HSPT Verbal : Antonyms: Adjectives Describing Location, Context, Order, and Direction
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Antonyms: Adjectives Describing Location, Context, Order, And Direction
An antonym of "superior" is __________.
surrogate
informal
submarine
subordinate
secondary
subordinate
Something that is "superior" is above another thing. The prefix "super-" or "supra-" means above—either physically or metaphorically. A "superior" can be a person who is placed "above" another person in rank. When something is "subordinate," it is below something or someone else. The prefix "sub-" means under (as in "submarine," "subconscious," and "subpar"). To be "subordinate" is literally to be ordered below. Its general English meaning is lower in position.
Example Question #2 : Antonyms: Adjectives Describing Location, Context, Order, And Direction
An antonym of "strewn" is __________.
placid
didactic
belittled
overcome
accumulated
accumulated
When things are strewn, they are spread apart or scattered. We rarely use the verb "strew," but the participial adjective "strewn" is much more common. For instance, we say, "The papers were strewn all over the floor," meaning "The papers were spread all over the floor." The opposite of being "strewn" is being gathered up. This is the case with an "accumulation," literally meaning, a gathering together. An "accumulation" of snow is so called because of the gathering of the snowflakes together.
Example Question #3 : Antonyms: Adjectives Describing Location, Context, Order, And Direction
An antonym of "proximate" is __________.
remote
differentiated
adjudicated
neighboring
forgotten
remote
The "prox-" in "proximate" comes from Latin roots for close or near. When things are in proximity, they are close to each other. When we "approximate" a number, we try to find a number that is "close" to the actual value needed. Something that is "proximate" is close. A "proximate cause" is a cause that is very close to the effect. The electric stove burner is the proximate cause of the heat in the kettle. In contrast to this, the dead matter making up the coal that is used in the power plant is a "remote" cause—one that is distant and somewhat "removed" from the direct causal situation.
Example Question #4 : Antonyms: Adjectives Describing Location, Context, Order, And Direction
An antonym of "posterior" is __________.
minuscule
cultured
antecedent
gluteal
heady
antecedent
The prefix "post-" comes from the Latin meaning after. A "post-mortem" investigation is one that happens after death, and a "post-prom party" is one that happens after the prom itself. Something that is "posterior" comes after something else. For example, we could say, "The night class was posterior to a much more interesting class that Tom took in the morning." The prefix "ante-" means before. Something that "antecedes" comes before another thing.
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