12 October 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Today’s Highlight: Today’s standout word is Hoarding – it means stockpiling goods to push up prices, and it is a favourite in Banking and SSC reading passages. The RBI rate hike editorial is key for Banking Awareness, the Nobel Prize editorials on Chemistry and Literature are must-reads for current affairs, and the Yemen and Mecca pact editorial is useful for international relations.

Editorial 1: Adequate Response: On the RBI and Inflation

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

1. Adequate
Synonym: Sufficient | Antonym: Inadequate
Example: One small heater is not adequate for such a large hall.

2. Rein
Synonym: Restrain | Antonym: Unleash
Example: Parents often try to rein in children’s screen time.

3. Pressures
Synonym: Strains | Antonym: Reliefs
Example: Rising rents add pressures on many young families.

4. Prophecy
Synonym: Prediction | Antonym: Hindsight
Example: Their gloomy prophecy about the match proved wrong.

5. Bludgeon
Synonym: Cudgel | Antonym: Finesse
Example: A bludgeon is a poor tool for delicate repair work.

6. Deftness
Synonym: Dexterity | Antonym: Clumsiness
Example: The potter’s deftness amazed everyone watching her work.

7. Hoarding
Synonym: Stockpiling | Antonym: Distributing
Example: Hoarding of grain by traders pushes up local prices.

8. Expectations
Synonym: Anticipations | Antonym: Surprises
Example: Rising expectations of rain lifted the farmers’ mood.

9. Drivers
Synonym: Catalysts | Antonym: Obstacles
Example: Trade and investment are key drivers of growth.

10. Primary
Synonym: Principal | Antonym: Secondary
Example: Her primary goal this year is to clear the exam.

Idioms

1. Rein in
Meaning: Control or restrain

2. Self-fulfilling prophecy
Meaning: Comes true because it is believed

3. Breathing room
Meaning: Space to ease pressure

Editorial 2: Chance and Happenstance: On the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

1. Happenstance
Synonym: Coincidence | Antonym: Design
Example: Their meeting was pure happenstance, not planning.

2. Laborious
Synonym: Arduous | Antonym: Effortless
Example: Copying the records by hand was a laborious task.

3. Preloaded
Synonym: Built-in | Antonym: Added later
Example: The phone comes preloaded with a few useful apps.

4. Accretive
Synonym: Cumulative | Antonym: Diminishing
Example: Accretive gains in skill made her a champion over time.

5. Predominance
Synonym: Prevalence | Antonym: Rarity
Example: The predominance of rice in the diet is clear here.

6. Lifeless
Synonym: Inanimate | Antonym: Lively
Example: The desert looked lifeless under the scorching sun.

7. Congenital
Synonym: Inborn | Antonym: Acquired
Example: Colour blindness is often a congenital condition.

8. Amplified
Synonym: Magnified | Antonym: Reduced
Example: The speaker amplified her voice for the large crowd.

9. Intriguing
Synonym: Fascinating | Antonym: Dull
Example: The detective found an intriguing clue in the room.

10. Parallel
Synonym: Similarity | Antonym: Difference
Example: Critics drew a parallel between the two novels.

Idioms

1. Blaze trails
Meaning: Lead the way

2. The rich getting richer
Meaning: Wealth attracts more wealth

Editorial 3: Anne Carson’s Unruly Art of Becoming

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

1. Unruly
Synonym: Disorderly | Antonym: Obedient
Example: The unruly crowd pushed past the barriers.

2. Alchemise
Synonym: Transmute | Antonym: Degrade
Example: Great chefs alchemise simple grains into memorable dishes.

3. Amorphous
Synonym: Shapeless | Antonym: Defined
Example: An amorphous plan gave the team no clear direction.

4. Austere
Synonym: Spartan | Antonym: Luxurious
Example: The monk lived in an austere cell with one mat.

5. Wreckage
Synonym: Debris | Antonym: Restoration
Example: Rescuers searched the wreckage of the collapsed building.

6. Fascinated
Synonym: Captivated | Antonym: Bored
Example: The child was fascinated by the shining stars.

7. Probes
Synonym: Investigates | Antonym: Ignores
Example: The documentary probes the causes of rising pollution.

8. Befitting
Synonym: Appropriate | Antonym: Unsuitable
Example: She wore a dress befitting the formal occasion.

9. Fragments
Synonym: Shards | Antonym: Whole
Example: Glass fragments covered the floor after the storm.

10. Lyrical
Synonym: Poetic | Antonym: Prosaic
Example: Her lyrical description of the monsoon moved readers.

Idioms

1. Razor-sharp
Meaning: Very sharp and quick

2. Blur the boundaries
Meaning: Make the line unclear

Editorial 4: As Yemen’s Old Conflict Flares Up, a Test for Mecca Pact

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

1. Flared
Synonym: Erupted | Antonym: Subsided
Example: Tensions flared after the heated argument at the meeting.

2. Spillover
Synonym: Fallout | Antonym: Containment
Example: The spillover from the dispute hurt neighbouring markets.

3. Regroup
Synonym: Rally | Antonym: Disband
Example: The team used the break to regroup before the final.

4. Shattered
Synonym: Smashed | Antonym: Mended
Example: The news shattered her hopes of an early return.

5. Neutralise
Synonym: Counteract | Antonym: Strengthen
Example: Good drainage can neutralise the risk of floods.

6. Complicate
Synonym: Muddle | Antonym: Simplify
Example: New rules will complicate the already slow process.

7. Combat
Synonym: Fighting | Antonym: Peace
Example: Soldiers returning from combat need rest and care.

8. Brokered
Synonym: Mediated | Antonym: Wrecked
Example: A deal brokered by the mediator ended the strike.

9. Distant
Synonym: Remote | Antonym: Near
Example: Peace still looks distant in the war-torn region.

10. Presence
Synonym: Attendance | Antonym: Absence
Example: Her presence at the meeting calmed everyone.

Idioms

1. Raise the stakes
Meaning: Increase the risk

2. Worn down
Meaning: Tired by long hardship

Test Yourself – 5 Questions

Q1. The editorial suggests that a rate hike alone may not be ADEQUATE to tame food-driven inflation. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Sufficient
(B) Inadequate
(C) Meagre
(D) Unfit
(E) Absent

Answer: A

Meaning: Adequate means enough or good enough for a purpose.
Logic: ‘Sufficient’ is its closest synonym.
Elimination: Inadequate and Meagre are opposite in sense, while Unfit and Absent do not mean enough.

Q2. Identify the correctly spelt word among the options below.

(A) Happenstence
(B) Hapenstance
(C) Happenstanse
(D) Happenstance
(E) Happenstanc

Answer: D

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Happenstance’, meaning chance or coincidence.
Logic: ‘happen’ plus ‘stance’.
Elimination: the remaining options drop or change letters.

Q3. Supply-side factors are the ______ drivers of inflation at present. Select the option that best fits the blank in the sentence.

(A) trivial
(B) distant
(C) rare
(D) doubtful
(E) primary

Answer: E

Meaning: Primary means chief or most important.
Logic: the editorial says supply-side factors are the main drivers of inflation.
Elimination: trivial, distant, rare and doubtful do not fit the sense of the main cause.

Q4. Identify the correctly spelt word among the options below.

(A) Prophecy
(B) Prophecey
(C) Prophasy
(D) Prophicy
(E) Profecy

Answer: A

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Prophecy’, meaning a statement about what will happen.
Logic: the noun ends in ‘-cy’, unlike the verb ‘prophesy’.
Elimination: the remaining options change letters inside the word.

Q5. Early demonstrations of molecular bias were LABORIOUS affairs that needed many repeated trials. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Effortless
(B) Arduous
(C) Swift
(D) Casual
(E) Simple

Answer: B

Meaning: Laborious means needing a lot of effort and time.
Logic: ‘Arduous’ is its closest synonym.
Elimination: Effortless, Swift and Simple are opposite in sense, while Casual does not mean demanding.

Quick Recap – Today’s Words

Adequate (Sufficient) | Rein (Restrain) | Pressures (Strains) | Prophecy (Prediction) | Bludgeon (Cudgel) | Deftness (Dexterity) | Hoarding (Stockpiling) | Expectations (Anticipations) | Drivers (Catalysts) | Primary (Principal) | Happenstance (Coincidence) | Laborious (Arduous) | Preloaded (Built-in) | Accretive (Cumulative) | Predominance (Prevalence) | Lifeless (Inanimate) | Congenital (Inborn) | Amplified (Magnified) | Intriguing (Fascinating) | Parallel (Similarity) | Unruly (Disorderly) | Alchemise (Transmute) | Amorphous (Shapeless) | Austere (Spartan) | Wreckage (Debris) | Fascinated (Captivated) | Probes (Investigates) | Befitting (Appropriate) | Fragments (Shards) | Lyrical (Poetic) | Flared (Erupted) | Spillover (Fallout) | Regroup (Rally) | Shattered (Smashed) | Neutralise (Counteract) | Complicate (Muddle) | Combat (Fighting) | Brokered (Mediated) | Distant (Remote) | Presence (Attendance)

Idioms: Rein in, Self-fulfilling prophecy, Breathing room, Blaze trails, The rich getting richer, Razor-sharp, Blur the boundaries, Raise the stakes, Worn down