11.21.11 Word Meaning: GATE2016 ME-2 GA-2 Choose the statement(s) where the underlined word is used correctly: i. A prone is a dried plum. ii. He was lying prone on the floor. iii. People who eat a lot of fat are prone to heart disease. A. (i) and (iii) only B. (iii) only C. (i) and (ii) only D. (ii) and (iii) only

GATE 2016 · General Aptitude · Word Meaning · medium

Answer: D. (ii) and (iii) only - both sentences correctly use 'prone' (lying face-down in ii; having a tendency toward in iii).

1. Evaluate statement i: Statement i: 'A prone is a dried plum.' This is incorrect. A PRUNE is a dried plum, not a prone. 'Prone' is an adjective, not a noun referring to a fruit. Statement i is WRONG.
2. Evaluate statement ii: Statement ii: 'He was lying prone on the floor.' This is correct. 'Prone' here means lying face downward. The sentence is grammatically and semantically correct. Statement ii is CORRECT.
3. Evaluate statement iii: Statement iii: 'People who eat a lot of fat are prone to heart disease.' This is correct. 'Prone to' means having a tendency or inclination toward. Statement iii is CORRECT.
4. Select the answer: Correct statements: ii and iii. This corresponds to option D.