Which option best reflects the meaning of 'contrary'?

• A. Obstinate
• B. Unfavorable
• C. Opposite or completely different
• D. Similar

Answer: (C)

Understanding how opposition or contrast is expressed with the word contrary is what this item tests. Contrary means opposite or completely different from something else, which is why this option is the best choice. You can see it in phrases like "contrary to popular belief" or "the results were contrary to expectations," where the idea is that one thing goes in the opposite direction of another. The other options don’t fit the sense of opposition: obstinate describes stubbornness rather than a relationship of difference; unfavorable means not favorable or disadvantageous, which is about quality rather than contrast; similar indicates likeness, not a difference. So the option that conveys opposite or completely different is the correct one.