In the following vocabulary question, out of the given four alternatives, select the one that best expresses the meaning of the word Grudging.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your knowledge of English vocabulary, specifically the adjective grudging. Such synonym questions appear frequently in competitive exams because they measure both depth of vocabulary and sensitivity to connotation, that is, the emotional colour associated with a word.

Given Data / Assumptions:
You are given the target word grudging and five possible meanings: envious, favouring, generous, contented, and unwilling. The word grudging often describes a feeling or an attitude when someone does something with reluctance or with hidden resentment, rather than with open enthusiasm.

Concept / Approach:
The adjective grudging usually modifies nouns like admiration, respect, or apology to indicate that the feeling or action is not freely offered. It is connected with the idea of a grudge, which is a long lasting feeling of resentment. Therefore, a grudging attitude has a negative nuance, close to resentful or envious, rather than positive feelings such as generosity or contentment.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the meaning of grudge, which is a feeling of resentment or deep seated ill will.Step 2: Understand that grudging as an adjective often describes something done with reluctance, perhaps because of hidden envy or resentment.Step 3: Compare this idea with the options. Envious directly matches the notion of jealousy and resentment at another person success or advantages.Step 4: Notice that favouring, generous, and contented all carry positive tones and do not match the negative, reluctant sense of grudging.Step 5: Recognise that unwilling overlaps partly with the idea of reluctance but does not capture the specific sense of jealousy that often underlies a grudging attitude.

Verification / Alternative check:
Imagine the phrase grudging admiration. It suggests admiration that is given reluctantly and often with underlying envy. If you replace grudging with envious, as in envious admiration, the overall negative shading remains similar. However, if you try generous admiration or contented admiration, the tone changes completely and loses the sense of reluctance. This test supports envious as the closest in meaning among the options.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Favouring suggests actively supporting someone, which is the opposite of a resentful attitude. Generous describes open handed, kind behaviour, not reluctance or jealousy. Contented means satisfied and at peace, which again clashes with the unease implied by grudging. Unwilling only expresses lack of desire to act but does not include the element of resentment or envy that makes a grudge so strong. Therefore, these alternatives do not fully match the meaning of grudging in typical exam usage.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes choose unwilling because they focus only on the reluctance aspect and ignore the deeper emotional colour connected with the word grudge. Another mistake is to think that because grudging sometimes appears before positive nouns like respect, its meaning must also be positive. Always consider both the root word and the emotional tone of common collocations when answering synonym questions.

Final Answer:
The word Envious best expresses the meaning of grudging among the options given.