Synonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The synonyms of 'incredible' are a and c: unbelievable and amazing.

'Incredible' literally means not credible, impossible or hard to believe (unbelievable), and in everyday use it also means extraordinary or astonishing (amazing).

'Trustable' and 'convincing' mean the opposite: something easy to believe or rely on. So every option that includes b or d is wrong.

Answer: B

The correct matching is (a)-(iii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(i), (d)-(ii).

• Accomplish means achieve, to complete something successfully (iii).
• Cordial means warm and friendly (iv).
• Arrogant means proud in a way that is rude to others (i).
• Absurd means foolish or ridiculous (ii).

Each of the other options pairs at least one word with a meaning that is unrelated, such as 'accomplish' with 'friendly'.

Answer: B

The correct matching is (a)-(iv), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(ii).

• Aberration means a departure from what is normal, a deviation (iv).
• Perpetual means never ending, constant (iii).
• Redundant means no longer needed, unnecessary (i).
• Abundant means existing in large quantities, plentiful (ii).

The other options pair 'aberration' with 'plentiful' or 'constant', or 'perpetual' with 'plentiful', which are unrelated meanings.

Answer: A

The synonym of ORATOR is Speaker.

An orator is a person who delivers formal speeches, especially one who speaks skilfully and persuasively in public. The word comes from the Latin orare, to speak or plead, as in oration and oratory.

A reader reads rather than speaks to an audience, a singer performs songs, and a critic judges the work of others. None of them shares the core sense of public speaking.

Answer: D

The word nearest to solidarity is unity.

Solidarity is unity or agreement of feeling and action among people with a common interest, as when a nation stands together in war. Unity, the state of being one in purpose, is the closest single word.

A coalition is a formal alliance of parties or groups, usually for a limited purpose. Cooperation is working together, which can happen without shared feeling. Unification is the process of joining separate things into one, not the spirit of standing together.

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.