Synonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The antonym of clemency is cruelty.

Clemency means mercy or leniency shown to someone in one's power, such as a defeated enemy or a convicted offender. Its opposite is cruelty, the willingness to cause suffering.

Mercy, leniency and kindness are all synonyms or near-synonyms of clemency, so they are the very opposite of what the question asks for.

Answer: A

The word nearest in meaning to superficial is Shallow.

A superficial concern exists only on the surface and lacks depth or sincerity, which is exactly what shallow means when used of feelings. The sentence confirms it: the concern vanished as soon as the cameras left.

Insubstantial means lacking solidity or real substance and is usually said of things, evidence or arguments, so it is a weaker fit for a feeling. Derogatory means disparaging, and regardless means without paying attention; neither is related.

Answer: B

The word nearest in meaning to Incensed is Enraged.

To be incensed is to be made very angry. Enraged, filled with rage, says the same thing, and fits the sentence: the rude behaviour made the manager furious enough to suspend the work.

Inflamed is used of feelings or situations being stirred up, or of a part of the body that is red and swollen, so it is less exact as a description of a person. Enthused and excited describe eagerness or keen interest, the opposite of angry indignation.

Answer: A

The word nearest in meaning to relinquished is given up.

To relinquish a charge is to give it up or hand it over, here a Collector handing over his post to a successor. Given up also matches the tense of the sentence: has not yet given up his charge.

Abdicated is used chiefly of a monarch giving up a throne, and renounced of formally abandoning a claim, right or belief, so both are narrower. Leave is the wrong form after has not yet; the sentence would need left.

Answer: B

A landslide is the sliding down of a mass of rock, earth etc.

A landslide is the movement of a mass of rock, soil and debris down a slope under gravity. It is often triggered by heavy rain soaking the slope, by earthquakes, or by cutting into hillsides for roads, which is why hill roads are so often blocked by landslides in the monsoon.

A violent downpour is heavy rain, which may cause a landslide but is not one. The wearing away of rock by water or weather is erosion and weathering, and damage to a road is a possible consequence, not the meaning of the word.

Answer: B

The word closest to the opposite of 'severe' is A little.

In the passage 'severe damage' means very serious or heavy damage. The opposite idea is damage that is slight or small, and 'a little' is the only option that carries that sense of smallness.

Intense and devastating are near synonyms of severe, since they describe harsh or heavy effects, so they cannot be its opposite. 'Significant' means large enough to matter, which points the same way as severe rather than against it. The question's own phrase 'exactly opposite' is generous here, because no option is a perfect antonym, so elimination leads to the keyed option.

Answer: D

Exorbitant means Excessive.

An exorbitant price, fee or demand is far higher than is reasonable. The word comes from Latin exorbitare, 'to go out of the track', so something exorbitant has gone beyond its proper bounds.

Ridiculous can describe a price informally, but it means 'deserving mockery', not 'too high'. Odd means strange, and Threatining (threatening) means menacing; neither says anything about amount.

Answer: C

Lethal means Deadly.

Something lethal is sufficient to cause death: a lethal dose, a lethal weapon, a lethal attack. It comes from Latin letum, death, and its common synonyms are deadly, fatal and mortal.

Unlawful describes something against the law, which an attack may also be, but that is not what lethal means. Sluggish means slow-moving and smooth means even or effortless, both unrelated.

Answer: B

Obligatory means Required.

An obligatory duty is one that must be done because a rule, law or position demands it; the word comes from oblige, to bind. For a policeman, protecting the public is not a matter of choice but part of what the job requires.

Optional is the opposite, something left to choice. Useful means helpful and agreeable means pleasant or willing to agree; a duty can be either without being compulsory.

Answer: A

Secure here means Safe.

After weeks of tension and terror he felt free from danger and fear, which is the sense of secure in this sentence: protected, not exposed to harm.

Secret looks similar but means hidden or kept from others. Submissive means ready to obey, and surprised describes a reaction to the unexpected; neither fits the relief that follows a period of danger.