Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Permanent
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This item tests understanding of the adjective evanescent and the ability to identify a correct antonym for it. Evanescent is often used in poetry and higher level prose to describe things that vanish quickly or last only a short time, such as moments, feelings or impressions. Recognising its opposite helps in interpreting contrasting descriptions in literary texts and in precise vocabulary use.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key idea in evanescent is transience or brief duration. It is similar in sense to fleeting and momentary. The opposite concept would be something that lasts, continues or is durable over time. Among the options, permanent clearly expresses lasting or enduring. Enticing means attractive or tempting, erratic means irregular or unpredictable, elusive means hard to grasp or catch, and fleeting is actually a close synonym of evanescent. Therefore, permanent is the only true antonym in the list.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define evanescent as something that disappears quickly or is short lived.
Step 2: Think of a simple opposite such as lasting, enduring or permanent.
Step 3: Check the given options to see which one matches this opposite idea.
Step 4: Recognise that permanent means continuing without change for a long time or forever.
Step 5: Confirm that enticing, fleeting, erratic and elusive do not express long lasting duration and so cannot be antonyms.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider example phrases: evanescent beauty and permanent beauty. Evanescent beauty suggests beauty that fades quickly, perhaps with time or changing circumstances. Permanent beauty suggests beauty that endures. Likewise, fleeting happiness is very similar to evanescent happiness, and thus fleeting cannot be the opposite. Erratic behaviour refers to unpredictability, not duration. Elusive success is success that is hard to achieve, not a comment on how long it lasts. Enticing offer refers to temptation, again unrelated to time. This comparison strongly supports permanent as the correct antonym.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Enticing, describes something appealing or tempting and has no inherent sense of time. Option B, Fleeting, is virtually synonymous with evanescent and therefore is the worst choice for an opposite. Option C, Erratic, focuses on irregularity of pattern, not on whether something is short lived or long lasting. Option D, Elusive, means difficult to find or catch and addresses difficulty, not duration. As none of these terms counter the idea of shortness in time, they cannot serve as antonyms of evanescent.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes choose a word that is simply different in meaning, rather than one that is truly opposite. Another trap is selecting an unfamiliar word that looks complex, hoping it will be correct. To avoid this, it is useful to first think of a simple opposite in everyday English and then look for the closest match among the options. For evanescent, thinking of the basic opposite permanent quickly guides you to the correct answer.
Final Answer:
The word opposite in meaning to Evanescent is Permanent.
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