VOCABULARY — Choose the antonym (opposite in meaning) of the highlighted word. Sentence: “There was something strange and MORBID about the whole house.”

Introduction / Context:“Morbid” often means diseased, unhealthy, or abnormally preoccupied with disturbing subjects. In descriptions of places or atmospheres, it suggests a sickly, death-related, or unhealthy feel. We need a direct opposite.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Use is adjectival, modifying “house” by atmosphere/quality.
• Antonym should flip the health-related quality.
• Several positive adjectives are offered as distractors.

Concept / Approach:The core antonym for “morbid” in the health sense is “healthy.” Words like “cheerful” change mood but not necessarily healthfulness; “appealing” addresses attractiveness; “insipid” means dull or tasteless, not the opposite of morbid’s sickly tone.

Step-by-Step Solution:1) Identify the sense in context: unhealthy/sickly atmosphere.2) Choose the antonym on the same semantic axis: “healthy”.3) Eliminate mood-only or unrelated-value adjectives.

Verification / Alternative check:Replacing confirms: “There was something … healthy about the whole house” directly reverses the attribute implied by “morbid.”

Why Other Options Are Wrong:B) “cheerful” — mood/brightness, not the health axis.C) “insipid” — bland; not antonymic to morbid.D) “appealing” — attractiveness, not health.E) Not applicable, since a precise antonym exists.

Common Pitfalls:Choosing a generally positive word (“cheerful”) that does not invert the key semantic feature (health/disease) of “morbid.”

Final Answer:healthy