Question

Choose the one which can be substituted for the given words/sentence.
The stage between boyhood and youth
a. puberty
b. adolescence
c. infancy
d. maturity

Answer 1

Hint:Look through the given options and understand the meanings. Use them in a sentence in order to completely understand their meaning. Make sure to differentiate between ‘puberty’ and ‘adolescence’. Then, choose the correct option accordingly.

Complete answer: In grammar, a substitute is used as a noun to refer to a
word that serves as a particular kind of replacement. When one word replaces an entire
phrase and still retains the original meaning, it is called a ‘substitute noun’. For example,
the phrase ‘the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial
way’ can be substituted by the word ‘serendipity’.
The only way to identify them correctly is to memorise them or use etymology to guess
them as accurately as possible.
The given phrase is the substitution for a psychological scientific term for the mentioned stage. This word is extremely important in the field of psychology.
Now, we know the meaning of the given phrase. Let’s look at the given options:
a. puberty - The word ‘puberty’ refers to ‘the name for the time when your body begins to develop and change'. This word does not have the exact same meaning as the given phrase. It does not mean the same thing. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. adolescence - The word ‘adolescence’ refers to ‘the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult'. This word has the exact same meaning as the given phrase. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c. infancy - The word ‘infancy’ refers to ‘the state or period of babyhood or early childhood'. This word does not have the exact same meaning as the given phrase. It does not mean the same thing. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d. maturity - The word ‘maturity’ refers to ‘the state, fact, or period of being mature'. This word does not have the exact same meaning as the given phrase. It does not mean the same thing. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
Therefore, option b. is correct.

Note: The given description can be summarised by another synonym ‘juvenescence’. This synonym should help you find the word that is the replacement for the given phrase.