Select the correctly spelt word out of the four alternatives.

English Language & Comprehension ·Previously asked in SSC CGL 2025

View the full solved paper: SSC CGL 2025 Tier II (19 Jan 2026)

Question

Select the correctly spelt word out of the four alternatives.

  1. A. Grosteasque
  2. B. Grotesque (Correct answer)
  3. C. Growtesque
  4. D. Grostasque

Correct Answer

Option B — Grotesque

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Grotesque.

Key Points

  • Grotesque — meaning comically or repulsively distorted — is spelt with -esque, the French-derived ending.
  • The distractors mangle either the opening (*Growtesque*, *Grosteasque*) or the ending (*Grostasque*).
  • The reliable check is the suffix: -esque never appears as *-asque* or *-easque*.

Additional Information

  • The word comes from Italian *grottesca*, describing the fanciful murals found in excavated Roman grottoes — the same root as grotto.
  • Other -esque words worth knowing: picturesque, statuesque, burlesque, arabesque, Kafkaesque, Romanesque.
  • The suffix means "in the style or manner of", which is why it attaches so readily to names.
  • With unfamiliar spellings, identify the word's family first — recognising *-esque* as a standard ending settles three of the four options at once.

Topics covered: Spelling Vocabulary