Question

Thinking about his defeat, she said, makes her work harder because she dreads feeling as ________ as he did.
a) perceived
b) empty
c) uninvolved
d) bent

Answer 1

Hint: Depending on what comes before and after the blank, the blank will be filled with an adjective that further illustrates what the sentence is trying to say.

Complete answer:
An adjective is a word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a noun to modify or describe it. Its semantic role is to change the information given by the noun. In short, it lends description to the noun. They are of various types such as demonstrative, possessive, qualitative, quantitative, etc.
The given blank needs to be filled with an adjective. The given sentence is trying to tell us that the person feels motivated to work harder because she does not want to feel as meaningless as he did.

Now, we know exactly what we are looking for. Let’s look through the given options-
a) perceived - The word ‘perceived’ refers to ‘become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand'. This word does not fit into the context of the given sentence. It does not help to further illustrate what the sentence is trying to convey. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) empty - The word ‘empty’ refers to ‘having no value or purpose'. This word fits into the context of the given sentence. It helps to further illustrate what the sentence is trying to convey. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) uninvolved - The word ‘uninvolved’ refers to ‘not connected or concerned with someone or something, especially on an emotional level'. This word does not fit into the context of the given sentence. It does not help to further illustrate what the sentence is trying to convey. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) bent - The word ‘bent’ refers to ‘strongly inclined; determined’. This word does not fit into the context of the given sentence. It does not help to further illustrate what the sentence is trying to convey. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Use the method of trial and error in order to find out which option fits best. Make sure that the part of speech is fitting for the sentence, and retains the meaning of the sentence.