IPMAT Indore 2022 · Verbal Ability · Question 26
IPMAT Indore 2022 previous year question on Word Usage in Context, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.
- AThe orchestra decided to flout tradition and played their instruments wearing ordinary clothes.
- BThe problems caused by flouting rules are many, but some people do not care.
- CShe flouted her designer wear and accessories in front of her classmates.
- DHer fault was that she flouted the dress code and refused to wear the uniform.
Answer & solution
Answer: Option C
The word pair being tested: flout vs flaunt.
flout — to openly disregard a rule, convention or law.
flaunt — to display ostentatiously, to show off.
Checking each option:
(a) “flout tradition” ✔ — openly defying a convention.
(b) “flouting rules” ✔ — the core usage.
(d) “flouted the dress code” ✔ — disregarding a rule, confirmed by “refused to wear the uniform”.
(c) “flouted her designer wear and accessories in front of her classmates” ✘ — showing off possessions is flaunting, not flouting. The phrase “in front of her classmates” makes the display sense unmistakable.
Answer: Option 3
Shortcut. Check the object of the verb — it separates these two words cleanly.
Verb | Takes as object |
|---|---|
flout | rules, laws, conventions, authority, tradition |
flaunt | wealth, beauty, possessions, success |
Options (a), (b) and (d) all take rules or traditions. Option (c) takes clothes and accessories — possessions — so it needs flaunt.
This pair is among the most commonly confused in English, and the mnemonic is simple: fl-ou-t rhymes with shout — you shout down a rule; fl-au-nt rhymes with vaunt, which also means to boast.
More Word Usage in Context questions
- Q23One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly or inappropriately. Choose the option which has the…IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Word Usage in Context
- Q24One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly or inappropriately. Choose the option which has the…IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Word Usage in Context
- Q25One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly or inappropriately. Choose the option which has the…IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Word Usage in Context
- Q26One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly or inappropriately. Choose the option which has the…IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Word Usage in Context
- Q27One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly or inappropriately. Choose the option which has the…IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Word Usage in Context
- Q28One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly or inappropriately. Choose the option which has the…IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Word Usage in Context
All Word Usage in Context PYQs →
Take this paper as a timed test
Real exam timing, instant score, rank and topic-wise analysis.