Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted for you. Please pay attention. When the atoll's managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation, were planning to conduct a rat eradication project, UC Santa Barbara community ecologist Hillary Young and her research group saw it as an unusual opportunity. They had already been visiting Palmyra regularly to track another non-native species, the coconut palm, to see whether it was spreading invasively in the area, potentially impacting the nesting seabird population and changing the island's soil composition. They had plots where they were monitoring trees in various stages of growth and survival; how would the vegetation respond to the eradication of the island's main seed and seedling eater? "Prior to the eradication, most of the understory of Palmyra was either bare ground, sandy soil or coral rubble or covered in a carpet of ferns," said Ana Millerter Kuile, a graduate student researcher in the Young Group and lead author of a study that appears in the journal Biotropica .The rats _______quick to eat seeds and young plants coming out of the ground, and they frequented the canopy as well, often nesting in the coconut palms and eating coconuts. Eradication of the rats, which was conducted in 2011, did in fact result in a resurgence of vegetation in Palmyra. And not only that. The Asian tiger mosquito was wiped out, while two species of land crab emerged, adding to the atoll's biodiversity. But rarely is ecology easily untangled. In the years that followed eradication, Palmyra's understory did indeed fill with juvenile trees as seeds that hit the ground was allowed to take root. Only they were often not the Pisonia or other native trees that would have been the more ideal forests for the native seabirds and animals of Palmyra. Continuing their restoration of the island, Palmyra's managers were working to remove the vast majority of the island's millions of coconut palms to give local species a chance to dominate, a project that is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anticipating the indirect downstream effects, such as potential shifts in ecology toward other invasive species, could become part of a more holistic island rodent eradication effort, Millerter Kuile said.
What will be the most antonym of potential ?
helpless
Finding the Antonym of Potential
The question asks for the antonym of the word "potential" based on the provided passage. An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word.
Understanding the word "Potential"
The word "potential" generally refers to having or showing the capacity or ability to become or develop into something in the future. It suggests possibility, capability, or latent power.
In the passage, the phrase "potential shifts in ecology" means possible or likely changes that might occur in the ecosystem.
Analyzing the Options for Antonym
Let's look at the given options and see which one serves as the best antonym for "potential":
- like: This word usually refers to similarity or comparison. It has no opposite relationship with "potential".
- helpless: This word means lacking the ability or means to do something; powerless or unable to act or help oneself. This implies a lack of capacity or ability, which is the opposite of having potential or capability.
- promising: This word means showing signs of future success or potential. It is closer to a synonym or related concept than an antonym.
- capable: This word means having the ability or quality necessary to do or achieve something. This is a synonym of "potential", not an antonym.
- none of these: We need to evaluate if any of the other options is a suitable antonym.
Determining the Correct Antonym
Based on the analysis, "helpless" is the word that best represents the opposite of "potential". While "potential" suggests capacity, ability, or possibility for future development, "helpless" suggests a lack of ability, power, or capacity.
Therefore, the most suitable antonym among the given options is "helpless".
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'?
