Introduction / Context:
In corporate and financial English, "asset" and "liability" form a well-defined antonym pair. This question checks whether you recognize the precise lexical opposite rather than a loosely negative term.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Sentence frames "asset" in a company evaluation context.
- We must select the strict opposite as used in business/finance and general English.
- Some options are merely negative in connotation but are not formal antonyms.
Concept / Approach:
An "asset" is something valuable or advantageous to an organization. Its conventional opposite is "liability," meaning something that imposes costs, obligations, or disadvantages. While words like "drag" or "handicap" are negative, they are not the standard lexical antonym of "asset." Choosing the exact opposite is the goal.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Identify the word pair commonly used in accounting and evaluations: asset ↔ liability.2) Check context: workplace appraisal by a managing director fits the accounting metaphor.3) Eliminate connotative negatives that are not true antonyms.4) Confirm "liability" as the precise opposite.
Verification / Alternative check:
Replace in the sentence: "…the secretary was a liability to the company" flips the meaning directly and idiomatically, proving antonymy.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
loss: Could be an outcome, not a lexical opposite of the person being an asset.drag: Informal negative; not a strict antonym.handicap: Means impediment; still not the conventional opposite term.benefit: Synonymous with asset, so not an opposite.
Common Pitfalls:
Confusing negative descriptors with antonyms. In vocabulary tests, prefer the established pairings used in the relevant domain.
Final Answer:
liability
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