Closest in meaning
The paper gives a word in capitals and five others. One means nearly the same. Another is often its opposite, put there to catch a quick reader.
What the question looks like
HAPPY
How Thena would solve it
Put the word in capitals into a short sentence of your own.
I was happy at the party.
Try each option in its place. Glad keeps the meaning. Sad fits the sentence too, but it says the opposite.
I was glad at the party.
I was sad at the party.
Angry, tired and hungry are feelings as well, but none of them means happy. The answer is glad.
Answer: glad
The usual mistakes
Picking the opposite
Opposites come from the same family of words. Check the word means the same, not the reverse.
Picking a word that goes with it
Party goes with happy but doesn’t mean happy. Put the option in the word’s place.
Misreading the capitals
Read the word in capitals letter by letter: AMBLE is not ANKLE.
Try ten
Ten closest in meaning questions
A new set every time, marked when you finish.
Have paper and a pencil ready for working out.
Questions parents ask
How do you answer Closest in meaning questions?
Put the word in capitals into a sentence of your own, then try each option in its place. The one that keeps the meaning is the answer. Watch for the opposite, which is often one of the options.
More in what words mean
- Opposite meaningsThe word most nearly opposite, not the same.
- Two odd ones outThe two words that don’t go with the other three.
- Word analogies"A is to B as C is to?", said as a sentence.
- One word, two meaningsOne word that fits two pairs with different meanings.
All 21 kinds of verbal reasoning question
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