In each of the following sentences, there is one word underlined and one gap. From the list of words lettered A – D, choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word and that will, at the same time, correctly fill the gap in the sentences.
The leader of the delegation was commended for the manner in which he handled the matter, while their hosts were………
- applauded
- praised
-
criticized
- sanctioned
The correct answer is: C
Explanation
In the given sentence, the leader of the delegation was praised or approved of ("commended") for how he handled the matter. The opposite of this would be if their hosts were disapproved of or found fault with ("criticized") for something related to the matter. So, "criticized" is the word that best fits the gap and is opposite in meaning to "commended" in this context.