What the questions test
| Type | Task | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | Choose the word closest in meaning | Frugal: thrifty |
| Antonyms | Choose the opposite | Transient: permanent |
| One-word substitution | One word for a phrase | A person who speaks many languages: polyglot |
| Idioms and phrases | Meaning of a phrase | To bite the bullet: to face a difficulty bravely |
| Words in context | Meaning as used in a sentence | Studiedly neutral: deliberately neutral |
| Sentence completion | Fill the best word | Despite the rain, the match ___ as planned (continued) |
How to learn words so that they stay
- Meet words in sentences, from editorials and good writing.
- Guess from context, then check the meaning.
- Record the word with its sentence, meaning and a sentence of your own.
- Note the family: noun, verb and adjective forms and common partners.
- Review on a schedule after 1, 3, 7 and 21 days.
See vocabulary building that sticks and spaced repetition.
Worked examples
Example 1 (synonym). Candid means frank or open. A sentence: "She gave a candid assessment of the plan."
Example 2 (antonym). Benevolent means kind; its antonym is malevolent. Roots help: bene- is good and mal- is bad.
Example 3 (one word). A person who is present everywhere at the same time: omnipresent. A government by the people: democracy. One who loves mankind: philanthropist.
Example 4 (idiom). "A blessing in disguise" means something that seems bad but turns out well.
Example 5 (context). "The politician's remarks were quite cryptic." Cryptic means having a hidden or unclear meaning; the other words would not fit, because "quite" here modifies a quality of the remarks, not their tone.
Example 6 (confusable words). Affect (verb: to influence) and effect (noun: a result); stationary (not moving) and stationery (writing materials); principal (main) and principle (a rule).
Strategies for the question types
- Synonyms and antonyms: check the part of speech and tone; "frugal" and "stingy" are near but not the same.
- Idioms: learn them with their meaning in a sentence; literal reading misleads.
- Context questions: read the whole sentence and substitute each option.
- Elimination: remove options with the wrong tone or part of speech first.
Common traps
- Choosing a word that is related but not a synonym.
- Ignoring the part of speech.
- Learning one meaning of a word that has several.
- Memorising long lists without sentences.
A daily routine (15 minutes)
- Five minutes: read one editorial paragraph and note two unknown words.
- Five minutes: record them with sentences.
- Five minutes: review cards due today and answer five practice questions.
Where it appears
Vocabulary questions appear in banking English, SSC CGL English, MAT Language Comprehension, CUET language papers and, in context, in CLAT English. Pair this with grammar practice and a daily reading routine.
Practice tests below are published by institutes and educators on TestMint.
