In the following question, select the option that best expresses the meaning of the given word: Lucrative.

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question focuses on the adjective lucrative. The word is frequently used in business, finance, and career related discussions. Understanding it helps you interpret passages about jobs, investments, and opportunities in newspapers or exam texts. You must select the option that is closest in meaning to the word as it is commonly used in such contexts.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Target word: lucrative.
- Options: Impoverished, Worthwhile, Useless, Inconsiderable, Costly.
- We assume the standard meaning of lucrative in relation to money or profit, not emotional reward.

Concept / Approach:
Lucrative describes something that produces a lot of money or profit. Typical collocations include lucrative job, lucrative business, or lucrative contract. Among the options, worthwhile comes closest in sense, because a worthwhile activity is rewarding and often profitable, especially in financial contexts. The other options describe poverty, lack of value, insignificance, or high expense, none of which captures the idea of generating profit.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that lucrative is used to talk about things that make a good amount of money.
Step 2: Examine each option and check whether it carries a positive sense of profit or value.
Step 3: Note that worthwhile indicates something that gives benefits or returns that justify the effort or cost, which matches the profitable aspect.
Step 4: Confirm that all other options either have negative meanings or refer to unrelated ideas.

Verification / Alternative check:
Test the word in a sentence: He left his low paying job for a more lucrative career in technology. If we replace lucrative with worthwhile, the sentence becomes He left his low paying job for a more worthwhile career in technology, which still suggests better returns and a more rewarding path. Replacing it with impoverished, useless, inconsiderable, or costly would distort the meaning completely. Although in strict dictionary terms lucrative is closest to profitable, in the given options worthwhile is the best available match because it suggests strong value and benefit.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- Impoverished: means very poor, lacking money or resources; this is almost the opposite of lucrative and cannot describe a job or deal that yields good profit.
- Useless: means of no use or value; a useless job or investment certainly does not suggest profit.
- Inconsiderable: describes something insignificant or unimportant; it fails to capture any idea of strong profit or reward.
- Costly: focuses on high expense and does not necessarily indicate good returns; something can be costly and still not be lucrative.

Common Pitfalls:
Sometimes learners confuse lucrative with expensive or high status, and may be tempted by options like costly. However, lucrative primarily refers to returns, not costs. A good memory trick is to link lucrative with lucrative profits or lucrative returns. In exam preparation, group words like profitable, remunerative, and lucrative together so that you remember their shared association with financial gain.

Final Answer:
The option that best expresses the meaning of lucrative is Worthwhile.