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Synonyms and Antonyms: Practice Questions with Answers

12 practice questions on Synonyms and Antonyms, with answers; most also have an explanation or a worked solution. Try each one before you open its answer.

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1. Q.1

   Choose the antonym of "BENEVOLENT": (A) Generous (B) Malevolent (C) Wealthy (D) Famous

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   Answer: (B) Malevolent

   Solution:

   1. "Benevolent" (from "bene-" = good) means kind and well-meaning.
   2. "Malevolent" (from "mal-" = bad) means wishing harm to others — the direct opposite.
   3. "Generous" (A) is close in meaning to benevolent, not its opposite.

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2. Q.2

   Choose the antonym of "GENEROUS": (A) Kind (B) Wealthy (C) Stingy (D) Friendly

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   Answer: (C) Stingy

   Solution:

   1. "Generous" means willing to give freely. Its opposite is being unwilling to give — "stingy".
   2. "Kind" and "Friendly" (A, D) are actually close in meaning to generous, not its opposite. "Wealthy" (B) describes having money, which is unrelated to willingness to share it.

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3. Q.3

   Choose the word closest in meaning to the capitalised word: "Despite his age, the old man was remarkably SOUND in both body and mind." (A) Loud (B) Healthy (C) Quick (D) Wealthy

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   Answer: (B) Healthy

   Solution:

   1. "Sound" has more than one meaning — it can mean "noise," or, as used here, "healthy / in good condition."
   2. The sentence is praising the man’s body and mind positively despite his age, which matches "healthy," not "noise".
   3. "Loud" (A) wrongly picks the noise-meaning of "sound," which does not fit this sentence.

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4. Q.4

   Choose the synonym of "CANDID": (A) Secretive (B) Frank (C) Confused (D) Cautious

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   Answer: (B) Frank

   Solution:

   1. "Candid" means open and honest in speech, without holding anything back.
   2. "Frank" matches that meaning directly.

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5. Q.5

   Choose the antonym of "OPTIMISTIC": (A) Hopeful (B) Confident (C) Pessimistic (D) Energetic

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   Answer: (C) Pessimistic

   Solution:

   1. "Optimistic" means expecting good outcomes.
   2. "Pessimistic" means expecting bad outcomes — the direct opposite.
   3. "Hopeful" (A) is close in meaning to optimistic, not its opposite.

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6. Q.6

   Choose the synonym of "ABUNDANT": (A) Scarce (B) Plentiful (C) Hidden (D) Fragile

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   Answer: (B) Plentiful

   Solution:

   1. "Abundant" means existing in large quantities.
   2. "Plentiful" matches that meaning directly.
   3. "Scarce" (A) is actually the opposite of abundant — a common distractor. "Hidden" and "Fragile" are unrelated in meaning.

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7. Q.7

   Choose the synonym of "RAPID": (A) Slow (B) Quick (C) Silent (D) Heavy

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   Answer: (B) Quick

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8. Q.8

   Choose the word closest in meaning to the capitalised word: "The lawyer presented a SOUND argument that convinced the entire jury." (A) Loud (B) Logical (C) Lengthy (D) Weak

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   Answer: (B) Logical — here "sound" means well-reasoned, a different meaning of the same word seen in the worked examples

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9. Q.9

   Choose the antonym of "ARRIVE": (A) Depart (B) Enter (C) Return (D) Stay

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   Answer: (A) Depart (a relational opposite, not a prefix-based one)

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10. Q.10

    Choose the synonym of "METICULOUS": (A) Careless (B) Careful (C) Quick (D) Lazy

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    Answer: (B) Careful

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11. Q.11

    Choose the antonym of "TRANSPARENT": (A) Clear (B) Opaque (C) Fragile (D) Visible

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    Answer: (B) Opaque

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12. Q.12

    Choose the word closest in meaning to the capitalised word: "The company's profits showed a GRADUAL increase over the year."

    1. A Slow
    2. B Sudden
    3. C Dramatic
    4. D Irregular
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    Correct answer: (A) Slow

    Here "GRADUAL" means happening slowly and steadily, closest in meaning to "Slow."

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