Choose the most appropriate synonym for BURLESQUE out of the given options:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Parody
- Burlesque means a comic imitation that mocks a serious subject by exaggerating it, treating a grand theme in a silly way or a trivial theme in a grand way. It comes from the Italian burla (joke, mockery).
Example: The students staged a burlesque of a Shakespearean tragedy. - Parody means an imitation of a writer's or artist's style, exaggerated for comic effect. Both words name a mocking imitation, so Parody is the synonym among the options.
Example: The comedian performed a parody of a famous film song.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Tragedy — Incorrect. A tragedy is a serious play that ends in suffering or death, the very kind of work a burlesque makes fun of.
Example: "Macbeth" is a tragedy by Shakespeare.
Option 3: Didactic — Incorrect. Didactic means meant to teach, especially a moral lesson; a burlesque aims to amuse.
Example: Aesop's fables are didactic stories.
Option 4: Morbid — Incorrect. Morbid means having an unhealthy interest in death and gloomy things; it is far from comic imitation.
Example: He has a morbid interest in crime reports.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| burlesque | 18-05 S2 | – | – | – | – |
| parody | 18-05 S2 | 21-05 S1 | – | – | – |
| morbid | 12-05 S2 22-05 S2 | – | – | 02-06 S3 | – |