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One Word Substitution Questions with Solutions

One Word Substitution questions give you a phrase or a whole sentence and ask for the single precise word that means the same thing — it’s a vocabulary topic, but a narrow and learnable one, since the same few dozen words come up again and again. Here’s the approach, four fully worked examples, and a few to try yourself.

The approach, quickly

  • Read the phrase as a definition, not just a description — the correct word is the exact dictionary term for that definition, not merely a word that relates to it.
  • Many of these words follow recognisable patterns: "-ist" or "-ologist" often names a person who studies or practises something (ornithologist, philanthropist); "-phobia" names a fear; "-cide" names a killing.
  • Watch for near-miss options that describe something related but not identical — the right answer matches the phrase exactly, not just the general topic.
  • These words repeat often across past papers, so building a working list from practice is usually more efficient than trying to memorise a dictionary.

Worked examples

1. One word for "a person who studies birds":

Solution

  1. This describes someone whose subject of study is birds.
  2. The exact term for this is "Ornithologist".

Answer: Ornithologist

2. One word for "a person who can speak many languages":

Solution

  1. This describes someone fluent in several languages.
  2. The exact term for this is "Polyglot".

Answer: Polyglot

3. One word for "a place where coins are made":

Solution

  1. This describes the specific place where a government manufactures its coins.
  2. The exact term for this is "Mint".

Answer: Mint

4. One word for "a person who loves and works for the welfare of mankind":

Solution

  1. This describes someone devoted to promoting the welfare of others, often through charitable giving.
  2. The exact term for this is "Philanthropist".

Answer: Philanthropist

Try these yourself

Work through these the same way, then check against the answer.

1. One word for "a person who walks in their sleep":

Answer: Somnambulist

2. One word for "a person who has no money":

Answer: Pauper

3. One word for "a shelter or enclosure for birds":

Answer: Aviary

Where this comes up

One Word Substitution is a regular topic in the English Language section of every exam Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk.

Practice more One Word Substitution questions

This page covers the approach and a handful of worked examples. Pariksha Saathi has full topic-wise practice sets for One Word Substitution (and every other English/Reasoning/Quant topic) with instant scoring and explanations — free, no account required.

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