Correct Answer:
B. Abundance
Explanation:
The correct answer is Abundance because 'dearth' means an acute shortage or scarcity of something, making a large supply its direct opposite.
- Step 1 (Defining Dearth): Dearth is a noun that denotes a condition of lack, insufficiency, or an inadequate supply of an item or resource (e.g., a dearth of evidence).
- Step 2 (Extracting the Antonym): 'Abundance' means a very large quantity or an overflowing, ample supply of a resource, serving as a direct antonym to a shortage.
- Incorrect Options:
- Scarcity is incorrect because it is a direct synonym, meaning a state of being in short supply or difficult to find.
- Poverty is incorrect because it describes a state of lacking material possessions or financial assets, acting more as a thematic synonym.
- Shortage is incorrect because it functions as a literal definition or direct synonym of dearth.