Question

Choose the word that gives the antonym of the word italicized.
The new officer is a brash young man.
a. polite
b. arrogant
c. kind
d. handsome

Answer 1

Hint: The meaning of the italicized word, brash, is someone who is aggressively self-assertive.

Complete answer:
In the given question, we have been given a word. We need to find a word that is opposite in meaning to the given word.
First, let us understand the meaning of the given word. Brash refers to someone who is self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way.
Now, let us take a look at the meaning of the given options, one by one.
- Option ‘A’, polite, refers to someone who has a respectful and considerate behavior.
- Option ‘B’, arrogant, refers to someone who has an exaggerated sense of their own importance and their talents or abilities.
- Option ‘C’, kind, refers to a person who has a sympathetic or helpful nature.
- Option ‘D’, handsome, refers to a good-looking male.
Options ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ are incorrect. Let us understand why they are incorrect.
Option ‘B’ is incorrect as it is similar in meaning to the given word. Option ‘C’ is incorrect as though it is a near opposite to the given word, it is not an exact opposite. Option ‘D’ is incorrect as it is not related to the given word in any way.

> Therefore, the correct answer is option ‘A’, as it is the exact opposite of the given word.

Note: When there are two words that could be the antonym, narrow down to one answer by checking which option has the exact opposite meaning.