Introduction / Context:
This question asks for the opposite of a temperament descriptor. "Friendly" signals a warm, welcoming, and non-threatening attitude. The best antonym is the term that directly flips social disposition to its antagonistic form, especially apt for describing animals' behavior toward strangers.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Target adjective: friendly.
- Domain: animal (dog) temperament at first encounter.
- We need the single best opposite within behavioral descriptors.
Concept / Approach:
"Hostile" captures antagonism and potential aggression, providing a clean inversion of "friendly." Other terms like "aloof" (distant) are not necessarily antagonistic; "quiet" concerns noise level; "helpful" and "understanding" are human-centric prosocial traits that do not naturally oppose "friendly" in animal temperament contexts.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Identify the social-affect axis: welcoming ↔ antagonistic.2) Select "hostile" as the direct opposite.3) Eliminate non-antonymous or orthogonal descriptors (quiet, aloof, helpful, understanding).4) Validate by substitution in the sentence.
Verification / Alternative check:
Replace: "A hostile dog met us at the farm gate" flips the safety implication and is idiomatic, confirming antonymy.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
helpful: Human-oriented cooperation; not opposite to friendly in animals.understanding: Empathic trait; not a natural antonym here.quiet: Volume level, not social disposition.aloof: Distant or reserved; could be neutral, not hostile.
Common Pitfalls:
Equating "not friendly" with "aloof." The true antonym should invert the social stance to its adverse, threatening end—"hostile."
Final Answer:
hostile
Discussion & Comments