1. SALUTARY SALUBRIOUS – These words:
A. Have opposite meanings.
B. Are not related in meaning.
C. Have similar meanings.
2. ABDUCT ADDUCT – These words:
A. Have opposite meanings.
B. Are not related in meaning.
C. Have similar meanings.
3. DISSENT DISSOLVE – These words:
A. Have opposite meanings.
B. Are not related in meaning.
C. Have similar meanings.
Complete the analogy in questions 4 and 5:
4. Dissemble is to disclose as:
A. Assemble is to gather
B. Continue is to resume
C. Dismantle is to parts
D. Prevaricate is to tell
5. Hale is to frail as:
A. Strong is to weak
B. Greet is to welcome
C. Creep is to inch
D. Health is to care
6. Speculate means:
A. Watch
B. Wonder
C. Examine
D. Overlook
7. The nearest opposite of supplant is:
A. Replace
B. Impart
C. Retain
D. Nourish
8. An antonym for opprobrium is:
A. Objectivity
B. Obloquy
C. Ignominy
D. Dignity
9. What is the best sense of the underlined word in the context of this sentence?
He has a jaundiced view of all government programs.
A. Negative
B. Yellowed
C. Optimistic
D. Studious
10. Choose the correct meaning of the underlined word in the context of this sentence:
The chairman was surprisingly amenable to all of our suggestions.
A. Unwilling
B. Agreeable
C. Predictable
D. Amused
Answers – Synonyms, Antonyms, Definitions
1. C: These words are synonyms. They both mean beneficial, wholesome, or healthful.
2. A: These words are antonyms. To abduct is to draw away from and to adduct is to draw toward. In physiology, there are muscles called abductors that move the legs (or arms, fingers, or toes) away from the body or its median, and adductors that move them toward the body or median.
3. B: These words are unrelated in meaning. Though they share the common prefix dis- meaning different or apart, their main roots (-solve and -sent) are unrelated. Dissolve means to liquefy, melt, make into/become a solution, break up, loosen, or eliminate. Dissent means to differ in sentiment or to disagree.
4. D: To dissemble is to hide or conceal the truth or mislead. To disclose is to inform or tell. To prevaricate is to evade, misinform, or mislead. Both dissemble and prevaricate mean to lie; both disclose and tell mean to state the truth. Both pairs are antonyms. Assemble and gather (A) and continue and resume (B) are both pairs of synonyms. Dismantle is to take apart, so parts (C) are related as things removed in dismantling, but this relationship is not of antonyms (or synonyms).
5. A: Hale means strong, healthy, and hearty. Frail means weak, fragile, or unhealthy. These are antonyms. Greet and welcome (B) are synonyms, as are creep and inch (C). Health and care (D) have a relationship of object and agency, not of antonyms (or synonyms).
6. B: To speculate is to ponder, think about, wonder, conjecture, or theorize about something. A synonym of watch is spectate, not speculate. A synonym for examine is inspect, not speculate. To overlook is to ignore or neglect, which are antonyms of speculate.
7. C: To supplant means to replace, displace, supersede, substitute, succeed, or usurp, i.e., to take the place of someone or something. The nearest antonym is to retain, meaning to keep in place. Replace (A) is a synonym. Impart (B) means to make known, and nourish (D) means to feed or nurture; both meanings are unrelated to supplant.
8. D: Opprobrium means disgrace. Obloquy (B) and ignominy (C) are synonyms. Antonyms are respect, regard, and dignity (D). Objectivity (A) means impartiality, fairness, neutrality, rationality, lacking bias or prejudice, or being factual; its meaning is unrelated and neither a synonym nor an antonym of opprobrium.
9. A: When describing something abstract like an attitude or view, jaundiced means negative, biased, prejudiced, distorted, colored (i.e., by emotion or opinion/not objective), suspicious, skeptical, cynical, etc. Jaundiced does also mean yellowed (B), but only when describing something concrete and physical, like a person’s skin or eyeball color, which is not the sense of the word in the context of this sentence. (Literal jaundice is a medical condition caused by a buildup of excess bilirubin, a yellow by-product of old blood cells. This sentence uses the figurative sense of jaundiced.) Optimistic (C) is an antonym. Studious (D) means given to or concerned with study and is unrelated in meaning.
10. B: Amenable means agreeable, willing, responsive, sympathetic, or cooperative. Unwilling (A) is an antonym. Predictable (C) means expected, anticipated, certain, or easy to foretell and is not related in meaning to amenable. Amused (D) means entertained or made to laugh or smile and is also unrelated in meaning to amenable.