The Vice-Chancellor's speech at the occasion was misconstrued.

Analyze the question: The underlined word is "misconstrued". We need the option closest in meaning to it, as used in the sentence: "The Vice-Chancellor's speech at the occasion was misconstrued."

Explain the concept: To construe means to interpret the meaning of something. So misconstrue means to interpret wrongly, which is to get the wrong meaning from what was said or done. It's about the listener's understanding, not about how the words were passed on to others.

Compare the options:

• A. misrepresented: to give a false picture of something on purpose or by mistake. This is about the person presenting it, not the person interpreting it.
• B. misquoted: to repeat someone's words inaccurately. This is about wording, not meaning.
• C. misunderstood: to take the wrong meaning from something. This matches misconstrued closely.
• D. misreported: to give a wrong account of events. This is about reporting, not interpreting.

Answer: The speech was interpreted wrongly, which means it was misunderstood.

Tip: Break the word into a prefix and a root. Mis- means wrongly, and construe means interpret. "Wrongly interpreted" is the same as "misunderstood". In synonym questions, look for the option that matches both the meaning and the type of action (interpreting, not quoting or reporting).