Select the most appropriate one-word substitute for ‘living in trees’ in the…
2026
Select the most appropriate one-word substitute for ‘living in trees’ in the sentence below.
A theory states that mankind has descended from ______ animals.
Answer: A. arboreal — ConceptA one-word substitution replaces a phrase with a word that preserves both its meaning and its grammatical role. Before a noun such as ‘animals’, the…
- A.
arboreal
- B.
herbivorous
- C.
aquatic
- D.
terrestrial
Attempted by 34 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
A one-word substitution replaces a phrase with a word that preserves both its meaning and its grammatical role.
Before a noun such as ‘animals’, the substitute should be an adjective describing the intended characteristic.
Application
The expression ‘living in trees’ identifies a tree-dwelling habitat. The adjective for this characteristic is ‘arboreal’, so ‘arboreal animals’ forms the required adjective–noun combination.
Contrast
‘Herbivorous’ describes a plant-based diet rather than a habitat.
‘Aquatic’ describes a water-based habitat.
‘Terrestrial’ describes a land-based habitat.
Cross-check
Substituting the word gives ‘mankind has descended from arboreal animals’, which is grammatical and retains the intended meaning.
Therefore, the required word is ‘arboreal’.