Direction: Read the following information carefully and answer the given questions. Assessing women’s access to equal opportunity and resources against the access that men have would be a scientific way of evaluating a nation’s commitment to the advancement of its citizens. But going by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2020, released last week, questions can easily be raised about whether this government is doing the right thing by the country’s women. India has dropped four points from 2018, to take the 112th rank on the Index. The Index measures the extent of gender- based gaps on four key parameters-economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Notably, it measures gender-based gaps in access to resources and opportunities in countries, rather than the actual levels of the available resources and opportunities. Despite a small score improvement, India has lost four positions as some countries ranked lower than India have shown better improvement. The country has reportedly closed two-thirds of its overall gender gap, with a score of 66.8 percent, but the report notes with concern that the condition of women in large fringes of Indian society is ‘precarious’. Of significant concern is the economic gender gap, with a score of 35.4 percent, at the 149th place, among 153 countries, and down seven places since the previous edition, indicating only a third of the gap has been bridged. The participation of women in the labour force is also among the lowest in the world, and the female estimated earned income is only one-fifth of male income. An alarming statistic is India’s position (150th rank) on the very bottom of the Health and Survival subindex, determined largely by the skewed sex ratio at birth, violence, forced marriage and discrimination in access to health. It is on the educational attainment (112th rank) and political empowerment (18th rank) fronts that the relatively good news is buried.
Identify the nearby antonym of the word ‘ Alarming’?
Unwary
Analyzing Antonyms from the Passage
The question asks us to identify a nearby antonym for the word ‘Alarming’ based on the provided options and the passage.
Let's first understand the meaning of the word ‘Alarming’ as used in the passage. The passage states, "An alarming statistic is India’s position (150th rank) on the very bottom of the Health and Survival subindex...". Here, ‘Alarming’ means causing worry, concern, or fear due to being serious or bad. It suggests something that should make one alert to danger or a problem.
Now, let's examine the given options and their meanings:
- Dread: This refers to a feeling of great fear or apprehension. This is a synonym for alarming, not an antonym.
- Ghastly: This means causing great horror or fear; frightful or dreadful. This is also a synonym or a word with similar negative connotations, not an antonym.
- Unwary: This means not cautious; not alert to potential dangers or problems. Someone who is unwary is not feeling alarm or concern because they are not aware of or not alert to the danger. This word suggests a state opposite to being alarmed.
- Exonerate: This means to clear someone from blame for a fault or wrongdoing. This word is completely unrelated to the meaning of ‘Alarming’.
Based on the definitions, ‘Unwary’ is the word that is closest to being an antonym of ‘Alarming’. While ‘Alarming’ suggests a reaction of fear or concern to a perceived threat or negative situation, ‘Unwary’ suggests a lack of caution or awareness of such threats, implying an absence of alarm.
Therefore, among the given choices, ‘Unwary’ is the most appropriate antonym for ‘Alarming’.
Revision Table: Understanding Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Relation to ‘Alarming’ |
|---|---|---|
| Alarming | Causing worry or fear; serious. | Original word |
| Dread | Great fear or apprehension. | Synonym/Related |
| Ghastly | Causing horror or fear. | Synonym/Related |
| Unwary | Not cautious; not alert to danger. | Antonym |
| Exonerate | Clear from blame. | Unrelated |
Additional Information: Antonyms and Context Clues
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Finding antonyms is a key part of building your vocabulary and improving reading comprehension. Sometimes, the exact opposite word might not be available in the options, so you need to look for the word that is the "nearby" or closest antonym among the choices provided.
Understanding the context in which a word is used in a passage can help you determine its precise meaning and, subsequently, find the best antonym. In this case, ‘Alarming’ describes a statistic, indicating that the statistic itself is a cause for alarm or serious concern.
When looking for an antonym, consider what the opposite of "causing alarm/worry" would be. It would be something that does not cause alarm or worry, perhaps because one is not aware or not cautious.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
