Our stationery supplies are exhausted.

Step 1: Analyze the question The underlined word is "exhausted," used in the sentence "Our stationery supplies are exhausted." We need the word closest in meaning in this context.

Step 2: Explain the concept "Exhausted" has more than one meaning:

• Tired out (a person is exhausted)
• Used up completely (supplies, money, or resources are exhausted)

Because the subject is "supplies," the meaning is "used up," so nothing is left.

Step 3: Test each option

• A. completed: This means something was finished or done, as in completing a task. It does not fit supplies.
• B. finished: In everyday usage, "supplies are finished" means they have run out. This is the closest meaning.
• C. consumed: This means eaten or used up. It is close, but it is normally used for things like food, fuel, or energy ("the fire consumed the house"). It is also an action done to something, and it sounds awkward here.
• D. destroyed: This means ruined. Supplies that run out are not necessarily destroyed.

"Finished" (B) is the best fit, because it is the common idiom for supplies that have run out. "Consumed" is a reasonable second choice, but "finished" is the more natural synonym in this sentence.

Answer: B. finished

Tip: In "nearest in meaning" questions, always check the word in its context. Ask what kind of thing the subject is (a person or an object?) and replace the word with each option to see which sentence sounds most natural. "Our stationery supplies are finished" sounds right.