Which term describes a text that is no longer in existence?

Which term describes a text that is no longer in existence?

• A. Extant
• B. Obsolete
• C. Extinct
• D. Non-extant

Answer: (D)

This is about whether a text still exists today. Non-extant directly means that the text no longer exists at all; there are no surviving copies. That makes it the clearest way to describe a work that cannot be found anywhere. The opposite term, extant, describes texts that do have surviving copies. Obsolete refers to something out of use, which doesn’t necessarily imply it’s vanished; copies might still exist but are no longer in use. Extinct is typically reserved for living beings or languages and sounds odd when applied to texts. So for a text with no surviving copies, non-extant is the most precise choice.

This is about whether a text still exists today. Non-extant directly means that the text no longer exists at all; there are no surviving copies. That makes it the clearest way to describe a work that cannot be found anywhere. The opposite term, extant, describes texts that do have surviving copies. Obsolete refers to something out of use, which doesn’t necessarily imply it’s vanished; copies might still exist but are no longer in use. Extinct is typically reserved for living beings or languages and sounds odd when applied to texts. So for a text with no surviving copies, non-extant is the most precise choice.