Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Chafe
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This is a one word substitution question from English vocabulary. You are given a descriptive phrase, Rub a part of the body to restore warmth or sensation, and you must choose the single word that captures this meaning most accurately.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Phrase: Rub a part of the body to restore warmth or sensation.
Options: Fuzz, Chafe, Scum, Oblique.
You must find the word whose main meaning matches the given phrase.
Assume standard dictionary meanings in general English usage.
Concept / Approach:
The phrase clearly describes a physical action: rubbing the skin to restore warmth or feeling, for example when hands are cold or a part of the body has gone numb. The verb that means to rub the skin, often causing slight irritation or warmth, is chafe. The other options do not describe this physical act and belong to different semantic fields.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider the phrase rub a part of the body to restore warmth or sensation. It suggests friction on the skin.
Step 2: Option B, chafe, means to make or become sore by rubbing, or to warm and restore sensation by rubbing. This matches the phrase very well.
Step 3: Option A, fuzz, usually refers to fine soft hair or fluff, not an action of rubbing.
Step 4: Option C, scum, refers to a layer of dirt or froth on the surface of a liquid or to something considered worthless, not to rubbing the body.
Step 5: Option D, oblique, means slanting, indirect, or not straightforward, again unrelated to physical rubbing.
Step 6: Therefore the correct one word substitute for the phrase is chafe.
Verification / Alternative check:
Try using each option in a sentence describing cold hands. You might say She chafed her hands together to restore warmth, which fits perfectly. The other words do not produce meaningful sentences in the same context, which confirms your choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Fuzz is a noun for fine hair or fluff, and does not describe an action of rubbing the body.
Scum refers to a layer of unpleasant material or metaphorically to a bad person; it does not relate to restoring warmth or sensation.
Oblique describes direction or manner of speech and has no connection with rubbing the skin.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse chafe with chafe at, which can mean to feel annoyed, but the core physical sense remains to make sore or warm by rubbing. Recognising multiple related meanings of a verb helps avoid confusion and correctly match it to descriptive phrases in one word substitution questions.
Final Answer:
The correct one word substitute is Chafe.
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