Choose the closest meaning of ebullient in the excerpt below:

The research team was in an ebullient mood after their experimental malaria vaccine achieved ninety-five percent efficacy in late-stage clinical trials.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. cheerful, full of energy, and joyously enthusiastic

  1. Step 1: Analyze context: achieving 95% efficacy on a life-saving vaccine produced triumphant joy and celebratory enthusiasm.
  2. Step 2: 'Ebullient' means cheerful and full of energy; exuberant, joyful, and enthusiastic.
Answer
cheerful, full of energy, and joyously enthusiastic.
Why not the others: 'visibly anxious and terrified of regulatory scrutiny' describes anxiety; 'somber, depressed, and grieving an unexpected tragedy' is the direct antonym (mournful); 'deeply suspicious and refusing to trust laboratory results' describes paranoia.

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