Assertion and reason

Exercise and reference answers

Questions

1. Reason

   Near-equivalents differ in shade of meaning, and those differences matter.

   Verdict

   Both are true; the reason explains the assertion.

   Assertion

   A whole book can be written about synonyms.

2. Reason

   Synonyms are close in meaning without being identical.

   Verdict

   Both are true; the reason explains the assertion.

   Assertion

   Swapping a synonym in can change a sentence's force.

3. Reason

   Synonyms share a general area of meaning.

   Verdict

   The assertion is false and the reason is true.

   Assertion

   Any synonym may replace its headword anywhere.

Explanation