In the following question, choose the one word which is the best substitute for the definition “Not being what it purports to be; fake or false in its claim of authenticity.”

Introduction / Context:
This one word substitution question checks whether candidates can correctly identify the precise word used to describe something that is fake, false, or not genuine despite claiming to be real. Such vocabulary is extremely important in legal, scientific, and journalistic writing where authenticity and evidence are discussed. Understanding this term also improves reading of editorials and articles that criticize false claims or unreliable sources.

Given Data / Assumptions:
Definition: “Not being what it purports to be.”
Options: “Legitimate”, “Palpable”, “Evident”, “Spurious”. We assume that “purports to be” means “claims to be” or “appears to be” and that the emphasis is on something falsely claiming authenticity.

Concept / Approach:
The word “spurious” is commonly used to describe things that are not genuine, such as spurious arguments, spurious claims, or spurious documents. It suggests that something looks or sounds correct on the surface but is actually false. The other words have positive or neutral meanings related to genuineness or clarity, so they cannot match the negative sense of the definition.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that the definition is negative: “not being what it purports to be”. Step 2: Check “Legitimate”. This means lawful, genuine, or proper, which is the direct opposite of what we need. Step 3: Check “Palpable”. This means noticeable or able to be felt, such as “palpable tension”. It does not refer to authenticity. Step 4: Check “Evident”. This means clear or obvious, again unrelated to being fake or genuine. Step 5: Check “Spurious”. This means false, fake, not genuine, or based on incorrect reasoning. This exactly fits the given definition.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider a news line: “The court rejected the spurious documents submitted as proof.” This shows that the documents were not what they claimed to be. Similarly, one might say “spurious correlations” in statistics when two variables seem related but actually are not. If we replace “spurious” with “legitimate”, the meaning completely reverses. Replacing with “palpable” or “evident” merely suggests clarity or obviousness, not falseness. Therefore, only “Spurious” fully matches the definition of something not being what it claims to be.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
“Legitimate” implies authenticity and lawfulness, the exact opposite of the question's requirement.
“Palpable” describes how strongly something can be felt or sensed, not whether it is real or fake.
“Evident” refers to being clearly seen or understood, but even a spurious claim can appear evident; evidence is about clarity, not authenticity by itself.
None of these conveys the idea of falseness or pretence.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse “spurious” with “curious” or other similar sounding adjectives and may not recall its specific meaning. Another pitfall is misreading the definition and focusing only on the phrase “purports to be”, without noticing the critical negative part “not being”. Always pay close attention to words like “not”, “never”, or “without” in definitions because they completely change the required meaning.

Final Answer:
The appropriate one word substitute for “not being what it purports to be” is Spurious.