Question

Choose the word which best expresses the meaning of the italicized part of the sentence.
Reading of poetry is not congenial to his taste.

a) suited
b) beneficial
c) helpful
d) partial

Answer 1

Hint:The word ‘congenial’ refers to ‘(of a thing) pleasant or agreeable because suited to one's taste or inclination'. This word is usually used as an adjective, and its noun form is ‘congeniality’.

Complete answer:
The word ‘congenial’ is used in the given sentence in the following way:
In the given sentence, the word ‘reading’ is used as a gerund. It forms the base for our adjectives. The word ‘congenial’ is used to describe the fact that reading of poetry is not his preferred activity. It helps to illustrate that the subject does not like the reading of poetry as he thinks it is not agreeable.

Now, we know the meaning and usage of the given word. Let’s look at the given options:

suited - The word ‘suited’ refers to ‘right or appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation'. This word has the exact same meaning as the given word. This is the synonym of ‘congenial’. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
beneficial - The word ‘beneficial’ refers to ‘resulting in good; favourable or advantageous’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. This is not the synonym of ‘congenial’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
helpful - The word ‘helpful’ refers to ‘giving or ready to give help’. This word has a completely different meaning to the given word. This is not the synonym of ‘congenial’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
partial - The word ‘partial’ refers to ‘favouring one side in a dispute above the other; biased’. This word has a different meaning to the given word. This is not the synonym of ‘congenial’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Try to understand the context of the given word, and look through the given options. Differentiate between each of the options as they only have a slight difference. Choose the most appropriate option i.e. the option that is closest in meaning to the given word.