Question

Against the given word, there are some alternatives, one of which is either similar in meaning (synonym) or opposite in meaning (antonym) to the word. Find out which of the given alternatives is either a synonym or an antonym of the word.
CAJOLE
a) Persuade
b) Scold
c) Threaten
d) Intimidate

Answer 1

Hint:The word ‘cajole’ means to coax or pressure someone to do something or other. Therefore, you need to find the word (in the option) which is either a synonym or an antonym for the given word.

Complete answer:
 Let us first understand what the word ‘cajole’ implies, the meaning of this word indicates – to induce someone to do something.
So, to find either a synonym or antonym from the given options we need to understand the meaning of each word in the given options. Therefore, we will be looking into each word in the option.
Now, the options are –
Persuade – means to induce or make someone to do or believe something after some effort. For e.g. He persuaded her to join the university.
Scold – means to rebuke or speak with someone rather angrily. For e.g. She scolded him for his bad behavior.
Threaten – means to take hostile action towards someone or endanger someone. For e.g. She dared threaten me because you were supporting her.
Intimidate – means to frighten someone in such a manner that they do whatever they are told. For e.g. He tried to intimidate me by bragging about his political power and connections.
So, as you can see here only one word is a close synonym (and not an antonym) of the word ‘cajole’ and that is persuade. Therefore, the correct solution for the above question is an option (a).

Note: Here, we need to find either a synonym or an antonym. In this case, you can find the solution just by knowing the correct meaning of the given word.