Word meanings

Pick the option whose meaning is nearest to the given word

HintTwo of the answers might share a topic — you want the one that could swap in for it.

The whyA word from the same topic is the trap: "teacher" and "school" go together, but they do not mean the same thing. Test each choice by swapping it into a sentence in place of the question word.

An option that means the same as the question word

HintIt is the reverse trap — a rushed reader picks a synonym by mistake.

The whyThe answer is the option that means the reverse of the given word, so slow down and check the direction: "generous" sits near "kind", but its opposite is "mean" or "selfish".

Take each word out in turn and see if the other three still make a tight group

HintRemove one at a time — the odd one leaves a happy family behind.

The whyThree of the four words are close in meaning. The odd one may still be on the same topic — what matters is whether it shares the meaning, not the subject.

Work out how the first two words are related

HintThe opening pair sets the pattern — same meaning, or opposites?

The whyThe first pair might mean the same or be opposites. Whatever links them, the answer must go with the third word in exactly the same way.

Vast

HintThink of the open sea, or space — stretching further than you can see.

The whyVast is the writer’s word for enormous size or extent: a vast desert, a vast crowd. In a closest-meaning question it sits beside huge, enormous and immense.

Attempt

HintYou make one when you have a go at something difficult.

The whyYou can attempt a question, or make an attempt at a record — the same word works as a doing word and a naming word, which is why it appears so often.

Cease

HintWhen the rain does this, it stops falling.

The whyCease means to stop or come to an end: a bell may cease ringing. Papers love it because children meet it far less often than "stop".

Purchase

HintThe formal word a shop receipt might print at the top.

The whyPurchasing something means getting it by paying for it. Formal words like this one are exactly the vocabulary the meaning questions reach for.

Repair

HintWhat a garage does to a broken-down car.

The whyYou mend a sock and a garage repairs an engine — the meaning is the same, but one word is homely and one is formal. Meaning questions often pair them.

Error

HintA computer message often reports one when something goes wrong.

The whyAn error is a mistake — in spelling, in sums, in a machine. "Fault" lives in the same family, so expect all three to appear together as options.

Gradual

HintA slope that rises gently, little by little.

The whyA gradual change creeps up in small steps; a sudden one arrives all at once. Opposite-meaning questions like this pair because both words describe how quickly things happen.

Deny

HintTo say firmly that you did not do it.

The whyAdmitting something means agreeing it is true; denying means saying it is not. Watch the trap option "confess", which means nearly the SAME as admit.