Question

Find the synonym of the underlined word.
Workers have ample time for recreation and educational pursuits because the work week consists of only 40 hours.
a. Too many
b. Hardly any
c. Nearly enough
d. Plenty of
e. A little

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms are words that have the same meaning as a given word. The meaning of ample is more than enough or quiet enough.

Complete answer:

Generally, words in the English language have many synonyms bearing similar meanings. A thesaurus is a book that contains all these synonyms in one place.
Let us look at some examples of synonyms. Ill is a word that means to be unwell. Sick is another word that can be used to describe this same meaning in one word.
In our question, we have been given the word ‘ample’. Ample is derived from the Latin word ‘amplus’.
Let us consider the options given to us.
Option ‘a’ too many means to be in excess. It isn’t similar in meaning to ample. Therefore, it is an incorrect answer.
Option ‘b’ hardly any means almost none. It isn’t similar in meaning to ample. Therefore, it is an incorrect answer.
Option ‘c’ nearly enough means just about enough. It isn’t similar in meaning to ample. Therefore, it is an incorrect answer.
Option ‘d’ plenty of means more than enough. It is similar in meaning to ample. Therefore, it is the correct answer.
Option ‘e’ a little means small in size or amount. It isn’t similar in meaning to ample. Therefore, it is an incorrect answer.
Option ‘d’ is the correct answer.

Note: You may mistake option ‘a’ too many to be the correct answer. However, ample doesn’t mean too many. It means to be more than enough.