Select the word from the given options that is most similar in meanin…

The correct answer is Option (3) → Aligned

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the key: the correct answer should be Option (2) → Adjacent, as explained below.

Juxtapose (verb) means to place two things side by side, usually to compare or contrast them. The core idea of the word is "next to each other".
Example: The exhibition juxtaposes old photographs with modern ones.

Option 1: Collective — Incorrect. Collective means shared by or done by a group. It has nothing to do with position.
Example: The team took a collective decision.

Option 2: Adjacent — Should be Correct. (Incorrect as per NTA) Adjacent means lying next to something. Things that are juxtaposed are adjacent to each other, so this option carries the very sense of "side by side". It is an adjective while juxtapose is a verb, but it is the only option with the same meaning.
Example: The kitchen is adjacent to the dining room.

Option 3: Aligned — Should be Incorrect. (But this is the correct answer in the NTA Answer Key.) To align is to arrange things in a straight line or in the right position with one another. Aligned things are in a line, not necessarily side by side for comparison, so the word only shares the general idea of arranging.
Example: The chairs were aligned in neat rows.

Option 4: Distant — Incorrect. Distant means far away, nearly the opposite of placing things side by side.
Example: They moved to a distant village.

Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.

 

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