Which word can describe something that is easily changed or unstable?

Prepare for the GRE Verbal Reasoning Test. Enhance your skills with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Increase your chance of success on exam day!

Multiple Choice

Which word can describe something that is easily changed or unstable?

Explanation:
Focusing on precision of meaning, the word that fits describes something that is easily changed or unstable is volatile. Volatile conveys the idea of instability and quick, unpredictable change, and it’s used for both situations and substances. For example, a volatile market can swing up and down rapidly, or a volatile mood can shift suddenly. Waver suggests someone’s indecision or hesitation between choices, rather than describing the inherent instability of a thing itself. Whimsical means playful or capricious, but it emphasizes being fanciful or quaint rather than inherently unstable. Zeal refers to intense enthusiasm or passion, which is the opposite of instability.

Focusing on precision of meaning, the word that fits describes something that is easily changed or unstable is volatile. Volatile conveys the idea of instability and quick, unpredictable change, and it’s used for both situations and substances. For example, a volatile market can swing up and down rapidly, or a volatile mood can shift suddenly.

Waver suggests someone’s indecision or hesitation between choices, rather than describing the inherent instability of a thing itself. Whimsical means playful or capricious, but it emphasizes being fanciful or quaint rather than inherently unstable. Zeal refers to intense enthusiasm or passion, which is the opposite of instability.

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