Question

Choose the option which best expresses the meaning of the given word.
SULTRY
A. Unpleasant
B. Ill-smelling
C. Impure
D. Humid

Answer 1

Hint: Synonyms and antonyms are essential parts of grammar that help to increase our vocabulary, make reading languages more enjoyable and also make our writings come alive. Synonyms are words that closely resemble a given word. Whereas, antonyms are those words which are completely opposite in meaning to a given word. When the weather or the climate of a particular area is characterized by extremely oppressive heat, it is termed as ‘sultry’. In the sentence, “Due to the sultry weather of Mumbai, the tourists had to travel to Jalgaon in order to get a break from the difficult climate”, we can see that the hot and humid weather of Mumbai made the tourists to leave for Jalgaon to get a respite from the sultry weather.

Complete step by step answer:
1. Here we are going to check each option one by one so that we can detect the correct option containing the answer to the given question.
2. Something that causes discomfort and unhappiness can be termed as ‘unpleasant’. It is something that is commonly disagreed to. Both the words ‘sultry’ and ‘unpleasant’ are somewhat similar as they are both defining something disagreeable. But they are not similar because sultry is used to describe a weather or a climatic condition whereas unpleasant can be used to describe a number of things. Hence, the option A is wrong.
3. Something that is ‘ill-smelling’ emits a bad odour. The smell of garbage is ‘ill-smelling’. Hence, option B is also wrong.
4. ‘Impure’ is something that is opposite in meaning to ‘pure’. It is not the same as ‘sultry’.
5.If we move on to option D, we can see that the word ‘humid’ is referred to as a weather or climatic condition that is marked by a relatively high-level of water contained in the atmosphere. This word is very similar to ‘sultry’ and is thus the correct option.

Hence the option D is the right answer.

Note:
Here we can signify the necessity of synonyms by giving the instance of this question sentence. In some pattern of English and for a definite class of readers, the word ‘sultry’ is quite familiar. But on a wider level, we find that the word ‘humid’ is quite familiar to many people. Note that for this very reason, we need the dictionary in order to know the other vocabulary of any word.