Select the antonym of VILE in the context of a person’s character or behaviour.

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your knowledge of basic vocabulary, specifically the antonym of the adjective vile when it describes a person or action as morally disgusting or extremely bad. Recognising both synonyms and antonyms of such common words is essential in verbal ability tests.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The word vile usually means morally despicable, extremely unpleasant, or disgusting. The options given are virtuous, coarse, vicious, and abject. We assume the word is used about character or behaviour rather than about smell or taste, so the moral sense is most relevant here.

Concept / Approach:
An antonym expresses an opposite or near opposite meaning. For a negative moral term like vile, we look for a positive moral quality. Virtuous means having or showing high moral standards and integrity. Coarse means rough or lacking refinement, which is not exactly the opposite of vile. Vicious means extremely cruel or violent, which is close in meaning to vile, not opposite. Abject means extremely bad, unpleasant, or degrading, again similar to vile rather than opposed to it.

Step-by-Step Solution:
First, recall that vile can describe a vile act, a vile crime, or a vile person, all indicating extreme moral badness.Second, examine virtuous. This word is used for people who are honest, kind, and morally upright. It clearly represents a positive moral quality.Third, examine coarse. This describes someone or something that lacks refinement or is slightly rude. A coarse joke may be off colour, but not necessarily deeply evil, so it is not a direct opposite of vile.Fourth, examine vicious. This word is used for violent, cruel, or savage behaviour, which is very close in strength to vile and therefore functions as a synonym, not an antonym.Fifth, examine abject. Abject poverty or abject misery refers to a very low and miserable state, again negative and similar in tone to vile.Since only virtuous expresses a positive moral quality opposite to vile, it is the correct choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify by creating pairs of opposite sentences. A vile act is morally disgusting, while a virtuous act is morally admirable. The two words sit on opposite ends of a moral scale. On the other hand, a vicious act is very similar to a vile act, and abject misery is compatible with vile conditions, not opposed to them. This simple check confirms that virtuous functions as an antonym.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Coarse mainly refers to social roughness or lack of sophistication and does not address deep moral goodness or badness. Vicious is near synonym for cruel and evil and hence close to vile rather than opposite. Abject describes an extreme degree of something negative, such as poverty or humiliation, and again sits on the negative side along with vile. None of these words provides a clear positive moral counterpart.

Common Pitfalls:
A typical error in antonym questions is to choose a word with any negative flavour as an opposite for another negative word, which leads to selecting a synonym by mistake. Another pitfall is to focus only on the intensity of a word rather than the direction of its moral value. To avoid these mistakes, always ask whether a candidate word makes a sentence positive where the original word made it negative, or vice versa.

Final Answer:
The correct antonym of vile in this context is virtuous.