Synonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The synonym of respite is interval of relief.

A respite is a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant. Here the early monsoon brought relief from the summer heat.

Despite and in spite of are prepositions that merely sound similar to respite; they mean 'notwithstanding'. Rest is close, but it lacks the essential sense of relief from hardship, so it is a weaker match than 'interval of relief'.

Answer: C

The key gives Elementary.

'Primordial' describes what exists from the very beginning, and so what is basic, the starting stage of something. 'Elementary' (basic, rudimentary) is the key's choice because it carries the sense of the first, simplest stage.

'Feeling of elation' means great joy and 'Daunting' means intimidating, so neither is close. 'Original' is the awkward rival: dictionaries also gloss 'primordial' as existing from the beginning, so it is at least as close in meaning. The key gives C, so the question follows it.

Answer: C

Impromptu means without preparation.

An impromptu speech is made on the spur of the moment, with no rehearsal or notes; the word comes from the Latin in promptu, 'in readiness'.

An impromptu speech may happen to be eloquent, enthusiastic or forceful, but none of those is what the word means. It describes only the lack of preparation.

Answer: B

The synonym of accumulate is collect.

To accumulate is to gather or pile things up gradually, as in 'dust accumulates on the shelf' or 'she accumulated savings'. Collect means to bring things together into one place, which is the same sense.

Scatter and distribute are near opposites: both mean to spread things out rather than gather them. Because 'collect' fits, 'None of the above' is wrong.

Answer: B

The synonym of couple is pair.

A couple is two people or things together, especially two people in a relationship, and a pair is a set of two: a married couple, a pair of shoes.

Unpair is not a standard English word and would mean the opposite, separating a pair. Because only pair is a synonym, "Both of (A) and (B)" is wrong, and so is "None of these".

Note that a couple of can also mean "a few" in everyday speech (a couple of days), but its basic meaning is two.

Answer: B

The synonym of pardon is forgive.

To pardon someone is to forgive them for a fault or offence, or, in law, to free them from punishment: pardon my mistake means forgive my mistake.

Forget is the trap: forgiving a wrong is not the same as forgetting it. Remember is unrelated, and since forgive fits, "None of these" is wrong.

As a noun, pardon means forgiveness or an official release from punishment, and I beg your pardon is a polite apology or request to repeat something.

Answer: C

The synonym of offend is annoy.

To offend someone is to hurt their feelings or make them displeased or upset, which is close to annoy, to make someone a little angry. Both are verbs.

Angry is related in meaning but is an adjective, so it cannot replace the verb offend. Protest means to object, which is what an offended person might do, and yearn means to long for something.

The related noun offence means an act that upsets someone or a crime, and offensive describes words or behaviour that cause offence.

Answer: A

The synonym of sorrow is grief.

Sorrow is a deep feeling of sadness, especially at a loss, and grief is intense sorrow, particularly at someone's death.

Joy is the antonym of sorrow, and desire means a strong wish for something. Since grief fits, "None of these" is wrong.

Other synonyms are sadness, misery and woe, and the adjective forms are sorrowful and grief-stricken.

Answer: A

The synonym of NERVE here is courage.

To 'have the nerve' to face robbers alone means to have the courage or steadiness to do something dangerous. In this context the word is praise for bravery.

Audacity is the near miss: it is also a meaning of 'nerve', but it suggests cheek or rudeness ('he had the nerve to ask for more'), which does not fit facing robbers. Strength is physical power, and capacity is ability or volume, not boldness.

Answer: C

The synonym of BERATED is reproached.

To berate someone is to scold them angrily and at length. To reproach is to express disapproval or disappointment at someone's conduct, so it is the closest of the options.

Praised is the opposite. Advised means gave guidance, which is neutral and calm, and supervised means oversaw their work. Neither carries the sense of angry criticism.