Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
Television, which made its first serious appearance in 1939, did not become common until the early 1950s.
A. Competitive
B. Affordable
C. Popular
D. Ordinary
E. Unique

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are the words that have the same meanings. Common means nothing special, general or usual. It is an adjective.

Complete Solution:
From the hint given to us, we know that synonyms are the words that mean the same. We also know that common means something that is not special in nature. It is an adjective which means that it is used to describe a noun. Hence, we can infer that the synonym of common must have the same meaning.
Competitive means the will to win against the other rivals. It is an adjective. We observe that it does not match the meaning of common. Hence, option A is not the correct answer.
Affordable means inexpensive or falling under the buyer’s capacity to purchase. We observe that it does not match the meaning of common. Hence, option B is not the correct answer.
Popular means admired by people for a certain reputation. It is an adjective. We observe that it does not match the meaning of common. Hence, option C is not the correct answer.
Ordinary means nothing special, general or usual. We observe that it matches the meaning of common. Hence, option D is possibly the correct answer.
Unique means one of a kind. It is an adjective. We observe that it does not match the meaning of common. Hence, option E is not the correct answer.

Hence, we can conclude that option D, ordinary is the correct answer.

Note: Common also means something mutual or similar between two