Question

Choose the synonym of the given word:
ZEAL

a) Initiative
b) Coarseness
c) Pedagogy
d) Indolence

Answer 1

Hint: Zeal is a noun that means having great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.

Complete answer:
Synonyms are the words that have a similar meaning to a given word, while antonyms are the words that have an opposite or contrasting meaning to a particular word. To find the synonym of the word in question, ‘zeal’, we need to find a word that has its meaning very near to the explanation of ‘zeal’, i.e. having great energy or enthusiasm.
Looking at option ‘a’, we see that 'Initiative' means the enthusiasm to do something.
Option b, 'Coarseness' is the quality of being rough or harsh, this term is clearly very out of context from the word in the question.
Next, in the third option, we know that 'Pedagogy' is one of the methods of teaching used. This word too does not seem to have any relevance with ‘zeal’.
Lastly, we see that in option d, 'Indolence' is laziness or the avoidance of activity. We can clearly figure out that this option is yards apart from the context of the word asked.
Hence, with these explanations above, we deduce that the last three options, option ‘b’, ‘c’ and ‘d are incorrect and option ‘a’ is the right answer and the correct synonym for ‘zeal’.

Note:
A lot of students tend to make this mistake of not reading the question carefully and check if they've asked for antonyms or discharge.