Question

They launched a scurrilous attack.

• A. serious
• B. insulting
• C. unjustified
• D. unsuccessful

Hint:

Think of a word describing rude, abusive language aimed at someone's reputation.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

This question asks for the word closest in meaning to the underlined word "scurrilous" in "They launched a scurrilous attack."

1. serious: describes something grave or important in tone, but does not capture the abusive, disrespectful quality of "scurrilous".
2. insulting: means offensive or disrespectful language meant to hurt or demean someone, which matches the harsh, abusive nature of a "scurrilous attack".
3. unjustified: means lacking a fair reason or cause, which describes whether an attack was deserved, not the abusive tone of the words used.
4. unsuccessful: means failing to achieve its goal, which says nothing about the manner or language of the attack.

"Scurrilous" describes language that is coarse, abusive, and meant to damage someone's reputation, which is closest to "insulting".

Let's summarize:

• "Scurrilous" means coarse, abusive, and damaging to someone's reputation.
• "Serious", "unjustified", and "unsuccessful" describe different qualities such as tone, fairness, or outcome, not abusiveness.

The nearest match in meaning is "insulting", making option (b) the correct answer.