Which word is a synonym for 'native to a region'?

Which word is a synonym for 'native to a region'?

• A. Alien
• B. Indigenous
• C. Endemic
• D. Foreign

Answer: (B)

This question tests understanding of terms that describe being native to a region. The best fit is indigenous, which means originating in and naturally belonging to a particular place. It signals that something or someone comes from that region rather than being brought from elsewhere. Endemic also has to do with being native to a region, but it carries the nuance of being restricted to that region—not found elsewhere. So it’s a tighter, more specific sense of “native to” than indigenous. Alien and foreign describe things from outside the local area, conveying non-native status, which is the opposite of what’s being asked. Examples help make the nuance clear: Indigenous peoples and indigenous plants naturally occur in their region. An endemic species, say a plant that exists only on a single island, is native to that island but not found anywhere else.

This question tests understanding of terms that describe being native to a region. The best fit is indigenous, which means originating in and naturally belonging to a particular place. It signals that something or someone comes from that region rather than being brought from elsewhere.

Endemic also has to do with being native to a region, but it carries the nuance of being restricted to that region—not found elsewhere. So it’s a tighter, more specific sense of “native to” than indigenous.

Alien and foreign describe things from outside the local area, conveying non-native status, which is the opposite of what’s being asked.

Examples help make the nuance clear: Indigenous peoples and indigenous plants naturally occur in their region. An endemic species, say a plant that exists only on a single island, is native to that island but not found anywhere else.