In vocabulary usage, the verb emphasize most nearly means which of the following?

Introduction / Context:
The verb emphasize is very common in academic writing, news articles, and everyday speech. It means to give special importance or attention to something. This question asks you to choose the word that is closest in meaning to emphasize from among several verbs that describe different kinds of actions. Recognising fine differences helps you read and write with greater precision.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The target verb is emphasize.
• Option A accentuate means to highlight or make something more noticeable.
• Option B calculate means to work out a result using numbers or reasoning.
• Option C justify means to show or prove that something is right or reasonable.
• Option D demean means to lower in dignity or respect.

Concept / Approach:
To emphasize something is to draw extra attention to it, to stress it, or to highlight it in some way. The word accentuate has a very similar sense. When you accentuate an idea or a feature, you are making it stand out more strongly. The other options describe actions that are quite different. Calculating does not necessarily involve attention or importance in the same sense; it is simply a process of working out a result. Justifying is defending or proving correctness. Demeaning is lowering status, which moves in the opposite direction from emphasis in a positive sense. Therefore, accentuate is the best near synonym.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall a simple definition of emphasize: to give special importance to something in speaking or writing.Step 2: Look at option A accentuate and match it with highlight or make more noticeable, which lines up with emphasize.Step 3: Consider option B calculate. This focuses on numerical or logical computation and does not inherently mean to stress or highlight an idea.Step 4: Consider option C justify. This means to defend or give reasons for something, which may involve explanation but is not the same as emphasizing.Step 5: Consider option D demean. This means to insult or lower the dignity of someone, which is clearly unrelated to emphasizing in a neutral or positive way. Thus, accentuate is the closest match.

Verification / Alternative check:
Try replacing emphasize with each option in a sample sentence. For example, The teacher emphasized the importance of regular practice. If we say The teacher accentuated the importance of regular practice, the meaning remains very similar. However, The teacher calculated the importance of regular practice changes the meaning, suggesting a measurement rather than stress. The teacher justified the importance of regular practice suggests giving reasons, not highlighting. The teacher demeaned the importance of regular practice has the opposite sense, suggesting belittling. This test confirms that accentuate is the best synonym here.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Calculate refers to mathematical or logical operations and does not focus on giving extra importance. Justify is about defending a claim rather than merely stressing it. Demean is negative and concerns lowering dignity, which clashes with the neutral or positive sense of emphasize. None of these words capture the idea of making something stand out in the way emphasize and accentuate do.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to pick justify because in many texts emphasis is often accompanied by explanation. However, emphasizing an idea does not require proving it; it simply means drawing attention to it. Another pitfall is not knowing the word accentuate and therefore ignoring it. In advanced vocabulary work, always study Latin and French based roots like ac and cent, which help you decode many English words such as accent, accentuate, and emphasize.

Final Answer:
The verb emphasize most nearly means Accentuate, so option A is correct.