Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Enthrall
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This English vocabulary question asks you to select the word closest in meaning to "Ravish". In refined or literary usage, "ravish" can mean to fill someone with intense delight, to enchant or to captivate deeply. Synonym questions like this test whether you understand the positive, emotional sense of the word and can match it with a simpler or more commonly used equivalent.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
In the context of admiration, beauty or art, "to ravish" someone means to give them intense pleasure, charm them profoundly or captivate them. A closely related modern word is "enthrall", which means to hold someone's attention completely, as if they are under a spell. Both words suggest being powerfully moved or fascinated. The other options describe negative reactions: being repelled, offended or depressed, all of which contrast with the joy and fascination implied by "ravish".
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the positive emotional meaning of "ravish": to delight or enchant someone strongly.Step 2: Examine the meanings of the options. "Enthrall" means to captivate or fascinate deeply.Step 3: Notice that "Repulse" means to drive back or disgust, "Offend" means to insult or hurt feelings, and "Depress" means to make someone sad.Step 4: Compare these meanings and see that only "Enthrall" fits the idea of intense, positive captivation.Step 5: Choose "Enthrall" as the synonym that best matches the given word.
Verification / Alternative check:
Use a sample sentence for testing: "The music ravished the audience." If we replace "ravished" with "enthralled", we get "The music enthralled the audience", which is a natural sentence meaning the music held their attention and delighted them. If we replace it with "repulsed", it completely reverses the meaning, implying disgust. Using "offended" or "depressed" also creates opposite emotional reactions. This test shows that "Enthrall" is the only option that preserves the positive, captivating sense.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Repulse" means to drive away or strongly disgust, the opposite of attracting or delighting. "Offend" means to insult or upset someone, again a negative response. "Depress" means to make someone feel sad or low in spirit. None of these options carry the idea of giving great joy or holding someone spellbound. They are antonyms or unrelated in emotional tone to "ravish".
Common Pitfalls:
One pitfall is confusing "ravish" with darker or obsolete senses you may have encountered in literature, and therefore associating it with harm rather than delight. In modern exam usage, however, the focus is on the positive meaning of being deeply thrilled or enchanted. Another mistake is to quickly pick a word that sounds intense, even if its meaning is negative. Always think about the emotional direction of the word: is it positive or negative?
Final Answer:
The correct answer is Enthrall, because in this context "ravish" means to delight or captivate someone intensely, which is very close to "enthrall".
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