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. Nowadays vocabulary is asked in different forms in Banking and other exams. There can be direct vocabulary questions or questions can be asked in indirect forms as in cloze test, fill in the blanks, synonyms, antonyms and many more. We can not deny the fact that vocabulary is inevitable aspect, so here in this section we will discuss an article from any renowned newspaper and highlight some useful words and phrases with their meanings.
In 2012, in a ranking by digital advertising firm Pinstorm, Tharoor and former cricketer Virender Sehwag were the only two non-Bollywood personalities in the Indian top 10 influencers on social media.
But the Congress looked askance at his Twitter-happy social media habits. His tweets, especially the wittier ones, would periodically land him in a soup. He was nicknamed ‘Minister Twitter’ and earned headlines like, ‘Tharoor ticked off for visa tweet’.
askance: with disapproval, suspicion, doubt or mistrust.
In good desi bureaucratese, Vijay said that he “sacked the person handling his tweets” — because all VIPs worth their towel on the back of their chairs these days must have such a person. Then, he blamed it on ‘password misuse’ while shifting house.
bureaucratese: a style of language characterized by the use of abstract nouns, jargon, and euphemism considered typical of bureaucrats
That BJP is suddenly complaining about Congress bots, fake accounts and ‘Dramebaaz Party No. 1’ is proof that it’s feeling some heat, and realising that first-mover advantage does not last forever.
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. Nowadays vocabulary is asked in different forms in Banking and other exams. There can be direct vocabulary questions or questions can be asked in indirect forms as in cloze test, fill in the blanks, synonyms, antonyms and many more. We can not deny the fact that vocabulary is inevitable aspect, so here in this section we will discuss an article from any renowned newspaper and highlight some useful words and phrases with their meanings.
Article#10
#FollowMeLikeMeVoteMe
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor must be allowing himself a quiet chuckle. (The quiet pat on the back he can give himself for being the only parliamentarian to have actually argued for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Parliament before Section 377of the Indian Penal Code was scrapped on Thursday.)
In 2012, in a ranking by digital advertising firm Pinstorm, Tharoor and former cricketer Virender Sehwag were the only two non-Bollywood personalities in the Indian top 10 influencers on social media.
But the Congress looked askance at his Twitter-happy social media habits. His tweets, especially the wittier ones, would periodically land him in a soup. He was nicknamed ‘Minister Twitter’ and earned headlines like, ‘Tharoor ticked off for visa tweet’.
askance: with disapproval, suspicion, doubt or mistrust.
idiom-- "in the soup": in trouble; in a bad situation
phrase:--"ticked off": to make someone annoyed, angry or indignant.
When he made his travelling ‘cattle class’ on a flight quip, Congress huffily said, “We find this articulation unacceptable.” BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Calling people cattle is insulting and such a man has no right to be a central minister.”
When he made his travelling ‘cattle class’ on a flight quip, Congress huffily said, “We find this articulation unacceptable.” BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Calling people cattle is insulting and such a man has no right to be a central minister.”
quip: a clever, witty remark; a sarcastic or cutting remark
huffily: in a huffy manner; irritated or annoyed; indignant
articulation: the act of vocal expression; utterance or enunciation
Everyone has come a long way since then. Now cattle are ranked higher than people in some parts of the country, and Congress in Madhya Pradesh has announced its ticket aspirants for the upcoming polls will have to pass a social media test: 5,000 followers on Twitter, at least 15,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, and staying active in WhatsApp groups.
Tharoor once told a journalist that “everyone is criticising me today, but believe me, in 10 years, every major politician in this country will be on Twitter”. It didn’t take 10 years. In four years, Narendra Modi became the most followed Indian politician on Twitter, and BJP used social media to bludgeon the plodding Congress.
Everyone has come a long way since then. Now cattle are ranked higher than people in some parts of the country, and Congress in Madhya Pradesh has announced its ticket aspirants for the upcoming polls will have to pass a social media test: 5,000 followers on Twitter, at least 15,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, and staying active in WhatsApp groups.
Tharoor once told a journalist that “everyone is criticising me today, but believe me, in 10 years, every major politician in this country will be on Twitter”. It didn’t take 10 years. In four years, Narendra Modi became the most followed Indian politician on Twitter, and BJP used social media to bludgeon the plodding Congress.
bludgeon: to overcome often by intimidation or coercion.
plodding: the act of moving or walking heavily and slowly.
And now in a delicious case of whatgoes-around-comes-around, it’s BJP that has got its fingers burned on social media. While BJP’s Tarun Vijay went for a morning walk, his Twitter account walked out on him, tweeting out messages that sounded vaguely supportive — heaven forbid — of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s right to go to Manasarovar.
And now in a delicious case of whatgoes-around-comes-around, it’s BJP that has got its fingers burned on social media. While BJP’s Tarun Vijay went for a morning walk, his Twitter account walked out on him, tweeting out messages that sounded vaguely supportive — heaven forbid — of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s right to go to Manasarovar.
vaguely: not clear in meaning or expression
heaven forbid: used to say that you hope that something will not happen
heaven forbid: used to say that you hope that something will not happen
In good desi bureaucratese, Vijay said that he “sacked the person handling his tweets” — because all VIPs worth their towel on the back of their chairs these days must have such a person. Then, he blamed it on ‘password misuse’ while shifting house.
bureaucratese: a style of language characterized by the use of abstract nouns, jargon, and euphemism considered typical of bureaucrats
BJP president Amit Shah has told the party’s social media warriors to look before they tweet, and avoid the ‘mistake’ of posting fake pictures and data on social media and losing credibility. Like the one showing former president Pranab Mukherjee apparently giving the RSS salute.
BJP understood the power of the digital space long before Congress did. While the Opposition parties are still far behind, they are catching up one meme at a time. At least as far as the battle of social media goes, 2019 will not be a replay of 2014.
Congress even out-acronymed Modi on social media, dubbing GST the ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’. Rahul Gandhi, the mangler of metaphors, has developed a sly Twitter presence, one jab at a time.
BJP understood the power of the digital space long before Congress did. While the Opposition parties are still far behind, they are catching up one meme at a time. At least as far as the battle of social media goes, 2019 will not be a replay of 2014.
Congress even out-acronymed Modi on social media, dubbing GST the ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’. Rahul Gandhi, the mangler of metaphors, has developed a sly Twitter presence, one jab at a time.
mangler: to ruin or spoil through ineptitude or ignorance
jab: to poke or thrust sharply
That BJP is suddenly complaining about Congress bots, fake accounts and ‘Dramebaaz Party No. 1’ is proof that it’s feeling some heat, and realising that first-mover advantage does not last forever.
bots: a software program that imitates the behaviour of a human; a robot
Perhaps, this is the only real antidote to fake news on social media — when the trolls on all sides go marchingin and cancel each other out, drowning in a great churn of mutual toxicity.
Perhaps, this is the only real antidote to fake news on social media — when the trolls on all sides go marchingin and cancel each other out, drowning in a great churn of mutual toxicity.
antidote: anything that counteracts or relieves a harmful or unwanted condition; remedy
churn: turbulence or agitation; any device similar to churn( a vessel or machine in which cream or whole milk is vigorously agitated to produce butter)
But Congress suddenly finding religion when it comes to social media is also fraught with danger. It’s also rather unfair. Generations of Congress politicians have been raised to think that the only guaranteed way to get ahead was to swear undying fealty to The Family.
But Congress suddenly finding religion when it comes to social media is also fraught with danger. It’s also rather unfair. Generations of Congress politicians have been raised to think that the only guaranteed way to get ahead was to swear undying fealty to The Family.
fraught with: filled with
fealty: fidelity; faithfulness; loyalty
Now, suddenly a social media test has been imposed on them, and that too right before the big exam. But they should not lose faith. A party tested and tempered by many scams is jugadu enough to know how to buy followers and likes on social media. It’s at least cheaper than buying MPs and MLAs, and less noxious than passing Bhojpuri film stills as riot footage.
Now, suddenly a social media test has been imposed on them, and that too right before the big exam. But they should not lose faith. A party tested and tempered by many scams is jugadu enough to know how to buy followers and likes on social media. It’s at least cheaper than buying MPs and MLAs, and less noxious than passing Bhojpuri film stills as riot footage.
noxious: harmful to the mind or morals; corrupting
Of course, in all this social media jousting, it’s easy to forget that once, social media was about giving the little guy a voice. It was about facilitating real conversations and honest give and-take. It was about connecting people scattered around the globe. It still does all of that, but more and more it has been hijacked by big players.
jousting: to engage in a personal combat or competition
Of course, in all this social media jousting, it’s easy to forget that once, social media was about giving the little guy a voice. It was about facilitating real conversations and honest give and-take. It was about connecting people scattered around the globe. It still does all of that, but more and more it has been hijacked by big players.
jousting: to engage in a personal combat or competition
Social media movers and shakers check your follower count before deigning to reply. Its main purpose seems to be to marshal the troll army, manipulate the conversation, feed the outrage factory, mourn yet again the death of Maya Angelou, and make sure that the Revolution will be hashtagged.
deigning: to do something that one considers beneath one's dignity; condescend
Social media is now about performance, anxiety and performance anxiety. Perhaps, this is the end of social media as we know it. When the political establishment truly embraces anything, it becomes seriously uncool.
And who knows, one day we might even wake up in that heaven of freedom where it can be a good morning without our WhatsApp group having to tell us so 30 times over.
And who knows, one day we might even wake up in that heaven of freedom where it can be a good morning without our WhatsApp group having to tell us so 30 times over.
Hope this will help ! 😊😊
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