Question

Fill in the blank with the correct option.
The person who is looking for sympathy talks _____.
a- Petulantly
b- Despicably
c- Plaintively
d- Deftly

Answer 1

Hint:Adverbs refer to those words that are used to modify or describe verbs or other adverbs. Adverbs are usually formed with adjectives by adding ‘ly’ to them.

Complete answer:
As given in the hint, adverbs are used to modify action words.
In the given question: We can conclude that a person who is looking for sympathy talks plaintively. A person who is looking to gain the sympathy of other people will try to talk in a melancholic or sad manner.
‘Plaintively’ refers to the state of expressing sadness or desolation.
For example- My sister tried to talk plaintively all the way to the hospital. Here, we can understand that X’s sister tried to talk in a melancholic or depressed manner all the way to the hospital.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘Petulantly’ refers to the state of being moody or bad-tempered. For example- She screamed petulantly at the employee. ‘Petulantly’ is different in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘Despicably’ refers to a very unpleasant or irritating manner. For example- She tried to read despicably to irritate her friend. ‘Despicably’ is different in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘Plaintively’ refers to the state of expressing sorrow or unhappiness. ‘Plaintively’ is similar in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option d- ‘Deftly’ refers to a way of performing swift and clean movements. For example- The gardener’s fingers moved deftly, neatly parting the leaves. ‘Deftly’ is different in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is an incorrect option. The correct answer is Option ‘c’.

Note:
The word, ‘plaintively’ has been formed by adding ‘ly’ to the adjective, ‘plaintive’. Some synonyms of ‘plaintively’ are; sadly, mournfully, wistfully, etc.