BharatNotes Contingency
noun (plural contingencies)Usage in a UPSC answer
A resilient fiscal architecture does not merely budget for the expected; it institutionalises contingency reserves and pre-cleared response protocols so that a sudden drought, pandemic, or external shock does not derail the State's developmental commitments.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
contingency (n), contingencies (n pl), contingent (adj/n), contingently (adv)
Root
Latin con- = together + tangere = to touch → contingere = to befall → Late Latin contingentia = a happening
Etymology
From late Latin contingentia ("a happening, circumstance"), from contingere ("to befall, to touch"), from con- ("together") + tangere ("to touch"); entered English in the 16th century.
Memory Hook
Hear "CON-TINGE" — like a faint tinge of doubt that something might TOUCH (Latin tangere, "to touch") your plans; a contingency is the uncertain event you keep a back-up plan ready to touch up.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A possible future event that cannot be predicted with confidence, and by extension the plan prepared for it. In GS3 the useful point is that contingency planning is valuable even when the specific scenario does not occur, because the process establishes who decides, who is notified and what resources are pre-positioned. Those answers hold across scenarios, which is why the planning matters more than the plan.
Don’t Confuse It With
A contingency is an uncertain possible event. A contingency plan prepares for it. Risk is the quantified likelihood and consequence. Business continuity concerns keeping essential functions running through disruption rather than responding to the event itself.
Hindi Meaning
आकस्मिकता (ākasmiktā); आकस्मिक योजना is a contingency plan.
Common Questions
- What is a contingency plan?
- A plan prepared in advance for a possible future event whose occurrence cannot be predicted with confidence.
- Why does contingency planning help even when the scenario never occurs?
- Because the process settles who decides, who is notified and what resources are pre-positioned, and those answers hold across many scenarios.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2015 — Constitutional Bodies
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Contingency” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
