Which word means an early sign that something will happen?

• A. Aftermath
• B. Precursor
• C. Consequence
• D. Result

Answer: (B)

The concept here is identifying a word that means an early sign of what’s to come. A precursor is exactly that—a thing that comes before and indicates what will happen next. It signals or foreshadows an event.

Think of how dark clouds can be a precursor to rain: they appear before the rain starts and hint that it’s coming. In contrast, the other terms describe outcomes after something has already happened—an aftermath is what follows, a consequence is the effect produced by an action, and a result is the final outcome. So the word that best fits “an early sign that something will happen” is the one that denotes that lead-in, anticipatory role.