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.
Verbal Ability
Selecting Words
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
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Aclandestine
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Bcovert
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Cunknown
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Dcandid
Answer
Correct Answer: clandestine
Explanation
Given data
- Lovers met secretly.
- The affair later became widely known.
Concept/ApproachClandestine means kept secret, especially for illicit purposes. It strongly collocates with affair (“a clandestine affair”).
Option analysisclandestine — 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 Answerclandestine