Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
He yearns to ask his girlfriend to marry him, but he is too bashful to do so.
a)Hopes
b)Wants
c)Plans
d)Refuses
e)Discourages

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are words that share similar meaning with the original (or given word). They are the perfect substitute for a word and can be used in its place to convey the same meaning.

Complete answer:

 If you ‘yearn’ for something you have an intense feeling of longing for something, i.e. you wish or want to have it, especially something that one has lost or been separated from. For e.g. – She yearned for a glimpse of a lion etc.
Now, let us look at the options provided to us and look into their meaning to find a perfect substitute/ synonym for ‘yearn’ –
a)Hopes means – a feeling of expecting something or desire for something to happen or a feeling of trust that a particular thing will happen.
b)Want means – to have a desire to possess or need something or wish for something.
c)Plans mean – making a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something or make arrangements in advance.
d)Refuses means – to show that one is not willing to do the given work.
e)Discourages means – cause someone to lose confidence.
So, as you can see the perfect substitute would be the solution given in option – ‘b’, i.e. want. As it fits in the context in which ‘yearn’ is used.

Note: When you are choosing a synonym for a word you can use the elimination method. So that you can eliminate the least likely options and get the correct solution easily.