In the following English vocabulary question on antonyms, select the option that is opposite in meaning to the given word. Vista refers to a wide view or pleasing prospect, especially seen through a particular opening. Which option expresses the opposite idea?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests the antonym of the word vista. Vista usually refers to a distant view, often a scenic or attractive one, that can be seen from a particular point. The opposite idea would involve the absence of sight or the inability to see a view at all. The task is to identify which option best represents this opposite.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Vista means a wide, pleasing, or distant view.
• The options include confront, contour, blindness, and outlook.
• A true antonym must express the lack or loss of visual experience.
• We are dealing with everyday metaphorical and literal meanings.
• The exam expects recognition of the basic visual sense of vista.

Concept / Approach:
If vista is about seeing a view, then an antonym should be about not seeing at all. Blindness, both literally and figuratively, describes a complete or severe absence of vision. Contour and outlook also relate to visual perception or perspective, but they are not opposites. Confront is about facing something, which again is unrelated to vision itself.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define vista as a pleasing view, often of a landscape or city scene. Step 2: Think of what it would mean to have no view at all, which corresponds to lack of sight. Step 3: Compare this with the options. Blindness directly denotes absence of sight. Step 4: Recognise that contour is about shape and outline, not the absence of vision. Step 5: Note that outlook is actually close in meaning to vista, since it can mean view or perspective, and therefore is not an antonym.

Verification / Alternative check:
Imagine a sentence such as From the top of the hill you have a beautiful vista. Now imagine the opposite situation, where a person cannot see at all; this is linked to blindness. You can also think of phrases like blind to the view, which emphasise the contrast between seeing a vista and lacking sight.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option A, confront, refers to facing an issue or person and does not say anything about seeing or not seeing.
• Option B, contour, refers to outlines and shapes, which still assumes sight rather than its absence.
• Option D, outlook, is similar in meaning to vista because it refers to view or perspective, so it cannot be the opposite.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to confuse related concepts with opposites. Students might choose outlook because it is in the same mental field of views and perspectives, but being in the same semantic field does not make a word an antonym. For antonyms, we need true contrast, such as sight versus blindness.

Final Answer:
Since vista involves the experience of seeing a view, its opposite in this context is the absence of sight. Therefore, the correct antonym is Blindness, meaning the lack of sight or vision.