Synonyms Questions and Answers

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.

Answer: B

The synonym of TACIT is implied.

A tacit agreement is understood without being stated in words, which is why silence can be taken as one. The word comes from the Latin tacitus, silent.

Overt is the opposite, meaning open and stated. Hostile means unfriendly, which contradicts agreement, and general means widespread, which says nothing about whether the agreement was spoken.

Answer: D

The synonym of FAIR here is upright.

A fair judgement is just and impartial, decided honestly according to the merits. Upright describes a person or act that is honest and morally correct, so it is the nearest match among the options.

Biased is the opposite of fair. Insincere means not genuine, and inconsiderate means thoughtless of others' feelings; both are faults, not synonyms of fairness.

Answer: A

The synonym of FLIGHTY is changeable.

Flighty describes someone fickle and unpredictable, whose moods shift quickly. Comparing her moods to the weather, which changes all the time, points straight to changeable.

Rattling means making a rapid knocking noise, typical means characteristic or usual, and caliber means quality or ability. None of them describes moods that keep shifting.

Answer: D

The synonym of CANDOR is honesty.

Candor (candour) is the quality of being open, frank and honest in what one says. A good critic must state his opinion truthfully, without flattery, which is the sense here.

Clemency means mercy, especially in punishing someone. Churlish means rude or surly, and circumvent is a verb meaning to get around a rule or obstacle. None means frankness.

Answer: B

The synonym of APPRECIATE is admire.

To appreciate a quality such as honesty is to value it and think highly of it, which is what admire means: people admire honesty and sincerity.

Disparage (belittle) and hate are opposite in meaning. Assure means to tell someone something positively to remove doubt, which has nothing to do with valuing a quality.

Appreciate has other senses too, such as to understand ('I appreciate your difficulty') or to rise in value ('Land appreciates'), but with qualities like honesty it means to value them.

Answer: A

The synonym of AMPLE is plenty.

Ample means enough or more than enough: 'ample food for all' means there is plenty of food for everyone.

Scanty is the opposite, too little. Gratifying means pleasing or satisfying, which describes a feeling, not a quantity. Animate means alive or lively.

A useful check is to put the option in place of the word: 'There is plenty of food for all' keeps the meaning, while 'scanty food' reverses it.