Question

Choose the one which is nearest in meaning to
BELLIGERENT
a) Reasonable
b) Aggressive
c) Generous
d)Pacifist

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘belligerent’ refers to ‘hostile and antagonistic’. This word is usually used as an adjective and its noun form is ‘belligerence’. Another synonym of ‘belligerent’ is ‘threatening’.

Complete answer:
The word ‘belligerent’ can be used in a sentence in the following way:
For example, in the sentence ‘She was being unnecessarily belligerent towards the officer’, the word ‘belligerent’ is used to describe the noun ‘she’. It is used to describe the quality that the subject has in the sentence. It is used to illustrate the behavior of the subject in the given sentence.

Now, we know the meaning of the word as well as its usage. Let’s look at the available options:
a) reasonable - The word ‘reasonable’ refers to ‘having sound judgment; fair and sensible'. This word has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the synonym of ‘belligerent’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) aggressive - The word ‘aggressive’ refers to ‘ready or likely to attack or confront; characterized by or resulting from aggression'. This word has the exact same meaning to the given word. It is the synonym of ‘belligerent’. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) generous - The word ‘generous’ refers to ‘showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money than is strictly necessary or expected’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. It is not the synonym of ‘belligerent’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) pacifist - The word ‘pacifist’ refers to ‘holding the belief that war and violence are unjustifiable'. This word has a different meaning to the given word. It is not the synonym of ‘belligerent’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Try to understand the meaning of the word, as accurately as possible, with the help of a sentence. Then, go through the options one by one and choose the word similar in meaning to the given word, i.e. a synonym.