Question

Choose the word which can be substituted for the italicized words in the sentence.
              Rajiv Gandhi was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ after his death.

A. Ephemeral
B. Posthumous
C. Extempore
D. Maiden

Answer 1

Hint:One can predict the answer just by observing the options nicely. ‘Posthumous’ begins with the prefix ‘post-’ which itself means ‘afterwards’, thus can accurately be taken to replace the ‘after his death’ clause.

Complete answer:
Now let us examine the meanings of the terms in a proper way. Here, four terms are given- Ephemeral, Posthumous, Extempore, and Maiden; their meanings can help us determine in which conditions these terms can be used and thereupon, we shall see some examples as well.
A. Ephemeral
Meaning- Lasting for a very short time or something that doesn’t last forever.
Antonyms- long-lived, permanent, ever-lasting, immortal, etc.
Synonyms- transient, momentary, impermanent, brief, evanescent, etc.
Examples-
Caterpillars are ephemeral creatures that metamorphose into butterflies.
 Perhaps living an age is just a myth, human beings are ephemeral as well; we all live only once, yet die over and over.

B. Posthumous
Meaning- occurring, happening, awarded, or released after the death of the concerned person.
Antonyms- early, brought forward, ahead of time, ante mortem, etc.
Synonyms- late
Examples-
Shri J.P. Narayana was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ posthumously.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s book ‘The Buddha and His Dhamma’ was published posthumously in 1957.

C. Extempore
Meaning- an act done or a speech made without preparation
Antonyms- rehearsed, planned, thought-through, etc.
Synonyms- impromptu, spontaneous, ad lib, on-the-spot, etc.
Example-
My teacher selected me for an inter-school extempore speech.
He wrote the essay extempore.

D. Maiden
Meaning- an unmarried woman, or
                 being the first act of its kind
Antonyms- final, last, concluding, etc.
Synonyms- inaugural, initial, introductory, celibate, etc.
Example-
The young maiden was escorted to the palace by the royal guards.
The Titanic’s maiden voyage was but, unfortunately its last as well.

Hence, the correct answer is Option ‘B’.

Note:Therefore, after the brief explanation of the terms here, we can conclude that ‘posthumous’ is the most appropriate and logical choice to replace the given clause as the sentence talks about an awarded candidate who has passed away and the award is presented after his death. Its related synonyms aren’t numerous as we generally refer to such awardees as ‘Late (name)’. The suitable antonyms can be well-thought, practiced, etc.