Question

Which of the following choices will be MOST opposite to the word juvenile as used in the sentence below?

Juvenile delinquents and depressive or suicidal psychiatric patients show orphanhood rates similar to those of the eminent public figures.

• A. Puerile
• B. Naive
• C. Jejune
• D. None of the above

Hint:

Check whether each option means "young/immature" like juvenile itself, or its true opposite, "mature/senior."

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The sentence uses "juvenile" as an adjective meaning young, or belonging to young people ("juvenile delinquents" means young offenders). We need a word that means the clear opposite of "young/immature," and the four choices need to be tested one at a time.

1. Puerile: Puerile means childish or silly, in a way typical of a young child. This is close in meaning to juvenile, not its opposite, so it is ruled out.
2. Naive: Naive means lacking experience or being too trusting, a quality often associated with the young and inexperienced. It leans towards the same side of the meaning as juvenile, not away from it.
3. Jejune: Jejune means immature or overly simple (it can also mean dull), which again sits on the same side of the meaning as juvenile rather than opposite to it.
4. None of the above: A genuine opposite of "juvenile" would be a word like "mature" or "eminent," describing someone senior, experienced, and established, which is exactly the contrast the sentence itself draws by comparing juvenile delinquents with "eminent public figures." None of Puerile, Naive, or Jejune carry this sense of maturity or seniority; all three are, if anything, close in meaning to juvenile rather than opposite to it.

Since every listed word describes some form of immaturity rather than its opposite, none of them can be the correct antonym, so the answer is "None of the above."

Let's summarize:

• Puerile, Naive, and Jejune are all near-synonyms of juvenile, describing immaturity or lack of experience.
• A true opposite of juvenile would mean mature or eminent, a sense none of the given options carry.

So the correct answer is option 4, None of the above.