Question

In his lust for wealth, he had reached the zenith of criminal activity.
Choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the word printed in italic bold in the sentence.
A) Acme
B) Nadir
C) Culmination
D) End

Answer 1

Hint: In the above question we have to choose from the given options, an option that best expresses the meaning of the word ‘zenith’ in the given sentence. Zenith means the highest point or the point even above the highest point.

Complete answer:
Let us first understand the meaning of the given options:
A) Acme - Peak; the highest point. It is generally related to the highest point of achievement. For e.g. She has achieved the acme of sarcasm and wit.
B) Nadir - It means the worst point in a situation, something which is extremely adverse. It is the opposite of zenith. For e.g. I felt like I was at the nadir of my career.
C) Culmination - It means height of something or final/end result of a process. For e.g. The day will culminate with a dance performance by the best dancers of India.
End - It means the finish point of something. It can be related to a place or time. It can also D) mean the outcome or final purpose of something. For e.g. They were earning enough to meet their ends.

Acme is the correct answer. Acme best expresses the meaning of zenith as both imply a point where something is highly developed. Therefore, the sentence can also be re-written as ' In his lust for wealth, he had reached the acme of criminal activity.'

Thus the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Nouns are the words that refer to a person, place, animal, thing, idea or emotion. Both the words zenith and acme are nouns because they refer to the highest point or a place. An imaginary place or point is also considered under the category of noun.