Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Juicy
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question asks for a synonym of the adjective succulent. The word is frequently used in descriptions of food, plants and sometimes in figurative language. Understanding its meaning helps in reading menus, advertisements and descriptive passages where taste and texture are important.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The adjective succulent most commonly means full of juice or juicy, especially when referring to fruit, meat or leaves that retain water. It can also refer to a type of plant that stores water in its leaves, but even there the idea of juiciness is present. Soft and tender describe texture but not necessarily moisture. Sucking is a present participle verb and does not match the part of speech or meaning. Pale refers to colour and is unrelated to juiciness.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that succulent is often used in phrases like succulent fruit or succulent steak.
Step 2: Identify the key idea as juicy and full of moisture, suggesting pleasant taste and texture.
Step 3: Examine each option and match it with that sense. Only juicy directly captures the idea of containing a lot of juice.
Step 4: Note that soft and tender are not exact matches; something can be soft but dry.
Step 5: Recognise that sucking and pale relate to other actions or qualities and do not fit the definition.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider the example: We enjoyed a succulent mango on a hot day. Replacing succulent with juicy gives We enjoyed a juicy mango on a hot day, which preserves the meaning perfectly. Replacing it with soft changes the focus to texture but misses the moisture aspect. With tender, the sentence is still about texture, not juice content. Sucking mango or pale mango clearly do not communicate the intended meaning. This confirms that juicy is the correct synonym.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Sucking, is a form of the verb suck and refers to an action, not to the quality of the food. Option B, Soft, indicates that something can be easily pressed or cut but says nothing about how moist it is. Option D, Pale, refers to light or weak colour and is totally unrelated to taste or moisture. Option E, Tender, is often used to describe meat that is easy to chew, but meat can be tender yet dry. Since succulent clearly combines the ideas of pleasant texture and juiciness, juicy is the best match.
Common Pitfalls:
Some students may jump to soft or tender because they have seen these words used frequently in food descriptions. However, shortened thinking can overlook the moisture or juice aspect that defines succulent. A helpful strategy is to think of a simple direct paraphrase for the tested word first and then look for the option that fits that paraphrase most closely. For succulent, paraphrasing it as juicy quickly leads to the correct answer.
Final Answer:
The word similar in meaning to Succulent is Juicy.
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