All HSPT Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #103 : Antonyms
An antonym for erratic is __________.
variable
wrong
correct
steady
fickle
steady
Something that is erratic has no pattern and happens at unknown intervals. The word is related to the word “err” and “error,” as these words all come from a Latin base that means “to stray.” When we make an “error,” we “stray from the right path.” Something “erratic” strays from any pattern—which would be like a straight line. In contrast to something “erratic,” “steady” is an excellent antonym.
Example Question #11 : Antonyms: Verbs
An antonym for fasten is __________.
fuse
couple
unlatch
attend
reluctance
unlatch
To fasten something is to latch or attach it to something else. When you fasten a chest-strap on a book bag, you latch together two clips, joining them together at one connection point. The opposite of such an action of fastening is “unlatching,” which quite obviously means “to remove a latch or undo a latching.”
Example Question #1 : Antonyms: Verbs About Physical Changes, Movement, Or Location
An antonym for haste is __________.
slack
obtuse
delay
speed
sloth
delay
When someone is in haste, that person acts in a very speedy manner, often in an over-hurried manner. To “make haste” is to act rapidly to accomplish something. “To delay” is the opposite of making haste. While someone who is slothful or slacking might be less likely to make haste, the only direct antonym among the possible answers is “delay.”
Example Question #2 : Antonyms: Verbs About Physical Changes, Movement, Or Location
An antonym for torrent is __________.
river
trickle
licit
flow
illegal
trickle
A torrent is a very forceful movement of water. When something flows “torrentially,” it does so with great speed and quantity. In contrast to this, a trickle is a small flow of water—an apt antonym. The options “river” and “flow” mean to trap you by mere association with water. The options “illegal” and “licit” likewise are traps since the word “torrent” is associated with a type of computer file sharing method that is sometimes used in a legally questionable manner.
Example Question #107 : Antonyms
An antonym for variegated is __________.
misled
iteration
monotonous
piney
shelved
monotonous
For this word, following your hunch likely will help if you do not know the vocabulary. The primary sense of the word “variegated” is “multicolored,” particularly meaning that those colors are arranged in an irregular pattern. This is often used to describe certain types of multicolored leaves. If you saw the word “varied” in the word “variegated,” you would potentially be able to answer this without having direct knowledge of “variegated.” Only “monotonous” is sufficiently opposed to the notion of variety for our needs. Something monotonous has a single character—a single tone (color, sound, etc). It can describe a voice that does not change its pitch as well as a picture that has a single color.
Example Question #12 : Antonyms: Verbs
An antonym for dormant is __________.
poisonous
building
medicinal
toxic
active
active
When something is “dormant” it could be said to be “sleeping.” A closer meaning to the standard English usage of the word would be “inactive.” It does have a relation, however, to the notion of sleeping, as could be inferred by its relationship to the word “dormitory,” which means “sleeping room” or “building for sleeping.” In contrast with inactivity or “dormancy,” only “active” functions as an adequate antonym.
Example Question #13 : Antonyms: Verbs
An antonym for linger is __________.
depart
annoy
silence
persist
dawdle
depart
When something lingers, it remains in a given area, as when a smell lingers in the kitchen after cooking or a guest lingers for some time after dinner, talking about many things and not leaving the house; therefore, in a very broad sense, you could say that “to linger” means “to stay.” The best contrast with this among the options provided is “depart,” meaning “to leave.”
Example Question #581 : Hspt Verbal Skills
An antonym for quiescent is __________.
rabble
restful
argumentative
mob
lively
lively
The word “quiescent” is related to “quiet,” which is itself related to the Latin for “to rest or be at peace.” Something “quiescent” is at rest in the sense of not being active. For instance, a “quiescent volcano” is a volcano currently dormant or in a state of inactivity. In contrast to such inactivity, “lively” is an appropriate antonym.
Example Question #14 : Antonyms: Verbs
An antonym for seize is __________.
imprison
latch
release
grasp
attentive
release
To "seize" something is to grasp on to it, often suddenly and with force. A number of the options provided as potential answers are potential synonyms. The only antonym among them is “release.”
Example Question #15 : Antonyms: Verbs
An antonym for evolving is __________.
straight
orbit
static
rotating
fossils
static
Something that is "evolving" is changing or adapting over time. The word literally means to unroll or roll out. The “-volve” portion is the same as that which his found in “revolve” and the “e-” prefix means out. In contrast to something that is evolving, something "static" merely “stands still”; that is, it does not change. The word comes from the Latin for to stand. The “static” on a television screen is a single pattern that doesn’t seem to change (since it has no discernable pattern).