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Question

Directions: Each item in this section consists of sentences with an underlined word followed by four words or group of words. Select the option that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word and mark your response on the answer sheet accordingly.

For the aspiring East India Company that looked at every opportunity for expansion and self-aggrandisement, the century had to be projected as one of instability.

This question was previously asked in
CDS I 2023 English Previous Year Paper (16-April-2023)
The correct answer is

humility

Finding the Antonym of Self-Aggrandisement

The question asks us to identify the word or group of words that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word "self-aggrandisement" in the given sentence.

The sentence talks about the aspirations of the East India Company, highlighting their desire for expansion and self-aggrandisement. They used instability as a reason to justify their actions.

Let's break down the meaning of the underlined word:

  • Self-aggrandisement: This term refers to the act of enhancing or exaggerating one's own importance, power, or status. It often involves boasting, seeking attention, or actively pursuing personal gain and influence, sometimes at the expense of others or in a way that seems excessive or boastful.

Now let's examine the given options to find the one that represents the opposite meaning:

  1. humility: This means the quality of having a modest or low view of one's own importance. It is the opposite of asserting one's importance or seeking self-elevation.
  2. exaggeration: This means representing something as better or worse than it really is. While related to boasting (which can be part of self-aggrandisement), it is not the direct opposite of seeking power or status itself.
  3. upliftment: This refers to the process of raising someone or something to a higher spiritual, social, or intellectual level. This term is generally used in the context of helping others or improving conditions broadly, not specifically about one's own status in a self-serving way.
  4. elevation: This means the action or fact of being raised to a higher or more important level. This word is similar in meaning to aggrandisement, particularly in terms of status or position, rather than being an opposite.

Comparing the options, humility is the quality most directly opposed to the concept of actively seeking to increase one's own importance or status, which is the core idea of self-aggrandisement.

Therefore, the opposite in meaning to "self-aggrandisement" is "humility".

Revision Table: Word and its Antonym

Word Meaning Antonym Antonym Meaning
Self-aggrandisement Enhancing or exaggerating one's own importance, power, or status. Humility The quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance.

Additional Information on Related Concepts

Understanding synonyms and antonyms helps build a strong vocabulary for various exams. Let's look at some related terms:

  • Synonyms for Self-aggrandisement: Self-promotion, boasting, self-exaltation, grandiosity, arrogance (in some contexts).
  • Other Antonyms for Self-aggrandisement (depending on context): Modesty, meekness, reserve.
  • Arrogance vs. Humility: Arrogance is an inflated sense of one's own importance or superiority, often displayed outwardly. Humility is the opposite, a modest view of oneself. Self-aggrandisement is the *act* of trying to increase one's importance, which often stems from or leads to arrogance.
  • Upliftment vs. Self-aggrandisement: Upliftment usually implies improving the condition or status of others or a community. Self-aggrandisement is focused purely on one's own gain or status.

In the context of the East India Company, their pursuit of expansion and self-aggrandisement was driven by a desire for increased power, territory, and wealth for the company itself and its key members, using political instability as a pretext.

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