Week 4 (24th Mar): Economics & Finance – “Balancing Economic Stability in Uncertain Times”

The economic policies of the government must cohere with long-term development goals to ensure stability. However, the current financial situation remains precarious, with rising inflation and an untenable fiscal deficit. Experts have been blunt in their criticism, arguing that without strategic interventions, the economy could face a severe jolt.

To address these challenges, policymakers are exploring measures to augment revenue streams while implementing reforms to alleviate the burden on the working class. Structural adjustments are necessary to ameliorate economic disparities that have become entrenched over time. However, lengthy and verbose policy documents often delay swift action, making effective execution even more critical.

 

Vocabulary From Passage With Contextual Explanation

 

Cohere

 

  • Meaning: To stick together in a unified way or to be logically consistent.
  • Context Explanation: In the passage, cohere is used to describe how economic policies should be logically structured and connected to long-term financial goals. If policies do not cohere, it means they lack consistency, making them ineffective or confusing. For example, if a government implements a policy to reduce unemployment but also raises taxes on businesses, these actions might not cohere because higher taxes could discourage hiring, contradicting the goal of reducing unemployment.
  • Example Sentence: The different sections of his research paper did not cohere, making his argument difficult to follow.

 

Precarious

 

  • Meaning: Unstable, risky, or uncertain.
  • Context Explanation: The financial situation is described as precarious, indicating that it is fragile and could worsen if not managed properly.
  • Example Sentence: The climber found himself in a precarious position on the edge of the cliff.

 

Untenable

 

  • Meaning: Not able to be defended, justified, or maintained, either logically or practically.
  • Context Explanation: In the passage, untenable is used to describe a financial situation or argument that cannot be sustained or supported. For instance, if a government continues to spend excessively without proper revenue generation, such an economic strategy becomes untenable because it is not sustainable in the long run.
  • Example Sentence: The managers decision to cut costs by reducing essential staff proved untenable as productivity sharply declined.

 

Blunt

 

  • Meaning: Direct, straightforward, often to the point of being harsh.
  • Context Explanation: The experts are said to be blunt in their criticism, meaning they spoke frankly and without sugarcoating their concerns.
  • Example Sentence: She was blunt in her feedback, telling him his report needed serious improvement.

 

Jolt

 

  • Meaning: A sudden shock or impact.
  • Context Explanation: The economy is at risk of a jolt, meaning it could experience a sudden and severe disruption.
  • Example Sentence: The unexpected news gave him a jolt, leaving him speechless.

 

Augment

 

  • Meaning: To increase or enhance something.
  • Context Explanation: The policymakers aim to augment revenue streams, meaning they want to increase income sources.
  • Example Sentence: The company decided to augment its workforce to meet the growing demand

 

Alleviate

 

  • Meaning: To reduce, ease, or lessen the severity of something unpleasant, such as pain, difficulty, or burden.
  • Context Explanation: In the passage, alleviate is used in the context of reducing financial strain and economic uncertainty. For example, if inflation is rising and people are struggling with higher costs, the government may introduce subsidies to alleviate the financial burden on citizens.
  • Example Sentence: The government introduced new tax relief measures to alleviate the financial difficulties faced by small businesses.

 

Ameliorate

 

  • Meaning: To improve a difficult, unpleasant, or bad situation and make it more manageable or better over time.
  • Context Explanation: In the passage, ameliorate refers to efforts taken to improve economic conditions that are in distress. For example, if inflation and unemployment are causing financial hardships, the government may introduce policies to ameliorate these economic challenges, meaning they are trying to bring improvement and relief to the situation.
  • Example Sentence: The new healthcare reforms aim to ameliorate the quality of medical services for low-income families.

 

Entrenched

 

  • Meaning: Firmly established and difficult to change, often referring to beliefs, habits, or systems.
    Context Explanation: In the passage, entrenched describes deeply rooted economic disparities, meaning these inequalities have existed for a long time and are difficult to remove. If a system or mindset is entrenched, it has become so fixed that changing it requires significant effort.
  • Example Sentence: Gender stereotypes are entrenched in many societies, making progress toward equality slow and challenging.

 

Verbose

 

  • Meaning: Using more words than necessary; overly wordy.
  • Context Explanation: The passage mentions verbose policy documents, meaning they are too lengthy and unnecessarily detailed, causing delays.
  • Example Sentence: The professors verbose lecture made it difficult for students to grasp the main points.

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