Question

Read the paragraph below:

Lake Powell, though not a lake, may well be, as its
defenders assert, the most beautiful reservoir in the world.
Certainly it has a photogenic backdrop of buttes and
mesas projecting above the expansive surface of stagnant
waters where the speedboats, houseboats and cabin
cruisers play. But it is no longer a wilderness. It is no
longer a place of natural life. It is no longer Glen Canyon.
What connotation does the word "stagnant" have for the reader?
A. Informal
B. Negative
C. Positive
D. Formal

Answer 1

Answer: negative

(Apex) Pretest

Answer 2

The correct answer is option B.

The word stagnant is used in the paragraph to refer to a usually dirty body of water with no current motion or flow, and which may have an unpleasant smell. Synonyms of stagnant are putrid, stale, smelly and dead. As a result, the word has a negative connotation.