Select the appropriate meaning of the word: DECIPHER
(A) Confuse
(B) Decode
(C) Negate
(D) Interpret
(E) Inadequate
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B) and (D) only
To decipher is to work out the meaning of something that is written in code or is hard to read or understand.
Example: It took the scholars years to decipher the ancient script.
(A) Confuse — Incorrect.
- To confuse is to make something unclear, the opposite of deciphering.
(B) Decode — Correct.
- To decode is to change a coded message into plain language, the main sense of decipher.
(C) Negate — Incorrect.
- To negate is to cancel the effect of something or to deny it.
(D) Interpret — Correct.
- To interpret is to explain or make out the meaning of something, as one deciphers bad handwriting.
(E) Inadequate — Incorrect.
- It is an adjective meaning not enough or not good enough, not a verb at all.
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