Identifying word meanings and opposites.

A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. These questions test how well you understand vocabulary and how precisely you can tell words apart.

Examples of each

• Synonyms: big and large, quick and rapid, begin and commence.
• Antonyms: hot and cold, victory and defeat, expand and contract.

Strategies

• Use context: many words have more than one meaning, so check the sentence if one is given.
• Break the word down: prefixes such as un-, in-, dis-, and non- often reverse a meaning, and roots give hints about what a word means.
• Match the part of speech: the answer should be a noun, verb, or adjective, like the given word.
• Watch the tone: words can be positive, negative, or neutral, and a good synonym has a similar tone.
• Beware of traps in antonym questions: the options often include a synonym of the given word, which is the opposite of what you need.

How to solve questions

1. Check whether the question asks for a synonym or an antonym.
2. Think of the meaning of the given word in your own words.
3. Eliminate the options that clearly do not fit.
4. Test the remaining options by placing them in a simple sentence.