The sardonic nature of her stories made her stand out among the contemporary writers.
- (a)compassionate
- (b)insightful
- (c)mocking
- (d)comic
Answer
C
Why
Correct — C, mocking. 'Sardonic' means grimly or scornfully mocking, expressing contempt through bitter humour, and 'mocking' captures that scornful, derisive quality, so it is the word nearest in meaning.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)compassionate — 'Compassionate' means sympathetic and kind — the opposite of the biting scorn in 'sardonic'.
- (b)insightful — 'Insightful' means perceptive or showing deep understanding; it describes depth, not scornful mockery.
- (d)comic — 'Comic' means simply funny or amusing; 'sardonic' adds a bitter, contemptuous edge that plain comedy lacks.
Concept
A synonym item — 'sardonic' means bitterly scornful and mocking, so 'mocking' is the closest match; plain 'comic' misses the scornful edge and is the trap.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Select the word nearest in meaning to 'derisive'.
- (a)respectful
- (b)mocking
- (c)gentle
- (d)serious
Answer(b) mocking — 'derisive' means expressing ridicule, i.e. mocking.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Select the word nearest in meaning to 'cynical'.
- (a)trusting
- (b)scornful
- (c)cheerful
- (d)naive
Answer(b) scornful — 'cynical' suggests a distrustful, contemptuous attitude, close to scornful.