Question

Identify the antonym of the italicized word:
People understand speech in the context of their accumulated experience.
a. Gather
b. Dissipated
c. Partial
d. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Antonyms are opposite words. In this case, we must find a word whose meaning is completely different than that of ‘accumulated’.

Complete step-by-step answer:

 As we have seen before, antonyms are also known as opposite words. Anything that is opposite differs in its meaning completely from the given word. If the word is backward, its opposite would be a word that means onwards so as to make progress i.e., forward. Similarly, if the word is first, its opposite would be a word that means final or the latest i.e. last.
In the given question, the word is ‘accumulated’. This word is a verb that is derived from the Latin word ‘accumulare’. If something is accumulated, it is gradually gathered together. It is assembled over a period to increase the original quantity. Now, that we know what the word means, we must find a word whose meaning is the opposite of ‘accumulated’. Logically, this means that we must find a word whose meaning is to disappear gradually. Out of all the given options, the word dissipated, which means, to evaporate or come apart little by little, is the correct match of this opposite meaning. Hence, option ‘b’ is the correct answer.

Note: Let us consider the problematic areas of this question. It is important that the student reads the question carefully and understands the direction given. If a student mistakes a synonym for an antonym, he/she may choose the option ‘a’ gather, instead of choosing the correct antonym which is dissipated. Therefore, understanding the direction given in the question is very important.