Vocabulary in context: choose the best adjective to describe a secret love affair Context: The lovers met each other secretly; soon everyone came to know about it. Complete the sentence meaningfully: "The lovers were meeting each other secretly, but their ______ affair was soon known to everyone." Choose the correct option.

Given data

• Lovers met secretly.
• The affair later became widely known.

Concept/Approach
Clandestine means kept secret, especially for illicit purposes. It strongly collocates with affair (“a clandestine affair”).

Option analysis
clandestine — correct; commonly used for secret relationships. ✅covert — hidden/concealed in general, but the fixed collocation “covert affair” is less idiomatic than “clandestine affair.”unknown — merely “not known”; weaker and not idiomatic with “affair.”candid — frank/open; the opposite of secret.

Common pitfalls

• Choosing a near-synonym without considering collocation strength.

Final Answer
clandestine