ineffable 

[ in-EF-uh’-buh’ l ]
  [ adjective ]
  MEANING :
1. unable to describe in words; indescribable
  2. not to be spoken of or uttered; taboo

  USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
  The ineffable joy of a woman becoming a mother is well documented in the literature of almost every language.
  USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :
Compact, scar-faced, blinded in one eye, he promenades around the refugee lean-tos of Biem with a lackey in
  tow, carrying his chair. Yet there is also an ineffable sadness about him.
National Geographic , Shattered Sudan, Paul Salopek
 
Tundra [ TUHN-druh', TOO'N- ]
  [ noun ]
  MEANING :
a treeless region that falls between the icecap and tree line of the arctic regions and has an eternally frozen
  subsoil and sustains low-growing vegetation

  USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
  The Tundra has a harsh, cold climate.
  USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :
Snow flies in your face as furry friends pull you across the isolated tundra.
  CNN, Mush! Five places to go dog sledding, By Jacque Wilson, January 13, 2009
 
debacle [ dey-BAH-kuh’ l, -BAK-uh’ l, duh’- ]
  [ noun ]
  MEANING :
1. sudden defeat, violent disruption or rout
  2. a fiasco or total failure
3. the breaking up of ice in a river

  USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
  She was solely blamed for the entire debacle.
  USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :
Politicians and teaching unions yesterday welcomed news that the contract with the company at the centre of
  this summer's national tests debacle in England has been severed.
The Herald, Firm loses contract over exams debacle
 
lexicographer [ lek-si-KOG-ruh'-fer ]
  [ noun ]
  MEANING :
  1.(n.) a person who compiles or edits a dictionary

  USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
  A dedicated lexicographer had compiled a dictionary containing a million words.
  USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :
  A common rule of thumb among lexicographers is that a word should be spotted in at least five different sources
 over a period of five years.
CNN, They're looking up 'Yankspeak' for the Oxford English Dictionary, William Weir, 5 July 2000.
 
cistern [ SIS-tern ]
  [ noun ]
  MEANING :
1. a reservoir, tank or receptacle for holding water or other liquid
  2. a receptacle of natural fluid of the body
3. a tank for catching and storing rainwater

  USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
The government planned to build a huge cistern in the catchment area to harvest rain water for the nearby
  village.

  USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :
Lipkis and the TreePeople imagine a time when as many as a million homes and businesses have rainwater
  cisterns all electronically networked and ready to provide treated drinking water to the public.
CNN, Cisterns save rainwater, quench environmental thirst, Gabe Ramirez, 13 August 2009.
I was supposed to meet Mini for movie last Friday. Due to a doctor’s appointment, I fell slightly late off
schedule. When she called me, I told her that I would not be able to pick her up from the scheduled
rendezvous point, which was thirty mins both from my place as well as the multiplex, since we would
get late for the movie by around 15 minutes. Luckily, she was with a friend who suggested that I start
towards the rendezvous point and then they would meet me midway so that we can save time.
Considering traffic and everything, my average speed was close to 70 kmph and when I picked up Mini
midway and immediately rushed for the movie, we were able to just catch the movie in time. What
was the speed with which Mini’s friend was driving?

OPTION
S
 

1) 50 kmph

2)

3) 70 kmph

4)

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Tip of the Day
Research articles from journals provide reading with a very high level of difficulty. You can intersperse
some reading from journals on management or philosophy to challenge yourself, and improve reading
speed at such difficulty levels.
more tips
Last year's Question of the day (24-May-10)
The question below contains a paragraph followed by alternative summaries. Choose the option that
best captures the essence of the paragraph.
The signing of a treaty between the US and Russia on reducing their strategic nuclear arsenals is most
welcome, even if the larger aim of nuclear disarmament remains distant. Cutting their nuclear arsenals
by a third over seven years - down to 1,550 warheads from the 2,200 allowed by the 1991 strategic
arms reduction treaty - still leaves enough to destroy the world several times over.
OPTION
S
 

1) In spite of the treaty between the US and Russia to reduce their nuclear arsenals down to
1550, the larger aim of nuclear disarmament remains distant.

2) Though the new treaty between the US and Russia on reducing nuclear warheads is a positive
step, the larger aim of nuclear disarmament is still distant.

3) Though the new treaty between the US and Russia will reduce their nuclear arsenals to below
1991 levels, they are still sufficient to destroy the world several times over.

4) Though the new treaty between the US and Russia will reduce their nuclear arsenals to 1550
warheads, they are still sufficient to destroy the world several times over.

5) The treaty between the US and Russia on reducing the nuclear  warheads from 2200 to 1550
over seven years leaves them still enough to destroy the world several times over.

Puzzle #158 - Puzzling the Prisoners

26-May-11

On an island inhabited by tribals, 100 Englishmen were held captive. One day the leader of the tribe
decided that the deserved one chance to save themselves. He ordered for 100 wooden boxes and
placed into each of them a name of one of the 100 prisoners. The boxes were then lined up on a table
in one of the huts.

The rules were simple:

1. The Englishmen would be led into the hut one by one and one at a time.

2. He was allowed to open at most 50 boxes. After that, he had to shut the boxes and leave the hut
and wait in another hut for the remaining men to finish their turns.

3. Once he entered the hut with the boxes, he was not permitted to communicate with any of the
others.

4. The Prisoner's can't change the positions of the boxes or disturb the arrangement in any way.

The prisoners are, however, given an opportunity to plan out their strategy a day prior to the day
when they have to enter the hut. The stakes for them were very high as each prisoner would HAVE to
find a box with his name in it. Failing to do so would mean that all of them would be hanged to death.
Help them chalk out a plan that has at least a 30% probability of success. Provide a detailed
explanation along with your answer.

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