Question

Choose the option that means the opposite of the underlined word:
The adventurous young man enjoyed bungee jumping.
a. Fearless
b. Fearful
c. Dangerous
d. Careless

Answer 1

Hint: Antonyms are opposite words. In this case, we have to find a word whose meaning is completely different than that of ‘adventurous’.

Complete step-by-step answer:

 In this question, we are required to find the opposite of the word adventurous. As we have seen before, opposite words are also known as antonyms. Anything that is opposite differs in its meaning completely from the given word. If the word is bravery, its opposite would be a word that implies a lack of bravery i.e., cowardice. Similarly, if the word is dark, its opposite would be a word that implies the absence of darkness i.e. light.
In the given question, the word is ‘adventurous’. A person who is adventurous isn’t afraid to take risks and to experience new things and ideas. Now, that we know what the word means, we must find a word whose meaning is the opposite of ‘adventurous’. Logically, this means that we would have to find a word which means to be afraid of trying out new things and to be reluctant to participate in new experiences. Out of all the given options, the word fearful, which indicates being anxious, is the correct match of this opposite meaning. Hence, option ‘b’ is the correct answer.

Note: This is fairly a straightforward question with an easy answer. You need not get confused if you do not know the meanings of a particular option. If you do not know the meaning of a particular word, you may use a dictionary or a thesaurus for help. Eliminate the options that are unrelated or similar in meaning till only the correct option remains.