English Language

Vocabulary and Synonyms

18,261 Questions

Vocabulary and synonyms are essential components of English language sections across competitive exams. This topic tests word associations, context meanings, and precise vocabulary skills. Regular practice helps test takers score higher in SSC, banking, and railway recruitment tests.

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Vocabulary and Synonyms Questions

Multiple choice

Which of these is NOT a type of speech act, as defined by J.L. Austin?

  1. Constative

  2. Performative

  3. Commissive

  4. Assertive
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Assertive is not a type of speech act according to Austin's theory.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a type of semantic relation?

  1. Synonymy

  2. Antonymy

  3. Hyponymy

  4. Anaphora
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Anaphora is a type of discourse relation, not a semantic relation. It refers to the use of a pronoun or other referring expression to refer back to a previously mentioned entity in the discourse.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe a person who is Deaf but has some residual hearing?

  1. Deaf

  2. Hard of Hearing

  3. Late-Deafened

  4. Deafened
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Hard of Hearing is the term used to describe a person who is Deaf but has some residual hearing.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of an affect?

  1. Joy

  2. Sadness

  3. Anger

  4. A racing heart
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A racing heart is an example of an affect, which is a raw, unmediated bodily response to a stimulus. Joy, sadness, and anger are examples of emotions, which are more complex, cognitive experiences that involve interpretation and evaluation of the affect.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of an emotion?

  1. A smile

  2. A frown

  3. A tear

  4. A feeling of guilt
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A feeling of guilt is an example of an emotion, which is a more complex, cognitive experience that involves interpretation and evaluation of the affect. A smile, a frown, and a tear are examples of affects, which are raw, unmediated bodily responses to a stimulus.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a display rule?

  1. Smiling when you are happy

  2. Crying when you are sad

  3. Laughing when you are nervous

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Display rules are cultural norms that dictate how emotions should be expressed in different situations.

Multiple choice

What is the tone of "In Time of 'The Breaking of Nations'"?

  1. Optimistic

  2. Pessimistic

  3. Nostalgic

  4. Romantic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The tone of "In Time of 'The Breaking of Nations'" is pessimistic.

Multiple choice

What is the tone of "The Darkling Thrush"?

  1. Optimistic

  2. Pessimistic

  3. Nostalgic

  4. Romantic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The tone of "The Darkling Thrush" is optimistic.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word in a sentence that is different from its literal meaning?

  1. Metaphor

  2. Metonymy

  3. Synecdoche

  4. Personification
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A metaphor is a figure of speech that uses a word or phrase in a non-literal sense in order to suggest a comparison between two things. Metonymy is the use of a word or phrase to refer to something that is closely associated with it, synecdoche is the use of a part to refer to the whole or vice versa, and personification is the attribution of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word or phrase that has the same meaning as another word or phrase?

  1. Synonym

  2. Antonym

  3. Homonym

  4. Paronym
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same meaning as another word or phrase. An antonym is a word or phrase that has the opposite meaning of another word or phrase, a homonym is a word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning, and a paronym is a word that is similar in spelling or pronunciation to another word but has a different meaning.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word or phrase that has a similar meaning to another word or phrase?

  1. Synonym

  2. Antonym

  3. Homonym

  4. Paronym
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A paronym is a word that is similar in spelling or pronunciation to another word but has a different meaning. A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same meaning as another word or phrase, an antonym is a word or phrase that has the opposite meaning of another word or phrase, and a homonym is a word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word or phrase that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning?

  1. Synonym

  2. Antonym

  3. Homonym

  4. Paronym
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A homonym is a word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning. A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same meaning as another word or phrase, an antonym is a word or phrase that has the opposite meaning of another word or phrase, and a paronym is a word that is similar in spelling or pronunciation to another word but has a different meaning.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word or phrase that is ambiguous or has multiple meanings?

  1. Homonym

  2. Polysemous

  3. Ambiguous

  4. Equivocal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Polysemous is the term for the use of a word or phrase that has multiple meanings. A homonym is a word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning, ambiguous is a word or phrase that has multiple possible meanings, and equivocal is a word or phrase that is vague or ambiguous.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word or phrase that is vague or ambiguous?

  1. Homonym

  2. Polysemous

  3. Ambiguous

  4. Equivocal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Equivocal is the term for the use of a word or phrase that is vague or ambiguous. A homonym is a word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning, polysemous is the use of a word or phrase that has multiple meanings, and ambiguous is a word or phrase that has multiple possible meanings.

Multiple choice

What is the term for the use of a word or phrase that is not literal or straightforward?

  1. Figurative language

  2. Literal language

  3. Plain language

  4. Technical language
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Figurative language is the use of words or phrases that are not literal or straightforward in order to create a particular effect. Literal language is the use of words or phrases in their ordinary, everyday sense, plain language is language that is easy to understand, and technical language is language that is used in a particular field or profession.