Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word:
The professor tried to stimulate interest in archaeology by taking his students on expeditions.

a) Oppress
b) Fake
c) Encourage
d) Diminish
e) Subdue

Answer 1

Hint: A synonym of a word means that the meaning of a word is similar to the meaning of another word. For example, beautiful and pretty are synonyms.

Complete answer:

To stimulate something means to encourage or instigate something; to spark the beginning of something. For example, scary movies stimulate fear. Therefore, the answer to the given question is option c. The professor tried to encourage interest in archaeology by taking his students on expeditions.
Option a is wrong because the professor did not try to oppress the students. Oppress means to make someone submissive through the use of authority. For example, the rich oppress the poor.
Option b is wrong because fake means something which is false or not original. For example, she bought a fake Gucci bag.
Option d is wrong because ‘diminish’ means to reduce something. For example, the natural resources of the world are diminishing rapidly because of excessive use.
Option e is wrong because subdue means to bring something or someone under control. For example, she was subdued by the opposition party when she was trying to prove her point.

Note: It is important to understand the context of the sentence before choosing a synonym. A single word may have multiple meanings. The different meanings of one word are used in various contexts. Thus, it is important to have a good vocabulary.