Newspaper Vocabulary Analysis: article#18

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 some renowned newspaper and highlight some useful words and phrases with their meanings.

Article#18

source: The Hindu editorial

Turn the page: on Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lankan President Sirisena must find a way to work with Ranil Wickremesinghe

After three weeks of political turmoil, Sri Lanka’s controversially dismissed Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, appears to have gained the upper hand. A majority of lawmakers backed a no-confidence motion in Parliament against Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former President who was sworn in Prime Minister on October 26. The Speaker declared the motion to have been passed by voice vote, as Mr. Rajapaksa’s loyalists sought to block the motion being taken up. Mr. Rajapaksa himself walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the vote was taken, with his supporters questioning the no-trust motion being taken up with such urgency.

turmoil: a state of extreme confusion or agitation; commotion or tumult

Idiom--"gained the upper hand": get power or control over somebody, especially in a fight, competition, etc.

 This contention could pale before the fact that as many as 122 MPs, in a House of 225, signed a memorandum expressing lack of confidence in his government to the Speaker. The noisy scenes and attempts to disrupt the vote reflected the deep divisions between the country’s main national parties. Mr. Sirisena’s decisions in the last three weeks have been against the letter and spirit of the Constitution, especially the reforms enacted in 2015 to curb the vast powers that come with his office.

contention: a struggling between opponents; competition

He removed the Prime Minister despite constitutional restrictions on doing so and had another sworn in. He prorogued Parliament to delay the demonstration of a parliamentary majority by Mr. Rajapaksa. On being confronted with the reality that the numbers were stacked against Mr. Rajapaksa, the President dissolved the legislature itself. The House was revived by an interim order from the Supreme Court.It is now clearer than ever that Mr. Sirisena had needlessly plunged the country into a deep crisis by replacing the Prime Minister without ascertaining the numbers in the House.

prorogued: to discontinue a session of ( a parliament, for example); to postpone; defer

confronted: to come face to face with; to come up against; encounter

plunged: to thrust or throw forcefully into a substance or place.

ascertaining: to discover with certainty, as through examination or experimentation



 It is quite surprising that Mr. Rajapaksa, whose political instincts ought to have made him decide otherwise, agreed to be sworn in solely on the premise that he could induce crossovers. With these two leaders smarting under the setback in Parliament, it is difficult to consider the latest development as the end of political uncertainty. Mr. Sirisena needs to appoint a new Prime Minister immediately, but is averse to Mr. Wickremesinghe returning to that office.

premise: to provide a basis for; base

crossovers: a member of one political party who votes in the primary of another party.

Idiom---"smart under something": to suffer stinging pain under something.

averse: having a feeling of opposition, distaste; strongly disinclined.

He had earlier indicated that he offered the post to two other members of Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party, but had to appoint Mr. Rajapaksa as they had turned down the offer. It would be untenable if he lets Mr. Rajapaksa continue as a lame duck Prime Minister by again invoking his powers to prorogue the House.

untenable: not capable of being maintained or defended

"lame duck": an elected officeholder or group continuing in office during the period between failure to win election and the inauguration of a successor.

It is time that Mr. Sirisena, who was elected on a promise of political and institutional reform, showed some statesmanship and found a way to work with Mr. Wickremesinghe again. It would be unwise for him to further exacerbate the crisis.

statesmanship: wisdom in the management of public affairs.

exacerbate: to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate.

He would do better to turn the page and focus on problems such as Sri Lanka’s bleak economic situation and unresolved minority concerns.

Idiom---"to turn the page": to make a transition to something else, especially a more positive period after a negative one; to move on.

bleak: gloomy and somber; dismal


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