Choose the most appropriate alternative from the options given below to complete the following sentence.
To those of us who had always thought him timid, his __________ came as a surprise.
A. intrepidity B. inevitability C. inability D. inertness
GATE 2012 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium
Answer: A. intrepidity — 'his intrepidity came as a surprise' correctly describes how his fearlessness was unexpected to those who had always seen him as timid.
Identify the contrast required: People believed him timid. Something about him 'came as a surprise'. The surprise must be a quality opposite to timidity. The blank is that contrasting quality.
Match options to the antonym of timid: A. intrepidity = fearlessness, boldness — directly opposes timidity. B. inevitability = certainty of occurrence — no contrast with timid. C. inability = lack of ability — could contrast with competence, not timidity. D. inertness = sluggishness, inactivity — related to laziness not fear.