UPSC CDS 1 2020 English Paper

Option B ‘Hackneyed’ is the most appropriate synonym for the underlined word ‘cliched’.
Original means present or existing from the beginning; first or earliest.
Hackneyed means having been overused; unoriginal and trite,stereotyped. Hence, the correct answer.
Crony means a close friend or companion.
Artificial means made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, especially as a copy of something natural.