Select the word opposite in meaning to the word SCARCE.
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Correct answer: (B) Plentiful
Explanation
SCARCE means rare or insufficient; the opposite is plentiful.
BPSC TRE · English
Synonyms & Antonyms Previous Year Questions
12 Synonyms & Antonyms (English) questions asked in BPSC TRE previous year papers, each with the correct answer and explanation. Read them free on UTpaper, or attempt the full papers as timed online tests.
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Other English topics
Select the most appropriate word which is similar in meaning of the word CONVENTIONAL.
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Correct answer: (D) More than one of the above
Explanation
CONVENTIONAL means following accepted custom; both Classical and Traditional come close, so more than one option fits.
Select the most appropriate word which is similar in meaning of the word VAGUE.
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Correct answer: (A) Obscure
Explanation
VAGUE means unclear; Obscure is the closest synonym.
Directions (Q. Nos. 141 – 145): In this section each sentence consists of a word or a phrase which is underlined. Select the word of phrase which is closely opposite in meaning to the underlined word or phrase :
The general did not divulge the secret. (underlined: divulge)
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Correct answer: (C) conceal
Explanation
'Divulge' means to reveal, so its opposite is 'conceal'.
Directions (Q. Nos. 141 – 145): In this section each sentence consists of a word or a phrase which is underlined. Select the word of phrase which is closely opposite in meaning to the underlined word or phrase :
He glanced through the letter perfunctorily. (underlined: perfunctorily)
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Correct answer: (C) Carefully
Explanation
'Perfunctorily' means carelessly, so its opposite is 'carefully'.
Directions (Q. Nos. 141 – 145): In this section each sentence consists of a word or a phrase which is underlined. Select the word of phrase which is closely opposite in meaning to the underlined word or phrase :
He was exhausted by the efforts on the field. (underlined: exhausted)
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Correct answer: (E) None of the above
Explanation
'Exhausted' is close in meaning to fatigued, tired and broken; none of the options is an opposite.
Directions (Q. Nos. 141 – 145): In this section each sentence consists of a word or a phrase which is underlined. Select the word of phrase which is closely opposite in meaning to the underlined word or phrase :
The man was reprimanded by his family for stealing. (underlined: reprimanded)
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Correct answer: (C) praised
Explanation
'Reprimanded' means scolded, so the opposite is 'praised'.
Directions (Q. Nos. 141 – 145): In this section each sentence consists of a word or a phrase which is underlined. Select the word of phrase which is closely opposite in meaning to the underlined word or phrase :
The speaker had a superficial knowledge of the subject. (underlined: superficial)
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Correct answer: (A) Deep
Explanation
'Superficial' means shallow, so the opposite is 'deep'.
questions that follow. It is a cold night in December and in a remote village, an old storyteller is sitting by
the hearth-fire with a group of students who have come home for the winter holidays. They love visiting her to listen to her stories, but tonight Granny is not her usual chirpy self; she looks much older and seems to be agitated over something. One of the boys asks her whether she is not feeling well and tells her that if so, they can come back another night. But instead of answering the question, the old woman starts talking and tells them that on a certain night a peculiar wind blows through the village, which seems to start from the region of the graveyard and which sounds like a hymn. She also tells them that tonight is that kind of a night. At first the youngsters are skeptical and tell her that they cannot hear anything and that such things are not possible, but the old woman rebukes them by saying that they are not paying attention to what is happening around them. She tells them that youngsters of today have forgotten how to listen to the voice of the earth and the wind. They feel chastised and make a show of straining their ears to listen more attentively and to their utter surprise, they hear the beginning of a low hum in the distance. They listen for some time and tell her, almost in triumph, that they can hear only an eerie sound. ‘No’, the storyteller almost shouts, ‘Listen carefully. Tonight is the anniversary of that dreadful Sunday.’ There is a death-like silence in the room and some of them begin to look uneasy because they too had heard vague rumours of army atrocities that took place in the village on a Sunday long before they were born. Storyteller and audience strain to listen more attentively and suddenly a strange thing happens : as the wind whirls past the house, it increases in volume and for the briefest of moments, seems to hover above the house. Then it resumes its whirling as though hurrying away to other regions beyond human habitation. The young people are stunned because they hear the new element in the volume and a certain uncanny lilt lingers on in the wake of its departure. The old woman jumps up from her seat and looking at each one in turn asks, ‘You heard it, didn’t you? Didn’t I tell you? It was Apenyo’s last song’ and she hums a tune softly, almost to herself. The youngsters cannot deny that they heard the note but are puzzled because they do not know what she is talking about. As the old woman stands apart humming the tune, they look at her with wonder. There is a peculiar glow on her face and she seems to have changed into a new self, more alive and animated than earlier. After a while a young girl timidly approaches her and asks, ‘Grandmother, what are you talking about? Whose last song?’
The old storyteller whips around and surveys the group as though seeing them for the first time. She then heaves a deep sigh and with infinite sadness in her voice, spreads her arms wide and whispers, ‘You have not heard about that song? You do not know about Apenyo? Then come and listen carefully ...’
Thus, on a cold December night in a remote village, an old storyteller gathers the young of the land around the leaping flames of a hearth and squats on the bare earth among them to pass on the story of that Black Sunday when a young and beautiful singer sang her last song even as one more Naga village began weeping for her ravaged and ruined children.
[An extract from ‘The Last Song’ in These Hills Called Home, by Temsula Ao, Penguin Books, New Delhi : 2006, p.31–33]
Pick out a synonym for the word ‘rebuke’ from the extract.
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Correct answer: (A) Chastised
Explanation
To 'rebuke' is to scold; the passage says the old woman rebukes them and they 'feel chastised', so 'chastised' (A) is the synonym.
Directions (Q. Nos. 86 to 95) : Choose the correct option of the following questions.
The antonym of the word ‘scurrilous’ is
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Correct answer: (D) More than one of the above
Explanation
'Scurrilous' means coarse and abusive; its opposite is decent or moderate, so more than one fits: (D).
Which one of the following is the antonym of the word 'Acrimony'?
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Correct answer: (B) Benevolence
Explanation
Acrimony means bitterness or ill feeling. Its antonym is benevolence (goodwill); bitterness is a synonym and inhumanity is unrelated.
What is synonym of the word 'Endowment'?
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Correct answer: (D) More than one of the above
Explanation
An endowment is a gift of money or property, such as a bequest, given to provide a benefit or income. The key accepts both 'Benefit' and 'Bequest', so the answer is (D).
How to use these BPSC TRE English questions
Every question here was asked in a real BPSC TRE paper; the paper and shift are shown on the card, and the number opens the question on its own page. Try each one before tapping Show answer, then attempt the full BPSC TRE papers as timed tests to check your speed under exam conditions.