Question

Select the word which means the opposite of the given word: Utopian
a. Practical
b. Ideal
c. Visionary
d. Native of Ethiopia

Answer 1

Hint: Antonyms are opposite words. In this case, we must find a word whose meaning is completely different than that of ‘utopian’.

Complete step-by-step answer:

As we have seen before, antonyms are also known as opposite words. Anything that is opposite differs in its meaning completely from the given word. If the word is unkind, its opposite would be a word that means being helpful and caring about other people i.e., kind. Similarly, if the word is an attack, its opposite would be a word that means to protect from danger i.e. defend.
In the given question, the word is ‘utopian’. Utopian is an adjective whose origin can be traced back to the sixteenth century. If something is utopian, it is idealistic. A utopian world is characterized by social and political conditions that are essentially perfect in nature. Now, that we know what the word means, we must find a word whose meaning is the opposite of ‘utopian’. Logically, this means that we have to find a word whose meaning is to be rooted in reality. Out of all the given options, the word practical, which means, feasible, or likely to thrive in reality, is the correct match of this opposite meaning. Hence, the option ‘a’ is the correct answer.

Note: This is a simple question with a straightforward answer. If a student has a vague idea of the meanings of the options, he/she may struggle with selecting an answer. Hence, it is important that the students know the meanings of all the words listed in their lessons and that they learn their respective antonyms.