From the words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined…

Analyze the question The underlined word is "declines" in the sentence: "If he declines the offer, it will be better for him." We need the word closest in meaning to "declines" in this context.

Explain the concept "Decline" (as a verb with an object like offer or invitation) means to refuse politely or formally. The key idea is a deliberate, formal refusal of something offered.

Go through the options

• A. ignores: This means to pay no attention to something. Ignoring an offer is not the same as formally refusing it, because you may not respond at all. Not the best fit.
• B. denies: This means to state that something is untrue, or to refuse to give something to someone. You deny a claim, not deny an offer. Wrong collocation.
• C. snubs: This means to treat someone with contempt or insult them by rejecting or ignoring them. It carries a rude or disrespectful tone, which "declines" does not necessarily have. "Decline" can be polite.
• D. rejects: This means to refuse to accept something offered. It matches "declines the offer" directly and neutrally.

Answer The sentence becomes: "If he rejects the offer, it will be better for him." The meaning is unchanged, so the correct option is D. rejects.

Exam tip For vocabulary-in-context questions, substitute each option into the sentence and check both the meaning and the natural word pairing (collocation). "Reject/decline/turn down an offer" go together, while "deny an offer" does not sound right. Also watch for tone: "snub" adds rudeness that the original word doesn't have.