Question

Find the odd man out

• A. epicurean
• B. gourmet
• C. gastronomist
• D. hideous

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Clarify the task → “Find the odd man out” means identify the single option that does not belong to the same semantic/meaningful set as the others, based on sense, connotation, usage, or category.
Step 2: Determine the likely semantic field → The options (though not shown here) are typically a cluster of adjectives describing pleasant/positive qualities (e.g., attractive, beautiful, pleasing, charming, etc.) with one adjective that expresses the opposite (a strongly negative quality).
Step 3: Understand “hideous” precisely → “Hideous” means extremely ugly, shocking, or repulsive. It carries a strongly negative connotation, especially about appearance or quality (e.g., “a hideous scar,” “a hideous crime”).
Step 4: Contrast connotation and polarity → If the remaining options are positive-descriptor adjectives (e.g., “beautiful,” “handsome,” “pretty,” “gorgeous,” “pleasant”), they all share positive polarity and a favorable evaluative sense, whereas “hideous” alone has negative polarity and an unfavorable evaluative sense.
Step 5: Check part-of-speech and register → All choices are likely adjectives; however, the distinguishing feature isn’t grammatical form (all adjectives) but meaning polarity. “Hideous” semantically conflicts with a set of “pleasant/attractive” adjectives, making it the outlier.
Step 6: Validate with usage patterns → Collocations such as “hideous mistake,” “hideous dress,” “hideous face” clearly communicate intense negativity, unlike “beautiful/pleasant/charming,” which occur in positive contexts (e.g., “beautiful scenery,” “pleasant smile,” “charming personality”). This distribution difference confirms it as the odd one out.
Step 7: Conclusion → The only item that does not fit a positive-descriptor set is the negative descriptor “hideous.”
FinalAnswer:hideous