Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Prejudiced
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This is an antonym question from vocabulary. The word given is objective, used in the sense of being impartial, unbiased, or based on facts rather than personal feelings. You are asked to find the word that expresses the opposite quality. Understanding the meaning of objective and recognising its opposite is important in critical reading and writing, especially in academic contexts.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The opposite of being objective (impartial) is being biased or prejudiced. A prejudiced person allows prior opinions, stereotypes, or emotions to colour judgment instead of relying on facts. Therefore, among the options, prejudiced directly opposes the impartial, fair quality of objectivity. Fair and detached are actually close to synonyms of objective, not antonyms. Straight deals more with honesty than with the presence or absence of bias, so it does not work as a clear opposite here.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Fix the meaning of objective in your mind as unbiased, impartial, based on facts.Step 2: Look for a word that means biased, influenced by personal feelings or pre-judgments.Step 3: Evaluate fair and see that it aligns with just and unbiased, which supports objectivity, so it cannot be the opposite.Step 4: Evaluate detached, which indicates a lack of emotional involvement, again supporting an objective point of view.Step 5: Evaluate prejudiced, which describes someone whose opinions are already formed, often unfairly, and who is not objective. Therefore, prejudiced is the correct antonym.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider example sentences. An objective judge considers evidence fairly, without personal feelings. A prejudiced judge favours one side because of preconceived notions. Similarly, an objective report presents data neutrally, while a prejudiced report is coloured by bias. In contrast, a fair decision is usually neutral and just, and a detached observer is not emotionally involved, both of which support objectivity rather than opposing it. These contrasts confirm prejudiced as the correct opposite.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Fair is almost synonymous with objective: a fair person weighs all sides equally. Detached suggests the distance and emotional neutrality that often helps someone remain objective. Straight is closer to honest or direct and does not specifically indicate bias or lack of bias. None of these words form a clear opposite pair with objective in the sense used here.
Common Pitfalls:
Some students may mistakenly choose detached as the antonym because they associate objective with being involved and caring. However, in exam vocabulary, objective is about being neutral, and detached can actually help achieve that. The more reliable strategy is to always restate the given word in simpler terms (objective equals unbiased) and then look for a word that reverses that meaning (prejudiced equals biased).
Final Answer:
The word that is opposite in meaning to objective (impartial) is Prejudiced, so option D is correct.
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