UPPSC PCS - 2014

Choose the word nearest in meaning to ‘Celestial’.

Year Asked: 2014

A
Relishing
B
Heavenly
C
Worldly
D
Boring

Correct Answer

B. Heavenly

Detailed Explanation

Celestial means belonging to the sky or heaven, so the nearest synonym is Heavenly (option B). The word comes from Latin caelum, meaning sky, and it is used both for astronomy, as in celestial bodies like stars and planets, and for the divine or sublime, as in celestial music.

  • Relishing means enjoying something or taking pleasure in it. It describes a feeling or a taste, not a realm or place, so it has no real link with celestial.
  • Worldly is in fact the opposite of celestial. It means concerned with material life, ordinary affairs or this earth. Many aspirants pick it because it looks like a related word, but it sits on the other side of the meaning.
  • Boring means dull or tedious. It describes a person or an activity and has no connection with heaven or sky.

This is a basic synonym question, and it tests whether you hold words by their root meaning. Such vocabulary helps in comprehension and in writing precise English for Mains. When a word has a clear Latin or Greek root, use that root to anchor the meaning.

Trap: choosing Worldly because it sounds like a close partner of celestial. It is the antonym, so eliminate it first.

This question appeared in UPPCS 2014 GS Paper 2.

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