HSPT Verbal : Synonyms

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #41 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CANDID

Possible Answers:

Caustic

Impartial

Corporal

Ubiquitous

Prevalent

Correct answer:

Impartial

Explanation:

"Candid" means impartial, open, or honest. "Caustic" means burning or sarcastic. "Corporal" means bodily or physical. "Prevalent" means accepted or widespread. "Ubiquitous" means ever-present or pervasive

Example Question #42 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

WINDFALL

Possible Answers:

Misfortune

Trip

Jackpot

Exhale

Increase

Correct answer:

Jackpot

Explanation:

"Windfall' is a noun that is defined as "an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage" or "a piece of unexpected good fortune, typically one that involves receiving a large amount of money." While "trip" may sound like a potentially correct answer because "windfall" is created from a combination of the words "wind" and "fall," "windfall" does not mean "to knock something over with wind" or have anything to do with falling, so neither "blow over" nor "trip" can be the correct answer. "Jackpot," a noun meaning "a large cash prize in a game or lottery, esp. one that accumulates until it is won," is the closest synonym to "windfall" amongst the listed answer choices, so it is the correct answer.

Example Question #43 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

BEWILDER

Possible Answers:

Anger

Blind

Confuse

Vex

Collide

Correct answer:

Confuse

Explanation:

Although “bewilder” is a verb, we often use it in its perfect passive participle form, “bewildered,” or in its present active participle form, “bewildering.” When it is used in the former sense, it means perplexed or confused. For example, we can say, “He was utterly bewildered by the questions being asked by the child, for he could only understand the sorts of questions asked by people who were his own age.” When used as a verb, “bewilder” merely means to cause confusion or perplexity. For example, one could say, “Questions bewilder the man and make him extremely confused and angry.”

Example Question #71 : Synonyms: Verbs About Communicating, Arguing, And Understanding

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

VACILLATE

Possible Answers:

Reflect

Swagger

Hesitate

Decide

Teeter

Correct answer:

Hesitate

Explanation:

The word “vacillate” is akin to “oscillate,” meaning “to sway or swing.” In the case of vacillate the “swinging to and fro” is implied as being between two options. It is a person who vacillates, not a pendulum. For this reason, it means something like “hesitate” or to be “ambivalent or undecided.” For example, you could say, “After considering both sides of the argument, Maria could not help but vacillate between choosing either option, for both seemed very appealing.

Example Question #44 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ABATE

Possible Answers:

Reject

Spurn

Leave

Disown

Diminish

Correct answer:

Diminish

Explanation:

The word “abate” most directly means to become less intense. For instance, one could say, “Although Robert was quite angry at his friends, with time, this emotion abated, being replaced with a much calmer state of mind.” In its English origins, the word had a legal usage meaning to put a stop to. Since “abate” distantly has a root in the Latin for to beat, the word could be taken (in a broader sense) as indicating the beating back of something intense.

Example Question #45 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

OVERWROUGHT

Possible Answers:

Inconsistent

Anxious

Jittery

Overactive

Annoying

Correct answer:

Anxious

Explanation:

When someone is “overwrought,” that person is excited or anxious. While that might cause someone to be jittery or even annoying, the best option among those given is the mere direct definition, “anxious.” The word would be used in a sentence like, “Having arrived at the long-feared day, Jonathan was so overwrought that he could not even sleep because of his agitated nerves.”

Example Question #63 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PRODIGAL

Possible Answers:

Amazing

Wasteful

Famous

Talented

Gluttonous

Correct answer:

Wasteful

Explanation:

You might confuse “prodigal” with “prodigy” or “prodigious.” The former means “being very talented,” especially when that person is very young. For instance, one can speak of Mozart as being a “child prodigy,” having shown great musical talent from his youth. Something “prodigious” is impressive and of great magnitude. When something is “prodigal,” it is “great” in the sense of being wasteful. The Biblical story about the “Prodigal Son” is about a son who spends all of his money wastefully before coming home to seek forgiveness. He is called “prodigal” because of this wastefulness.

Example Question #64 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

SAGACIOUS

Possible Answers:

Complaisant

Barefaced

Arrogant

Astute

Effluent

Correct answer:

Astute

Explanation:

"Sagacious" and "astute" both mean smart or judicious. "Arrogant" means haughty or overly proud. "Barefaced" means shameless or open. "Complaisant" means agreeable or easy-going. "Effluent" means drainage or outflow

Example Question #46 : Synonyms

Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

MUNDANE

Possible Answers:

Plausible

Exciting

Boring

Common

Intelligent

Correct answer:

Common

Explanation:

The definition of "mundane" is everyday or ordinary, making "common" the only possible choice.

Example Question #13 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, And Variety

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PLATITUDINOUS

Possible Answers:

Annoying

Unhelpful

Boring

Tedious

Overused

Correct answer:

Overused

Explanation:

You might be more familiar with the word “platitude” than with “platitudinous.” The former is the related noun form of the same base. A “platitude” is an expression, often moral in nature, that has been so overused that it has lost its meaning. You might know someone who recites such expressions as, “Everything happens for a reason.” Such remarks either tell you nothing or often just frustrate you when horrible things happen. They provide little consolation or direction. Although a “platitudinous” expression could be called “annoying,” it is most properly said to be something “overused.” The annoyance follows on the fact that overuse has totally shorn it of its meaning and significance.

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