Which word describes someone meticulous and demanding?

• A. careful
• B. wary
• C. sloppy
• D. fastidious

Answer: (D)

The main concept being tested is describing someone who is extremely attentive to detail and has high, exacting standards. A person who is meticulous and demanding fits fastidious well because fastidious describes someone who pays great attention to detail and expects things to be done to a precise, sometimes fussy, standard. It carries a sense of being hard to please and insisting on cleanliness, order, and precision.

Careful is similar in that it signals attention to detail, but it’s more neutral and less about demanding or picky standards. Wary focuses on caution or suspicion, not the level of standards or meticulousness. Sloppy is the opposite, indicating carelessness rather than meticulousness. So fastidious best captures both meticulousness and a tendency to require a high level of quality.