Select the synonym for the underlined word in the following sentence:…

The correct answer is Option (2) → vindication

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, none of the options is an exact synonym of "retractions". Vindication is the nearest, because taking back an accusation clears the accused person's name. The sentence ("whispered ... that shadowed her every step") reads as if "slander" were meant, but slander is nearly the opposite of a retraction, as explained below.

• Retraction (noun) means the act of taking back something one has said, especially an accusation, and admitting that it was false. In the sentence, the "whispered retractions" are people quietly taking back what they had said against her, and she walks with dignity "as if truth itself walked beside her".
  Example: The newspaper printed a retraction of the false report.
• Vindication means the clearing of someone from blame or suspicion, showing that the person was right. When accusers take back their words, the accused person's name is cleared. The retraction of the charges amounts to her vindication, so vindication is the nearest in meaning.
  Example: The court's verdict was a complete vindication of the doctor.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: adulation — Incorrect. Adulation means too much praise or admiration. Taking back an accusation is not the same as praising someone.
Example: The singer enjoyed the adulation of her fans.

Option 3: slander — Incorrect. Slander means a false spoken statement that damages someone's reputation. "Whispered" talk that "shadowed her every step" sounds like slander, but a retraction is the taking back of slander, so the two words are nearly opposite.
Example: He sued his neighbour for slander.

Option 4: vendetta — Incorrect. A vendetta is a long and bitter quarrel in which one side keeps trying to harm the other. It has nothing to do with taking words back.
Example: The two families carried on a vendetta for years.

 

Also asked in CUET (UG): retraction – 21-05-2026 Slot 1 adulation – 21-05-2026 Slot 2, 17-06-2023 Slot 2 vindication – 06-06-2026 Slot 1, 18-05-2026 Slot 1 vendetta – 09-06-2023 Slot 2