English

Felicity means happiness or great joy, so its antonym is sadness, which represents unhappiness or sorrow. The other options do not relate to the meaning of felicity.

The word 'gregarious' means sociable or fond of company. Its antonym is 'lonesome,' which means solitary or preferring to be alone, making option B correct.

The sentence requires the present perfect tense to indicate that by the time the letter is received, the tragic news will already have been received. "Have received" (option D) correctly fits this context. Option C is grammatically incorrect.

The word 'abate' means to lessen or diminish in intensity or amount. While 'halt' means to stop completely and 'decline' means to decrease gradually, 'diminish' is the closest synonym to 'abate'. Therefore, option A is correct.

The phrase "Inter alia" is a Latin term meaning "among other things." It is commonly used in legal and formal English to indicate that the item or point mentioned is one among several others. While the exact phrase "among other things" is not one of the options, the closest meaning among the given options is "In between," which captures the sense of being among or between other things. Therefore, option A is the best available choice.

Option D correctly changes the direct speech into reported speech with proper pronoun and tense changes: 'I have lost' becomes 'she had lost' and 'my' becomes 'her'.

The antonym of 'absolve' (which means to free from guilt or blame) is 'condemn' (which means to express strong disapproval or to declare someone guilty). 'Execute' is unrelated as an antonym, and 'exculpate' is a synonym, so option B is correct.

When converting direct speech to reported speech, the present tense 'have' changes to past tense 'had', and the time expression 'this evening' changes to 'that evening' to reflect the shift in time perspective.

The word 'mordant' means sharply critical or biting, similar in meaning to 'acerbic', 'caustic', and 'corrosive'. 'Pleasant' is the opposite in meaning, making it the correct antonym.

An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, allowing them space to fly. 'Columbary' is not a standard term for bird enclosures, and 'Volary' is a misspelling of 'volary,' which is less commonly used. 'All of the above' is incorrect since only 'Aviary' is correct.

The sentence is a zero conditional expressing a general truth, so the simple present tense 'answer' is correct rather than 'will answer'. 'If you read the questions carefully, you answer them easily.'

Forcing someone to make a payment in exchange for not revealing damaging or discreditable secrets is defined as blackmail. The other options do not relate to this concept.

Both 'used to' and 'would' can describe habitual actions in the past. 'Used to' is more versatile and can describe past states as well as repeated actions, and it is used in negative and question forms. 'Would' is used only for repeated past actions (not states) and typically when the past time frame is already clear. In the sentence, 'Early in the morning I _____ feed the cows' describes a habitual past action, so 'used to' fits well. For the second blank, 'would' is more appropriate than 'could' because it expresses habitual past action (playing with children) rather than ability or permission. Therefore, the best choice is 'Used, would' (option B).

"Apocryphal" means of doubtful authenticity or false. "Genuine" is its antonym, meaning authentic or real, while "Mythical," "Obscure," and "Unsubstantiated" are synonyms or related in meaning to "Apocryphal."

The term 'transparent' refers to something that can be seen through clearly, allowing light to pass through it. The other options do not describe this property.

The term "en-route" means "on the way" or "along the route" during travel. Therefore, option B correctly defines "en-route."

"Picayune" means petty or trivial, so its antonym is "Colossal," which means very large or significant. The other options (Piddling, Trifling, Trivial) are synonyms meaning insignificant or minor.

All the options—Recondite, Intricate, and Obscure—are synonyms or closely related in meaning to 'Abstruse,' which means difficult to understand or obscure. Therefore, 'All of these' is the correct answer.

The term 'Centenary' specifically refers to the hundredth anniversary of a significant event, making option A the correct choice. The other options are unrelated to anniversaries.

A 'Cosmopolitan' person is familiar with and comfortable in many different countries and cultures, unlike 'Unsophisticated' or 'Provincial,' which imply a lack of worldly experience. 'All of the above' cannot be correct as the other options contradict the definition.

An epic is a long narrative poem that recounts the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures, making option A the correct answer. Elegy, ode, and sestina are different poetic forms with distinct purposes.

All the options—Available, Susceptible, and Unrestricted—can be considered synonyms of Accessible in different contexts, making 'All of these' the correct choice.

The word 'abate' means to lessen or reduce. The antonyms 'enhance', 'foster', and 'augment' all mean to increase or improve, making all of them correct antonyms of 'abate'. Therefore, option D, 'All of above', is the correct answer.

The phrase "All Hours" typically means "every hour" or continuously throughout the day and night, which corresponds to option C. Option B, "At Irregular Times," is incorrect as it implies randomness rather than continuous or all-time coverage.

The word 'accost' means to approach and speak to someone boldly or aggressively, often in an unwanted or confrontational manner. It can mean both to solicit (approach someone for a purpose, often to ask or request) and to confront (face someone boldly or aggressively). Therefore, both 'Solicit' and 'Confront' are reasonable synonyms, making option C, 'Both a & b', the correct answer.