Question

Choose the word which can be substituted for the given words/sentence.
Ridiculous use of words
a) Onomatopoeia
b) Malapropism
c) Neologism
d) Pun

Answer 1

Hint:All of these options have completely different meanings. Understand their meanings. This will lead you to the correct answer.

Complete answer:
In grammar, a substitute is used as a noun to refer to a word that serves as a particular kind of replacement. In the given sentence, the phrase refers to words being used in a strange way. This practice can be replaced by a specific word.
Now, we know the meaning and context of the given phrase. Let’s go through each of the options:

a) onomatopoeia - The word ‘onomatopoeia’ refers to ‘the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle )’. It does not have the exact same meaning as the given phrase. This would not be used to replace the given phrase, as it would change the meaning. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) malapropism - The word ‘malapropism’ refers to ‘the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with an amusing effect (e.g. ‘dance a flamingo’ instead of flamenco)’. This word has the exact same meaning as the given phrase. It can replace the given phrase without changing the meaning at all. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) neologism - The word ‘neologism’ refers to ‘a newly coined word or expression’. It does not have the exact same meaning as the given phrase. This would not be used to replace the given phrase, as it would change the meaning. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) pun - The word ‘pun’ refers to ‘a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings'. It does not have the exact same meaning as the given phrase. This would not be used to replace the given phrase, as it would change the meaning. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Try to identify the meanings of the given options and then, understand the meaning of the given phrase. The phrase refers to very specific situations. Go through the given options and find the correct option accordingly.