Which of the following pairs of homonyms can be used to fill in the blanks most suitably? The negotiator managed to ____ the tension in the room before it could ____ into a full-blown conflict.
defuse, diffuse
This question tests the near-homophones "defuse" and "diffuse", which are easily confused.
"Defuse" (verb) means to reduce or remove the danger or tension in a situation, like defusing a bomb.
"Diffuse" (verb) means to spread out or scatter over a wide area.
The first blank, "managed to ____ the tension", needs the sense of calming it down, so "defuse" fits.
The second blank, "before it could ____ into a full-blown conflict", needs the sense of spreading, so "diffuse" fits.
Therefore the correct pair, in order, is defuse, diffuse.
The pairs "diffuse, defuse", "alleviate, elevate" and "elevate, alleviate" either reverse the meaning or do not fit both blanks logically.
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Important Questions from Homophones
Select the correct pair of homophones to fill in the blanks.
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Fill in the blank with the appropriate homonym :
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Select the most appropriate homophone to fill in the blank.
The dog took a __________ during his walk and lifted his __________ to indicate that he was tired.
