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Question

Each item in this section consists of a sentence with an underlined word/words followed by four words. Select the option that is nearer to meaning to the underlined word/words and mark your response on your Answer Sheet accordingly.

It was felt that the decision to remove the group from the exercise would be detrimental to the organization.

This question was previously asked in
CDS I 2018 Elementary Mathematics Previous Year Paper (04-Feb-2018)
The correct answer is

disadvantageous

Understanding the Meaning of Detrimental and Finding its Synonym

The question asks us to find the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word "detrimental" in the sentence: "It was felt that the decision to remove the group from the exercise would be detrimental to the organization."

Let's first understand the meaning of the word "detrimental".

  • Detrimental: Tending to cause harm. Something that is detrimental causes damage, harm, or is otherwise injurious. It has a negative impact.

Now, let's look at the given options and compare their meanings to "detrimental".

Option Meaning Comparison to Detrimental
1. beneficial Favorable or advantageous; resulting in good. This is the opposite of detrimental.
2. harsh Unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses; cruel or severe. While negative, this describes severity or roughness, not necessarily direct harm or disadvantage in an organizational context.
3. disadvantageous Involving or creating unfavorable circumstances that reduce the chances of success or effectiveness; unfavorable. This means causing a disadvantage or harm, which aligns closely with causing harm or having a negative impact on an organization.
4. demanding Requiring much effort; difficult. This describes the level of difficulty or effort required, not the negative impact or harm caused.

Based on the meanings, "disadvantageous" is the word that is closest in meaning to "detrimental". A decision that is detrimental to an organization is one that causes harm or disadvantage to it.

Therefore, the word nearest in meaning to "detrimental" is "disadvantageous".

Revision Table: Key Vocabulary

Word Meaning Synonyms Antonyms
Detrimental Causing harm or damage. Harmful, injurious, disadvantageous, damaging, unfavorable. Beneficial, advantageous, helpful, favorable.
Disadvantageous Creating unfavorable circumstances; unfavorable. Detrimental, unfavorable, disadvantageous, harmful, injurious. Advantageous, favorable, beneficial.

Additional Information on Finding Synonyms

Finding the nearest synonym for a word involves understanding the precise meaning of the word in the given context. Here are some tips:

  • Read the sentence carefully to understand how the word is used.
  • Break down the meaning of the word. What core idea does it convey (e.g., harm, difficulty, speed, etc.)?
  • Examine each option provided. Consider its primary meaning and how it fits into the original sentence's context.
  • Eliminate options that are clearly opposites or unrelated in meaning.
  • Compare the remaining options to find the one that is closest in nuance and context to the original word.
  • Sometimes, none of the options are perfect synonyms, so you must choose the "nearest" in meaning.

Understanding common prefixes and suffixes can also help in guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words (e.g., 'de-' often indicates removal or reduction, 'mal-' indicates bad, 'bene-' indicates good).

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