Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word:
Miss Ford became furious when she received the insulting letter.

a) Ghastly
b) Resentful
c) Fugitive
d) Irate
e) Spry

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are words that mean the same as another word. We use a synonym to avoid repetitions of a single word in a sentence.

Complete answer:

We use the adjective ‘furious’ to denote that a person is highly enraged or angry over something. The given sentence shows Miss Ford’s extreme anger on receiving the insulting letter.
Ghastly in option, a is an adjective that we use to describe something that causes great horror or fear. As it holds no connection with ‘furious’, it cannot be the right answer.
Option b is also wrong as resentful defines the feeling or expression of bitterness or indignation at unfair treatment. Though this may suit the context, resentful is not synonymous with furious.
We use the term ‘fugitive’ to refer to a person who has escaped from his captivity. As it is not synonymous, option c can be ruled out. Similarly, option e is also wrong as ‘spry’ defines a very active and lively old person.
Irate in option d is the right answer. It is the feeling of great anger and we use it as an adjective.

Note: To understand the most suited synonym of a given word, it is important that the students get a strong command over word meanings and its usages. This helps the students to distinguish from ‘resentful’ and ‘irate.’