Choose the option that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word and that will correctly fill…

Analyze the question: The underlined word is presumably "stellar" (the underline doesn't show in the text, but "stellar" is the word that contrasts with the blank). We need an antonym of "stellar" that also fits the gap describing the amateur group's showing.

Explain the concept: "Stellar" means outstanding, excellent, of the highest quality. Its opposite means very poor or bad. The sentence says the two performances "contrasted sharply," so the gap needs a strongly negative word.

Check each option:

• A. awkward – clumsy or uncomfortable. It is negative, but it is not the direct opposite of "excellent."
• B. mudane – this looks like a misspelling of "mundane" (dull, ordinary). It means ordinary, not truly bad, and the spelling is wrong.
• C. woeful – deplorably bad, very poor. This is the direct opposite of "stellar," and "a woeful showing" is a natural collocation.
• D. routine – ordinary, regular. It suggests something unremarkable, not a sharp contrast with excellence.

Solution: "The rockstar's stellar performance contrasted sharply with the woeful showing of the amateur group." This makes sense: outstanding versus dreadful.

Tip: In antonym questions with a gap, check two things: (1) the meaning is opposite to the key word, and (2) it fits the sentence grammatically and naturally. Words like "sharply contrasted" signal you need an extreme opposite, not a mild one. "Mundane" and "routine" are only mild opposites, so they are traps.