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English Grammar - Synonyms and Antonyms: 27 MCQs with Answers

Synonyms and Antonyms - English Grammar
English Grammar - Synonyms and Antonyms

English Grammar- Synonyms and Antonyms

Vocabulary based multiple choice questions on synonyms and antonyms with answers and detailed explanations for teaching eligibility tests.
10 min read 27 Questions

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Q1. Which word in the passage means "strict" ?

Direction (Q. No. 51 to 60) : Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow — The third great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its knowledge. Science has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them like small children. For example, we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be man's servants; yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters. Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed with coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and they must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work, or burst with rage, and blow up, and spread ruin and destruction all round them. So we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to work or play without the machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals. And this brings me to the point at which I asked, "What do we do with all the time and energy that the machines have saved for us?" The answer, I think, is that we should try to become more civilized. For the machines themselves, and the power which the machines have given us, are not civilization but aids to civilization. But you will remember that we agreed at the beginning that being civilized meant making and liking beautiful things, thinking freely, and living rightly and maintaining justice equally between man and man. Man has a better chance today to do these things than he ever had before; he has more time, more energy, less to fear and less to fight against.

Right Answer: stern

Explanation:

The passage describes machines as very stern masters, immediately explaining that they must be fed with coal, given petrol to drink and kept at exactly the right temperature, failing which they refuse to work. The word stern means severe, strict or unyielding in demanding obedience, which fits this description precisely. Temper refers to a state of mind or mood, rage means violent anger, and sulky means silently resentful or bad-tempered. Only stern carries the sense of strictness required by the question. Hence option (3) is the correct answer.
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Q2. Find the closest antonym of "cheerful" in the passage :

Direction (Q. No. 51 to 60) : Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow — The third great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its knowledge. Science has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them like small children. For example, we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be man's servants; yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters. Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed with coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and they must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work, or burst with rage, and blow up, and spread ruin and destruction all round them. So we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to work or play without the machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals. And this brings me to the point at which I asked, "What do we do with all the time and energy that the machines have saved for us?" The answer, I think, is that we should try to become more civilized. For the machines themselves, and the power which the machines have given us, are not civilization but aids to civilization. But you will remember that we agreed at the beginning that being civilized meant making and liking beautiful things, thinking freely, and living rightly and maintaining justice equally between man and man. Man has a better chance today to do these things than he ever had before; he has more time, more energy, less to fear and less to fight against.

Right Answer: sulky

Explanation:

Cheerful means bright, good-humoured and willingly pleasant. In the passage the author writes that if machines do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work. Sulky describes a silent, resentful and bad-tempered state, which is the direct opposite of being cheerful. Ruin refers to destruction, refuse is a verb meaning to decline, and fear denotes dread — none of these is an antonym of a word describing mood. Sulky is therefore the closest antonym available in the passage, and option (1) is correct.
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Q3. The word 'pious' means :

Right Answer: religious and moral

Explanation:

The adjective 'pious' is used for a person who is deeply devoted to religion and follows moral and virtuous conduct in daily life. It carries a positive sense of reverence, devotion and righteousness, as in a pious woman or a pious deed. The other choices are unrelated in meaning: 'worthless' means having no value, 'liberal' means generous or open minded and tolerant of other views, and 'traitor' means a person who betrays his own country or friends. Hence 'religious and moral' correctly explains the word pious.
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Q4. The synonym of 'Filthy' is :

Right Answer: dirty

Explanation:

A synonym is a word that carries nearly the same meaning as another word. The adjective 'filthy' describes something extremely dirty, unclean or disgusting, as in a filthy room or filthy clothes, and it can also mean morally offensive. Among the given choices, 'dirty' expresses this sense most closely. The other options are unrelated: 'weak' means lacking strength, 'fluffy' means soft and light like wool or feathers, and 'strong' is in fact opposite in sense to weak. Hence the correct synonym of filthy is dirty.
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Q5. The antonym of 'adversity' is :

Right Answer: prosperity

Explanation:

An antonym is a word opposite in meaning. The noun 'adversity' means a state of hardship, misfortune or difficulty in life, as in the proverb that a friend in need is a friend indeed during adversity. Its natural opposite is 'prosperity', which denotes success, wealth and good fortune. The remaining options are close in sense to adversity rather than opposite to it: 'discord' means disagreement, 'scarcity' means shortage, and 'misery' means great distress. Hence the correct antonym of adversity is prosperity.
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Q6. Synonym of 'hate' is :

Right Answer: dislike

Explanation:

The word 'hate' means to feel a strong dislike or aversion towards someone or something. Among the given options, 'dislike' carries almost the same sense and is therefore its closest synonym, although 'hate' expresses a much stronger degree of feeling. 'Docile' means obedient and easy to manage; 'creep' means to move slowly and quietly, or an unpleasant person; and 'anger' is a temporary emotional state of displeasure rather than a settled aversion. Since a synonym must match the meaning and not merely the emotion, 'dislike' is the correct answer.

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Q7. Antonym of 'Cool' is :

Right Answer: Hot

Explanation:

The correct answer is 'Hot'. An antonym is a word opposite in meaning, and the natural opposite of 'cool' on the temperature scale is 'hot'. 'Cold' is not the best answer because cold and cool lie on the same side of the scale, cold being simply a more intense degree of coolness. 'Colder' and 'warmer' are comparative forms, and a positive degree word should be matched with another word in the positive degree. Since the question asks for a direct opposite of the same degree, 'Hot' is correct.

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Q8. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their synonyms in column ‘B’ and choose the correct option :

‘A’
a. Garrulous
b. Gibberish
c. Gregarious
d. Gigantic

‘B’
i. Talkative
ii. Sociable
iii. Immense
iv. Unintelligible speech or writing

Right Answer: a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii

Explanation:

Garrulous describes a person who talks a great deal, especially about unimportant things, so its synonym is talkative. Gibberish means speech or writing that is rapid, confused and impossible to understand, hence unintelligible speech or writing. Gregarious describes someone who enjoys the company of others and, of animals, those that live in flocks or herds, so it corresponds to sociable. Gigantic means of enormous size, and its synonym here is immense. All four words happen to begin with the letter g, which is what makes the set a convenient vocabulary exercise.

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Q9. Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word: PERFIDIOUS

Right Answer: Treacherous

Explanation:

The word 'perfidious' is an adjective that describes a person who deliberately breaks faith or betrays trust. It comes from the Latin 'perfidia', meaning faithlessness. A perfidious ally is one who secretly works against you while pretending loyalty. Among the given options, 'treacherous' carries exactly this sense of betrayal and deceit, so it is the correct synonym. The other three choices are antonyms rather than synonyms: 'honest', 'faithful' and 'loyal' all describe trustworthy behaviour, which is the opposite of what 'perfidious' means. Hence the correct answer is Treacherous.
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Q10. Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word: Perfidious

Right Answer: Loyal

Explanation:

'Perfidious' means deceitful and untrustworthy, describing someone who betrays the confidence placed in them. An antonym must therefore express faithfulness and reliability. Among the options, 'loyal' means firm and constant in allegiance, which is the direct opposite of perfidious behaviour, so it is the correct answer. The remaining options move in the wrong direction: 'betraying', 'faithless' and 'treacherous' are all close synonyms of perfidious rather than antonyms, since each describes disloyalty or breach of trust. Candidates should note that three of the four options being synonyms is a common trap. Hence the answer is Loyal.
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Published: 27 July 2026 | Last Updated: 03 September 2026 |

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Deepak - Educational Content Creator

Written by Deepak

Educational Content Creator

I am an educational content creator dedicated to making learning simple, engaging, and accessible for students preparing for competitive exams. He specializes in creating high-quality study materials, including notes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), previous year question papers, practice tests, and exam-oriented resources.

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