A student is required to demonstrate a high level of comprehension of the subject, especially in the social sciences.
The word closest in meaning to 'comprehension' is:
A. understanding B. meaning C. concentration D. stability
GATE 2014 · General Aptitude · Synonyms · medium
Answer: A. understanding
Analyze the context: The sentence asks for 'high level of comprehension of the subject' — this clearly means how well the student can grasp and internalize the subject matter.
Test each option in context: 'High level of understanding of the subject' — perfect. 'High level of meaning of the subject' — grammatically awkward, wrong. 'High level of concentration' — refers to attention, not knowledge. 'High level of stability' — irrelevant.
Select the answer: Understanding = comprehension: both denote the mental grasp of knowledge.