Question

Choose the word that is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word given in capital letters.

PRETENSIONS

• A. Claims
• B. Access
• C. Apathy
• D. Permissiveness

Hint:

Pretension is about asserting a quality for oneself, often an inflated one, so look for the option built on the idea of a claim.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

PRETENSIONS refers to claims that a person makes about having a certain quality, status, or right, often claims that go beyond what is actually true or justified. The question wants the option closest to this sense of asserting something about oneself.

1. Claims: this means assertions that something is true or that one has a right to something. This matches pretensions directly, since a pretension is itself a claim, often an overstated one, to a certain quality or position.
2. Access: this means the means or right to reach or use something. It is about availability or entry, not about asserting a quality about oneself, so it does not fit.
3. Apathy: this means a lack of interest or feeling. It describes an emotional state, the opposite of actively asserting something, so it is unrelated to pretensions.
4. Permissiveness: this means being lenient or allowing much freedom of behavior. It is about tolerance toward others' conduct, not about claiming a quality for oneself, so it does not match.

Since a pretension is an assertion, often an inflated one, about one's own status, ability, or importance, the option that captures this sense of assertion is Claims.

Let's summarize:

• Pretensions are claims, often overstated, to a certain quality, status, or right.
• Access, Apathy, and Permissiveness each describe something unrelated: availability, lack of feeling, and tolerance.
• Claims is the only option built on the idea of asserting something about oneself.

The correct answer is option (1) Claims.