Synonyms and Antonyms

The Civil Service exam vocabulary section is tough and difficult for many because you know, many of us Filipinos struggle when it comes to “English”. The CSC Exam has a lot of items pertaining to both Filipino and English vocabulary so if you plan on passing the test, you’re gonna have to do a lot of synonyms and antonyms memorization. Don’t worry though as this section of CS Reviewer will help you remember some of the commonly used terms in these type of exams. But first, a really short introduction to Synonyms and Antonyms.

And that’s exactly it. A synonym is a word or a phrase that means exactly or nearly the same of the given word. Here are some basic examples;

• big = large, huge, massive
• gift = reward, present, award

An antonym on the other hand, would be the opposite meaning of something;

• high = low
• easy = hard
• smooth = rough

Oftentimes, the set of choices of answers that will be given to you in the Civil Service Exam seems all the same. One thing to look out for when dealing with synonyms are conjunction words. “so”, “nor”, “for”, “yet”, “or”, “but”, “and” are the words to look out for. These will be your clues in determining which answer is the best.

Synonyms Test Questions

Here are some CSC exam exercises for synonyms and antonyms. Make sure to follow the instructions correctly.

From the list of choices, choose the best word that is most similar in meaning to the underlined word in each of the sentences.

1. Her silence was taken as tacit agreement.

1. general      b. hostile      c. implied      d. overt

2. It’s hard to find a vacant space in the parking lot because many vehicles were parked already.

1. none      b. a lot      c. some      d. few

3. When the leadership changed, his position in the organization became precarious.

1. important      b. exalted.      c. secure      d. uncertain

4. Teenagers are easily susceptible to peer influence especially on social media.

1. dependable      b. inspired      c. inclined      d. flexible

5. We were irritated by the jarring noise of the iron gate scraping on the sidewalk.

1. turned      b. invert      c. cacophonous      d. attentive

6. Reading sentences without understanding their meaning is futile.

1. useless      b. helpless      c. avoidable      d. unnecessary

7. The teacher berated his students.

1. supervised      b. reproached      c. advised      d. praised

8. Had no intention or wish to provoke a massive gang war.

1. incite      b. resist      c. frighten      d. end

9. This is not an exhaustive list of collocations.

1. tiring      b. adequate      c. useful      d. complete

10. The couple wears gold but people knows how ostentatious they can be.

1. gorgeous      b. rebellious      c. ambitious      d.pretentious

11. When he saw the result of his actions, he knew that he made a big blunder.

1. dummy      b. turk      c. error      d. move

12. Tommy likes to do things that the elders forbid. That’s why he is considered the rascal of the town.

1. rogue      b. young person      c. bully      d. gang member

13. She is having a hard time finding a way out of the labyrinth.

1. town      b. garden      c. maze      d. castle

14. Jake’s family wants to leave the country because of the ominous experience they are having.

1. ugly      b.threatening      c. memorable      d. remarkable

15. He is a wine connoisseur and can tell a good wine by just having a sip.

1. drinker      b. manufacturer      c. expert      d. seller

16. The children loves to frolic in the beach every morning.

1. sunbathe      b. crawl      c. take pictures      d. play cheerfully

17. Mother has always been adamant in eating breakfast before going to school.

1. resolute      b. clueless      c. forgetful      d. uncertain

18. His magnetic personality drives every girl in the campus to go crazy over him.

1. very handsome      b. very attractive      c. very intelligent      d. very masculine

19. Nobody could relate to the grotesque artwork that was displayed in the museum.

1. beautiful      b. colorful      c. different      d. weird

20. She was able to walk away from the accident unscathed.

1. without any noise      b. without any difficulty      c. without any injury      d. without any obstacle

Antonyms Test Questions

For this next set of exercises, choose the best word that is the opposite of the underlined word in the sentences from the given set of options.

21. What seems like a convenient shortcut may prove to be very ________ in the long run.

1. inconvenient      b. easy      c. costly      d. hazardous

22. Everybody wants to listen to a wise man but no one wants to pay attention to an ________ man.

1. brave      b. ignorant      c. boastful      d. humble

23. Gold and silver are both expensive metals but iron is ________.

1. extravagant      b. rare      c. cheap      d. important

24. Jason’s job application was accepted. Sadly, mine was ______.

1. reviewed      b. rejected      c. forwarded      d. on hold

25. The professor tried to make her student confident but the young man still looked ________.

1. serious      b. nervous      c. arrogant      d. diffident

26. The sports team failed to qualify in the first two attempts but ________ in their third try.

1. aborted      b. continued      c. succeeded      d. retreated

27. My friend often visits me even though I ________ go to his house.

1. seldom      b. regularly      c. usually      d. time and again

28. Michelle’s sister is brave and bold while she is ________ and feeble.

1. confident      b. timid      c. calm      d. proud

29. Most airplanes consume more fuel while ascending compared to when they are _________.

1. soaring      b. descending      c. declining      d. escalating

30. Their coach told them to practice so they could win but since the team relaxed, many predicted that they will ________ the game.

1. tie      b. lose      c. forfeit      d. draw

31. When I asked you to search for a new basketball player, I thought you’d find a tall guy, not a ________ guy.

1. wide      b. fat      c. short      d. slow

32. When it comes to money, Nina is thrifty while Anna is _______.

1. prudent      b. canny      c. avaricious      d. extravagant

33. Ciara is repulsive and and always speaks sordid words, straying away from her mother’s ________ personality.

1. pleasing      b. vile      c. despicable      d. appaling

34. She stood by the window and watched another majestic sunset. A far cry from the ________ view of her former address.

1. awesome      b. weird      c. shabby      d. cool

35. The portability of cassettes and CDs are ancient compared to the ________ digital format.

1. archaic      b. new      c. bygone      d. aged

36. Instead of giving a distinct answer, she chose to give a ________ reply to the question.

1. vague      b. clear      c. constant      d. correct

37. It was hard to maintain our equanimity during the storm. Everybody is in some kind of ________ and anxiety.

1. excitement      b. assurance      c. poise      d. agitation

38. Although he was reticent to talk about his private life, he decided to be ________ and reveal his two marriages to the press.

1. boastful      b. unspeaking      c. communicative      d. silent

39. In this modern era, using computers is a sagacious idea while staying on typewriters is ________.

1. erronious      b. foolish      c. bright      d. mediocre

40. Susie’s fatuous spending put her in debt while her sister Anne’s ________ money-saving decisions made her wealthy.

1. slow      b. intelligent      c. impulsive      d. careless

Once you have listed your chosen answers on a sheet of paper, click on any of the social media buttons below to see how you fared in this Civil Service Exam reviewer of synonyms and antonyms.

I hope you got at least 90% of the correct answers. If not, widening your vocabulary by reading the dictionary will help you more in passing the CSC Examination.