Question

Choose the word which is closest to the opposite in meaning to the italicised word and fill in the blank.
All her life she has been insulated from the harsh realities of the world but now she is ___________ all kinds of hardship.
A. Exposed to
B. Troubled by
C. Used to
D. Worried about

Answer 1

Hint:The italicised word in the given sentence is ‘insulated’ which means to be protected from, to cover. We will look for an option which means contrary to the meaning of the given word ‘insulated’. Also, the blank suggests something related to ‘hardships’. So, keep in mind. Someone has been protected from harsh realities of the world all her life. But now, it has changed.

Complete answer:
Let us analyse each option individually to figure out the correct answer.
A. Exposed to : The word ‘expose’ means to uncover or to lay open. By implying this option, the sentence becomes “All her life she has been insulated from the harsh realities of the world but now she is exposed to all kinds of hardships”. This option suits the given blank as it conveys that now the girl has faced all kinds of hardships. It also is the opposite in meaning to the word ‘insulated’. Therefore, this is the correct option.
B. Troubled by : The word ‘trouble’ means to bother by a difficult situation or a problem, and ‘troubled by’ means to get bothered by a problem. This word is not the intended opposite of the given word. Therefore, this is not the correct option.
C. Used to : The word ‘used to’ means getting habituated by something. This option is not the intended opposite of the given word. Therefore, this is not the correct option.
D. Worried about: The word ‘worried about’ means to worry for something, that is , to get anxious for something. This option is not the intended opposite of the given word. Therefore, this is not the correct option.

Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note:We need to fill the blank appropriately as well as we need to keep in mind that our selected option should be the opposite of the word ‘insulated’. For example, if we would have taken option C as our answer, the sentence would be “All her life she has been insulated from the harsh realities of the world but now she is used to all kinds of hardships” , which would be correct in meaning as well as grammatically. But, not the opposite in meaning to the word ‘insulated’.