Question

Choose the antonym of the word given below:
Ancient
a. Old
b. Antique
c. Modern
d. Prehistoric

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘Ancient’ means something which is very old, almost prehistoric. It does not exist anymore.

Complete Answer:
Antonym means the opposite. So we have to choose a word which means opposite to ‘old’. The opposite of old is ‘modern.’ For example, in modern times, everyone uses a mobile phone, while in ancient times, people used to communicate with each other via letters. All the other options, which are ‘old’, ‘antique’ and ‘prehistoric’, are all similar to the meaning of ‘ancient’.
Thus, the correct answer is option c.
Option a, which is ‘old’, is similar in meaning to ‘ancient’. It is a synonym of ‘ancient’ and not an antonym. Thus, it is incorrect.
Option b is also a synonym of ‘ancient’. Antique means something which is so old that it is precious since only a few of its kind exists. Thus, option b is also a synonym and hence, incorrect.
Option d, ‘prehistoric’, means something which is so old that even history records have not recorded it. For example, many archeologists find prehistoric fossils. ‘Prehistoric’ is also a synonym of ‘ancient’ and is thus a wrong answer.

Note: When more than one option seems to be the correct answer, the meaning of the word which is closer to the opposite of the meaning of the given word should be selected. Therefore, all the options should be carefully assessed.