Q6: Pairs of words in sentences

Understanding the topic

Every pair in this set is a homophone pair, words that sound alike and mean something entirely different, so the sentence must make the meaning visible without stating a definition.

(ii) Palate, Palette

Palate: Years of eating at his mother's table gave Ahmad a palate sharp enough to name every spice in the korma.

Palette: The artist's palette held nothing but ochre, white and a little indigo.

(iii) Elicit, Illicit

Elicit: The lawyer's patient questioning finally elicited an admission from the witness.

Illicit: Customs officers at the port seized an illicit consignment hidden under crates of dates.

(v) Taut, Taught

Taut: The fisherman pulled the rope taut before tying his boat to the jetty at Keamari.

Taught: Sir Nadeem taught mathematics at the same school in Sargodha for thirty years.

(vi) Faint, Feint

Faint: The faint smell of rain reached Hina long before the first clouds appeared over Islamabad.

Feint: The striker's feint to the left drew the goalkeeper out of position.

(viii) Wreak, Reek

Wreak: The floodwater wreaked havoc on the villages along the Indus.

Reek: The alley behind the fish market began to reek in the afternoon heat.

What makes these sentences work

Each one supplies the evidence for its own meaning. "Palate" appears next to spices and tasting; "palette" next to colours. Remove that context and the sentence stops proving anything, because the examiner cannot tell whether you knew the difference or guessed it.