Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
It was the English physicist Henry Cavendish who first confirmed that water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen.
(a)doubted
(b)proposed
(c)researched
(d)arranged
(e)verified

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘confirmed’ refers to ‘establish the truth or correctness of (something previously believed or suspected to be the case)'. This word is usually used as a verb. The noun form of the given word is ‘confirmation’. Another word for this verb is ‘affirmed’.

Complete answer:A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, for example, ‘shut’ is a synonym of ‘close’, as they convey the same exact meaning as each other. Now, we know the meaning and usage of the given word. Let’s look at the given options:
(a)doubted - The word ‘doubted’ refers to ‘felt uncertain about’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. It cannot be the synonym of the given word ‘confirmed’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(b)proposed - The word ‘proposed’ refers to ‘put forward (a plan or suggestion) for consideration by others’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. It cannot be the synonym of the given word ‘confirmed’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(c)researched - The word ‘researched’ refers to ‘investigated systematically'. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. It cannot be the synonym of the given word ‘confirmed’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)arranged - The word ‘arranged’ refers to ‘to put in order and especially a particular order’. This word has a very different meaning to the given word. It cannot be the synonym of the given word ‘confirmed’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(e)verified - The word ‘verified’ refers to ‘make sure or demonstrate that (something) is true, accurate, or justified'. This word has the exact same meaning as the given word. It is the synonym of the given word ‘confirmed’. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:Try to understand the meaning of the word, as accurately as possible, by understanding the sentence. Then, go through the options one by one and choose the word similar in meaning to the given word, i.e. a synonym.