Past Paper Vocabulary MCQs — Solved (2005–2026)

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22 years of CSS English (Précis & Composition) vocabulary MCQs, fully solved. Since 2016, Part-I has been 20 MCQs (10 synonyms + 10 antonyms, 30 minutes, OMR, no negative marking). Before 2016 the paper had 10–20 vocabulary items, and 2012 also had sentence completion. Every question on every page shows its options (where they survive), the answer, the Urdu meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and two example sentences.

How to study with these pages

1. Open a year and read the question and options. Pick your answer before looking at the green ✅ box.
2. Read the Urdu meaning and one example sentence, then say your own sentence out loud.
3. Learn the repeated words below first. FPSC reuses words across years, sometimes flipping a synonym question into an antonym one.

📅 Year pages (newest first)

🔁 Most-repeated FPSC words — fully solved

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These 25 words have each appeared in two or more CSS papers. Learn them first. The years show when each was asked and whether it came as a synonym (Syn) or an antonym (Ant) question.

1. LOQUACIOUS — 2014 (Ant), 2016 (Syn), 2024 (Ant)

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Syn answer: Talkative · Ant answer: Silent / Reticent

• Urdu: باتونی، زیادہ بولنے والا
• Meaning (adj.): tending to talk a great deal
• Synonyms: talkative, garrulous, voluble, verbose, chatty, gossipy
• Antonyms: silent, reticent, taciturn, reserved, quiet
• Sentences:
  1. The loquacious passenger told me his life story before we reached Lahore.
  2. After two cups of tea he became quite loquacious.

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2. BRUSQUE — 2011 (Ant), 2014 (Ant), 2023-S (Ant)

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Ant answer: Courteous / Gracious / Polite

• Urdu: روکھا، اکھڑ، درشت
• Meaning (adj.): abrupt or offhand in speech or manner
• Synonyms: curt, blunt, abrupt, gruff, terse, short
• Antonyms: courteous, gracious, polite, civil, gentle
• Sentences:
  1. The clerk's brusque reply upset the pensioner.
  2. She was gracious even to her critics.

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3. CAJOLE — 2009 (Syn), 2013 (Ant), 2026 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Coax / Lure · Ant: Coerce / Force

• Urdu: پھسلانا، چکنی چپڑی باتوں سے منانا
• Meaning (v.): to persuade by flattery or gentle coaxing
• Synonyms: coax, lure, wheedle, sweet-talk, entice, beguile
• Antonyms: coerce, force, compel, bully, intimidate
• Sentences:
  1. She cajoled her brother into finishing his homework.
  2. Diplomats cajoled both sides back to the table.

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4. GERMANE — 2016 (Ant), 2022 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Irrelevant (same four options both years)

• Urdu: متعلقہ، برمحل
• Meaning (adj.): relevant to the subject under consideration
• Synonyms: relevant, pertinent, apposite, applicable, apropos
• Antonyms: irrelevant, extraneous, immaterial, unrelated
• Sentences:
  1. Keep your answer germane to the question asked.
  2. His objection was not germane to the debate.

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5. TEMERITY — 2016 (Syn), 2023-S (Ant)

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Syn answer: Audacity · Ant answer: Timidity

• Urdu: بے باکی، گستاخی، جرأتِ بے جا
• Meaning (n.): excessive confidence or boldness
• Synonyms: audacity, nerve, effrontery, impudence, gall, rashness
• Antonyms: timidity, shyness, caution, humility, diffidence
• Sentences:
  1. He had the temerity to question the chief justice in open court.
  2. How can you have the temerity to lie to me?

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6. PROPINQUITY — 2016 (Syn), 2025 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Nearness / Closeness

• Urdu: قربت، نزدیکی
• Meaning (n.): nearness in place, time or relationship
• Synonyms: proximity, closeness, nearness, kinship, adjacency
• Antonyms: distance, remoteness, separation, isolation
• Sentences:
  1. Propinquity often turns neighbours into friends.
  2. The propinquity of the two cities boosts trade.

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7. QUIESCENT — 2014 (Ant), 2016 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Active

• Urdu: ساکن، خاموش، غیر فعال
• Meaning (adj.): in a state of inactivity or dormancy
• Synonyms: dormant, inactive, latent, still, inert, passive
• Antonyms: active, dynamic, busy, lively, energetic
• Sentences:
  1. The volcano has been quiescent for centuries.
  2. Inflation remained quiescent last quarter.
• Trap: "dormant" is a synonym.

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8. VOCIFEROUS — 2016 (Syn), 2017 (Ant)

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Syn answer: Strident · Ant answer: Quiet

• Urdu: شور مچانے والا، بلند آہنگ، پرزور
• Meaning (adj.): expressing opinions loudly and forcefully
• Synonyms: strident, vehement, clamorous, outspoken, loud
• Antonyms: quiet, silent, muted, restrained, subdued
• Sentences:
  1. Traders were vociferous in opposing the new tax.
  2. Vociferous fans cheered every boundary.

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9. LEVITATE — 2017 (Syn), 2025 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Float

• Urdu: ہوا میں معلق ہونا، اُٹھنا
• Meaning (v.): to rise and hover in the air
• Synonyms: float, hover, rise, drift, soar
• Antonyms: sink, descend, fall, plummet
• Sentences:
  1. The magician appeared to levitate above the stage.
  2. In the dream, she levitated over the rooftops.
• Trap: in 2025, "Sink" was an option. It is the antonym.

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10. INCEPTION — 2018 (Ant), 2020 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Beginning · Ant answer: End

• Urdu: آغاز، ابتدا
• Meaning (n.): the establishment or starting point of something
• Synonyms: beginning, start, commencement, genesis, outset, origin
• Antonyms: end, conclusion, termination, finish, close
• Sentences:
  1. Since its inception in 1947, PIA has seen many ups and downs.
  2. The project was flawed from its inception.

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11. MELANCHOLY — 2010 (Ant), 2019 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Happy / Exuberant

• Urdu: اداسی، افسردگی
• Meaning (n./adj.): a deep, persistent sadness
• Synonyms: sorrow, gloom, dejection, sadness, despondency
• Antonyms: happy, exuberant, cheerful, joyful, elated
• Sentences:
  1. Faiz's poetry carries a gentle melancholy.
  2. The children were exuberant when school closed for summer.

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12. OBLITERATE — 2010 (Ant), 2019 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Preserve / Create

• Urdu: مٹا دینا، نیست و نابود کرنا
• Meaning (v.): to destroy utterly; to wipe out
• Synonyms: destroy, annihilate, erase, raze, eradicate
• Antonyms: preserve, create, build, restore, construct
• Sentences:
  1. The 2005 earthquake obliterated entire villages.
  2. We must preserve our heritage sites.

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13. ANOMALY ↔ CONSISTENCY — 2019 (Ant of Anomaly), 2020 (Ant of Consistency)

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These two words are each other's antonyms.

• Urdu: anomaly = بے قاعدگی، غیر معمولی بات · consistency = یکسانیت، تسلسل
• Meaning: anomaly = something that deviates from the norm · consistency = uniformity, steadiness
• Synonyms (anomaly): irregularity, aberration, oddity, deviation, exception
• Synonyms (consistency): uniformity, regularity, constancy, stability
• Sentences:
  1. Auditors flagged several anomalies in the accounts.
  2. Consistency in policy attracts foreign investors.

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14. ESSAY (verb) — 2010 (Syn), 2020 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Attempt

• Urdu: کوشش کرنا
• Meaning (v.): to attempt or try
• Synonyms: attempt, try, endeavour, venture, undertake, strive
• Antonyms: abandon, give up, neglect
• Sentences:
  1. She essayed a smile despite the bad news.
  2. The young actor essayed the role of an old king.
• Trap: don't read it as the noun (a composition).

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15. ASTUTE — 2015 (Syn), 2024 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Shrewd / Insightful

• Urdu: زیرک، ہوشیار، دانا
• Meaning (adj.): able to assess situations accurately and turn them to one's advantage
• Synonyms: shrewd, insightful, perceptive, sharp, canny, discerning
• Antonyms: stupid, naive, obtuse, foolish, gullible
• Sentences:
  1. An astute diplomat reads the room before speaking.
  2. She made an astute investment before prices rose.

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16. ASSUAGE — 2023-S (Syn), 2024 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Soothe

• Urdu: تسکین دینا، کم کرنا
• Meaning (v.): to make an unpleasant feeling less intense
• Synonyms: soothe, ease, relieve, allay, alleviate, mollify
• Antonyms: aggravate, intensify, exacerbate, worsen, inflame
• Sentences:
  1. The PM's visit did little to assuage the anger of flood victims.
  2. A glass of lassi assuaged his thirst.

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17. RANCOR — 2023-S (Ant), 2024 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Amicability / Goodwill

• Urdu: کینہ، بغض، دیرینہ دشمنی
• Meaning (n.): bitter, long-lasting resentment
• Synonyms: animosity, bitterness, hostility, spite, malice
• Antonyms: amicability, goodwill, friendship, harmony, affection
• Sentences:
  1. The talks ended without rancor on either side.
  2. Years of rancor divided the two families.

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18. PANACEA — 2023-S (Syn), 2026 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Cure-all / Elixir

• Urdu: ہر مرض کی دوا، اکسیر
• Meaning (n.): a solution or remedy for all problems or diseases
• Synonyms: cure-all, elixir, universal remedy, nostrum, magic bullet
• Antonyms: bane, affliction, poison, curse
• Sentences:
  1. Privatisation is no panacea for loss-making state enterprises.
  2. Technology is not a panacea for bad governance.

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19. EXPAND — 2008 (Ant), 2009 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Condense / Contract

• Urdu: پھیلانا، وسعت دینا
• Meaning (v.): to become or make larger
• Synonyms: enlarge, extend, widen, grow, broaden, swell
• Antonyms: condense, contract, shrink, compress, reduce
• Sentences:
  1. The company plans to expand into Central Asia.
  2. A précis condenses a passage to one-third of its length.

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20. UNEQUIVOCAL — 2008 (Syn), 2010 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Unmistakable / Clear

• Urdu: غیر مبہم، صاف و صریح، دو ٹوک
• Meaning (adj.): leaving no doubt; unambiguous
• Synonyms: unmistakable, clear, explicit, categorical, definite, plain
• Antonyms: equivocal, ambiguous, vague, evasive, uncertain
• Sentences:
  1. Pakistan gave an unequivocal condemnation of the attack.
  2. Her answer was an unequivocal "no".
• Trap: don't confuse "equivocal" (ambiguous) with "equivalent".

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21. TOUCHSTONE — 2005 (Syn), 2010 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Criterion / Standard

• Urdu: کسوٹی، معیار
• Meaning (n.): a standard by which something is judged
• Synonyms: criterion, standard, benchmark, yardstick, gauge, test
• Antonyms: (none)
• Sentences:
  1. Merit should be the touchstone of every appointment.
  2. Honesty is the touchstone of good governance.

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22. APROPOS — 2010 (Syn), 2014 (Syn)

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Syn answer: Regarding / Fitting

• Urdu: کے بارے میں؛ برمحل، موزوں
• Meaning (prep./adj.): with reference to; very appropriate to a situation
• Synonyms: regarding, concerning, fitting, apt, pertinent, opportune
• Antonyms: irrelevant, inappropriate, untimely, inapt
• Sentences:
  1. Apropos of your letter, the meeting is postponed.
  2. His quote from Iqbal was perfectly apropos.

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23. VERDANT — 2010 (Ant), 2014 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Arid

• Urdu: سرسبز، ہرا بھرا
• Meaning (adj.): green with grass or rich vegetation
• Synonyms: green, lush, leafy, grassy, luxuriant, fertile
• Antonyms: arid, barren, dry, parched, desolate
• Sentences:
  1. The verdant valleys of Swat attract tourists.
  2. Tharparkar stays arid for most of the year.

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24. CONSCIENTIOUS — 2010 (Ant), 2011 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Profligate / Negligent

• Urdu: فرض شناس، ایماندار، ذمہ دار
• Meaning (adj.): wishing to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly
• Synonyms: diligent, dutiful, careful, meticulous, painstaking, scrupulous
• Antonyms: profligate, negligent, careless, irresponsible, lax
• Sentences:
  1. A conscientious officer checks every file himself.
  2. The profligate heir wasted his fortune.

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25. FLAGITIOUS — 2011 (Ant), 2014 (Ant)

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Ant answer: Meritorious / Virtuous

• Urdu: نہایت شرمناک، سنگین مجرمانہ
• Meaning (adj.): criminal; villainous
• Synonyms: villainous, wicked, heinous, atrocious, nefarious, criminal
• Antonyms: meritorious, virtuous, praiseworthy, honourable, noble
• Sentences:
  1. Child trafficking is a flagitious crime.
  2. She received an award for meritorious service.

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About the answer keys: FPSC publishes no official key. Answers follow published coaching keys cross-checked with the dictionary. Where a circulating key is wrong or two options are defensible, the year page says so in a note.

Sources

• Year-wise lists: CSS Exam Desk
• 2013–2016 original papers with options: CSS Exam blog
• 2012 paper and key: CSS Forums
• 2022: CSSPrepForum · 2024: Legalversity · 2025: CSPs Academy · 2026: Education in Pakistan (full paper)