IPMAT Indore 2024 · Verbal Ability · Question 35

The word pair being tested: callus vs callous.

callus (noun) — a thickened, hardened patch of skin, typically on the hands or feet.

callous (adjective) — emotionally hardened; cruelly insensitive to others’ suffering.

They are near-homophones with a shared root (Latin callum, hard skin), which is exactly why they are confused.

Checking each option:

(a) “the callus protects the foot” — a patch of hard skin, used as a noun ✔

(b) “A build-up of the callus” — hard skin accumulating ✔

(c) “delivered with callus indifference” ✘ — here the word modifies the noun indifference, so an adjective is required. The sense needed is cruel, unfeeling, which is callous. The sentence should read “with callous indifference.”

(d) “The doctor examined the callus” — a physical lesion a doctor would inspect ✔

Answer: Option 3

Shortcut. Use the part of speech, not the meaning. In (a), (b) and (d) the word sits in a noun slot (after the, as the object of a verb). In (c) it sits directly before a noun — an adjective slot — and callus is not an adjective.

You can answer without knowing either definition. Scan for the odd grammatical position and you have the answer in five seconds.

The pair to memorise: callus = hard skin (noun); callous = hard-hearted (adjective). The commonest real-world collocation is “callous indifference”, exactly as this question hints.