Understanding the Meaning of Meticulous

The question asks us to find the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word "meticulous" in the sentence, "He is extremely meticulous in his approach."

Let's break down the meaning of the word meticulous.

• Meticulous means showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise. Someone who is meticulous pays extremely close attention to small details and ensures everything is done accurately and thoroughly.

Analyzing the Options for Nearest Meaning

Now, let's look at the provided options and their meanings:

1. simple: Easy to understand or do; not complicated. This doesn't relate to paying close attention to detail or carefulness.
2. careful: Taking care to avoid danger, mistakes, or damage; cautious. This involves paying attention to potential issues and trying to prevent errors.
3. fair: Treating people equally without favoritism or discrimination; just or appropriate. This relates to fairness and justice, not the level of detail or care in a task.
4. reasonable: Based on or using good judgment and therefore sound; sensible. This implies good sense and practicality, which is different from the specific focus on detail and precision implied by 'meticulous'.

Comparing Meticulous with the Options

Comparing the meaning of meticulous with the options:

• Meticulous implies a high level of care, precision, and attention to detail.
• "Simple" is about complexity, not care or detail.
• "Fair" is about justice, not care or detail.
• "Reasonable" is about good judgment or common sense, not the level of detail or precision in work.
• "Careful" means taking care to avoid mistakes or damage. This aligns well with the idea of being thorough and paying attention to detail to prevent errors, which is central to being meticulous. While meticulous suggests an *extreme* level of carefulness and detail, "careful" is the option that comes closest in meaning among the choices given.

Conclusion on the Nearest Meaning

Based on the analysis, the word "careful" is the nearest in meaning to "meticulous". Someone who is meticulous is certainly very careful in their work or approach.

Revision Table: Understanding Synonyms

Let's quickly summarise the key words and their meanings:

Additional Information on Vocabulary Building

Finding the nearest meaning of a word, especially in multiple-choice questions, often requires understanding nuances in vocabulary. Here are some tips:

• Read the word in the context of the sentence. The sentence provides clues about how the word is used.
• If you know the exact meaning, compare it directly with the options.
• If you don't know the exact meaning, try to recall any context where you've heard or read the word. Look for roots, prefixes, or suffixes if applicable.
• Eliminate options that are clearly incorrect or have completely different meanings.
• Among the remaining options, choose the one that is the best fit, even if it's not a perfect synonym. Sometimes, the question asks for the *nearest* meaning, implying that a perfect match might not be available.

Understanding words like meticulous and its relationship to words like "careful" helps improve vocabulary for various exams.