Choose the Correct Word – Similar/Opposite Meaning Exercise

In each question below two words in capitals are related to each other in some way. Find among the suggested alternatives (marked A, B, C and D) which pair of words bears the most similar relationship as that of the capitalised pair.

1. BLACK : WHITE

(A) Red : Orange
(B) Hot : Cold
(C) Tall : High
(D) Sun : Moon

2. HUNGER : FOOD

(A) Sleep : Dream
(B) Lung : Oxygen
(C) Thirst : Water
(D) Industry : Labour

3. PIPE : WATER

(A) Street : Car
(B) River : Boat
(C) Air : Bird
(D) Artery : Blood

4. CALF : COW

(A) Sheep : Goat
(B) Child : Woman
(C) Mother : Boy
(D) Boy : Father

5. FLOWER : ROSE

(A) Ocean : Sea
(B) Tree : Plant
(C) Mango : Fruit
(D) Bird : Crow

6. TOWN : MUNICIPALITY

(A) Country : Government
(B) Panchayat : Village
(C) Mayor : Corporation
(D) Parliament : Prime Minister

7. DYNAMO : ELECTRICITY

(A) Engine : Steam
(B) Light : Lamp
(C) Car : Petrol
(D) Oven : Heat

8. WRENCH : MECHANIC

(A) Saw : Carpenter
(B) Book : Student
(C) Medicine : Doctor
(D) Paper : Clerk

9. SCISSORS : CUT

(A) Door : Entry
(B) Book : Study
(C) Needle : Sew
(D) Beat : Hammer

10. JULY : RAIN

(A) December : Winter
(B) Summer : May
(C) Winter : Cold
(D) December : Snow

11. CROWD : PEOPLE

(A) Market : Seller
(B) Forest : Tree
(C) City : Building
(D) Factory : Worker

12. EAR : DEAF

(A) Mind : Mad
(B) Blind : Eye
(C) Skin : Sensitive
(D) Nose : Face

13. IRAN : ASIA

(A) Assam : India
(B) London : England
(C) Poland : Europe
(D) Kargil : Kashmir

14. LARGE : BIG

(A) High : Low
(B) Quick : Swift
(C) Sea : Ocean
(D) Table : Chair

15. PATIENT : DOCTOR

(A) Client : Lawyer
(B) Machine : Mechanic
(C) Court : Judge
(D) Seller : Buyer

16. ROOM : WINDOW

(A) House : Room
(B) Lamp : Light
(C) Sky : Star
(D) Face : Eye

17. MILE : KILOMETER

(A) Foot : Pound
(B) Length : Weight
(C) Fahrenheit : Centigrade
(D) Weight : Kilogramme

18. IRON : ORE

(A) Page : Book
(B) Butter : Milk
(C) Copper : Lead
(D) Furniture : Wood

19. MOON :DROUGHT

(A) Surplus : Deficit
(B) Breadth : Length
(C) Sun : Moon
(D) Famine : Scarcity

20. HERE : NOW

(A) There : Where
(B) There : That
(C) Before : After
(D) Where : When

21. CLOCK : TIME

(A) Length : Scale
(B) Pen : Write
(C) Examination : Ability
(D) Pressure : Barometer

22. DISLIKE : HATRED

(A) Affection : Love
(B) Hope : Belief
(C) Anger : Violence
(D) Sadness : Sorrow

23. MULTIPLY : MANY

(A) Rectify : Correct
(B) Justify : True
(C) Comply : Proper
(D) Unify : Same

24. THURSDAY : MONDAY

(A) Tuesday : Saturday
(B) 7 P.M. : 11 P.M.
(C) March : July
(D) 11 P.M. : 3 A.M.

25. FREEZING : COOL

(A) Rising : High
(B) Boiling : Lukewarm
(C) Sinking : Heavy
(D) Melting : Hot

26. DISLIKE : HATRED

(A) Anger : Violence
(B) Affection : Love
(C) Hope : Belief
(D) Sadness : Sorrow

27. ELIGIBLE : CHOSEN

(A) Fraudulent : Imposter
(B) Trusted : Dependable
(C) Incompetent : Rejected
(D) Encouraged : Applauded

28. GRIEVANCE : REDRESS

(A) Distress : Sympathise
(B) Success : Reward
(C) Happiness : Rejoice
(D) Loss : Compensate

29. RELIABLE : MEASUREMENT

(A) Amiable : Guest
(B) Verifiable : Theory
(C) Justifiable : Practice
(D) Expendable : Commodity

30. RECTIFY : CORRECT

(A) Amplify : Enlarge
(B) Simplify : One
(C) Testify : True
(D) Clarify : Understand

31. SIN : CRIME

(A) Theft : Robbery
(B) Deceit : Dishonesty
(C) Vice : Guilt
(D) Lie : Perjury

32. CITY : MUNICIPAL

(A) Village : Rural
(B) State : Federal
(C) Country : National
(D) Metropolis : Mayoral

33. GRAFT : POLITICS

(A) Punishment : Sin
(B) Cheating : Examination
(C) Justice : Court
(D) Democracy : Election

34. STEREOTYPE : INDIVIDUALITY

(A) Enunciation : Concealment
(B) Charity : Mercy
(C) Coexistence : Permanence
(D) Content : Concreteness

35. SURPLUS : DEFICIT

(A) Breadth : Width
(B) Need : Wage
(C) Monsoon : Drought
(D) Famine : Scarcity

36. BORROW : STEAL

(A) Hit : Kill
(B) Ask : Bag
(C) Tell : Speak
(D) Enter : Trespass

37. WORD : LETTER

(A) Book : Author
(B) Sentence : Word
(C) Train : Passenger
(D) School : Pupil

38. STATE : LEGISLATION

(A) Employee : Service rule
(B) Assembly : Speaker
(C) Train : Timetable
(D) Fan : Regulator

39. TABLE : CHAIR

(A) Almirah : Cot
(B) House : Room
(C) Shirt : Trousers
(D) Sofa : Bookcase

40. BRAIN : THOUGHT

(A) Stomach : Hunger
(B) Water : Steam
(C) Eye : Sleep
(D) Dynamo : Electricity

41. STINT : FRAUD

(A) Good : Better
(B) Intelligent : Idiot
(C) Red : Black
(D) Father : Mother

42. BOOK : WRITER

(A) Engineer : Machine
(B) Cloth : Weaver
(C) Gramaphone record : Singer
(D) Musician : Violin

43. GRANDFATHER : ANCESTOR

(A) Page : Book
(B) Headmaster : Master
(C) Mother : Sister
(D) Person : Population

44. WRITER : PUBLISHER

(A) Engineer : Factory
(B) Retailer : Whole seller
(C) Cook : Restaurant
(D) Innovator : Manufacturer

45. TELEVISION : ANTENNA

(A) Man : Eye
(B) Radio : Electricity
(C) Table : Chair
(D) Book : Paper

46. BLACK : SORROW

(A) Stars : Rortune
(B) Rose : Red
(C) Cross : Christianity
(D) Sky : Milkyway

47. SPRING : RESILIENCY

(A) Fuel : Thermals
(B) Armour : Obduracy
(C) Wire : Net
(D) Ballast : Stability

48. CARELESSNESS : ACCIDENT

(A) Death : Fire
(B) Germ : Disease
(C) Rain : Cloud
(D) Brake : Car

Exercise 2 – Answer the following questions by putting a tick mark on the most appropriate choice.

1. ‘Rubber’ is to ‘tree’ as ‘gold’ is to

(A) mine
(B) ornament
(C) metal
(D) goldsmith

2. ‘Office’ is to ‘executive’, ‘home’ is to

(A) children
(B) household
(C) homely
(D) housekeeper

3. ‘Vegetation’ is to ‘barren’, ‘hair’ is to

(A) oil
(B) shampoo
(C) bald
(D) style

4. ‘Smile’ is to ‘laugh’ as ‘suggestion’ is to

(A) advice
(B) plan
(C) execution
(D) order

5. ‘Labourer’ is to ‘wages’ as ‘entrepreneur’ is to

(A) salary
(B) bonus
(C) profit
(D) incentive

6. ‘Launcher’ is to ‘missiles’ as ‘catapult’ is to

(A) stone
(B) bullet
(C) boat
(D) train

7. ‘Inert’ is to ‘static’ as ‘dynamic’ is to

(A) motor
(B) active
(C) politic
(D) mathematics

8. ‘Each’ is to ‘all’ as ‘part’ is to

(A) whole
(B) none
(C) separate
(D) many

9. ‘Square’ is to ‘diamond’ as ‘circle’ is to

(A) round
(B) smooth
(C) triangle
(D) oval

10. ‘Louvre’ is to ‘museum’ as ‘prison’ is to

(A) warden
(B) crime
(C) bastille
(D) bars

11. ‘City’ is to ‘municipal’ as ‘country’ is to

(A) federal
(B) national
(C) government
(D) democracy

12. ‘Nurse’ is to ‘Physician’ as ‘secretary’ is to

(A) executive
(B) office
(C) stenographer
(D) clerk

13. ‘Past’, is to ‘regret’ as ‘future’ is to

(A) ahead
(B) hope
(C) opportunity
(D) forecast

14. ‘Rod’ is to ‘fish’ as ‘gun’ is to

(A) shell
(B) shot
(C) bullet
(D) hunt

15. ‘Religion’ is to ‘atheist’ as ‘Pacifist’ is to

(A) object
(B) atlantis
(C) war
(D) conscience

16. ‘Awkward’ is to ‘skillful’ as ‘deft’ is to

(A) clumsy
(B) hearing
(C) blindness
(D) newt

17. ‘Sea’ is to ‘Knot’ as ‘land’ is to

(A) acre
(B) mile
(C) meter
(D) firm

18. ‘Door’ is to ‘Panel’ as ‘Window’ is to

(A) home
(B) glass
(C) pane
(D) ache

19. ‘Donkey’ is to ‘bray’ as ‘horse’ is to

(A) drive
(B) hoof
(C) saddle
(D) neigh

20. ‘Nut’ is to ‘shell’ as ‘Pea’ is to

(A) pod
(B) peel
(C) green
(D) plant

21. ‘Word’ is to ‘sentence’ as ‘sentence’ is to

(A) paragraph
(B) phrase
(C) letter
(D) comma

22. ‘Cow’ is to ‘beef’ as ‘pork’ is to

(A) buffalo
(B) pig
(C) lard
(D) steak

23. ‘Potato’ is to ‘masher’ as ‘beater’ is to

(A) winner
(B) baton
(C) egg
(D) steak

24. ‘Preamble’ is to ‘constitution’ as ‘prologue’ is to

(A) epilogue
(B) prorogue
(C) adjourn
(D) play

25. ‘Endure’ is to ‘last’ as ‘dispute’ is to

(A) repute
(B) argue
(C) impute
(D) invert

26. ‘Cavalry’ is to ‘horse’ as ‘infantry’ is to

(A) foot
(B) travel
(C) infant
(D) armory

27. ‘Poet’ is to ‘verse’ as ‘sculptor’ is to

(A) artist
(B) chisel
(C) statue
(D) stone

28. ‘Contralto’ is to ‘soprano’ as ‘baritone’ is to

(A) singer
(B) orchestra
(C) sonata
(D) tenor

29. ‘Guillotine’ is to ‘behead’ as ‘hang’ is to

(A) picture
(B) gallows
(C) punishment
(D) criminal

30. If ‘offices’ were ‘dens’ ‘officers’ would be

(A) tigers
(B) birds
(C) hunters
(D) snakes

Answers and Explanations:

(A) Rubber is obtained from trees and gold is obtained from mines.
(B) An office is meant for an executive or officer, similarly a home is meant for household.
(C) Without vegetation land becomes barren and without hair the head becomes baldish.
(D) The difference in degree.
(C) A labourer gets wages for his labour and an entrepreneur gets the profit of his business.
(A) A launcher is used to launch a missile while a catapult is used to throw a stone.
(B) Inert means static while dynamic means active.
(A) Each is a portion of all, similarly part is a portion of whole.
(D) Square and oval are alike in the sense both of them have linear surfaces whereas circle and oval are alike for their circular surfaces.
(C) Louvre is the name of the famous museum of France, similarly Bastille is the famous prison of France.
(B) Municipal is for the city only while national is for the whole country.
(A) Nurse helps a physician while the secretary helps the executive.
(B) We can express sorrow or regret for the past misdeeds but always hope for better in future.
(D) Rod is used to catch fishes while gun is used for hunting the prey.
(C) Atheist is against religion and pacifist is against war.
(A) Awkward is the opposite character of skillful, as clumsy is opposite character of deft.
(B) Distance in sea is measured in knots whereas a distance in land is measured in miles.
(C) Panel is the middle rectangular portion of the door whereas a pane is the middle rectangular portion of a window.
(D) The cry of a donkey is bray whereas the cry of a horse is neigh.
(A) Nut is covered with shell and pea is covered with pod.
(A) A word is a part of a sentence and a sentence is a part of a paragraph.
(B) The meat of cow is called beef where- as the meat of pig is called pork.
(C) Potato is to mash whereas egg is to beat.
(D) Preamble is the introduction of the constitution, similarly prologue is the introduction of a drama or play.
(B) Endure means to last long whereas dispute means to argue.
(A) Cavalry are horse-soldiers whereas infantry are foot-soldiers.
(C) A poet creates verse and a sculptor creates statue.
(D) Contralto is the opposite of soprano, similarly baritone is the opposite of tenor.
(B) As guillotine is used to behead a person, a gallows is used to hang a person.
(A) Offices are meant for officers and dens are meant for tigers.

Exercise 3 – In this type, you will find two words in capitals and four alternative words (marked A, B, C and D). You will have to find out which one of the alternatives is related in some way to both the words in capitals.

1. OIL : SNOW

(A) Stone
(B) Milk
(C) Petroleum
(D) Wax

2. STAR : TIGER

(A) Firefly
(B) Sun
(C) Lamp
(D) Bird

3. ICE : PETROL

(A) Kerosene
(B) Winter
(C) Coal
(D) Cotton

4. SUGAR : MERCURY

(A) Salt
(B) Silver
(C) Food
(D) Honey

5. CLOCK : STORM

(A) Cloud
(B) Barometer
(C) Time
(D) Computer

6. LINE : THERMOMETER

(A) Fever
(B) Grade
(C) Scale
(D) Temperature

7. TELEVISION : COCKROACH

(A) Black
(B) Light
(C) Figure
(D) Antenna

8. MILK : NORTHPOLE

(A) Bear
(B) Snow
(C) Stone
(D) Water

9. MAN : ARROW

(A) Beard
(B) Hair
(C) Bow
(D) Rod

10. IRON : CURD

(A) Copper
(B) Milk
(C) Mercury
(D) Ship

11. WOOD : LION

(A) Cot
(B) Tree
(C) Cow
(D) Colour

12. CAMPHOR : WATER

(A) Milk
(B) Spirit
(C) Wax
(D) Flower

13. PEARL : ALCOHOL

(A) Water
(B) Brandy
(C) Milk
(D) Ice

14. DAUGHTER : LEO

(A) Son
(B) Tiger
(C) Necklace
(D) Virgo

15. HAND : VICTORY

(A) Palm
(B) Country
(C) Shake
(D) Stand

16. BLOOD : WOMEN

(A) Red
(B) Vermilion
(C) Scarlet
(D) Petrol

17. COFFIN : INSIPID

(A) Taste
(B) Sugar
(C) Pall
(D) Water

18. COCKROACH : ATOM

(A) Insect
(B) Antenna
(C) Bomb
(D) Bird

19. ACE : ORANGE

(A) Lemon
(B) Jack
(C) Apple
(D) Fruit

20. BOOK : AEROPLANE

(A) Author
(B) Letter
(C) Kite
(D) Bird

Answers and Explanations:

(B) ‘Milk’ is liquid and white in colour like ‘snow’.
(A) ‘Firefly’ is an animal and twinkles like a ‘star’.
(C) ‘Coal’ is solid like ‘Ice’ but burns like ‘Petrol’.
(D) ‘Honey’ is liquid but sweet in taste.
(B) ‘Barometer’ is a measuring instrument used for forecasting ‘Storm’.
(C) ‘Scale’ is a measuring instrument measuring the length of a ‘Line’.
(D) ‘Cockroach’ has the ‘antenna’ which is also used for running a ‘television’.
(B) ‘Northpole’ is covered with ‘snow’ which is also white in colour like ‘milk’.
(A) ‘Man’ has got the ‘beard’ which is also a part of an ‘arrow’.
(C) ‘Mercury’ is a metal and white in colour like ‘curd’.
(A) ‘Cot’ is made of ‘wood’ and has got four legs like ‘lion’.
(B) ‘Spirit’ is liquid like ‘water’ and volatile like ‘camphor’.
(C) ‘Milk’ is white in colour and also liquid.
(D) ‘Virgo’ means ‘daughter’ which is also a zodiacal sign like ‘leo’.
(A) ‘Palm’ is the inner side of ‘hand’ which also means ‘victory’.
(B) ‘Vermilion’ is red in colour used by ‘women’.
(C) ‘Pall’ is the cloth for covering the ‘coffin’ and also means ‘insipid’.
(A) ‘Insect’ is a very small thing like ‘atom’ and ‘cockroach’ is an ‘insect’.
(B) ‘Jack’ is a kind of fruit like ‘orange’ and also one of the cards like ‘ace’.
(C) ‘Kite’ is made of ‘paper’ like ‘book’ and made to fly like ‘aeroplane’.

Exercise 4 – Here in each question a key group of words which bear some relation is given and followed by another four sets of words (marked A, B, C and D). You are to choose the correct group of words that bears the same relationship as the key words.

1. Ankle : Anklet : Foot

(A) Foot : Toe : Knee
(B) Wrist : Bangle : Hand
(C) Socks : Foot : Toes
(D) Figure: Shirt : Body

2. Diver : Depth : Sea

(A) Boat : Length : River
(B) Land : Crop : Farmer
(C) Paper : Books : Read
(D) Climber : Height : Mountain

3. Sky : Pilot : Aeroplane

(A) Road : Driver : Bus
(B) River : Driver : Ship
(C) Train : Passenger : Track
(D) Reader : Books : Paper

4. Trunk : Twigs : Branch

(A) Capital : State : Country
(B) Toes : Knee : Foot
(C) Arm : Fingers : Hand
(D) Room : Windows : Building

5. Humour : Laughter : Comedy

(A) Smiles : Joke : Comedy
(B) Fear : Ghost : Emotion
(C) Emotion : Tune : Music
(D) Sadness : Tears : Tragedy

6. Classroom : Pupils : Teacher

(A) Trees : Flowers : Gardener
(B) Park : Flowers : Gardener
(C) Station : Train : Porter
(D) Screen : Actor : Auditorium

7. Rope : Acrobat : Trick

(A) Guitar : Performer : Music
(B) Cook : Recipe : Food
(C) Instrument : Tune : Dance
(D) Patient : Medicine : Doctor

8. Studio : Cinema : Director

(A) Medicine : Hospital : Doctor
(B) College : Administration : Principal
(C) University : Students : Vice-Chancellor
(D) Parliament House : Delhi : Prime Minister

9. Think : Head : Brain

(A) See : Lashes : Eye
(B) Touch : Heat : Skin
(C) Chew : Mouth : Teeth
(D) Ear : Face : Hear

10. Brazil : Football : Pele

(A) Cricket : Gavaskar : India
(B) Music : India : Rabishankar
(C) India : Peas : Tennis
(D) India : Ghazal : Begam Akther

11. Plant : Gardener : Park

(A) Road : Foot Path : Street
(B) Painting : Painter : Art
(C) Book : Librarian : Library
(D) Factory : Worker : Iron

12. Hwangho : Wall : China

(A) Agra : Tajmahal : India
(B) Nile : Pyramid : Eygpt
(C) Coral Reef : Cricket : Australia
(D) Ganges : Kolkata : India

13. Globe : Orange : Football

(A) Brick : Book : Box
(B) London : America : Paris
(C) Egg : Apple : Banana
(D) Potato : Mango : Cricket

14. Sarnath : Sanchi : Gaya

(A) Ajmer : Varanasi : Mumbai
(B) Delhi : Kolkata : Dakha
(C) Varanasi : Bhopal : Patna
(D) Kanpur : Delhi : Mumbai

15. Milton : Rabindranath : Iqbal

(A) Shakespeare : Premchand : Gandhi
(B) Nehru : Madhusudan : Hitlar
(C) Homer : Surdas : Faiz
(D) Sachin : Rahul : Baichung

16. Bengali : Urdu : Tamil

(A) Telegu : Hindi : Karnatak
(B) Hindi : Assam : Gujrati
(C) Maithili : English : Kerala
(D) Mandarin : Pushto : Simhali

17. Comets : Stars : Satellites

(A) Pearl : Fish : Coral
(B) Sun : Moon : Light
(C) Tiger : Fish : Cow
(D) Ape : Man : Seal

18. Head : Arm : Tail

(A) Ear : Nose : Blood
(B) Twig : Bow : Trunk
(C) Leaf : Vein : Tree
(D) Lung : Cancer : Brain

19. Egg : Earth : Apple

(A) Fish : Meat : Sweet
(B) Potato : Bringal : Lemon
(C) Bangle : Ring : Tyre
(D) Clock : Mango : Table

20. Grandiose : Simple : Impressive

(A) Destitute : Wanton : Devoid
(B) Alleviate : Endure : Enlighten
(C) Amplify : Publicise : Decrease
(D) Aptitude : Talent : Gluttony

21. Altruism : Generosity : Misuliness

(A) Amicable: Friendly : Unescapable
(B) Antithesis : Contrast : Similarity
(C) Fitting : Inappropriate : Exponential
(D) Apprehend : Dread : Perceive

22. Hiatus : Gap : Pause

(A) Gnome : Alien : Dwarf
(B) Believer : Heretic : Pacifist
(C) Wickedness : Impiety : Irreverence
(D) Grisly : Untidy : Pleasant

23. Halcyon : Peaceful : Calm

(A) Glutton : Maitre : Epicure
(B) Glorious : Anticipatory : Gregarious
(C) Distaste : Gusto : Panic
(D) Immaculate : Spotless : Pure

24. April : June : November

(A) May : July : September
(B) January : August : December
(C) September : June : February
(D) September : October : November

25. Venus : Mercury : Earth

(A) Saturn : Pluto : Neptune
(B) Sun : Moon : Earth
(C) Jupiter : Venus : Moon
(D) Sun : Moon : Comet

Answers and Explanations:

(B) Relationship is based on ‘Part’, its ‘ornament’ and the whole’.
(D)
(A)
(C)
(D)
(B)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(C)
(B)
(A) Relation based on shape.
(C) All are holy places of a religion.
(C) All of them are poets.
(D) All three are languages.
(A) All three are found in the same place
(B) Parts of a body.
(C) All three are similar in shape.
(A) Antonym & Synonym relationship. (D) Is also correct here but the sequence is different
(B) Synonym & Antonym relationship.
(C) All are synonyms.
(D)
(B) All the months have same number of days.
(A) All these are planets.