Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word. Tendency

Correct — B. Tendency is a noun meaning an inclination or liability to act in a particular way.

Proneness is the noun formed from prone in its sense of liable to — accident-prone, prone to error. It names the same leaning towards something, so it substitutes cleanly.

Notice too that Distaste and Aversion mean nearly the same thing as each other. A single-answer item cannot key two options, so they fall together → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Distaste — Distaste is a mild dislike or disinclination. It names a pull away from something, which is the reverse of a tendency towards it.
• (c)
  Decoy — Decoy is a lure used to draw a person or an animal into a trap. It is a concrete device, not a disposition of any kind.
• (d)
  Aversion — Aversion is a strong dislike. It belongs with Distaste on the away-from side, while a tendency points towards the behaviour.

A synonym item is settled on two tests, and the second is what separates a strong candidate.

First the word class: tendency is a noun, so the answer must be a noun. That eliminates nothing here, since all four options are nouns.

Second the direction of the meaning: a tendency is a pull towards a behaviour. Distaste and Aversion both name a pull away from one, and Decoy names an object rather than a disposition.

Proneness is the only option that keeps both the class and the direction.

Key facts

• Proneness is the abstract noun from prone, meaning liability or inclination to something.
• Prone carries a second, physical sense: lying face down.
• Aversion and Distaste both name dislike, differing in strength rather than in direction.

Common traps

• Reading tendency as a preference and reaching by reflex for a dislike word.
• Rejecting proneness because it sounds unusual, when the stem asks for meaning and not for style.

No directly related past PYQ was found.