). Changing the particle can change the meaning completely.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs. Collective nouns and interrupting phrases often create traps.

A construction in which the object of the action becomes the grammatical subject, formed with a form of 'be' plus the past participle, as in 'The report was written by her.'

Also called indirect speech: restating what someone said without quoting the exact words. Doing so usually requires shifting tense, pronouns and time expressions one step back from the original.

A passage with words or phrases removed at regular intervals, where you choose the option that fits each blank grammatically and logically. Success depends on context and word partnership, not isolated meaning.

A set of sentences presented in scrambled order that must be rearranged into a coherent paragraph. Opening and closing sentences, pronouns, conjunctions and linking words supply the clues.

A conclusion drawn from details stated in a passage rather than stated outright. A valid inference must be supported by the text and must not rest on personal opinion or outside knowledge.

A fraction expressed with a denominator of one hundred and written with the percent sign. Quick conversion among fractions, decimals and percentages is essential for profit, interest and data questions.

A comparison of two quantities of the same kind, written as a:b, showing how many times one contains the other. Ratios simplify like fractions and are used to divide amounts into shares.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values, also called the arithmetic mean. Typical problems involve a new member joining a group and shifting the average up or down.

Interest computed only on the original principal for the whole period, using principal times rate times time divided by one hundred. It never earns interest on interest already earned.

Interest calculated on the principal plus interest already earned, so the amount grows faster than under simple interest. For annual compounding the amount equals principal times one plus rate over hundred, raised to the number of years.

Profit is selling price minus cost price, while loss is cost price minus selling price. Both are normally expressed as a percentage of cost price, which is the base for such questions.

The lowest common multiple is the smallest number divisible by each given number; the highest common factor is the largest number dividing each exactly. For two numbers, their product equals the product of the numbers.

Problems about how long people or machines take to finish a job, solved by treating the total work as one unit and adding the work-per-day rates of all workers.

Distance equals speed multiplied by time, so speed is distance divided by time. Relative-speed problems add the speeds when objects move in opposite directions and subtract them when they move the same way.

The number of favourable outcomes divided by the total number of equally likely outcomes, always lying between zero and one. For a single die, the probability of an even number is three out of six.

Gross Domestic Product is the total market value of all final goods and services produced inside a country's borders during a period, usually a year or a quarter. It excludes income earned abroad.

A sustained rise in the general level of prices, which reduces the purchasing power of money. It is commonly tracked through changes in the consumer price index or the wholesale price index.

The interest rate at which the central bank lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities. Raising it usually makes borrowing costlier and helps to cool rising prices.

Basic rights guaranteed by Part III of the Indian Constitution, covering equality, freedom of speech and expression, and protection against exploitation. Courts can enforce them, and some extend to non-citizens as well.

A bank loan or advance on which the borrower has stopped paying interest or principal for a specified period, commonly ninety days. A high share of such loans reduces a bank's profitability.

The benchmark stock market index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, computed from the prices of a selected basket of large, actively traded companies. It moves with the market value of those shares.

The annual statement of the central government's estimated receipts and expenditure for the coming financial year. It is presented to Parliament before the financial year begins on the first of April.

An international organisation founded in 1945 to maintain peace and security and to promote cooperation among countries. Its principal organs include the General Assembly and the Security Council.

A reasoning problem giving two or more statements treated as true, from which you decide which conclusions must follow. Validity depends on logical form, not on whether the statements are factually correct.

Puzzles that describe family links in words or symbols and ask how two people are related. Sketching a quick family tree with standard symbols prevents confusion about gender and generation.

Questions in which words or numbers are written in an artificial code, and you must identify the rule, such as letter shifts, reversals or substitution, to encode or decode a new word.

Puzzles that place people around a table or in a row under conditions about who sits where. Definite clues are fixed first, and circular arrangements need careful handling of left and right.

Problems that track a person's movement through a series of turns and distances, asking for the final facing direction or the shortest distance from the start. A rough sketch helps.

A question giving a statement followed by proposed assumptions, where you judge whether each assumption is implied, that is, taken for granted by the person making the statement.

A format in which a question is followed by one or more statements, and you decide whether the given data are enough to answer it, without actually calculating the final value.

A sequence of numbers, letters or figures that follows a hidden rule, where you must find the rule and supply the missing term. Differences, ratios, squares and alternating patterns are common devices.