The phrase 'team building exercises' may be new but the reality is not. Its origins go back at least as far as the medieval tournaments. These provided knights with military training and the opportunity to make reputations. Individual jousting and hand-to hand combat came first. Then there were team events. In these, a group of knights fought against another group. These teams often stayed together and fought side-by-side in real battle. Team games today, such as football, baseball, cricket and hockey, are the distant descendants of such medieval tournaments.
A crucial event in the movement from being a group to becoming a team can be the team building exercise. This can be based upon either (1) a substitute team task (for example, a business case study or a few days of outdoor activities) or (2) a real task (for example, going away for a weekend to plan company strategy).
There are pros and cons to both approaches. The advantage of a substitute task type of event is that success or failure is not of paramount importance. Nor are there any technological or professional challenges to meet, so that people can concentrate on the essential issue of learning how to work more effectively together as a team.
Choose the option that is the Antonym of the word 'Descendent'.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → ancestor
- A descendent is a person or thing that comes from an earlier one: a child, grandchild or later member of a family line. In the passage, today's team games are the "distant descendants" of medieval tournaments.
Example: He is a descendant of a famous freedom fighter. - An ancestor is a person in one's family who lived long before, such as a great-grandparent. It is the direct antonym of descendent.
Example: Our ancestors lived in a small village in Punjab.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: grandchildren — Incorrect. Grandchildren are the children of one's son or daughter. They are themselves descendants, not the opposite.
Example: The old couple loves to play with their grandchildren.
Option 2: heir — Incorrect. An heir is a person who receives the property or title of someone after his death, usually a descendant. It is close in meaning, not opposite.
Example: The prince was the heir to the throne.
Option 4: children — Incorrect. Children are sons and daughters, the first generation of descendants.
Example: The children ran out to meet their father.
| Synonyms of descendent: offspring, progeny, heir, successor Antonyms of descendent: ancestor, forefather, forebear, predecessor Also asked in CUET (UG): heir – 24-05-2026 Slot 1 |