Question:
Instructions: Each of the following items is followed by four words or group of words. Fill in the blank with the appropriate word or group of words.
A great literary or artistic work is known as ____.
Instructions: Each of the following items is followed by four words or group of words. Fill in the blank with the appropriate word or group of words.
A great literary or artistic work is known as ____.
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Think of the Latin phrase literally meaning "great work," used for an artist's finest achievement.
Updated On: Jul 16, 2026
- par excellence
- bete noire
- peccadillo
- magnum opus
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Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
This question tests your knowledge of common foreign phrases borrowed into English, each carrying a very specific and distinct meaning.
- Par excellence: this phrase means "better than all others of the same kind" and is used as a description attached to something, for example "a musician par excellence." It does not itself mean a great work of art, it is a way of praising something as the best example of its category.
- Bete noire: this French phrase literally means "black beast" and is used for a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads. It has a negative connotation and has nothing to do with artistic achievement.
- Peccadillo: this means a minor or trifling fault or sin, something small and forgivable. This is the opposite of a great, celebrated work.
- Magnum opus: this Latin phrase literally means "great work" and is used specifically to describe the greatest single achievement of an artist, writer, or composer, exactly matching the definition given in the question.
The phrase that directly means a great literary or artistic work is magnum opus, so option D is correct.
Let's summarize:
- Magnum opus specifically names a person's greatest single work of art or literature.
- Par excellence describes something as the best example of its type, but is not itself the name for a great work.
- Bete noire and peccadillo both carry negative meanings, dislike and minor fault respectively, and are unrelated to artistic greatness.
When a question asks for a precise definition, be careful not to confuse a phrase of praise, like par excellence, with a phrase that names the object being praised, like magnum opus.
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