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Topic Idioms and phrases
Asked 12 times across 2 UPSC exams over 3 years (2020–2023), peaking in 2022.
Key insights
- Most tested in NDA — 10 of 12 PYQs
- Most asked in 2022
- Recurs across 3 years (2020–2023)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
EPFO 2020 → NDA 2022
How the concept evolved
Rising — more than half its appearances (12 of 12) are since 2016.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
EPFO2023
A bird ________ is better than two in the bush.
- A in hand ✓
- B to hand
- C handy
- D in one's hands
✓ Correct answer: (A)
English Language › Vocabulary
NDA2022
Counting your chickens
- A confident of success ✓
- B greedily accumulating wealth
- C being careful about spending money
- D getting scared because of danger
✓ Correct answer: (A)
English Language › Vocabulary
NDA2022
The icing on the cake
- A baked food that is delicate and delicious with a topping
- B extra benefit over and above an already good deal ✓
- C getting what you asked for
- D more than what is needed
✓ Correct answer: (B)
English Language › Vocabulary
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