UPSC EPFO APFC 2023 · Question 6

Question 6 of the UPSC EPFO APFC Recruitment Test 2023 (General Studies) (2 July 2023). Try it first, then open the answer and explanation.

1. APFC 2023 · Q6 · General English · Vocabulary & Idioms

   Choose the word or phrase closest in meaning to the underlined word "platitudes". The essay was badly researched and contained several "platitudes" and generalizations.

   1. Incorrect statements
   2. Imprecise comments
   3. Often used and unoriginal ideas
   4. Vague, subjective statements
   Show answer

   Answer: (3) Often used and unoriginal ideas

   A platitude is a remark, often with a moral tone, that has been used so often that it is stale and unoriginal, for example "honesty is the best policy" in an essay that offers nothing new. That fits an essay that was badly researched. Platitudes are usually true, so "incorrect statements" is wrong. "Imprecise comments" and "vague, subjective statements" describe generalizations, which the sentence mentions separately. The key idea is triteness, not inaccuracy or vagueness. Related words: cliche, banality, truism.

Answer it in the practice appMake a topic-wise quiz