Question

From the below words, choose the word whose meaning is different from the others:
Obscure, Sparkle, Glow, Beam
A) Obscure
B) Glow
C) Sparkle
D) Beam

Answer 1

Hint: The question is about Antonyms and Synonyms. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example, “Day” is the antonym for “Night”, “Wild” is the antonym for “Tame”, etc. On the other hand, Synonyms are words that are different in structure but have the same meaning. For example, “Large” and “Big” are synonyms, and so are “Exit” and “Leave”. Keep this in mind while answering the given question.

Complete answer:
The given question has provided us with 4 words and is asking us to identify the odd one out. This means there are three words which are synonyms and one is not. Our task is to identify that particular word. Synonyms are words with similar meaning, and antonyms are words with opposite meanings.

The word 'glow' means 'to emit a constant light without the use of a flame.' 'Sparkle' is a term that implies 'to radiate brightly with bursts of light.' 'Beam' can also signify 'to shine brilliantly.' As a result, all of these words have the same meaning. An adjective that implies 'not clear and difficult to grasp or see' is obscure.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option (A)- Obscure- is correct as it means something that is hidden or unclear. All the other words mean to radiate light, So obscure is different from other words, i.e., it is an antonym with respect to other words.
Option (B)- Glow- is incorrect because it means giving out light or shining. It is a synonym to the words sparkle and beam.
Option (C)- Sparkle- is incorrect because it means shining brightly with flashes. It is a synonym to the words glow and beam as they mean the same thing.
Option (D)- Beam- is incorrect because it also means shining brightly, which is a synonym with the words obscure and sparkle. These words have the same meaning. Since the other three words are synonyms, the only odd one out is “Obscure”.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Substitution is the most basic test for synonymy: in a sentence, one form can be swapped with another without affecting the context. Elegant variety occurs when an author avoids using synonyms for the same term in close proximity. Synonyms with similar meanings share a seme or denotational sememe, whereas those with inexactly similar meanings have a bigger denotational or connotational sememe, resulting in semantic overlap.