Ten jawans and a civilian driver, who were returning in a van following an…
2023
Ten jawans and a civilian driver, who were returning in a van following an anti-Maoist operation, were killed in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada on April 26. The IED was planted beneath a metalled road. The impact was so forceful that it created a huge crater in the road.
Though this attack, which according to the State Police had been carried out by the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), is under investigation, the larger issues of the use of IEDs and of tackling such devices must be seriously addressed at different levels—the government, industries, the Maoists, and the security forces—despite the government’s claim that the base of the Maoists has shrunk and violence has decreased.
IEDs are among the most potent tools deployed by the Maoists. Even a small formation of Maoists can cause huge damage to the security forces by using an IED. Therefore, the recent theft of about 7,000 detonators by suspected Maoists from West Singhbhum, Jharkhand, is alarming.
The technical equipment used by the security forces to detect IEDs has its limitations. If the quantity of metal in an IED is low or the IED is planted deep under the road, mine detectors may fail to find it. Though hundreds of IEDs are detected and defused every year, the search party could always miss a few due to technical reasons. Ground-penetrating radar, which can detect recent disturbances below the soil surface, has also not proved successful.
The word closest in meaning to the word PROSCRIBED is
Answer: D. Banned — ConceptA synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Context determines which sense is intended. When a passage describes an…
- A.
Sanctified
- B.
Empowered
- C.
Prescribed
- D.
Banned
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Context determines which sense is intended.
When a passage describes an organisation or act barred by law or authority, the governing sense is official prohibition.
Application
In the passage, “proscribed” describes the Communist Party of India (Maoist), an organisation that the authorities have officially forbidden. Thus the contextual sense is “banned.”
Contrast
Sanctified means made sacred or holy.
Empowered means given authority or power.
Prescribed means formally set down, recommended, or ordered.
Banned means officially forbidden or prohibited by authority.
Result
Therefore, the word closest in meaning to “proscribed” is “banned.”