The discussion was <u>wound up</u> after a long and fruitful exchange of views. (Select the word or group of words that is most similar in meaning to the underlined word.)
- (a)postponed
- (b)cut short
- (c)interrupted
- (d)concluded
Correct — D, 'concluded'. To wind up a discussion is to bring it to a proper close once its business is done, and 'conclude' says exactly that. The sentence supplies the proof — the exchange of views was 'long and fruitful', so the discussion reached its natural end rather than being stopped by anything.
- (a)postponed — Postponing moves a discussion to a later date without holding it, whereas the sentence says the exchange had already taken place and was long.
- (b)cut short — Cutting short means ending something earlier than intended, which contradicts 'long and fruitful'.
- (c)interrupted — An interruption breaks into a discussion while it is still running, so it names a disturbance rather than the end of the business.
'Wind up' is a phrasal verb meaning to bring an activity to an orderly close — a meeting, a speech, a debate or, in legal use, a company.
Three of the four options do end a discussion in some way, so the sense of stopping is not what separates them. The deciding words are 'long and fruitful' — they rule out anything premature or forced and leave only the option that means finishing properly.
- 'Wind up' also means to close down a company, which is why liquidation proceedings are called winding-up proceedings.
- Here 'wound' is the past participle of 'wind' and rhymes with 'found', not with the noun meaning an injury.
- 'Conclude' works both of ending a discussion and of reaching a decision, as in concluding an agreement.
- Choosing 'cut short' because 'wound up' sounds abrupt.
- Ignoring 'long and fruitful', which is the only clue that separates a proper ending from a forced one.
Asked as a synonym item — choose the word or group of words most similar in meaning to the underlined word.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the word nearest in meaning to 'wind up' in 'The chairman wound up the meeting at noon.'
- (a)adjourned
- (b)finished
- (c)disturbed
- (d)opened
Answer(b) finished — to wind up a meeting is to bring it to a close.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the word nearest in meaning to 'wrap up' in 'She wrapped up her speech with a joke.'
- (a)began
- (b)delayed
- (c)concluded
- (d)repeated
Answer(c) concluded — 'wrap up' also means to finish something off.