Synonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The word closest to PREPOSTEROUS is ludicrous.

Preposterous means utterly absurd or contrary to reason (from Latin praeposterus, 'before-behind', that is, back to front). Ludicrous, so absurd as to be laughable, carries the same sense.

Sensible, practical and rational are all near opposites: they describe something reasonable, which is exactly what a preposterous idea is not.

Answer: C

The synonym of otiose is Unnecessary.

Otiose, from the Latin otium, leisure, means serving no practical purpose, superfluous or futile, as in 'an otiose clause in the contract'. An older sense is idle or lazy, but the current meaning is 'needless'.

Necessary is its antonym. Obese (very fat) is a sound-alike trap with an unrelated meaning, and automatic has no connection with the word.

Answer: A

The matching is R S P.

Inundated means flooded or overwhelmed, the same as swamped (R). A ruse is a deception or trick (S). A cornucopia, the horn of plenty, means an abundant supply, a plethora (P).

'Suffocated' is close to overwhelmed but means deprived of air, and 'sterility' is the opposite of the abundance a cornucopia stands for, so codes using Q or T are wrong.

Answer: A

The synonym of 'robust' is Strong.

Robust means strong and healthy, sturdy, able to withstand hardship: a robust child, a robust economy, a robust defence.

Frail and infirm mean weak and feeble, the opposite of robust. Noxious means harmful or poisonous, as in noxious fumes, and has nothing to do with strength.

Answer: D

The word similar in meaning to 'Quote' is cite.

To quote is to repeat or refer to words from a source or an authority, which is what to cite means: lawyers cite, or quote, a precedent.

'Sight' (the ability to see) and 'sigh' (a breath expressing feeling) only sound like 'cite', and 'sue' means to bring a legal action.

Answer: B

The synonym of 'Advise' is Counsel.

As a verb, to counsel is to give advice or guidance, so it means the same as to advise.

'Council' is a different word, a body of people that meets to deliberate, and is easily confused with 'counsel'. 'Practice' means habitual action or exercise, and 'proposal' is a plan put forward, a noun.

Answer: B

The synonym of anguish is Distress.

Anguish means severe mental or physical pain or suffering, and distress means extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain, so the two are close in meaning.

Calamity is a disaster, the event that may cause anguish rather than the feeling itself. Extinguish means to put out a fire or end something, and only looks similar. Acquire means to obtain.

Answer: C

Infernal means hellish.

The word comes from the Latin infernus, the lower world, and describes something belonging to hell or as fierce and dreadful as hell, as in 'an infernal noise' or 'the infernal regions'.

The other three options are its opposites. Heavenly, divine and celestial all relate to heaven or the gods, so a candidate who knows only that the word is religious in flavour can still eliminate them as a group.

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'.