Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
His mother’s alert mind caught Billy’s lies.

a)alarming
b)vigilant
c)sluggish
d)oblivious
e)wry

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘alert’ refers to ‘being quick to notice any unusual and potentially dangerous or difficult circumstances’.

Complete step by step solution:

The word ‘alert’ is used in the following way:
For example, in the sentence, ‘The alert police officer caught the thief’, it means that the policeman was being careful and watchful.
In the given sentence, the word also refers to the same thing. It means that the mother was being watchful and hence, discovered that Billy was lying.
Now, we know the meaning and context of the word. Let’s look at our options:

a)alarming - The word ‘alarming’ refers to something that is ‘worrying or disturbing’. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. So, this is an incorrect option.
b)vigilant - This word refers to ‘keeping careful watch’. This has the same meaning to the word ‘alert’. So, this is the correct option.
c)sluggish - This word refers to something that is ‘slow-moving or inactive’. This has a completely different meaning to the word ‘alert’. So, this is an incorrect option.
d)oblivious - This word refers to ‘not being aware of or concerned about what is happening around one’. This has the opposite meaning to the given word. So, this is an incorrect option.
e)wry - This word refers to ‘using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor’.This has a different meaning to the given word. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Understand the meaning of the word ‘alert’ by the context of the sentence, and choose the best fitting option.