Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: ignore
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question asks for the antonym of the verb ogle. To answer correctly, you must know what ogle means and then choose the word that expresses the opposite action or attitude. The options given include several verbs that involve looking in different ways, plus one option that does not involve looking at all, which is an important clue.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Because ogle involves staring at someone with strong interest, sometimes offensive or inappropriate, the antonym must describe not looking at or paying attention to that person at all. Leer, gaze, and gawk are all forms of looking, and in some contexts, leer is almost a synonym of ogle. Only ignore expresses the idea of not looking at, not noticing, or deliberately withholding attention. Therefore, ignore is the correct antonym in this set.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Fix the meaning of ogle as to look at someone with obvious, often inappropriate, interest.Step 2: Look for a word that means to do the opposite, that is, to avoid looking or paying attention.Step 3: Recognise ignore as meaning to not notice or to refuse to acknowledge.Step 4: Analyze leer, gaze, and gawk. All three describe types of looking and therefore cannot be opposites of ogle; leer is especially close to ogle in meaning.Step 5: Conclude that ignore is the only option that represents the opposite of a staring, interested gaze.
Verification / Alternative check:
Imagine two people in a room. If one ogles the other, he or she is staring in an obvious, often inappropriate way. If one ignores the other, there is deliberate non attention, perhaps looking away or acting as if the person is not even present. These behaviours are clearly opposite in social interaction. Replacing ogle with leer, gaze, or gawk does not change the basic fact that someone is staring; only ignore reverses the action.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Leer is close in meaning to ogle, as both suggest an unpleasant or suggestive way of looking at someone. Gaze can be neutral or positive, but still involves steady looking, so it is not opposite. Gawk is to stare awkwardly or foolishly, again a form of looking. All three are incompatible with the idea of not paying attention, which is what an antonym requires here.
Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may misunderstand antonym questions and choose a near synonym by mistake, especially if they are thinking of tone rather than strict opposite meaning. Others may feel that gaze, because it can be respectful, might oppose the more vulgar sense of ogle. However, antonym questions in exams look for opposite actions or states, not just different moods, so you must pick ignore, which directly reverses the act of looking intently at someone.
Final Answer:
The correct antonym of ogle is ignore, so option C is correct.
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