Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
She said even her doctor’s warnings could not compel her to quit smoking.
a. Condemn
b. Prohibit
c. Stop
d. Extol
e. Prosecute

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are words whose meanings are similar to each other. We have to choose the option whose meaning is similar to the meaning of the word ‘quit’.

Complete answer:
The word underlined is ‘quit’. Quit means to give up. A person who thinks he cannot do something he is doing, anymore, quits.

Therefore, the synonym of the given word is stop, that is option c.

Despite being warned by the doctor, she could not stop smoking.
Option a is wrong because condemn just means to criticize something. It does not mean giving up. There is no action involved in condemning something.
Prohibit, in option b means to prevent something from happening. For example, the policemen prohibited the mob from going past the barricades. This means the policemen did not allow the mob or prevented the mob from going past the barricades. Thus, option b is not the correct answer.
Option d, that extols, means to praise someone or something. It is nowhere close to the meaning of ‘quit’. Therefore, it is the wrong answer.
Option e is prosecute. Lawyers prosecute people who are guilty of a crime. It is an action that takes place in a court of law. It is very different from the meaning of ‘quit’.

Note: As we can see, prohibit in option b may have been a synonym of quit. However, it is not the correct answer because it is not appropriate according to the given sentence. That is because smoking needs to be absolutely stopped and not just prohibited. Prohibition is a less severe version of stopping something. Stop means to discontinue while prohibition means prevention.