Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word:
The old town hall was demolished and a new recreation centre took its place.

a) Renovated
b) Razed
c) Remodelled
d) Vanished
e) Disappeared

Answer 1

Hint: Demolish is the term that indicates the destruction of a building particularly. We are asked to find the word that shares the nearest meaning to this.

Complete answer:

Synonyms are words that give us the most exact meaning, shared by another word too. The act of demolishing something refers to its complete, deliberate destruction; particularly a building that is knocked down in a bombarding or earthquake.
Renovated in option a cannot be considered as a synonym to ‘demolished’ as it means to restore something, like a building, which has already been destroyed.
Razed in option b is a term that we use to indicate the complete destruction of a building, town, or any other such settlements. As this sounds quite exact to ‘demolish’, option b becomes the right answer.
Option c is incorrect as remodel is the verb that we use to refer to the changes made to a particular structure, or a building thus giving it a new outlook.
Option d on the other hand gives us the word that means to disappear completely and suddenly. Therefore, ‘vanished’ cannot be the right synonym.
Similarly, ‘disappeared’ in option e is incorrect as it is a term quite synonymous to vanish.

Note: While ‘raze’ is used to describe destruction over a large space, like a town or a settlement; ‘demolish’ generally refers to knocking down a building.