following sentences, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it…

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word closest in meaning to "cheerful" in the sentence "The English teacher is always cheerful."

Concept: "Cheerful" means happy, bright, and in good spirits. This is a synonym question, so we match the word with the option that shares its core meaning.

Step-by-step solution:

• A. careful means cautious. It has nothing to do with happiness. (Be careful: it only looks similar because both words end in "-ful".)
• B. gleeful means joyful, merry, or full of delight. This matches "cheerful" very closely.
• C. satisfied means contented or having had enough. It describes fulfilment, not an outwardly bright mood.
• D. zealous means passionate or eager about a cause. It describes enthusiasm for something, not a happy disposition.

gleeful** is the nearest in meaning to "cheerful."

Exam tip: In synonym questions, ignore words that merely look or sound alike (like "careful" here). Instead, replace the underlined word with each option and ask, "Does the sentence keep the same meaning?" "The English teacher is always gleeful" keeps the meaning of a happy, bright person.