Question

Out of the given alternatives, choose the one which is closest in meaning to the italicised word in the sentence.
The two brothers should not vie with each other but work in cooperation.
(a)fight
(b)conspire
(c)compete
(d)envy

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘vie’ refers to ‘contend eagerly with someone to do or achieve something’. It is used as a verb in the given sentence, and it describes the action of the noun ‘the two brothers’.

Complete answer: To replace the italicised word without changing
the meaning of the sentence, we need the synonym of the given word. A synonym is a
word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the
same language, for example, ‘shut’ is a synonym of ‘close’.

In the given sentence, the word ‘vie’ is used to tell us that the two brothers conflict with each other and it is telling us that they should be working together instead of vying with each other. It gives us essential information about the context of the sentence.
Now, we know the meaning of the given word. Let’s look at the given options:
(a)fight - The word ‘fight’ refers to ‘take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons'. This word does not have the exact meaning as the given word. This is not the synonym of the given word as it would change the meaning of the sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(b)conspire - The word ‘conspire’ refers to ‘make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act'. This word does not have the exact meaning as the given word. This is not the synonym of the given word as it would change the meaning of the sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(c)compete - The word ‘compete’ refers to ‘strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others'. This word has the same meaning as the given word. This is the synonym of the given word as it would not change the meaning of the sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
(d)envy - The word ‘envy’ refers to ‘desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable thing belonging to (someone else)’. This word does not have the exact meaning as the given word. This is not the synonym of the given word as it would change the meaning of the sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Understand the meaning of the given sentence. Go through the options one by one and guess the meaning of each one. Choose the option with the same meaning to the given word, i.e. a synonym.