Vocab: Greek Myth

Hi All,

I am totally surprised that it has taken 50 posts for me to zero in on Greek myth as a topic. [Er… that was a not so subtle way of saying Yipppeeee!!! I have touched 50 posts. ;-)] Given my interests I would have thought that this topic would have come up much earlier. Anyway a few characters from Greek myth who have turned into words in English.

Siren song
An enticing plea or appeal, especially one that is deceptively alluring.
The Myth Connection: The Sirens were one of a group of sea nymphs in Greek mythology who by their sweet singing lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding their island.


Herculean
Of unusual size, power, or difficulty.
The Myth Connection: The word derives from Hercules, the son of Zeus (the Supreme God) and Alcmene. Hercules was a hero of extraordinary strength who won immortality by performing 12 labors demanded by Hera.


Promethean
Boldly creative; defiantly original.
The Myth Connection: Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from Mt. Olympus (the abode of the Greek gods) and gave it to humankind for which Zeus chained him to a rock and sent an eagle to eat his liver, which grew back daily. Happy times. ;-)


Achilles heel 
A portion, spot, area, or the like, that is especially or solely vulnerable.
The Myth Connection: Achilles was supposed to have been dipped into the river Styx by his mother Thetis in order to make him invulnerable. However as she held him by his heel, it wasn't touched by the water and that meant that his heel was the only spot where he was vulnerable.


Satyr
A licentious man; a lecher (a man given to excessive sexual indulgence… in short All Men….. oops have I let a secret out???!!!???)
The Myth Connection: A Satyr was a woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained merrymaking.

And on that rather candid note,

Ciao

CAT Registration extended till October 11, 2009

Aloha Folks,

Here is an announcement that might interest the late latifs (and CAT aspirants) among you. This is from the IIM website:

"In view of a series of bank holidays that may have inconvenienced some candidates, IIMs and Prometric have extended the sale of CAT 2009 vouchers to 8 October 2009. Candidates will have until 11 October 2009 to complete their online registration and scheduling. The edit feature will also be available until 11 October 2009."

In case you have not yet registered or not even bought the vouchers please don't wait any longer. Please get it over and done with today.


Ciao

Commonly Confused Words

Hi folks,

Here are some more words that are often confused. Could be asked in question sets like “Fill in the blanks” etc.


Casual:
Occasional, irregular, careless
Causal:
Of the nature of cause and effect

Ceremonial:
Relating to ceremonies or rites
Ceremonious:
An excess of form; overdose of formality

Childish:
Silly. Often used in the negative sense.
Childlike:
Innocent, simple and frank. Often used in the positive sense.

Complement:
That which helps to complete a satisfactory whole
Compliment:
A mark of courtesy; an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration

Confidant:
A person entrusted with knowledge of one’s private affairs
Confident:
Fully assured

Ciao

GK: Air India

Aloha Folks,

I am watching TV coverage of the mess that Air India finds itself in and I can’t help but marvel at how low it has sunk, there is actually talk of a “Lock Out”. Of course, given that this is not the first time that AI finds itself in such a situation we can be forgiven for forgetting the glorious history it has had.

And a great history it really did have. Air India was started as Tata Aviation Service on 15th October 1932 by JRD Tata. The initial purpose for starting the Air Lines was speeding up the mail but it gradually became a name to reckon with in international aviation circles.

I thought that now is as apt a time as possible for a quiz on Air India and that pioneering aviator, the great JRD.

Here goes….

1. 15th September 1932 was scheduled for the inaugural flight of Tata Aviation Service but was later postponed. Why was it postponed?

2. From which airport did the inaugural flight of the Tata Aviation Service take off?

3. JRD went to England and bought two Puss Moths (a type of aircraft) for Tata Airlines. He was supposed to fly one of them back to India but could not. How did he get them to India?

4. Air India International was formally incorporated on March 8th 1948 and June 8th 1948 saw the inaugural flight. What was the name of the aircraft?

5. A graduate in history from Oxford University he was responsible for conceptualising the Air India Maharajah. Who was he?

6. What was JRD’s Pilot License number?

Happy quizzing.

The usual boring requests, No Googling and answers in the Comments section.

Ciao

Happy Dusshera

Happy Dussehra to ALL...............

Vocab: Moon

Aloha Folks,

What with the brouhaha over the presence of water on the moon yet to subside I thought it would be the right time to look at the moon from another perspective - The perspective of language.

While the moon is usually associated with the nice, soft and romantic feelings some of the words here are anything but nice and soft.

Here are a few of those words…


Moon curser
Someone who imports or exports without paying duties. A smuggler!!!

Moonblink
A temporary blindness, or impairment of sight, said to be caused by sleeping in the moonlight.

Moon⋅child
A person born under the zodiacal sign of Cancer.
So called because of the astrological pairing of the moon with Cancer

Moon⋅light
To work at an additional job after one's regular, full-time employment, at night.

Moon⋅shine
Smuggled or illicitly distilled liquor, esp. corn liquor as illicitly distilled chiefly in rural areas of the southern U.S.
Empty or foolish talk, ideas, etc.; nonsense.


And on that note it is time to stop my moonshine…

Ciao

Vocab: Phobias

Aloha Everyone,

Time for some more phobias. See if you can identify any root words in these phobias, and put them down in the Comments section. If you can come up with any more words using the roots that you have identified it would be better still.

Pogonophobia - Fear of beards.

Philemaphobia - Fear of kissing.

Ligyrophobia - Fear of loud noises.

Peladophobia - Fear of bald people.
[I hope you guys don't have this phobia. ;-)]

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - Fear of long words.
How appropriate that the fear of long words is slightly longer than usual.

Ciao

GK: Who is Who

A short quiz on Who is Who. All of them pretty simple except for the third question and even that is guessable. Happy Quizzing.

1. Who is the Congress Party’s nominee for the Amaravati Assembly constituency? Ans) Rajendrasingh Shekhawat

2. The Chief Executive Officer of a Detroit major is here in India currently. Who is he and why is he here? Ans) Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, was here for the unveiling of the Ford's first small car for the Indian market - ‘Figo' (Italian slang for ‘cool')

3. Who is the founder of the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC)? Ans) Bhajan Lal and his MP son Kuldip Bishnoi were expelled from the Congress last year. They floated then floated the HJC.

4. Who is the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission? Ans) Anil Kakodkar

5. Who is the current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh? Ans) K Rosaiah

Ciao

Did it rain last night?

Hey Folks,

Did it rain around your place last night? It did in Navi Mumbai after a prolonged dry spell. It did not just rain, it was rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. I don’t know about you folks but the smell of the earth after the first rains or after a long dry spell is one of the smells I just love. There is something quite earthy and romantic about it all. And as I was enjoying the thunder shower it occurred to me that there was a name for this kind of smell. That is when I decided that the theme for today should be rain.

A bit of digression, but I suspect I am getting on in years. I mean there was the rain, the thunder, the cool breeze and all I could think of was, “This is a nice theme, kal ke mail ke liye!!!” I think I should concentrate on other things too…. What say? ;-)

Anyhoo, down to brass tacks

Petrichor
The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
Etymology:
From the Greek petro (rock) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). This is a coined term. It was coined by two Australian researchers, I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas, in 1964 for an article in the journal ‘Nature’.

Rainmaker
An executive or lawyer with a strong ability to bring in new business or to attract clients, especially through the use of influence and political connections.
A person believed to be able to cause rain either by magic or by science

Raincheck
A ticket for future use given to spectators at an outdoor event that has been postponed or interrupted by rain.
An offered or requested postponement of an invitation until a more convenient time.

Rain dance
No it is not what you think it is. Trust me. ;-)
A ritualistic dance performed by a tribal group to bring rain.
Any ceremonial action taken to correct a hardware problem, with the expectation that nothing will be accomplished. This especially applies to reseating printed circuit boards, reconnecting cables, etc.

Reign
Hold royal office; i.e. be King or Queen.
A period during which somebody is dominant or powerful.
Rein
This is one of a pair of long leather straps used to control a horse or other animals.

On that note,

Ciao

GK: Indian History

Hi Folks,

Here is a short quiz on Indian History. The usual requests, NO Googling and answers in the Comments section.

Happy Quizzing.


1. The Hindu kingdom of Champa flourished outside the present boundaries of India. Where would the kingdom be located in today’s context? Ans. Vietnam. During this period the country was considered a great centre of Vedic learning.

2. Ramtanu Mishra was in the employment of the Raja of Rewah. He later moved to another court. How do we better know him and who was his very famous patron? Ans. Tansen and Akbar

3. What is the Doctrine of Lapse? Ans. When the ruler of a protected state died without an heir, the adopted heir would not be able to succeed him. In such a case the state would be annexed by the British. The only exception being if the British authorities approved of the adoption before hand.

4. In modern Indian history one often comes across the term European Factories. What are these factories that the European powers established in India? Ans. They were fortified trading stations established by the European powers.

5. He was born in Cuttack in 1897. He ranked 4th in the ICS (the IAS examination of those days) exam but resigned. He was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and 1939, in spite of opposition from Gandhiji. Who is he? Ans. Subhash Chandra Bose


And that is the end of the round.

Ciao

I will be putting up the answers for the last three quizzes by tomorrow morning.

GK: Current Affairs

Aloha Everyone,

I plan to put together some quizzes on Current Affairs once a week to start out with. And then hopefully increase the frequency. Here is the first set.

The Standard requests: No Googling and answers in the Comments section.

1. Which is the first stealth frigate to be designed and built in India? It is scheduled to be inducted into the navy in November. Note: A frigate is a naval vessel frequently armed with guided missiles and used for aircraft carrier escort duty, shore bombardment, and miscellaneous combat functions. Ans. INS Shivalik

2. Who is the head of the terrorist outfit the Jamaat-ud-Dawa? Ans. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed

3. After their stay in five hotels and Shashi Tharoor’s “cattle class” comment all of us know who the External Affairs minister and his deputy are. [S. M. Krishna and Shashi Tharoor respectively ;-)]. But do you know who the Foreign Secretary of India is? Ans. Nirupama Rao

4. Who is the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan? Ans. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal

5. Who is India’s chief hockey coach? Ans. Jose Brasa

Reading Comprehension

Ramanujacharya was the chief proponent of Vishishtādvaita - one of the three main forms of Vedānta. He was the first to provide a systematic theistic interpretation of the philosophy of the Vedas. His two main philosophical writings, the Shrī Bhāshya and Vedārthasangraha, are amongst the best examples of rigorous and energetic argumentation in any philosophical tradition. As usual put down your summary in the Comments section.


This extract has been taken from a write-up on Ramanujacharya at: http://www.iep.utm.edu/ramanuja/

Ramanuja’s Ethics

Ramanuja’s substantive ethics has two sources. Like other orthodox Hindu thinkers, Ramanuja holds that the primary source of moral knowledge is the Vedas. This is particularly true of the earlier portion of the Vedas, which sets forth prescribed and optional works (karmas) that constitute dharma. The importance of dharma, derived from the Vedas, is stressed in all three of Ramanuja’s major works. Like other orthodox Hindu thinkers, Ramanuja also holds that the venerable tradition, or smriti literature, supplements the Vedic texts’ account of dharma. The most important of the smriti texts, for Ramanuja, is the Bhagavad Gita.

The Gita emphasizes the importance of adopting a deontological attitude (concern for duty for duty’s sake and not for its consequences) in order to perfect the execution of prescribed duties, particular to one’s place in society. But the Gita also emphasizes the importance of certain virtues. The Gita praises being a friend (mitra) and showing compassion (karuna) to all creatures (Bhagavad Gita XII.13), and enumerates ahimsa, or non-injury, as one of the virtues essential to having jnana.

On what is to be done when the requirements of virtues conflict with prescribed duties, Ramanuja is uncompromising. For Ramanuja, dharma, as set forth in the Vedas, is inviolable. This puts Ramanuja in the awkward position of having to defend the propriety of animal sacrifices, sanctioned and prescribed in the earlier portion of the Vedas. Shri Vaishnava Brahmins, as a rule, are vegetarians. Ramanuja was, in all likelihood, himself a vegetarian. However, his general inclination to positively endorse the Bhagavad Gita’s disavowal of animal cruelty did not stop him from affirming the propriety of animal sacrifices. In this respect, Ramanuja agrees with his Advaitin predecessor, Shankara, who held that while violence in general is evil, ritual slaughter is not any ordinary act of violence: because it is sanctioned by the Vedas, it cannot be evil. Ramanuja however goes further and argues that ritual slaughter is not only not evil; it is also not really a form of violence. Rather, it is a healing act like a physician’s procedure, which causes temporary pain but is ultimately to the benefit of the patient. The sacrificed animal, on Ramanuja’s account, is more than compensated in the next life for being ritually slaughtered.

GK: Quotations

Here is a short quotations quiz. All interesting ones and I suspect most of them ones that you have heard of at one time or the other. So here goes, who made the following statements?

1. "I do not care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members."

Groucho Marx. Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. He made 13 feature films with his brothers, the Marx Brothers.
I have always loved this quote not just for the humour in it but because this works at various levels for me.

2. "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

Mark Twain. He is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens.

3. “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”

Oscar Wilde

4. Lady Astor: "If I were married to you, I'd put poison in your coffee."
Who said in reply: "If I were married to you, I'd drink it."?

Winston Churchill.

5. “It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is.”

And though recent, this one is a classic. More about it later when I give out the answers, trust me you know who this person is.
Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton's testimony about his relationship Monica Lewinsky was full of such statements. His defence relied on elaborate definitions of certain words. The whole statement asked in quiz was’ "It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If 'is' means 'is and never has been' that's one thing - if it means 'there is none', that was a completely true statement," he said. ;-)

You can view this classic here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4XT-l-_3y0

And the usual request: No Googling. ;-)

Happy quizzing

Ciao

Vocab: Animals

Aloha Friends,

Aannnd I am back… I know I know, I have been AWOL for almost five days :-( so much for my commitment of posting daily. Hopefully I can stick to posting on a daily basis from now on… ‘hopefully’ is the operative word here.

So what was happening in the world around us these five days? Plenty. But what caught my eye was the comment on Twitter by Shashi Tharoor about travelling “Cattle Class” and then his getting into all that trouble. That incident set me thinking about the other words in English that use animals/refer to animals and here is a short list of the same.

Thanks for the idea Mr. Minister of State.

Running dog
A slave-like follower; lackey.
Etymology: It originates from the Chinese zougou, zou (running) + gou (dog). This is supposedly a reference to a dog running to follow its master's commands. This term was used by the Chinese Communist to refer to someone who served counter-revolutionary interest.

Stool pigeon
A person who works as a decoy or informer, especially for the police.
Note: Decoy is a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into danger, a trap, or the like.
Etymology: Experts are not very certain of the origin of this phrase. It could be from the former practice of tying decoy pigeons to a stool therefore from the French estale or estal which referred to a pigeon used to entice a hawk into a net.

Guinea pig
Someone or something used as a subject of experimentation.
Etymology: This phrase has originated because earlier guinea pigs were used for experimentation.
Note: A guinea pig is neither from the West African country of Guinea nor is it a pig. It is a rodent from South America!!!

Coxcomb
A proud, egotistical man who is excessively interested in his appearance and dress. Another word for it is a ‘fop’.
Etymology: A variation of a cock's comb (the fleshy part on the head of a rooster). Professional Fools (yes such a profession existed too!!!) in medieval courts wore a cap with red strips like those in a cock’s comb. From there the sense of the term extended to a dandy – a person excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance. Metrosexual is the term that is used nowadays.

Bulimia
1. Excessive or insatiable appetite.
2. An emotional disorder marked by sessions of overeating followed by purging, by means of self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives.
Etymology: From bous (ox) + limos (hunger).
Literally speaking, bulimia is ox hunger. It is also known as boulimia, bulimia nervosa, bulimarexia, binge-purge syndrome.

Aah! That reminds me, I need to have my dinner. Off I go,

Ciao

Vocab: Words of Spanish origin

Buenos días Amigos,

Spanish is the most widely spoken of the Romance languages and is also the official language of Spain and most countries of Central and South America. Most of the words in Spanish come from Latin. There are however many that come from other sources include: Greek, Basque, Arabic from the time the Moors (a Muslim of the mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting NW Africa) occupied Spain, French, Italian and American Indian languages from colonial times.

A look at a few

Mano a mano
A direct or face-to-face confrontation. Etymology: hand to hand. It basically meant on an equal footing, without advantage to either of two contestants.

Pistolero
A gunman; hired killer. Etymology: pistol + -ero. The suffix '-ero' is equivalent to the suffix '-ary' in English which has the general sense of “pertaining to, connected with”

Vamoose
To leave hurriedly or quickly; decamp. Etymology: From vamos ‘let us go’

Peccadillo
A minor offense. Etymology: "slight sin," from pecado "a sin"

Incommunicado
Without the means or right of communicating with others. Etymology: From incomunicar, ‘to deny communication’

Adios Amigos
Btw amigo means a 'friend'

Vocab: Commonly Confused Words

Hi Folks,

Here is another round of commonly confused words:

Apposite:
Appropriate or suitable for the occasion.
Opposite:
Diametrically different, antonym.

Avocation:
A subordinate occupation, usually one pursued for pleasure. A Hobby.
Vocation:
Particular occupation, business or profession.

Barbarism:
A state of society in which men were not civilised.
Barbarity:
Cruelty

Battle:
A hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces
War:
A conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations.

Canvas:
A closely woven, heavy cloth of cotton, hemp, or linen, used for tents, sails, etc.
Canvass:
To solicit votes, subscriptions, opinions, or the like from people.

Ciao

Reading Comprehension

Aloha Friends,

When I looked at this article, it seemed as if it was something that could be read at full tilt. However once I started to read it I found that I quickly had to take a look at the preceding lines. Not that the passage is in itself very complicated, far from it. But it definitely needs a fair degree of concentration to fully comprehend what it means.

As usual please put down what you feel is the summary in the comments section. This is the 4th RC passage that I have put up. I will give my opinion of the summary of the previous three by Sunday evening, and of this one by Tuesday evening.

Happy Reading!!!

The Meaning of Ousia (Being) in Plato

What does ousia mean? It is already a quirky, idiomatic word in ordinary use when Plato gets hold of it. By a quirk of our own language one may say indeed that it means substance, but only, I repeat only, in the sense in which a rich man is called a man of substance. You may safely allow your daughter to marry him because you know where he will be and what he will be doing tomorrow and twenty years from now.Ousia meant permanent property, real estate, non-transferable goods: not the possessions we are always using up or consuming but those that remain–land, houses, wealth of the kind one never spends since it breeds new wealth with no expense of itself. When Socrates asks Meno for the ousia of the bee he is not using a technical philosophical term but a metaphor: what is the estate of a bee that each one inherits simply by being born a bee? A man of substance who has permanent wealth is who he is because of what he owns. A bee is to his permanent and his variable characteristics as a man is to his permanent and his spendable wealth. The metaphor takes a second step when applied to virtue: the varying instances of virtue in a man, a woman, a slave, and the rest must all have some unvarying core which makes them virtues. There must be some single meaning to which we always refer when we pronounce anything a virtue. This is the step Socrates continually insists that Meno must take. But remember, in the slave-boy scene, Socrates twice entices the slave-boy into giving plausible incorrect answers about the side of the double square. Is there an ousia of virtue? Socrates uses the word not as the result of an induction or abstraction or definition, but by stretching an already strained metaphor. People have disposable goods which come and go and ousiatic goods which remain; bees have some characteristics in which they differ, and others in which they share; the virtues differ, but are they the same in anything but name? Even if they are, must it be a definition that they share? Not all men have ousia. Ordinarily only a few men do. The rest of us work for them, sell to them, marry them, gather in the hills to destroy them, but do not have what they have. Perhaps there are only a few virtues, or only one.

The word ousia, as Plato’s Socrates handles it, seems to be a double-edged weapon. It explicitly rejects Meno’s way of saying what virtue is, but implicitly suggests that the obvious alternative may fail as well. If virtue is not simply a meaningless label used ambiguously for many unconnected things, that does not mean that it must unambiguously name the same content in each of the things it names. Since ousia is our metaphor, let us ask what wealth means. If a poor man has a hut and a cow and some stored-up food, are they his wealth? He is certainly not wealthy. On the other hand, King Lear says that “our basest beggars Are in poorest thing superfluous”; no human life is cut so fine as to lack anything beyond what satisfies bare need. The beggar, like the family on welfare, does not have the means to satisfy need, but need not for that reason forego those possessions which give life comfort or continuity. His wealth is derived from the wealth of others. The small farmer may maintain something of the independence a wealthy man enjoys, but one bad year could wipe him out. He will either accumulate enough to become wealthy himself, or his life will remain a small-scale analogy to that of the wealthy. Wealth means, first of all, only that which a few people have and the rest of us lack, but because it means that, it also, at the same time, means secondarily something that all of us possess. There is an ambiguity at work in the meaning of the word “wealth” which is not a matter of a faulty vocabulary and not a matter of language at all: it expresses the way things are. Wealth of various kinds exists by derivation from and analogy to wealth in the emphatic sense. Indeed Meno, who spontaneously defines virtue by listing virtues, is equally strongly inclined to say that the power to rule over men and possessions is the only virtue there is. He cannot resolve the logical difficulties Socrates raises about his answers, but they are all resolvable. Meno in fact believes that virtue is ousia in its simple sense of big money, and that women, children, and slaves can only have virtue derivatively and ambiguously. Socrates’ question is one of those infuriatingly ironic games he is always playing. The ousia of virtue, according to Meno and Gorgias, is ousia.

And I am ousia here ... oops ... I meant I am outta here,

Ciao

PS: This passage has been taken from the article "Aristotle: Metaphysics". The link is: http://www.iep.utm.edu/aris-met/ Those of you feeling brave enough can go over to this site and read the entire article. It is only 16 pages long.... ;-)

Vocab: Commonly Confused Words

Hi Folks,


Let’s look at some commonly confused words. And down to brass tacks:

Access
The ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use; admittance
Excess
The fact of exceeding something else in amount or degree.
Going beyond what is regarded as customary or proper.
Accession
The act of coming into the possession of a right, title, office, etc.: accession to the throne.
An increase by something added: an accession of territory.


Artist
A person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.
Artiste (ahr-teest)
An artist, esp. an actor, singer, dancer, or other public performer.
Artisan
A person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson. E.g. a carpenter.


Allusion
A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication
Illusion
Something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.



Affect
To act on; produce a change in.
Effect
Something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence
To produce as an effect; bring about; accomplish; make happen:


Altar
An elevated place like a platform, at which religious rites are performed.
Alter
To make different in some way.


Ciao

Our Mensiversary

Aloha everybody,

A first milestone; a very very mini one, but still…. One month to the day when I started out the Blog. Yipeeee…

I hope to be writing a similar mail eleven months from now and I am sure that all you students of CAT ‘09 and CET ‘10 will read the same ensconced in one of the IIMs/Top B-schools and all you CAT ‘10 and CET ‘11 students will read the same when well on your way with your preparation to get into them. ;-)

So, as we are celebrating our mensiversary…. er … mensi… what? What is that?
Well a mensiversary is:
The monthly recurring date of a past event.
A celebration commemorating such a date.
Etymology: Latin: mensis (month) + versus (turned).

Is this a word that you can check in the oxford Dictionary, I am afraid you cannot because it has not yet gained currency. But the logic is the same as that of the word anniversary. "Anniversary" comes from the Latin "annus," year + versus (turned).

Like I was saying as we are celebrating our mensiversary let’s look at a few words that denote some specific periods of time. And they are legitimate “Dictionary words”. ;-)

Here goes…

Biennial
Happening every two years.

Triennial
Occurring every three years.

Quadrennial
Occurring every four years.

Quinquennial
Lasting for five years.

Sexennial
Occurring every six years.

Septennial
Occurring every seven years.

Octennial
Occurring every eight years.

Novennial
Recurring every ninth year

Decennial
Occurring every ten years.


On that note,

Ciao

Queries: CAT09 Form

Important Update: This update is from the CAT website. The link is: http://catiim.in/catregistration.html

"Candidates will be allowed to edit their Personal Profile and their Application Data in about a week's time leading upto the end of the registration window. The exact date and instructions shall be announced in a few days from now. "

I guess this should solve half the problems that most of you were facing.

About the names:
As there is NO separate box for middle name. So enter your first name and middle name (if any) in the box "First Name" and only your surname in the box "Surname"

Hi everyone,

I was receiving calls through the day, yesterday, regarding the CAT09 form and how to fill the same. There were doubts about the name to be written in the form, the aggregate marks or otherwise esp. for engineering students etc.

What I want to do is, make it convenient for all of you folks and answer ALL your queries at one shot. If you continue to have any doubts regarding the form-filling process for CAT09 please post it in the Comments section and I will put up the FAQs by about 6 pm today.

Of course if there are no queries then so much the better. ;-)

Ciao

Reading Comprehension

This write-up has been taken from "Winter Birds of the Niagara Gorge" at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A30081700

During the course of a severe winter, when its paths are stopped with snow and its cliffs and stones stand white with hoar, the Niagara Gorge has an Arctic mien. Leafless trees reveal its vistas on a grander scale and familiar cliffs, suddenly rooted in screes instead of leaves, rise to greater heights. Its dangers become more apparent, for now at the bare edge the eye hesitates, and instead of peering downwards into cushions of green, it discovers vertigo and a sheer fall. Far below, beyond the talus and the bare trees, the river roars like a live thing. Grown remote and hazardous and no longer inviting to the casual tourist, it becomes the lonely domain of the inveterate fisherman and ardent naturalist.

However, the river displays a vitality that belies the rigours of the season, and, despite its reputation for being chemically poisoned, remains enormously fertile. Providing nourishment in the form of insect larvae, crustaceans, molluscs and fish, it sustains a winter population of tens of thousands of birds. From its mouth at Niagara-on-the-Lake to the ice-boom across Lake Erie 33 miles to the south, ducks, geese, swans and gulls congregate in numbers not found elsewhere in the North American interior during winter.

Above the falls, amongst ice and snow and swift, green water, no man sports or plays. This frontier territory, lying between two sovereign states, is an area of rapids, shingle bars, boulder fields and rock ledges that is in dangerous proximity to the falls. This area is often the wintering ground of a little tribe of Purple sandpipers. In the very worst of Arctic days, a patient telescope may find them; tiny dots across a quarter mile of rough water, scurrying at the edge of some midstream boulder, heads dipping under as they glean crustaceans from the trailing weeds. Sometimes a handful of five or six, sometimes only one, will be the full complement on the river.

When the whirlpool is seen for the first time, one wonders why it should be of such consequence. If examined, it is seen to be energised by an increase in the velocity of the river caused by its compression through a narrow chute into a pool below. The whirlpool's seemingly slow rotation gives an impression of harmless lassitude, the full power of its circling not registering because of the birds-eye view. Given more notice and a little thought, it is soon recognised that a fisherman on the far side is so small that only the splash of colour that is his coat gives an idea of scale. As one grapples with perspective, straining perhaps to focus on the circling gulls, one finds the tin can bobbing along in the strings of debris is really a 45-gallon drum. A 16-foot log popping into the air like an ordinary fence stake gives some idea of the current seething beneath.

As usual put down your summary in the Comments section. I will be giving my summary in 3 days time.

GK: Cricket

Aloha Friends,

This GK quiz has nothing to do with your preparation for IIFT/SNAP/MAT etc. ;-) I just felt like putting together a quiz on the game that I once loved so very much and sharing the same with you guys. Happy Quizzing!!!


1. Recently, after the Sydney Test fiasco, Kumble mentioned that two teams were out there but only one was playing in the spirit of the game. He was in fact paraphrasing another captain who was complaining about his opposition. Who? When? Why?

Bill Woodfull, the Australian captain in the Ashes series of 1932-33. This series was also called the Bodyline series because of the tactics used by the English team. The English captain, Douglas Jardine, used a tactic called 'Fast Leg Theory' which was bowling fast on the leg side of the batsman with the intention to hit him rather than to get him out. This tactic almost caused a breakdown of diplomatic relations between Australia and England.

2. What is common to: Europeans, Parsees, Hindus, Mohammadens and the Rest?

They played the 'Pentangular Tournament'. This was a cricket tournament that was played in British India. It is probably the only one of its kind which involved teams playing according to their religion.

3. The MCC is the landlord at the Lord’s cricket ground in London. Which county is the tenant?

Middlesex

4. Which bowler is reputed to have said of Sunil Gavaskar, “Sunny is my Bunny.”?

Derek Underwood of England.

5. What is Sunil Valson’s unique claim to “fame”?

Sunil Valson was in India's World Cup -winning squad in 1983, but didn't play in the competition - and in fact never played in a one-day international at all.

As usual, no "googling"....

Vocab: French Words

Bonjour Friends,

My attempt to send a daily mail seems to have lasted a grand total of 4 days!!! Seems like the time-table that some of you say you prepare, adhered to for a few days and then…. Kaput.

Well the only way I can make up for this break is to send more than one mail today, so that is what I am gonna do. Hopefully…

This one is on French terms that one could and does use in English. I have also put in the pronunciation for these words, lemme know if that helps or you guys think it is not required.


au fait (o FAY)
Being well-informed or skillful in something. An expert.
Etymology:
Literally "to the fact".

hors d'oeuvre (ohr DERV)
An appetizer or an extra little dish outside of and smaller than the main course. It is usually served before or as the first course of a meal.
Etymology:
hors (outside of) + oeuvre (job or work).

carte blanche (kart blansh)
Unrestricted authority.
Etymology:
carte blanche (blank card or blank document).

qui vive (kee VEEV)
Alert, lookout. (It is usually used in the form "on the qui vive").
Etymology:
Literally "(Long) live who?"
It was used by soldiers at the entrance to forts etc. to challenge someone approaching the gate. A proper response might be "Vive le roi!" (Long Live the King) or "La France!"

mot juste (moh zhyst)
The exact, appropriate word.
Etymology:
mot (word) + juste (right).

On that note,
Au revoir

Vocab: Latin words

Aloha People,

Here are a few words from Latin, the language of ancient Rome and its empire; the language of law, the sciences and liturgy. And of special interest to us, the source of a lot of root words in the English language.

flagrante delicto
In the very act of committing the offense; red-handed.
Etymology: While the crime is blazing.

vox populi
Popular opinion; general sentiment.
Etymology: Voice of the people.
Another term is "Vox populi vox Dei". This means the voice of the people is the voice of God. It refers to the idea that the king should pay attention to the voice of the people.

sine qua non
An indispensable condition; prerequisite.
Etymology: without which not.

dramatis personae
The characters in a play or story.
The people involved in an event.
Etymology: Persons of the drama.

ex parte
Involving one side only.
Etymology: From a side.

Ciao

Vocab: Phobias

Hola Friends,

Here is another post on phobias. Some interesting ones this time too. Why don’t you take a look at these phobias and figure out what the root words are and what they mean. Then you could try and arrive at the other words that have originated from those roots. Put down your thoughts in the Comments section.

Anyway here are the phobias:

Erythrophobia - Fear of blushing.

Brontophobia - Fear of thunder and lightning.

Ichthyophobia - Fear of fish.

Phronemophobia - Fear of thinking.

Ambulophobia - Fear of walking

Ciao

Quiz: Business

Aloha Everyone,

Time for another quiz. This time on Business. See how many you can crack, without 'googling'. ;-)

1. What is the "cash for clunkers" program? ... Ans.) The federal "cash for clunkers" program - (Car Allowance Rebate System) - offered $3,500 to $4,500 to people who traded in an old car for a new one with higher fuel economy. The subsidy was intended to increase vehicle sales. It was also meant to prop up the American auto industry. Of course it is a different issue that the brand that was at the top of the list was Toyota!!! So much for improving American auto industry.

2. The online e-commerce giant eBay has, very recently, agreed to sell the majority stake in a ‘unit’ of its company. Name the unit. ... Ans.) eBay agreed to sell its Internet phone unit Skype for $1.9 billion. It still retains a 35-percent stake.

3. How did we know the Syndicate Bank pre-nationalization? ... Ans.) Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Ltd.

4. Who is the Director-general of the WTO? ... Ans.) Pascal Lamy

5. What was founded in 1960 with a handshake between Mark McCormack and golf legend Arnold Palmer? ... Ans.) IMG, the sports management group

And that is time up...

Please put down your answers in the Comments section.

Ciao

Reading Comprehension

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an author, naturalist, and an important figure in the Literary Renaissance (of the nineteenth century) in America. He studied at Harvard but remained something of an outsider there, partly because of his temperament and also partly because, as the son of a small-town tradesman, he had a relatively modest background. Thoreau was influenced by both New England Puritanism and non-Western influences like Hindu mysticism. His reading of the Bhagvad Gita taught him that he should abstain from meat and alcohol, and live a simple life placing the needs of the intellect above material demands.

Thoreau was one of America’s most important free-thinkers and he communicated his ideas through essays and other works such as Walden, A Week on the Concord & Merrimack Rivers and Civil Disobedience. Mahatma Gandhi was impressed by Thoreau’s essay on Civil Disobedience and it later influenced his methods of offering Satyagraha against the British. The general message that Thoreau conveys is of the importance of throwing off the contradictions and complications of modern society in favor of honest reflection, clean living, and connection with the natural world.

This extract has been taken from Walden, Thoreau’s famous account of his radical experiment in living. For over a year, Thoreau lived alone in the woods in a simple cabin near Walden Pond. Here, Thoreau was sufficiently inspired to reflect on society and human nature itself.


"If I should attempt to tell how I have desired to spend my life in years past, it would probably surprise those of my readers who are somewhat acquainted with its actual history; it would certainly astonish those who know nothing about it. I will only hint at some of the enterprises which I have cherished.

In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too; to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line. You will pardon some obscurities, for there are more secrets in my trade than in most men's, and yet not voluntarily kept, but inseparable from its very nature. I would gladly tell all that I know about it, and never paint "No Admittance" on my gate.

I long ago lost a hound, a bay horse, and a turtle dove, and am still on their trail. Many are the travellers I have spoken concerning them, describing their tracks and what calls they answered to. I have met one or two who had heard the hound, and the tramp of the horse, and even seen the dove disappear behind a cloud, and they seemed as anxious to recover them as if they had lost them themselves.

To anticipate, not the sunrise and the dawn merely, but, if possible, Nature herself! How many mornings, summer and winter, before yet any neighbor was stirring about his business, have I been about mine! No doubt, many of my townsmen have met me returning from this enterprise, farmers starting for Boston in the twilight, or woodchoppers going to their work. It is true, I never assisted the sun materially in his rising, but, doubt not, it was of the last importance only to be present at it.

So many autumn, ay, and winter days, spent outside the town, trying to hear what was in the wind, to hear and carry it express! I well-nigh sunk all my capital in it, and lost my own breath into the bargain, running in the face of it. If it had concerned either of the political parties, depend upon it, it would have appeared in the Gazette with the earliest intelligence. At other times watching from the observatory of some cliff or tree, to telegraph any new arrival; or waiting at evening on the hill-tops for the sky to fall, that I might catch something, though I never caught much, and that, manna-wise, would dissolve again in the sun.

For a long time I was reporter to a journal, of no very wide circulation, whose editor has never yet seen fit to print the bulk of my contributions, and, as is too common with writers, I got only my labor for my pains. However, in this case my pains were their own reward.

For many years I was self-appointed inspector of snow-storms and rain-storms, and did my duty faithfully; surveyor, if not of highways, then of forest paths and all across-lot routes, keeping them open, and ravines bridged and passable at all seasons, where the public heel had testified to their utility.

I have looked after the wild stock of the town, which give a faithful herdsman a good deal of trouble by leaping fences; and I have had an eye to the unfrequented nooks and corners of the farm; though I did not always know whether Jonas or Solomon worked in a particular field to-day; that was none of my business. I have watered the red huckleberry, the sand cherry and the nettle-tree, the red pine and the black ash, the white grape and the yellow violet, which might have withered else in dry seasons.

In short, I went on thus for a long time (I may say it without boasting), faithfully minding my business, till it became more and more evident that my townsmen would not after all admit me into the list of town officers, nor make my place a sinecure with a moderate allowance. My accounts, which I can swear to have kept faithfully, I have, indeed, never got audited, still less accepted, still less paid and settled. However, I have not set my heart on that.

Not long since, a strolling Indian went to sell baskets at the house of a well-known lawyer in my neighborhood. "Do you wish to buy any baskets?" he asked. "No, we do not want any," was the reply. "What!" exclaimed the Indian as he went out the gate, "do you mean to starve us?" Having seen his industrious white neighbors so well off -- that the lawyer had only to weave arguments, and, by some magic, wealth and standing followed -- he had said to himself: I will go into business; I will weave baskets; it is a thing which I can do. Thinking that when he had made the baskets he would have done his part, and then it would be the white man's to buy them. He had not discovered that it was necessary for him to make it worth the other's while to buy them, or at least make him think that it was so, or to make something else which it would be worth his while to buy. I too had woven a kind of basket of a delicate texture, but I had not made it worth any one's while to buy them.

Yet not the less, in my case, did I think it worth my while to weave them, and instead of studying how to make it worth men's while to buy my baskets, I studied rather how to avoid the necessity of selling them. The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of the others?"


Please read and write down your understanding of the passage in the comments. This will enable us to discuss the same. The more the comments the better would be the learning.


Until tomorrow,

Ciao

Feedback ka feedback

Hey guys,

Thanks for taking the time out and giving feedback, both here and via email. To very quickly summarise the feedback, while all of you are satisfied by the mails there are a few things that you would want added.

A few of you have asked for GK questions, both here and in the class where I checked with a few batches. Funny thing though is that when I put up some questions not too many of you attempted them. Maybe the charm is lost when someone has already put in the answers. Maybe, maybe not. But as far as I am concerned I will be putting up questions regularly. (Though I will not be able to send a daily mail on current affairs too as some of you have asked for. Let me not commit to something that I cannot do.) Maybe one/two in a week. I will cover: History, Current Affairs, Economics & Biz and General questions. The questions, however, will not be mailed; I will only put them up on the Blog so that there is an opportunity to go head to head with others. And guys, please do not use Google to get the answers. ;-)

There has been a demand for more Grammar. Not an issue at all. I will start sending them with more regularity. I am aware that so far I have put in only one post on Grammar but that should be rectified soon.

Some of you have asked for more idioms to be sent across. In fact quite a few of you have been asking for it even in the class. Theekh hai. Will send more of the same.

More root words and more words in the mail is another request. Sure thing. I am not too sure if I should increase the content per mail as a few of you have suggested. Maybe another round of feedback should tell us if the content is fine or not.

Lastly, there has also been a demand for questions on Reasoning. Now the issue with that is I need to figure out how to go about it. Should I just let you know how to deal with questions of this nature? Or should I develop questions and then ask them? I need to take a call on this issue. So as of now I am afraid there will not be too many questions on Reasoning. Let’s see how things progress. Please bear with me.

And now for a commitment from my side. When I made the announcement in class, I said I would send a mail thrice a week but ended up sending a daily mail for about 15 days or so. (but was unable to keep up with it the past few days.) Now lemme TRY to send you a DAILY mail from today, September 1st to the first day of CAT.

On that optimistic (and scary) note,

Ciao