Choose the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word:
The umpires who defer the judgement are not very popular with the cricket fans.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → protract
- Defer means to put off to a later time; postpone. Umpires who keep putting off their decision make the fans wait, so they are not popular.
Example: The meeting has been deferred till Monday. - Protract means to make something last longer; drag out. Deferring a judgement drags out the wait for it, so protract is the synonym among the options.
Example: The lawyers protracted the case for years.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: stimulate — Incorrect. Stimulate means to encourage something to grow or become more active; it has nothing to do with delay.
Example: Good books stimulate a child's imagination.
Option 2: hasten — Incorrect. Hasten means to make something happen sooner; it is the opposite of defer.
Example: The rain hastened the end of the match.
Option 4: expedite — Incorrect. Expedite means to make a process happen more quickly; it too is an antonym of defer.
Example: The office promised to expedite my passport application.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| defer | 12-05 S1 | 22-05 S2 31-05 S1 02-06 S2 | – | 11-06 S1 13-06 S2 | – |
| hasten | 25-05 S1 | – | – | – | – |
| protract | 24-05 S1 | – | – | – | – |
| expedite | 12-05 S1 25-05 S1 | 02-06 S2 | – | – | – |