Synonyms & Antonyms

At a glance 10 rules

1. 1Same sense, same jobA synonym must match the sense the sentence uses and the same part of speech. Put your choice back in the sentence; it must still read right.
2. 2Second meaningsExams love a common word in a rarer sense: to 'qualify' a claim is to limit it, to 'check' anger is to hold it back. Read the sentence first.
3. 3Clue wordsContrast words (despite, but, unlike) flip the meaning, restatements (and, a colon, 'that is') repeat it, and 'so' or 'because' show cause.
4. 4Charge firstDecide from the sentence whether the word is positive or negative, then strike every option with the wrong charge before weighing the rest.
5. 5Shade and toneNear-synonyms differ in tone: 'slim' praises, 'skinny' criticises; 'thorough' praises, 'fussy' criticises. Match the tone the sentence needs.
6. 6Match the strengthA synonym must match how strong the word is: to mitigate a problem is to ease it, not remove it; to abhor is to detest, not just dislike.
7. 7Antonyms: strike the synonymAntonym options usually carry a synonym of the word as bait. Strike it first, then any word that is merely unrelated.
8. 8Antonym of this senseFix the sense, then find its opposite: a hard question is opposed by easy, a hard pillow by soft.
9. 9Three alike, all wrongIf three options mean the same thing, none of them can be the one answer, so the odd one out is the key.
10. 10Match the columnsLock the pair you are surest of, strike every option without it, then confirm with a second sure pair.