IPMAT Indore 2024 · Verbal Ability · Question 39

The word pair being tested: proscribe vs prescribe. These two look almost identical and mean nearly opposite things.

proscribe — to forbid, to prohibit officially.

prescribe — to lay down a rule or direction; to recommend or order (a treatment, a procedure).

Checking each option:

(a) “rules … proscribes members from engaging in conflicts of interest” — forbidding ✔ (the subject–verb agreement is faulty — “rules … proscribe” — but the question asks about word usage, not grammar, and the word itself is correctly chosen)

(b) “The coach proscribes late night parties” — forbidding ✔

(c) “policy proscribes employees from disclosing confidential information” — forbidding ✔

(d) “The software manual proscribes step-by-step instructions” ✘ — a manual lays out instructions; it does not forbid them. The word required is prescribes (or simply provides).

Answer: Option 4

Shortcut. One structural tell solves this instantly. Proscribe is a verb of prohibition, so it takes either a forbidden activity as its object or the pattern “proscribes X from doing Y”.

1. and (c) use from ✔ — prohibition.

   takes a forbidden thing (late-night parties) ✔

   takes instructions — something a document supplies, never something it bans ✘

   Memory hook: proscribe = prohibit; prescribe = prepare a direction (what a doctor writes). Doctors prescribe; laws proscribe.

   Don’t be distracted by the grammatical error in (a). The question asks only about the chosen word. Answering (a) because “rules proscribes” is ungrammatical is the trap.