Newspaper Vocabulary Analysis: Easy Way to Learn New Words

Hello aspirants!

As you all are appearing in various competitive exams such as banking, ssc, railways etc., it is very important for all of you to have good General Knowledge and strong command over English language.

If these two subjects are mastered then half the battle is won, reason is - you can quickly attempt both the sections which will make you score better than others and will save time for other sections.

If you ask your teachers or mentors how to excel in both above subjects, the answer would be - read English Newspaper... Obviously, this is the best way to improve both your general knowledge and English at the same time. But reading newspapers seems boring to many of us.

Tell me friends, is it so that when you take the newspaper in your hand for 10 minutes --15 minutes-- 20 minutes... and then you feel like oh my God, its intimidating... or your mind starts wandering here and there because it is so difficult that you are unable to comprehend?

If you feel the same, then this section is especially for you.

Here I will help you by making the newspaper easier for you. I will discuss the vocabulary encountered in various articles and newspaper publishes. Each day we will take selected articles from the renowned newspapers.

This will help you in two ways... first you will get the newspaper and the meaning of difficult words, both at one place and second it will save your precious time so that you will be able to practise more.


Let’s start with…


Article#1

Source: The Hindu Editorial

A long Campaign: On Indonesia Presidential Elections

Indonesian President Widodo raises eyebrows with his choice of running mate

With Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his main challenger Prabowo Subianto announcing their running mates for the April 2019 election, the stage is set for an extended campaign. These will be the fourth direct presidential elections since the end in 1998 of the three-decade-long military-backed dictatorship of Suharto. Both candidates are expected to unveil their road maps to give a boost to job-creation and reduce inequality in the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

phrase- "raise eyebrows": to lift one's eyebrows in a display of shock, surprise or offence.

dictatorship: government by a dictator; where one person makes all the rules and decisions.

unveil: show or announce publicly for the first time.

Equally, in a country with the largest Muslim population and also one whose population is extremely diverse, the two campaigns are shining a light on the larger struggle for pluralism. Mr. Widodo, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, is seeking a second term, and his choice of Ma’ruf Amin, a conservative Islamic cleric, as running mate appears to be aimed at averting the alienation of the more orthodox sections.

averting:(a) to turn away;

                 avert one's eyes

                (b) to keep from happening; prevent

                 she averted an accident by turning sharply.

alienation: isolation or dissociation; the state of being an outsider or the feeling of being isolated, as from society.

orthodox: conservative; traditional; of the ordinary or usual type; normal

A Muslim of Javanese descent, Mr. Widodo, referred to as Jokowi, was the target of a social media smear campaign in the 2014 elections, suggesting that he was an ethnic Chinese Christian and a member of the banned communist party. This attempt to tap into the resentment against the small but influential minority community is believed to have narrowed his victory margin. Four years ago, too, his rival was Mr. Prabowo, of Gerindra. An economic nationalist, he has denied the accusations against him of human rights violations while heading Indonesia’s special forces — charges that led to a ban on his entry into the U.S.

smear: damage the reputation of someone by false accusations

resentment: a feeling of displeasure or indignation at having been treated unfairly.

when you know that the teacher deducted only your marks not your friends' for the same mistake, you will have a feeling of resentment.

rival: competitor or opponent

The electoral face-off between Mr. Widodo and Mr. Prabowo comes also against the backdrop of a highly charged gubernatorial race in Jakarta in 2017. The incumbent at that time, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, had succeeded Mr. Widodo when he became President in 2014 and was considered his protégé. Mr. Purnama, a Christian, narrowly lost the election after a hard-fought campaign in which hardline groups accused him of blasphemy. He was subsequently imprisoned on the charge. Mr. Prabowo and his running mate, Sandiaga Uno, had campaigned for Mr. Purnama’s rival at the time — but Mr. Widodo’s running mate, Mr. Amin, was a witness in the blasphemy trial. Differences between the moderate and hardline sections could get exacerbated ahead of the 2019 elections, particularly given the polarisation in a two-way contest. 

gubernatorial: relating to governor

incumbent: currently holding office

protégé: a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person.

hard line: uncompromising; strict

blasphemy: saying offensive things about God or religion

exacerbated: make ( a problem, bad situation,or negative feeling) worse

The onus is clearly on President Widodo and Mr. Prabowo to ensure that the airing of contrary political opinion does not cross the limits of civility and decency in this fledgling democracy. But Jokowi, as the candidate whose victory in 2014 inspired optimism about a break from politics-as-usual, perhaps has the greater responsibility to resist a tilt to appease hardline and intolerant opinion.

onus: one's duty or responsibility

fledgling: a person or organisation that is immature, inexperienced or underdeveloped.

appease: the action of satisfying the demands of an aggressive person, country or organisation.

Hope this will help ! 😊😊

For any queries or suggestions, please do comment in the comment section and let me know.