Question

Select the opposite of the given word:
Opponent
a) rival
b) enemy
c) pal
d) stranger

Answer 1

Hint: The word opponent is someone who is your competitor. You are against that person and you have to win against him. For example, every match has an opponent. In a tennis match between Federer and Nadal, they are both opponents of each other. Since we have to find the opposite of the given word, we have to find the word which means opposite to the meaning of “opponent”, which is something which means “friend”.

Complete answer:
Option a is rival. A rival is a synonym to the word opponent. We have to defeat our opponents just like we defeat our rivals. We are also always competing with our rivals. It is an incorrect option.
Option b is the enemy. The enemy is a word that is similar to the word rival. Therefore, it is not the correct answer as well.
Option c is pal. A pal is a friend. We don’t compete with our friends. They are the ones on our side and not against us. Therefore, this is the opposite of the word opponent.
Option d is a stranger. Stranger does not exactly mean an opponent but it is the opposite of the word “friend”. Therefore, it cannot be said to be the opposite of the word opponent.

Note:
Elimination is a good method to attempt such questions. Option d is not a word which is similar to the word opponent (unlike options a and b), so students might get a little confused between options c and d if they don’t know the meaning of the word “pal”.