Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
George Washington’s great grandfather came to live in America by accident.
A) due to calamity
B) unintentionally
C) adversely
D) decisively
E) unwittingly

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are the words that mean the same and are interchangeable.

Complete answer:
By accident is a phrase which means to happen without any intention or by chance. Let us understand its usage.
For example: They bumped into each other by accident.
After having understood the meaning of ‘by accident’, let us now analyse the given options to find the synonym of it.

A) ‘Due to calamity’ means owing to a disastrous or a destructive event.
For example: The economy faced a setback due to calamity.
We observe that it is not similar to ‘by accident’ in meaning. Hence, we can say that option ‘a’ is not the correct answer.
B) Unintentionally means without any intention or willingness.
For example: She was unintentionally curt to the employee.
We observe that it is similar to ‘by accident’ in meaning. Hence, we can say that option ‘b’ is the correct answer.
C) Adversely means in a way that prevents development or causes harm. It is an adverb.
For example: Certain wrong decisions in life affect our future adversely.
We observe that it is not similar to ‘by accident’ in meaning. Hence, we can say that option ‘c’ is not the correct answer.
D) Decisively means in a way that presents the skill to make quick decisions. It is an adverb.
For example: One must not act spontaneously but decisively.
We observe that it is not similar to ‘by accident’ in meaning. Hence, we can say that option ‘d’ is not the correct answer.
E) Unwittingly means without thinking or foolishly. It is an adverb.
For example: She unwittingly sent the incomplete mail.
We observe that it is not similar to ‘by accident’ in meaning. Hence, we can say that option ‘e’ is not the correct answer.

Thus, we can conclude that option ‘b’ - unintentionally is the correct answer.

Note: Correct meaning of the underlined phrase needs to be understood in order to identify the correct synonym.