some difficult words from editorials , which is important and very helpful for IBPS PO/CLERK/LIC AAO/RRB & SSC CGL EXAM and other exams !!!
The Hindu: Accord under strain — on Columbia peace pact
Colombia’s presidential election, due in May 2018, will have a bearing on the fragile peace accord of 2016 that ended one of the longest civil wars in history. The result of the parliamentary election held this month has framed the stiff challenge the pro-peace parties face. The accord between the Colombian security forces and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had won President Juan Manuel Santos the Nobel Peace Prize; it is to his credit that the government managed to implement the accord in bits and pieces despite unremitting hostility from the right-wing opposition led by former President Álvaro Uribe. Now, in the March 11 parliamentary vote, Mr. Uribe’s Democratic Centre Party has emerged as the largest bloc in the Senate with 19 seats. Two other right-wing parties, Radical Change and Conservative Party, finished second and third with 16 and 15 seats, respectively. In all, the anti-accord parties have 50 seats in a House of 102. They may not have a clear majority, but the popular support they have mustered is undeniable. The ruling Social Party of National Unity won just 14 seats. FARC, contesting polls for the first time, finished with less than 1% of the vote, but is assured representation in parliament thanks to the accord.
Over the last year, the record of implementation of the steps in the peace accord has been patchy, though major strides were made in the form of demilitarisation and disbanding of the FARC and its conversion into a legitimate political force. The other key aspects of the accord required Bogota to protect mainstreamed FARC leaders and to prevent right-wing militias from targeting left-wing leaders sympathetic towards the FARC. Yet, in the past year, several left-wing activists — such as leaders of teachers’ unions and mining workers’ unions — have been assassinated by right-wing militia groups. This has prevented the possibility of a similar peace accord with the other remaining insurgent group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), whose leadership fears reprisal by militias if they lay down their weapons. Moreover, while the FARC leadership is committed to the accord, some elements of the group are holding out in the jungles, refusing to demilitarise and instead keep fighting. The next couple of months will be crucial for the pro-accord forces, with the parliamentary vote showing how much work they have ahead of them if they want to convince a sceptical electorate — for which memories of the civil war are still quite raw — that peace deserves a chance. For this, they will have to take dedicated steps to overcome the urban-rural disconnect in Colombia. If this not done, the chances of the accord coming undone are dispiritingly high.
1. Fragile (adjective) : नाज़ुक
Meaning : (of an object) easily broken or damaged.
Synonyms : breakable, easily broken, brittle, frangible, smashable, splintery, flimsy, weak, frail, insubstantial, delicate, dainty, fine; eggshell.
Antonyms : able, firm, healthy, strong, durable, tough.
Usage : fragile items such as glass and china.
2. Unremitting (adjective) : निरंतर
Meaning : never relaxing or slackening; incessant.
Synonyms : relentless, unrelenting, continual, constant, continuous, unabating, unrelieved, sustained, incessant, unceasing, ceaseless, steady, unbroken, non-stop, endless, unending, persistent, perpetual, interminable, unyielding, inexorable, unsparing, without respite; hard, harsh, stern.
Antonyms : changing, completed, discontinuous, ending, finished, infrequent.
Usage : their lives were little more than unremitting toil.
3. Undeniable (adjective) : निर्विवाद
Meaning : unable to be denied or disputed.
Synonyms : indisputable, indubitable, unquestionable, beyond doubt, beyond question, beyond a shadow of a doubt, inarguable, undebatable, incontrovertible, incontestable, irrefutable, unassailable; certain, sure, definite, positive, conclusive, watertight, proven, clear, clear-cut, straightforward, plain, as plain as a pikestaff, transparent, obvious, unmistakable, evident.
Antonyms : disputable, doubt, definite, obscure.
Usage : it is an undeniable fact that some dogs are easier to train than others.
4. Patchy (adjective) : विचित्र
Meaning : existing or happening in small, isolated areas.
Synonyms : uneven, bitty, varying, variable, variegated, dappled, mottled, speckled, multicoloured; intermittent, fitful, occasional, fluctuating, sporadic, erratic, irregular, random.
Antonyms : continuous, even, level, regular, smooth, consistent .
Usage : a stretch of patchy grass.
5. Legitimate (adjective) : वैध
Meaning : conforming to the law or to rules.
Synonyms : legal, lawful, licit, legalized, authorized, permitted, permissible, allowable, allowed, admissible, recognized, sanctioned, approved, licensed, statutory, constitutional, within the law, going by the rules, above board, valid, honest, upright.
Antonyms : abnormal, affected, counterfeit, deceptive, dishonest, false, illegal, illegitimate.
Usage : his claims to legitimate authority.
6. Assassinated (verb) : हत्या कर दी
Meaning : murder (an important person) for political or religious reasons.
Synonyms : murder, kill, execute, slaughter, butcher, liquidate, eliminate, exterminate, terminate; informalhit; literaryslay.
Antonyms : bear, create, give birth, keep.
Usage : the organization’s leader had been assassinated four months before the coup.
7. Insurgent (noun) : विद्रोही
Meaning : a person fighting against a government or invading force; a rebel or revolutionary.
Synonyms : rebel, revolutionary, revolutionist, mutineer, agitator, subversive, guerrilla, anarchist, terrorist, bioterrorist, narcoterrorist, ecoterrorist, cyberterrorist, agroterrorist, rioter; freedom fighter, resistance fighter; traitor, renegade; historicalZapatista; historicalMontonero.
Antonyms : obedient, subordinate.
Usage : an attack by armed insurgents.
8. Reprisal (noun) : प्रतिहिंसा
Meaning : an act of retaliation.
Synonyms : retaliation, counterattack, counterstroke, comeback; revenge, vengeance, retribution, requital, recrimination, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, tit for tat, getting even, redress, repayment, payback.
Antonyms : forgiveness, pardon.
Usage : he declined to be named for fear of reprisal.
9. Sceptical (Adjective) : उलझन में
Meaning : not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
Synonyms : dubious, doubtful, having reservations, taking something with a pinch of salt, doubting, questioning; cynical, distrustful, mistrustful, suspicious, disbelieving, misbelieving, unconvinced, incredulous, hesitant, scoffing; pessimistic, defeatist; informaliffy.
Antonyms : trustful, trusting, credulous.
Usage : they were sceptical about the Treasury’s forecast of inflation dropping to 3 per cent.
Meaning : remove all military forces from (an area).
Synonyms : demilitarize, disband, make inactive, shut down, shut off.
Antonyms : arm.
Usage : a demilitarized zone.
