Although I am not a cat lover, I tried to be ______ for Marian who had just lost her 16-year-old cat.
A)sympathetic
B)empathetic

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sympathetic means showing sorrow, pity or compassion towards someone's pain or loss. This is the appropriate response for someone who has lost their pet. Empathetic means feeling and experiencing the emotions of another person. While empathy is a good quality, it is not necessary in this context as the speaker doesn't necessarily have to feel the same emotions as the person they are trying to comfort.

Although I Am Not a Cat Lover, I Tried to Be