Saturday, May 10, 2014

Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms and Antonyms are one of the frequently asked questions in the English part of the CGL exam.
Synonyms are the words that have approximately the same meaning, and they can be used interchangeably. On the flip side, antonyms are the words that are opposite in meaning.

Examples of synonyms:
Brave - Intrepid - Audacious
Coward - Pusillanimous - Trepid

Examples of antonyms:
Affluent - Indigent
Perennial - Seasonal

No wonder, a command over synonyms and antonyms requires you to have a strong command over vocabulary first! If you feel confident enough with your vocabulary, solving these types of questions shouldn't be a drudgery ;)

Now, let's discuss some of the questions on synonyms and antonyms that have previously been asked in the CGL exam...

[Year - 2014, Set - 333NJ4]
Choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the given word (they are asking for - synonyms)

Q. EXTRICATE
A. Complicate   B. Pull   C. Free  D. Tie
The correct answer to this question is C. Why? Because extricate means to set someone/something free. Example - The parrot finally managed to extricate itself from the cage!
See, how important vocabulary is for solving these types of questions :)

Q. CREDIBLE
A. Believable  B. Worthy   C. Charming   D. Serious
The correct answer to this question is A. Because you extend your credit(money) to something which is credible! Example - This is a credible investment opportunity; credible company; etc

Q. OBSTREPEROUS
A. Awkward  B. Sullen  C. Unruly  D. Lazy
Now this may sound a difficult word to tackle, because it's not heard that frequently. You'll definitely need a superior vocabulary to tackle words like this! 
The correct answer to the above question is C.  Obstreperous means noisy and uncontrollable, as in a obstreperous child, obstreperous crowd, keep on adding....:)

Now, Antonyms (words opposite in meaning)...

Q. GROUP
A. Alone  B. Solitary  C. Singular  D. Individual
The question above may sound tricky because the options are very closely related to each other! The correct answer should be D. Think logically, we say - group task, individual task, but we never say alone task, solitary task or even singular task!

Q. ACQUIT
A. Smart  B. Condemn  C.  Despair  D. Mild
Acquit means to absolve or free someone from some crime/sin. So, the correct answer must be Condemn (option B), which means to criticize or blame someone for something horrible done!


Conclusion:
Solving synonyms and antonyms is easy, provided that you've mastered the required level of vocabulary. Keep building your vocabulary, you'll be good to go :)

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