English Vocabulary — Choose the closest meaning (contextual synonym). Sentence: We didn't believe his statement, but subsequent events proved that he was right.

Introduction / Context:
Temporal adjectives like “subsequent,” “prior,” and “previous” are common in reports and histories. Recognizing their relationships allows precise timeline reading. Here, “subsequent events” indicates time points that followed the initial disbelief.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target adjective: subsequent.
• Reference time: when the statement was first doubted.
• We need a single-word paraphrase that preserves temporal order.

Concept / Approach:
“Subsequent” means “later” or “following in time.” Antonyms include “previous” and “prior,” paraphrased as “earlier.” Words like “many” or “few” describe quantity, not temporal sequence, and thus do not answer the question asked by the stem.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Restate: “We didn’t believe him then, but later events proved he was right.” The narrative timeline reads smoothly and is widely used in journalism and biographies.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• many: Quantity, not order.
• few: Quantity, not order.
• earlier: Antonym of subsequent.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing temporal order with numerical count. Always anchor the adjective to the timeline it modifies.

Final Answer:
later