Why vocabulary matters
Direct synonym and antonym questions appear in some SBI papers, but vocabulary also decides fillers, cloze tests, word usage and the "meaning as used in the passage" questions in reading comprehension. Banking and economy passages repeat a core set of words: volatile, prudent, lucrative, insolvent, sporadic, exacerbate, mitigate, augment, impede, scrutinise.
How to answer synonym and antonym questions
- Read the question word carefully: SYNONYM or ANTONYM? Under time pressure, many candidates pick the synonym for an antonym question. Distractors are designed for this mistake: an antonym question always includes the synonyms as options.
- If a sentence is given, use it. Substitute each option into the sentence; the right answer keeps (synonym) or reverses (antonym) the meaning.
- Use word roots when you do not know a word:
- bene- (good): benevolent, beneficial. mal- (bad): malevolent, malfunction.
- cred- (believe): credulous, credible, credit.
- -vol- (fly or will): volatile (likely to change quickly).
- acerb- (harsh, bitter): exacerbate (make a bad situation harsher, that is, worse), acerbic.
- ameli- (better): ameliorate.
- Eliminate the "group" of similar options. If three options mean the same thing, none of them can be the single correct answer, unless the question word's meaning is exactly that group's meaning.
High-yield word list
| Word | Meaning | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|---|
| frugal | careful with money | thrifty | lavish |
| ameliorate | make better | improve | worsen |
| exacerbate | make worse | aggravate | alleviate |
| ephemeral | lasting a short time | fleeting | permanent |
| volatile | liable to change rapidly | unstable | stable |
| sporadic | happening irregularly | intermittent | continuous |
| lucrative | producing profit | profitable | unprofitable |
| insolvent | unable to pay debts | bankrupt | solvent |
| credulous | too ready to believe | gullible | sceptical |
| augment | increase | enlarge | diminish |
| impede | obstruct | hinder | facilitate |
| candid | truthful, direct | frank | evasive |
Worked example
ANTONYM of sporadic: occasional, irregular, scattered, intermittent, continuous. Four options mean "happening now and then"; they are synonyms. The only opposite is continuous.
Building vocabulary for the exam
- Read one editorial a day (economy or banking) and note five words with the sentence they appeared in.
- Revise words in families (augment, diminish, curtail, bolster) rather than in alphabetical lists.
- Learn collocations, not just meanings: stem the decline, curb inflation, bolster confidence.
Time target: 10-15 seconds per direct synonym/antonym question. If you do not know the word, use roots and elimination, then move on.