The boy was despondent after the death of his favorite pet and cried each morning when he woke up and remembered she was gone.
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to "despondent" as used in the sentence above?

Question

The boy was despondent after the death of his favorite pet and cried each morning when he woke up and remembered she was gone. 
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to "despondent" as used in the sentence above?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can see from the context of the sentence that the boy cries every morning because his pet has died, so we can infer that the best meaning of "despondent" is "unhappy."
Joyous is incorrect. There is nothing within the context of the target sentence, in which the boy's pet died, that suggests despondent means "joyous."
Confused is incorrect. Although children may be confused by the death of a pet, the mention of the boy's crying each morning suggests that the most accurate meaning of this word is "unhappy."
Angry is incorrect. There is nothing within the context of the target sentence that suggests despondent means "angry."

The Boy Was Despondent After the Death of His Favorite Pet