He spends his money <u>lavishly</u>.
- (a)hesitatingly
- (b)generously
- (c)foolishly
- (d)carefully
Correct — B, 'generously'. To spend lavishly is to spend on a large and unsparing scale, and among the four options only 'generously' carries that sense of parting with money in abundance.
- (a)hesitatingly — To spend hesitatingly is to part with money reluctantly, the reverse of spending freely.
- (c)foolishly — Foolishly adds a judgement the word does not make; lavish spending may well be unwise, but 'lavishly' reports the scale of the spending, not its wisdom.
- (d)carefully — Careful spending is measured and watchful, again the opposite of lavish spending.
'Lavishly' means in large, unstinting quantities, and the closest of the four options is 'generously', which shares the idea of giving freely and abundantly.
The two words are not equals — 'generous' praises the giver's spirit, while 'lavish' reports the scale and often hints at extravagance. An item like this asks for the nearest available word, and the two options that reverse the sense fall away first, followed by the one that adds a moral verdict. Working by elimination is faster here than hunting for a perfect fit.
- 'Lavish' works as an adjective and as a verb — a lavish meal, and to lavish attention on someone.
- 'Extravagant' is the word that adds the sense of spending beyond one's means.
- 'Prodigal' means wastefully extravagant, which is why the prodigal son is the one who squandered his share.
- Choosing 'foolishly' by importing a moral verdict into the word.
- Rejecting 'generously' for not being an exact equal, which leaves only two clear opposites.
Asked as a synonym item — choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word.
Rakesh is an eccentric prodigal.
- (a) extravagant
- (b) profligate
- (c) wasteful
- (d) thrifty
Answer(d) thrifty
The same spending vocabulary in the other direction: that item asked for the opposite of 'prodigal' and marked 'thrifty', while this one asks what spending 'lavishly' amounts to.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the word closest in meaning to 'extravagant' in 'an extravagant lifestyle'.
- (a)simple
- (b)wasteful
- (c)careful
- (d)modest
Answer(b) wasteful — extravagance is spending beyond what is needed.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'lavish' in 'lavish praise'.
- (a)sparing
- (b)heavy
- (c)open
- (d)loud
Answer(a) sparing — praise given in small measure is the reverse of lavish praise.