Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word. Determined

Correct — C. Determined is used here as an adjective — firm in purpose, not to be turned aside.

Resolute carries exactly that sense: fixed in resolve, unshaken. Both are adjectives describing a person's will, so meaning and part of speech both match.

Hesitant and faltering point the other way, at wavering, and loathe is a verb. Option (c) is what the sense and the grammar leave standing.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  hesitant — Hesitant means slow to act through doubt. That is the antonym of determined, so it fails the direction test before any nuance is needed.
• (b)
  loathe — Loathe is a verb meaning to detest. Determined is an adjective here, so loathe fails on part of speech as well as on meaning.
• (d)
  faltering — Faltering means losing steadiness or strength — wavering again, the opposite of holding to a purpose.

Two filters settle almost every bare-word synonym item.

Part of speech. "Determined" is offered as an adjective, as in a determined person, so the answer must be an adjective. That alone removes loathe.

Direction. Determined is a word of firmness, so anything naming doubt or weakening sits on the wrong side of the line. That removes hesitant and faltering.

Resolute survives both filters, and it brings the noun resolution and the adverb resolutely with it.

Key facts

• Resolute means purposeful and unwavering, and gives the noun resolution and the adverb resolutely.
• Loathe is a verb meaning to hate, while the adjective loath, spelt without the e, means reluctant.
• Hesitant and faltering both describe wavering, and are antonyms of determined.

Common traps

• Answering before checking part of speech, and taking the verb loathe as an adjective.
• Reading determined as the past participle of determine and hunting for a synonym like calculated.

No directly related past PYQ was found.