Fill in the blank: the witness continued to _______ when pressed for a direct answer

Question

When pressed by the committee for a direct answer, the witness continued to _______, offering irrelevant details and evading the central question. A). deliberate B). prevaricate C). corroborate D). substantiate

Edvaya · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is prevaricate. Prevaricate means to speak or act in an evasive way — to avoid committing to the truth by being deliberately vague or misleading, often by dwelling on irrelevant matters. Why "prevaricate" fits: Offering irrelevant details while evading the central question is the defining behaviour of prevarication. Prevaricate vs. Equivocate: • Prevaricate — to evade by straying off topic or giving misleading details • Equivocate — to use deliberately ambiguous language to avoid commitment Both involve evasion, but by different means. Why the other options are wrong: • Deliberate — to consider carefully; not evasive in the same sense. • Corroborate — to confirm with evidence; implies cooperation, not evasion. • Substantiate — to support with proof; also implies forthright cooperation. Synonyms: Evade, hedge, equivocate, dodge, be evasive.

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