GATE CS 2016 Set 2 Q.2 (GA Q.2): Verbal Ability and Grammar

Nobody knows how the Indian cricket team is going to cope with the difficult and seamer-friendly wickets in Australia.

Choose the option which is closest in meaning to the underlined phrase in the above sentence.

put up with

put in with

put down to

put up against

Official answer and solution

Solution

Match the phrasal verb 'cope with' to its exact contextual synonym among the given options.

The sentence reads: "Nobody knows how the Indian cricket team is going to cope with the difficult and seamer-friendly wickets in Australia."

Analyze the meanings of the phrasal verbs:

"cope with": to deal successfully with a difficult situation, to endure, bear, or tolerate.
"put up with": to tolerate, endure, or bear with someone or something difficult or unpleasant.
"put in with": to make an application or join in common cause with someone.
"put down to": to attribute an outcome or event to a particular cause.
"put up against": to pit someone in competition against an opponent.

The phrasal verb "put up with" is closest in meaning to "cope with" in the sense of enduring challenging playing conditions.

Thus, option (A) is correct.

Final answer

Common trap

Confusing "put up with" (tolerate/endure) with "put up against" (compete against).

The answer is the one in the official GATE answer key. The solution is this site's own explanation.

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