Finding the Correct Antonym for 'Persuaded'

The question asks us to select the most appropriate antonym for the underlined word, which is "persuaded," to complete the sentence correctly.

The sentence is: "While most friends persuaded him to choose the career, there were a few who ________ him from doing so."

We need a word that means the opposite of "persuaded" in the context of influencing someone's decision. "Persuaded" means to convince someone to do something or believe something through reasoning or argument.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the meanings of the given options:

• Evaded: This means to avoid or escape from someone or something, especially by cunning or trickery. This is not related to convincing or influencing a decision.
• Bombarded: This means to attack continuously with bombs, or in a figurative sense, to assail someone with a continuous flow of questions, criticisms, or information. While it involves a strong action, it doesn't directly mean convincing someone not to do something.
• Dissuaded: This means to persuade someone not to do something. This is the direct opposite of persuading someone to do something.
• Situated: This means having an environmental setting; located. This is unrelated to influencing a decision.

Determining the Antonym of Persuaded

Based on the meanings, the word that means the opposite of persuading someone to do something is dissuading them from doing it.

In the given sentence, "While most friends persuaded him to choose the career," the blank needs a word that indicates the action of the other friends, which was to stop or discourage him from choosing that career. "Dissuaded" fits this meaning perfectly.

Therefore, the most appropriate antonym of "persuaded" in this context is "dissuaded."

Completing the Sentence

Substituting "dissuaded" into the blank gives: "While most friends persuaded him to choose the career, there were a few who dissuaded him from doing so." This sentence makes logical sense, showing a contrast between the actions of the two groups of friends.

Revision Table: Vocabulary Focus

Additional Information: Understanding Antonyms

Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Understanding antonyms is crucial for building vocabulary and improving comprehension. They help us express contrast and provide a fuller understanding of word meanings.

Here are a few points about antonyms:

• Antonyms can be total opposites (like 'hot' and 'cold') or relative opposites (like 'big' and 'small').
• Some words have multiple antonyms depending on the context.
• Some words do not have a clear antonym (e.g., 'book', 'tree').
• Sometimes, antonyms are formed by adding prefixes (like 'un-', 'dis-', 'non-', 'a-') to a word (e.g., 'happy' vs. 'unhappy', 'agree' vs. 'disagree').

In this question, "persuade" and "dissuade" are a clear pair of antonyms related to influencing someone's actions or decisions.