Question

Choose the word/phrase which is opposite in meaning to the italicised word/phrase in the sentence.
Only an inquisitive person can gain proper knowledge.
a) careless
b) indolent
c) dull
d) uninterested

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘inquisitive’ refers to ‘having or showing an interest in learning things; curious'. This word is usually used as an adjective and its adverb form is ‘inquisitively’. Another antonym of this word is ‘indifferent’.

Complete answer:
 An antonym is any word that is exactly the opposite in meaning to another word, in the same linguistic bracket. They express things that are opposite in meaning to each other.
For example, the words ‘far’ and ‘near’ are antonyms of each other, as they convey opposite meanings. In the given sentence, the word ‘inquisitive’ is used as an adjective in order to describe the noun ‘person’.

Now, we know the meaning and usage of the word ‘inquisitive’. Let’s look at our options-
a) careless - The word ‘careless’ refers to ‘not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoid harm or errors', so this has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the antonym of the word ‘inquisitive’. It is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) indolent - The word ‘indolent’ refers to ‘wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy', so this has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the antonym of the word ‘inquisitive’. It is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) dull - The word ‘dull’ refers to ‘lacking interest or excitement', so this has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the antonym of the word ‘inquisitive’. It is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) uninterested - The word ‘uninterested’ refers to ‘not interested in or concerned about something or someone', so this has the exact opposite meaning to the given word. This is the antonym of ‘inquisitive’. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
Go through each option one by one, and try to understand the meaning of each option by using it in a sentence. Then, choose the option that has the exact opposite or exact same meaning to the given word.