In each of the following sentences there is one... - WAEC English 2008 Question

In each of the following sentences, there is one word underlined and one gap. From the list of words lettered A - D, choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word and that will, at the same time, correctly fill the gap in the sentences.
The doctor does not think the patient will recover; the signs are ominous rather than............