Synonyms

A synonym is not merely a word with a similar meaning; it is a word that can take the same place in the same sentence. Test the options that way and the near-misses fall out.

1. Direct synonym. The word stands alone and you choose the closest match. When two options look close, decide by strength: annoyed and furious share a meaning but not a degree.
2. Synonym in context. The word appears in a sentence, and the sentence, not the dictionary, decides. Fine in "a fine officer" is not fine in "he paid a fine".
3. Root and affix clues. bene- good (benevolent, benefactor), mal- bad (malice, malnutrition), circum- around (circumvent), -cide killing (homicide), ambi- both (ambiguous).
4. Connotation. thrifty, economical and stingy describe the same behaviour with approval, neutrality and disapproval in turn. The paper often keeps two options with the right meaning and the wrong attitude.

The single most common mistake is choosing a word with the right meaning but the wrong part of speech or the wrong attitude — answering "wisdom" where the stem is an adjective, or "stubborn" where the stem is the approving "determined".

How to check: put your answer back into the original sentence, or into a sentence of your own. If the grammar creaks or the speaker's opinion has changed, it is the wrong option.

A synonym must fit the same slot: same part of speech, same strength, same attitude · context beats dictionary · roots help: bene- good, mal- bad, circum- around, -cide killing · substitute your answer back into the sentence to confirm

Choose the synonym of the underlined word: "The minister gave a candid reply to the question." Options: rude / frank / lengthy / evasive. → frank. Sanity check: substitute each option — "a frank reply" keeps the meaning and the neutral-to-positive attitude of "candid"; "rude" adds disapproval that the sentence never expressed; "evasive" is the opposite; and "lengthy" describes size, not honesty.