Question

Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word.
Their oppressive act is what resulted in the fight.
a) temperate
b) onerous
c) desperate
d) destitute

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘oppressive’ refers to ‘inflicting harsh and authoritarian treatment'. This word is usually used as an adjective and its noun form is ‘oppression’. Another synonym of ‘oppressive’ is ‘tyrannical’.

Complete answer:
A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, for example, ‘shut’ is a synonym of ‘close’, as they convey the same exact meaning as each other.
In the given sentence, the word ‘oppressive’ is used to describe the noun ‘act’. This word is used to describe the fact that the brutal and harsh act was the reason for the fight mentioned in the given sentence.
Now, we know the meaning and usage of the given word. Let’s look at the given options:

a) temperate - The word ‘temperate’ refers to ‘showing moderation or self-restraint’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. This is not the synonym of the given word. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) onerous - The word ‘onerous’ refers to ‘involving a great deal of effort, trouble, or difficulty’. This word has the exact same meaning as the given word. This is the synonym of ‘oppressive’. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) desperate - The word ‘desperate’ refers to ‘feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with'. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. This is not the synonym of the given word. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) destitute - The word ‘destitute’ refers to ‘extremely poor and lacking the means to provide for oneself’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. This is not the synonym of the given word. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Understand the meaning of the given sentence. Go through the options one by one and guess the meaning of each word by using it in a sentence. Choose the option with the exact same meaning as the given word.