Choose the most appropriate word to fill in the blank in the following sentence:-
He was ______ for his rude behaviour and wanted to make up by treating us at the icecream parlour.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → apologetic
Apologetic means sorry for having done something wrong and showing it. He wanted to make up for his rude behaviour by treating everyone to ice cream, which shows that he was sorry.
Example: She was very apologetic about arriving late.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: flippant — Incorrect. Flippant means not showing proper seriousness or respect; a flippant person would not try to make up for his rudeness.
Example: His flippant reply to the serious question annoyed the teacher.
Option 2: frivolous — Incorrect. Frivolous means silly and not serious; it does not express regret.
Example: The court rejected the frivolous complaint.
Option 4: impenitent — Incorrect. Impenitent means feeling no regret for wrongdoing, the opposite of what the sentence shows.
Example: The impenitent thief laughed as he was taken to jail.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| flippant | 11-05 S1 21-05 S2 | – | 15-05 S1 | – | – |
| frivolous | – | – | – | 13-06 S3 | – |