Question

Use the thesaurus entry for abstract to answer the question.

abstract
noun
Definition: a summary of points in brief form
Synonyms: summary, brief, digest, synopsis
verb
Definition: to make a summary of
Synonyms: summarize, outline
adjective
Definition: expressing a quality apart from an object, without a direct representation
Synonyms: theoretical, conceptual, nonrepresentational, ideal

Which is a possible synonym for the word abstract as it is used in this sentence?

The medical students were asked to abstract the information in the related case studies.

1. synopsis
2. summarize
3. ideal
4. conceptual

Answer 1

The correct answer is option number 2 (summarize). In the sentence provided above “The medical students were asked to abstract the information in the related case studies”, the word “abstract” is the direct object of the verb and it is a verb in the infinitive form (to abstract). One could use the verb “to summarize” to replace the verb “to abstract” without changing the meaning (to summarize the information in the related case studies), since they are synonyms following the thesaurus entry presented above. The resulting sentence would be “The medical students were asked to summarize the information in the related case studies.”.

Answer 2

Option 2. A possible synonym for the word abstract as it is used in the sentence would be summarize. "The medical students were asked to summarize the information in the related case studies."

Step-by-step explanation:

As seen in the beginning of the question, the word abstract has different meanings when it is used in different ways, such as an adjective, a noun, or a verb. In the sentence provided, the word abstract is being used in its form of a verb. To abstract means to remove something from something else, to make a summary. Therefore the correct synonym for the word as it is used in the sentence would be summarize.