Question

Instructions (92-93): Choose the word that does NOT match with the two given words.

Laconic, Succinct

• A. Terse
• B. Brief
• C. Concise
• D. Abrupt

Hint:

Ask whether the option is about the NUMBER of words used, or about the MANNER in which something is said.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Instead of comparing all four options side by side, try substituting each option into a sentence describing someone who "said very little but conveyed the point" and see if the meaning still holds. That test isolates the exact shade of meaning being asked for.

"He gave a laconic reply" and "her answer was succinct" both describe a response that used minimal words but got the point across. Now test the substitutions:

• "He gave a terse reply" still works, terse means brief and to the point.
• "Her answer was brief" still works, brief simply means short.
• "Her answer was concise" still works, concise means expressed clearly in few words.
• "He gave an abrupt reply" changes the meaning: it now suggests the reply was sudden, curt or even rude in tone, not necessarily short in word count. A long reply can still be abrupt if it is delivered suddenly or rudely.

Because abrupt shifts the focus from word count to tone and suddenness, it breaks away from the shared meaning of laconic and succinct, while terse, brief and concise all preserve that meaning.

The correct answer is option 4, Abrupt.