In the following sentence, there is an underlined word and one gap. From the list of words lettered A to D…

Analyze the question

The underlined word is "contemporary" (the underline doesn't show in the text, but it is clearly the word being contrasted). We need a word that:

1. Is most nearly opposite in meaning to "contemporary", and
2. Fits the gap grammatically and logically: "The youth prefer discussing contemporary issues to __ ones."

Concept

"Contemporary" means belonging to the present time, modern, or current. Its opposite is something belonging to the distant past, old-fashioned, or outdated.

Checking each option

• A. archaic: means very old, belonging to an earlier period, outdated. This is a direct opposite of "contemporary" and fits the sentence: "...prefer discussing contemporary issues to archaic ones."
• B. uninteresting: means dull. It does not oppose "contemporary" in meaning, since a modern issue can also be dull.
• C. stale: means no longer fresh. It is somewhat close, but it describes freshness rather than time period. "Stale" is the opposite of "fresh" or "new", not strictly of "contemporary".
• D. political: unrelated in meaning. Contemporary issues can be political.

Answer

"Archaic" is the best antonym of "contemporary" and fits the gap correctly.

Tip

For "opposite in meaning" questions, first define the underlined word precisely, then eliminate options that are merely related (like "stale") or unrelated (like "political"). Keep these pairs in mind: contemporary ↔ archaic/ancient, modern ↔ obsolete, current ↔ outdated.