Antonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The opposite of obdurate is Soft.

Obdurate means stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course, hard-hearted and unyielding. The opposite quality is being soft: gentle and yielding.

Rigid, stubborn and hard are all close to synonyms of obdurate, which is why they are the traps; none of them is an opposite.

Obdurate comes from the Latin obdurare, to harden, which is why words of hardness and stubbornness are its synonyms and softness its opposite.

Answer: A

The word closest to the opposite of penchant is dislike.

A penchant is a strong liking or inclination for something: a penchant for writing satirical poems. Its plain opposite is a dislike.

Bias is a leaning, close in meaning to penchant rather than opposite. Repulsion and hatred are far stronger feelings than the mild opposite of a liking, so 'dislike' is the closest match.

Answer: B

The word most opposite to ken is Ignorance.

Ken means the range of one's knowledge or understanding, as in 'beyond my ken'. Its opposite is a lack of knowledge, which is ignorance.

Knowledge, perception and awareness are all close to ken in meaning, so none of them is its opposite.

Answer: D

The antonym of FERTILE is Barren.

Fertile land is rich and able to produce good crops; barren land produces little or nothing, so barren is the exact opposite. The alluvial Gangetic plain and a bare, rocky hillside show the contrast.

Poor land is less productive, but the word is weaker and more general. Fruitless is used mainly of efforts that bring no result, and deserted means abandoned by people, which says nothing about the soil.

Answer: B

The antonym of VOLUNTARY is Compulsory.

Voluntary retirement is retirement chosen by the employee; compulsory retirement is imposed, whether the employee wishes it or not. Choice against obligation is exactly the contrast between the two words.

Premature retirement is early retirement, which voluntary retirement often is, so it is close in sense rather than opposite. Urgent and undesirable do not contrast with choosing freely.

Answer: C

The opposite is attractive.

Squalid means dirty and wretched through neglect; attractive is pleasing to look at.

Answer: A

The opposite is commendation.

Calumny is a false and damaging statement about someone; commendation is praise. Flurry and savage are unrelated.

Answer: D

The opposite is resolution.

A predicament is a difficult situation with no easy way out; a resolution is the settling of it.

Answer: B

The opposite is confirm.

To nullify is to make void, from the Latin nullus; to confirm is to establish as valid.

Answer: B

The opposite is agree.

To remonstrate is to protest and argue against something; to agree is to accept it. Censure belongs on the same side as remonstrate.