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CSS 2012 — Synonyms, Antonyms & Sentence Completion (Solved)

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Answer key: 1-d · 2-c · 3-d · 4-d · 5-d · 6-d · 7-c · 8-b · 9-c · 10-b (forum key: c) · 11-b · 12-c · 13-b · 14-b · 15-d · 16-c · 17-c · 18-d · 19-a · 20-d. The 2012 paper had 5 synonyms, 5 antonyms and 10 sentence-completion MCQs, and all 20 are solved below. (The paper printed "IOTA" as "LOTA".)

(a) Synonyms

1. BREACH

(a) Secret (b) Reinforcement (c) Difficulty (d) Opening

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Answer: (d) Opening

  • Urdu: شگاف، دراڑ؛ خلاف ورزی
  • Meaning (n.): a gap in a wall or barrier; an act of breaking a law or agreement
  • Synonyms: opening, gap, rupture, violation, infringement, break
  • Antonyms: closure, compliance, observance, repair, seal
  • Sentences:
    1. A breach in the embankment flooded the village.
    2. Leaking the report was a breach of trust.

2. GELID

(a) Hot (b) Soft (c) Icy cold (d) Hard

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Answer: (c) Icy cold

  • Urdu: یخ بستہ، برفیلا
  • Meaning (adj.): very cold; icy
  • Synonyms: icy, freezing, frosty, frigid, glacial, arctic
  • Antonyms: hot, warm, torrid, scorching, tropical
  • Sentences:
    1. They bathed in the gelid waters of the Neelum river.
    2. The gelid wind at Khunjerab cut through their jackets.

3. OPULENT

(a) Corrupt (b) Poor (c) Proud (d) Luxuriant

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Answer: (d) Luxuriant

  • Urdu: دولت مند، شاہانہ، شاندار
  • Meaning (adj.): ostentatiously rich and luxurious; abundant
  • Synonyms: luxurious, lavish, sumptuous, wealthy, plush, luxuriant
  • Antonyms: poor, squalid, spartan, humble, meagre
  • Sentences:
    1. The minister lives in an opulent villa.
    2. The Mughal court was famous for its opulent lifestyle.

4. VERISIMILITUDE

(a) Large number (b) Variety (c) Shades of colours (d) Being true

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Answer: (d) Being true

  • Urdu: حقیقت نمائی، سچ جیسا ہونا
  • Meaning (n.): the appearance of being true or real
  • Synonyms: realism, authenticity, plausibility, lifelikeness, credibility, truthfulness
  • Antonyms: implausibility, unreality, falseness, artificiality
  • Sentences:
    1. Real locations add verisimilitude to the drama.
    2. His story lacked verisimilitude.
  • Tip: Latin verum = true + similis = like.

5. IOTA

(a) Agreement (b) Coin (c) Column (d) Small amount

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Answer: (d) Small amount

  • Urdu: ذرہ بھر، رتی بھر
  • Meaning (n.): an extremely small amount (the ninth, smallest Greek letter)
  • Synonyms: bit, jot, whit, scrap, trace, modicum
  • Antonyms: abundance, mass, heap, lot, plenty
  • Sentences:
    1. There is not an iota of truth in the rumour.
    2. He did not change his stance one iota.

(b) Antonyms

6. DESPISE

(a) Abhor (b) Disdain (c) Demolish (d) Admire

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Answer: (d) Admire

  • Urdu: حقیر جاننا، نفرت کرنا
  • Meaning (v.): to feel contempt or deep repugnance for
  • Synonyms: abhor, disdain, detest, scorn, loathe, hate
  • Antonyms: admire, respect, esteem, love, revere
  • Sentences:
    1. He despised hypocrisy above all.
    2. Students admire teachers who are fair.

7. LACKEY

(a) Strange (b) Poor (c) Master (d) Ignorant

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Answer: (c) Master

  • Urdu: نوکر، خوشامدی چاکر
  • Meaning (n.): a servant; a servile follower
  • Synonyms: servant, flunkey, minion, toady, underling, yes-man
  • Antonyms: master, boss, leader, lord, employer
  • Sentences:
    1. The feudal lord was surrounded by lackeys.
    2. The media called him a lackey of foreign powers.

8. EGRESS

(a) Decline (b) Entrance (c) Rude (d) Angry

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Answer: (b) Entrance

  • Urdu: باہر نکلنے کا راستہ، خروج
  • Meaning (n.): the action of going out; a way out
  • Synonyms: exit, way out, departure, outlet, emergence
  • Antonyms: entrance, ingress, entry, access
  • Sentences:
    1. The stadium has six points of egress for emergencies.
    2. The fire blocked the only egress from the building.

9. AMALGAMATE

(a) Punish (b) Study (c) Separate (d) Reduce

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Answer: (c) Separate

  • Urdu: ضم کرنا، ملانا، یکجا کرنا
  • Meaning (v.): to combine or unite to form one organisation or structure
  • Synonyms: merge, combine, unite, fuse, integrate, consolidate
  • Antonyms: separate, split, divide, disunite, detach
  • Sentences:
    1. The two banks amalgamated to form a larger entity.
    2. FATA was amalgamated with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018.

10. INSIPID

(a) Silly (b) Tasty (c) Active (d) Thin

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Answer: (b) Tasty

  • Urdu: بے ذائقہ، پھیکا، بے رونق
  • Meaning (adj.): lacking flavour; lacking vigour or interest
  • Synonyms: tasteless, bland, flavourless, dull, uninspiring, vapid
  • Antonyms: tasty, flavourful, savoury, interesting, lively
  • Sentences:
    1. Hospital food is often insipid.
    2. The speech was insipid and forgettable.
  • Note: the original paper key printed (c) Active. The dictionary opposite is tasty (b), which fits better; some keys accept both.

(c) Sentence completion

11. Knowledge is like a deep well fed by springs, and your mind is a little bucket that you drop in it.

(a) External (b) Perennial (c) Immortal (d) Lovely

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Answer: (b) Perennial

  • Urdu (perennial): دائمی، سدا بہار، ہمیشہ جاری رہنے والا
  • Meaning: lasting or existing for a long time; continually recurring
  • Synonyms: everlasting, perpetual, enduring, abiding, constant
  • Antonyms: ephemeral, transient, seasonal, short-lived
  • Sentence: Water shortage is a perennial problem in Karachi.
  • Why: springs that never dry up are perennial; "immortal" is used for beings, not springs.

12. The unruly behaviour of children their parents.

(a) Aggrieved (b) Impeached (c) Incensed (d) Tempered

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Answer: (c) Incensed

  • Urdu (incense v.): غصہ دلانا، آگ بگولا کرنا
  • Meaning: to make someone very angry
  • Synonyms: enraged, infuriated, angered, provoked, exasperated
  • Antonyms: pleased, calmed, pacified, soothed
  • Sentence: The price hike incensed the public.
  • Why: "aggrieved" is an adjective describing the victim and doesn't take an object here; impeach = charge an official.

13. He suggests that the meeting postponed.

(a) Is (b) Be (c) Must (d) Would be

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Answer: (b) Be

  • Rule: the subjunctive mood. After verbs like suggest, recommend, insist, demand + that, use the base form of the verb (be, go, pay).
  • More examples: The doctor insisted that he rest. · I recommend that she apply early.

14. The landscape was truly , so arid that even the hardiest plant could not survive.

(a) Lurid (b) Parched (c) Verdant (d) Variegated

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Answer: (b) Parched

  • Urdu (parched): خشک سالی سے متاثر، تپتا ہوا، بنجر
  • Meaning: dried out with heat; extremely dry
  • Synonyms: arid, dry, scorched, barren, desiccated, waterless
  • Antonyms: verdant, lush, moist, fertile, well-watered
  • Sentence: The parched fields of Cholistan wait for rain.
  • Why: verdant (green) is the opposite · lurid = vivid or shocking · variegated = multi-coloured.

15. His statement was so that everyone was left in doubt.

(a) Equitable (b) Innocuous (c) Dogmatic (d) Equivocal

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Answer: (d) Equivocal

  • Urdu (equivocal): مبہم، ذو معنی، گول مول
  • Meaning: open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous
  • Synonyms: ambiguous, vague, evasive, unclear, cryptic, noncommittal
  • Antonyms: unequivocal, clear, explicit, definite, plain
  • Sentence: The spokesperson gave an equivocal reply about the talks.
  • Why: dogmatic = rigidly certain (the opposite) · equitable = fair.

16. I certainly do not your driving your car over the speed limit.

(a) Approve in (b) Approve with (c) Approve of (d) Approve for

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Answer: (c) Approve of

  • Rule: approve of = consider good or acceptable. Approve without a preposition = officially sanction ("The cabinet approved the budget").
  • Example: My parents don't approve of late nights.

17. The eagle swooped and a sleeping lizard.

(a) Carried down (b) Carried up (c) Carried off (d) Carried in

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Answer: (c) Carried off

  • Meaning of carry off: to take away by force; also to win (a prize) or to handle successfully
  • Examples: The flood carried off their cattle. · She carried off the gold medal.

18. A young officer was the task of taking prisoners to the rear.

(a) Charged by (b) Charged in (c) Charged for (d) Charged with

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Answer: (d) Charged with

  • Rule: charged with = entrusted with a duty, or accused of a crime
  • Examples: NAB is charged with fighting corruption. · He was charged with murder.

19. It seemed he was going to him but he controlled himself.

(a) Lash out at (b) Lash out in (c) Lash out to (d) Lash out on

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Answer: (a) Lash out at

  • Meaning of lash out at: to attack suddenly, physically or with words
  • Urdu: اچانک حملہ کرنا، برس پڑنا
  • Example: The PM lashed out at the opposition in his speech.

20. I am not going to this book at any cost.

(a) Part from (b) Part up (c) Part for (d) Part with

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Answer: (d) Part with

  • Rule: part with a thing = give it up · part from a person = leave them
  • Examples: She refused to part with her mother's ring. · He parted from his friends at the station.

Source: 2012 paper and key (CSS Forums)