Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
Ignoring something will not make it go away; you must see a doctor for that pain in your chest.
a. Taking an interest in
b. Looking closely at
c. Taking care of
d. Studying the causes of
e. Paying no attention to

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are those which can give meanings that are close to a certain word or phrase. They are just words that have slightly different meanings with certain variations. Ignoring refers to refrain from taking notice of something and overlooking it. To ignore someone means not to pay attention to the person. The above sentence requires a set of words, that is, a phrase that gives the same meaning as “ignoring”.

Complete answer:
 Now, from the options given above,

a. Taking an interest in: Refers to getting intrigued by some event or someone. This is quite the opposite of the word ignore. Hence, it is not the answer.

b. Looking closely at: This word refers to looking into something in detail so as to get more information on the same.

c. Taking care of: Refers to taking up the responsibility for someone or some process; it can also refer to attending or showing interest towards someone.

d. Studying the causes of: To search and learn in detail the underlying reasons for something. This is somewhat opposite to what is given.

e. Paying no attention to: This word refers to not giving any attention or notice to something. This word is similar to the word ignore.

Hence, Option e, paying no attention to, is the apt synonym to the word, “ignoring”.

Note: The rest of the phrases other than the answer tend to align to that which is scrutinized in detail. Hence, they are easily differentiable. The above sentence can then be written as “Paying no attention to something will not make it go away; you must see a doctor for that pain in your chest”. It would be easier to try each of the phrases with the sentence, so that we can notice how it changes or retains the meaning.