Question

Read this paragraph from the article: Just last month, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his plan to connect 50 million Indian families to clean cooking gas over the next three years. This is an important step being taken at an unprecedented scale, and it could help protect the lives of millions, while also improving India's environment. Why does the author use the word unprecedented rather than original or new? Unprecedented has a weaker connotation, indicating that the author is being cautious in evaluating the new step. Unprecedented has a more negative connotation, indicating that there is opposition to this proposed step. Unprecedented has a stronger connotation, indicating that the step is being adopted more widely than ever before. Unprecedented has a more positive connotation, indicating that this step will succeed where others have failed.

Answer 1

Unprecedented has a stronger connotation, indicating that the step is being adopted more widely than ever before

The word unprecedented means that it has never happened before. In most cases, unprecedented doesn't usually carry a positive or negative connotation as it can describe things that are positive or negative. However, it can illustrate strength. In this case it shows the strength of the plan and how many people the plan intends to reach.