Ravi told his friend that he had no intention to malign him.

Correct — B, slander. To malign someone is to speak damaging falsehoods about them, and 'slander' names exactly that act, so it is the word nearest in meaning. The trap is 'benign', which differs by a single syllable but carries the opposite root — mal- for bad against bene- for good.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  benign — 'Benign' means kindly and harmless. It is an adjective built on the good-root bene-, so it matches neither the part of speech nor the sense of the verb 'malign'.
• (c)
  praise — 'Praise' is the opposite — to speak well of someone rather than to defame them.
• (d)
  greet — 'Greet' means to address someone in welcome and carries no suggestion of harming a reputation.

A synonym item on the verb 'malign' — to speak harmful untruths about someone — whose nearest equivalent among the choices is 'slander'.

Key facts

• Latin malus means bad and bene means well; the two roots drive dozens of English pairs.
• In careful usage slander is spoken defamation while libel is written or published defamation.
• 'Malign' also works as an adjective, as in a malign influence, meaning harmful.

Common traps

• Choosing 'benign' on the strength of the shared ending.
• Choosing 'praise', the antonym, in a synonym item.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Select the word nearest in meaning to 'defame'.

  • (a)honour
  • (b)vilify
  • (c)admire
  • (d)ignore
  Answer(b) vilify — both mean to attack somebody's good name.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the meaning of 'benevolent'.

  • (a)hostile
  • (b)kind-hearted
  • (c)wealthy
  • (d)careless
  Answer(b) kind-hearted — the bene- root marks it as the good-natured word.