Question

Choose the word which can be substituted for the given words/sentence.
A person who is bad at spelling
a- Calligraphist
b- Pendant
c- Cacographic
d- Linguist

Answer 1

Hint: We use one-word substitutions to replace a sentence or a group of words. ‘A person who is bad at spelling’ refers to a person who tends to have a bad handwriting or a bad knowledge of vocabulary.

Complete answer:
We use ‘cacographic’ to indicate a person who is bad at spellings.
The word, ‘cacographic’ has been derived from the Greek word- Kakos, which means bad.
For example- My son used to be cacographic in his childhood. Here, we can conclude that X’s son used to be bad at spellings in his childhood.
Let’s decipher the meaning of the given options-
Option a- ‘Calligraphist’ refers to someone who has a great handwriting and writing style. Example- My sister is a calligraphist in the US. ‘Calligraphist’ is the opposite in meaning to the given sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘Pendant’ refers to a piece of ornament or jewelry that is worn in the neck. For example- I gifted a pearl pendant to my friend. ‘Pendant’ is different in meaning to the given sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘Cacographic’ refers to a person who has an unpleasant handwriting and a bad knowledge of vocabulary. ‘Cacographic’ is similar in meaning to the given sentence. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option d- ‘Linguist’ refers to a person who has extraordinary knowledge of foreign languages. Example- My teacher is a linguist. ‘Linguist’ is different in meaning to the given sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
So, the correct answer is “Option c”.

Note:
Carefully understand the meaning of the given sentence and its options before choosing the most suitable answer. Some other one-word substitutions for ‘a person who is bad at spelling’ are; scribbler, scrawler, etc.