She is anxious about her son who has been ill.

Analyze the question You are asked to find the word closest in meaning to "anxious" in the sentence: She is anxious about her son who has been ill.

Explain the concept "Anxious" means worried, uneasy, or troubled about something that may happen or is happening. In synonym questions, first work out the meaning of the word in context, then eliminate the options that mean the opposite.

Solution

• A. perturbed: means worried, disturbed, or uneasy. This matches "anxious".
• B. sure: means having no doubt. This is the opposite of worried.
• C. confident: means feeling self-assured. A mother with a sick child who is "confident" does not fit the sense of "anxious".
• D. certain: means having no doubt. This also does not match.

Options B, C and D all express assurance or lack of doubt, which is the opposite of anxiety. Only perturbed carries the sense of worry and unease.

Tip: In "nearest in meaning" questions, group the options by meaning. Here, three options (sure, confident, certain) mean almost the same thing, and the odd one out (perturbed) is usually the answer. Also remember some synonyms of anxious: worried, uneasy, apprehensive, concerned, troubled.