Question

Choose the word which best expresses the meaning of-
WHITTLE
a- Decrease
b- Avoid
c- Renounce
d- Conceal

Answer 1

Hint:A synonym is a word that is closest in meaning to another word. ‘Whittle’ refers to reducing or diminishing something in size or shape.

Complete answer:
The word, ‘whittle’ has been derived from the Middle English word- Whittel, which means a knife.
We know the meaning and the origin of the word, ‘whittle’. Now, let’s look at its usage-
Example- The total number of candidates was whittled down to five. Here, we can understand that the total number of candidates was reduced or decreased to five.
Let’s decipher the meaning of the given options-
Option a- ‘Decrease’ refers to reducing or lessening something. Example- Boss asked me to decrease my number of working hours. ‘Decrease’ is similar in meaning to ‘whittle’. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option b- ‘Avoid’ refers to circumventing or keeping away from someone or something. Example- The girl tried to avoid her teacher. ‘Avoid’ is different in meaning to ‘whittle’. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘Renounce’ refers to giving up or abandoning someone or something. Example- The king decided to renounce his son. ‘Renounce’ is different in meaning to ‘whittle’. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option d- ‘Conceal’ refers to hiding or covering up something. Example- The government tried to conceal the details from the media. ‘Conceal’ is different in meaning to ‘whittle’. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note:
Carefully understand the meaning of the given word and its options before selecting a suitable answer. Some commonly used synonyms of ‘whittle’ are; reduce, diminish, lessen, etc.