In this section, each item consists of a sentence with a word underlined and followed by four words or groups of words. Select the word that is most similar in meaning to the underlined word and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet accordingly. The police fired indiscriminately at the crowd, killing many innocent women and children.
without distinguishing
Understanding the Meaning of 'Indiscriminately'
The question asks us to find the word or group of words that is most similar in meaning to the underlined word 'indiscriminately' as used in the given sentence.
The sentence is:
"The police fired indiscriminately at the crowd, killing many innocent women and children."
Let's analyze the word 'indiscriminately' in this context. The action described is firing at a crowd, resulting in the death of innocent people. This suggests that the firing was done without making distinctions between who was being targeted.
Defining 'Indiscriminately'
The word 'indiscriminately' is an adverb. It means:
- In a way that does not show or make careful distinctions.
- Without careful judgment or selection.
- Haphazardly; randomly.
When applied to firing at a crowd, it implies shooting at everyone present without regard for whether they are involved, innocent, male, female, adult, or child.
Evaluating the Options
Let's examine each option provided:
- continuously: This means happening without interruption. While firing might be continuous, it doesn't capture the essence of hitting anyone and everyone without selection. Continuous firing could still be aimed at specific targets.
- without distinguishing: To distinguish means to recognize or treat someone or something as different. Firing "without distinguishing" means firing without making any differentiation or selection among the people in the crowd. This aligns perfectly with the idea of hitting innocent people alongside others.
- foolishly: This means in a silly or unwise manner. While firing indiscriminately might be foolish, 'foolishly' describes the wisdom of the action, not the method of targeting (or lack thereof).
- rapidly: This means happening at a great speed; quickly. Firing rapidly refers to the rate of fire. Rapid firing can sometimes be indiscriminate, but the primary meaning of 'indiscriminately' is not about speed, but about lack of selection.
Conclusion
Comparing the options to the meaning of 'indiscriminately' in the context of the sentence, the phrase "without distinguishing" most accurately reflects the lack of selection or differentiation shown by the police when firing into the crowd.
Therefore, the word most similar in meaning to 'indiscriminately' is "without distinguishing".
Revision Table: Understanding Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning in Context | How it Relates to 'Indiscriminately' |
|---|---|---|
| Indiscriminately | Without making careful distinctions or selections. | The core word being defined. |
| Continuously | Without interruption. | Describes duration, not selection method. |
| Without distinguishing | Without recognizing or treating as different; without selecting. | Directly captures the lack of selection inherent in 'indiscriminately'. |
| Foolishly | Unwisely or without good sense. | Describes the judgment behind the action, not the targeting method. |
| Rapidly | Quickly or at high speed. | Describes the speed of the action, not the targeting method. |
Additional Information: Vocabulary Building for Exams
Understanding how words are used in context is crucial for vocabulary questions in exams. Here are some tips:
- Always read the full sentence to grasp the context.
- Try to substitute the underlined word with each option to see which one makes the most sense.
- Break down the word if possible (e.g., 'in-' often means 'not', 'discriminate' means to distinguish).
- Learn common prefixes and suffixes to help understand word meanings.
- Practice regularly with different types of vocabulary questions.
In this case, knowing that 'discriminate' means to distinguish helps in understanding 'indiscriminate' as 'not distinguishing'.
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