It is very difficult to have access/excess to the minister:
access/excess are:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → homonyms
Homonyms, in the sense used in school grammar, are words that sound alike or nearly alike but differ in meaning and spelling. "Access" and "excess" are such a pair, and the sentence needs only one of them.
- Access means the right or chance to reach, meet or use someone or something. "To have access to the minister" is to be able to meet him, so access is the word the sentence needs.
Example: Students have free access to the library. - Excess means an amount that is more than necessary or allowed.
Example: He paid extra for excess baggage.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: synonyms — Incorrect. Synonyms are words with the same or similar meaning; access and excess mean quite different things.
Option 2: antonyms — Incorrect. Antonyms have opposite meanings; access and excess are unrelated in meaning, not opposites.
Option 4: acronyms — Incorrect. An acronym is a word formed from the first letters of other words, such as NASA or UNESCO.