Question

Choose the word/phrase which is opposite in meaning to the italicized word/phrase in the sentence.

Last month tomatoes were quite cheap.

a. Inexpensive

b. Costly

c. Insufficient

d. Less

Answer 1

Hint: In this case, we must find a word whose meaning is completely different than that of ‘cheap’.

Complete solution:

Opposite words are also referred to as antonyms. Anything that is opposite differs in its meaning completely from the given word. If the word is open, its opposite would be a word that implies something that isn’t open i.e., closed. Similarly, if the word is harsh, its opposite would be a word that implies gentleness i.e. mild.

In the given question, the word is ‘cheap’. Cheap is an adjective. If something is cheap, it is low in price and relatively affordable. Now that we know what the word means, we must find a word whose meaning is the opposite of ‘cheap’. Logically, this means that we have to find a word whose meaning is costing a lot of money. Out of all the given options, the word costly, which means high in price, is the correct match of this opposite meaning. 

Hence, option ‘b’ is the correct answer.

Note: Let us consider the problematic areas of this question. It is important that the student reads the question carefully and understands the direction given. If a student mistakes a synonym for an antonym, he/she may choose the option ‘a’ inexpensive instead of choosing the correct antonym which is costly. Therefore, understanding the direction given in the question is very important.