In this one word substitution question, choose the term that best expresses “the quality of being particularly noticeable, prominent, or standing out so that it naturally attracts attention”.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: salience

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
One word substitution questions test a learner ability to match a descriptive phrase with a single precise term. Here the phrase given is the quality of being particularly noticeable, which is common in discussions about design, communication, and psychology. The correct word for this is salience. Understanding such vocabulary helps in reading academic texts and articles that talk about which features stand out, which signals people notice, or which issues receive public attention.


Given Data / Assumptions:
The key parts of the question are as follows:

  • The phrase describes a quality, not an action or an object.
  • The quality is being particularly noticeable or prominent.
  • The options include salience, frivolous, immaterial, and trivial.
  • We assume standard modern English usage as in formal writing.


Concept / Approach:
Salience is a noun derived from salient, which means prominent or noticeable. In many fields, such as marketing or psychology, salience refers to how much something stands out in the environment and captures attention. The other options describe different qualities: frivolous means silly or lacking in seriousness, immaterial means not relevant or not important, and trivial means very unimportant or minor. Therefore, the strategy is to match the phrase particularly noticeable with the idea of prominence, which points directly to salience.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the phrase refers to a quality, the quality of being noticeable or prominent. Step 2: Recall that salient features of a design or argument are those that stand out clearly. Step 3: From salient we get the noun salience, which directly captures the idea of being noticeable and prominent. Step 4: Compare this with option b, frivolous, which suggests lack of seriousness rather than visibility. Step 5: Compare with option c, immaterial, which means not relevant or not important to the matter at hand. Step 6: Compare with option d, trivial, which means very unimportant or insignificant. Step 7: Conclude that only option a, salience, matches the phrase given in the question.


Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by substituting the options into example sentences. For instance, In this advertisement, the salience of the brand logo helps customers remember it. This sentence uses salience to mean the logo stands out and is easily noticed. If we replace salience with frivolous, immaterial, or trivial, the meaning changes completely and no longer matches the idea of being particularly noticeable. This confirms that salience is the correct one word substitute.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option b, frivolous, is incorrect because it refers to something that is silly, playful, or not serious, and does not focus on visibility. Option c, immaterial, is wrong since it means something that does not matter or is unrelated to the present issue. Option d, trivial, is incorrect because it describes something very small or unimportant, again unrelated to being noticeable. None of these alternatives contain the core idea of standing out in a way that draws attention, which is central to the given phrase.


Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to choose a word that feels familiar instead of carefully linking the exact meaning of the phrase to the dictionary meaning of the options. Learners may also confuse salience with words about importance, but salience is more about prominence and visibility than about value. To avoid such errors, always break the phrase into its key ideas and match them to the precise sense of each option rather than relying only on vague impressions.


Final Answer:
The correct one word substitute for the quality of being particularly noticeable is salience.

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