IPMAT Indore 2023 · Verbal Ability · Question 23

The word pair being tested: farther vs further.

farther — comparative of far, used for physical distance. It is an adjective or adverb only.

further — used for degree, extent or additional amount, and — crucially — it is also a verb meaning to advance or promote.

Checking each option:

(a) “letting it fester” — a different word entirely (to become worse, like an infected wound), used correctly ✔

(b) “refused to answer further questions” — additional questions ✔

(c) “I live farther away from college” — literal physical distance ✔

(d) “If you need to farther your career” ✘ — here the word is a verb meaning to advance. Farther has no verb form. The correct word is further: to further your career.

Answer: Option 4

Shortcut. Decide by part of speech, not by meaning. In (c) the word is an adverb of distance; in (d) it sits after to and takes an object — it is a verb. Farther is never a verb, so (d) is wrong whatever the distance/degree rule says.

The rule in one line: farther for physical distance, further for everything else — including every verb use. Further your career, further the cause, further our understanding.