Synonyms: Verbs About Physical Changes, Movement, or Location - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

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Question

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CONTAMINATE

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Answer

When something is contaminated, its purity is destroyed. For instance, when a factory empties waste directly into the water, that water is contaminated, or polluted. Such pollution stops it from being in its pure condition. The verb "contaminate" merely means pollute or make impure. The wrong option "destroy" really is too strong. Certainly, contamination destroys the purity of something, but really contamination is more about the polluting than the destruction itself. Therefore, it is a better option to select "pollute" instead of "destroy."

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