Question

Out of four alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted for the given word/sentence. Extreme old age when a man behaves like a fool

• A. Imbecility
• B. Senility
• C. Dotage
• D. Superannuation

Hint:

Dotage specifically refers to cognitive decline in extreme old age, leading to irrational or foolish behavior.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the meaning.
Dotage refers to the extreme old age where a person may exhibit signs of mental weakness or behave in a foolish manner due to cognitive decline.

Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) Imbecility: Imbecility refers to severe mental impairment, but not specifically tied to old age or foolish behavior.
(B) Senility: Senility refers to the general decline in mental and physical abilities due to aging, but doesn't specifically describe the behavior of a fool.
(C) Dotage: Correct — Dotage is the correct term, describing extreme old age when a person often behaves foolishly.
(D) Superannuation: Superannuation refers to retirement or the status of being too old to work, not related to mental decline or foolish behavior.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (C) Dotage, which refers to the condition described in the sentence.

Answer 2

The phrase describes extreme old age in which a person starts behaving foolishly, a specific one-word substitution tested often in vocabulary sections. Let's rule the options in or out one at a time on their own meaning:

1. Imbecility: This word describes a state of severe mental weakness or stupidity in general, but it is not tied to old age specifically, it can apply to a person at any stage of life.
2. Senility: This refers broadly to the physical and mental decline that comes with old age, but it does not carry the specific sense of "foolish behaviour" that the sentence asks for, it is a more clinical, general term for ageing decline.
3. Dotage: This precisely names the stage of extreme old age where a person's judgement weakens to the point of acting foolishly, combining both the "old age" and the "foolish behaviour" parts of the definition in one word.
4. Superannuation: This word is about being retired or too old for one's job or post, an administrative or employment sense, and has nothing to do with foolish behaviour.

Only "Dotage" ties together both the old-age element and the foolish-behaviour element that the sentence describes.

Therefore, the correct answer is Dotage.