Choose from the options lettered A - E the one that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word…

Analyze the question: The question is a bit garbled. The "underlined word" didn't come through, but the sentence is the well-known saying: "What belongs to everybody belongs to nobody." The task is to pick the option that fits the blank (the opposite of "nobody").

Explain the concept: This is a proverb about common ownership. When something is owned by everyone (public property), no single person takes responsibility for it, so in practice it is as if it belongs to no one. The key contrast is between everybody and nobody, which are opposites in meaning.

Solution:

• The sentence needs a word that is the opposite of "nobody."
• A. anybody: means any person at all, not a direct opposite.
• B. everybody: all people, the direct opposite of "nobody" (none).
• C. no one: same meaning as "nobody," so it cannot be the opposite.
• D. somebody: one unspecified person, not the full opposite.
• E. someone: same as "somebody."

The proverb completes as: *What belongs to everybody belongs to nobody.

Answer: B. everybody

Tip: For opposite-meaning questions with quantity words, think of the scale: everybody (all) ↔ nobody (none). "Somebody/anybody" fall in between, so they are rarely the true opposite. Also, learning common proverbs such as this one helps you answer quickly in the exam.