PSSA Friday #1
Synonyms and Antonyms
Name: __________________________________________________________ Period: _______
Warm-Up #1
1. In your own words, what does a synonym mean?
2. In your own words, what does an antonym mean?
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Directions: Come up with your own examples of words and their synonyms.
3. Word: ____________________________ Synonym: _____________________________
4. Word: ____________________________ Synonym: _____________________________
5. Word: ____________________________ Synonym: _____________________________
6. Word: ____________________________ Synonym: _____________________________
7. Word: ____________________________ Synonym: _____________________________
Directions: Come up with your own examples of words and their antonyms.
8. Word: ____________________________ Antonym: _____________________________
9. Word: ____________________________ Antonym: _____________________________
10. Word: ____________________________ Antonym: _____________________________
11. Word: ____________________________ Antonym: _____________________________
12. Word: ____________________________ Antonym: ____________________________
Directions: Read the following mini-lesson, which will help you better understand synonyms
and antonyms.
Synonyms and Antonyms Mini-Lesson
SYNONYMS are words that have nearly the same meaning.
Synonyms can be adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, or prepositions, as long as both words are
the same part of speech. "Pupil" and "student" are one example of a synonym pair. The list
below gives you more examples of synonyms.
Word
Hate
Sad
Lavish
Naïve
Wise
Brilliant
Synonyms
Abhor, deplore
Dejected, discouraged
Extravagant, abundant
Trusting, gullible
Sagacious, astute
Shrewd, ingenious
Remember: Textbooks can use synonyms to clarify terms or ideas discussed. You can use
synonyms to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.
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ANTONYMS are words that have opposite meanings.
Some thesauruses will list antonyms of words after the synonyms. "Increase" and "decrease"
are one example of an antonym pair. There are more examples listed on the chart below.
Word
Admire
Elegant
Sweltering
Courteous
Famished
Malicious
Antonym
Despise
Crude
Freezing
Uncivil
Satisfied
Benevolent
Remember: Antonyms can help readers understand the meanings of words by showing
opposites. Look for a sentence structure that shows contrast. Words like however, but,
and though show that opposite ideas may be introduced.
EXAMPLES
Directions: Replace the underlined word with a synonym.
1. I understand the speaker.
A.
B.
C.
D.
dislike
comprehend
misunderstand
enjoy
Explanation: "I understand the speaker" means the same thing as "I comprehend the speaker,"
so "understand" and "comprehend" are synonyms. The answer is B.
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Directions: Replace the underlined word with an antonym.
2. Stapling 1,000 books by hand is very tedious work!
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple
difficult
interesting
boring
Explanation: An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. Find a word
that means the opposite of "tedious." Something that is NOT tedious is "interesting." The
answer is C.
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**TIP: Replace the underlined word with each answer choice. If the meaning of the sentence
is the same, then you've found a synonym. If the meaning of the sentence is the opposite of
what it was before, then you've found an antonym.
Now use this information to help you
complete the following practice activities.
Synonym and Antonym Practice
Directions: Circle the two synonyms in each set of words.
1. mighty
giant
range
early
2. argue
discuss
drive
snug
3. route
ragged
rough
departed
4. duty
ally
friend
agreeable
5. fat
aged
tend
thick
6. have
contain
stylish
steer
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Directions: Synonyms or antonyms? Write how each set of words are related.
7. competition, alliance
8. strict, vulgar
9. interpret, misconceive
10. extreme, judicious
11. ambush, attack
12. govern, control
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Directions: Circle the two antonyms in each set of words.
13. absent
here
settlement
decrease
14. ornate
disagree
disturb
agree
15. peculiar
general
commonly
included
16. bliss
infancy
loose
accursedness
17. yearn
revolt
infamy
covered
18. work
counteractive
disconnect
lock
Now you are ready for your synonym and
antonym quiz. You may NOT use a dictionary
or thesaurus of any kind to assist you.
Name: ____________________________________________________________ Period: ___
PSSA Friday #1
Synonyms and Antonyms Quiz
(Total: 36 pts)
USE THIS ANSWER SHEET TO RECORD YORU ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING
QUESTIONS. YOU MAY CAREFULLY TEAR THE ANSWER SHEET LOOSE FROM
THE REST OF THE PACKET IN ORDER TO COMPLETE YOUR WORK.
1. _________
2. _________
3. _________
4. _________
5. _________
6. _________
7. _________
8. _________
9. _________
10. _________
11. _________
12. _________
13. _________
14. _________
15. _________
16. _________
17. _________
18. _________
Synonyms and Antonyms Quiz
(Total: 36 pts)
Directions: Read the poem below. Then, choose the BEST answer to the questions that follow. (2
pts each)
A Young Colonist's Decision
Patriot or Loyalist, which one will I be? My kin came here from England, but I'm a colonist, you
see. We have resided here all of my life; we toil hard every day, So why should we pay leviesto
a monarch far away? The people who really love this land will wrestle to make it free. I love this
land and I shall fight . . . so a Patriot I will be! Men and women, girls and boys, speak up for
democracy, So we can resolve what's best for us, rather than someone across the sea!
1. Which is a synonym for kin?
a. teacher
b. family
c. farmers
d. engineer
2. If resolve means "choose," an antonym would be:
a. decide.
b. determine.
c. disallow.
d. establish.
3. A synonym for levies is:
a. chairs.
b. taxes.
c. statues.
d. attention.
4. An antonym for toil is:
a. relax.
b. hustle.
c. work.
d. labor.
Directions: There are two underlined words in each selection. They are either synonyms or
antonyms. Put an “S” for synonym or an “A” for antonym in the blank to indicate how the words
are related. (2 pts each)
_____ 5. I couldn’t recall her name and I don’t even remember where we met.
_____ 6. Chris wasn’t in his seat when the teacher passed out the morning assignment. He
was tardy as usual. Then he missed the bus and was late for supper.
_____ 7. I thought I had a rare old bicycle that was worth a fortune. It turned out to be
a common model that nobody wanted to buy.
_____ 8.“What is that awful smell?” Troy asked as Melinda entered the room. “That
wonderful fragrance is my perfume!” she replied.
_____ 9. Yes, taking your shoes off as we entered Patrick’s house was a polite thing to do.
However, placing them on his coffee table was rather rude.
_____ 10. Mr. Smith never liked any of his daughter’s boyfriends. He claimed that most of them
were weird. He was even less comfortable about any that he considered to
be normal.
_____ 11. Miss Snowflake was convinced that George had turned the heat up all the way. She
demanded that he confess his guilt. The other kids knew that George would
never admit that he had done wrong.
_____ 12. Drinking the water in that lake is strictly prohibited. It could make you sick. But for
some reason, swimming is allowed.
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Directions: Choose the best synonym for the following words. (2 pts each)
13. Precious
a. Necessary
b. Valuable
c. Irregular
d. Simple
14. Authorize
a. Protect
b. Question
c. Empower
d. Verify
15. Bulky
a. Awkward
b. Skinny
c. Tender
d. Simple
Directions: Choose the best antonym for the following words. (2 pts each)
16. Instigate
a. Incite
b. Create
c. Mediate
d. Hesitate
17. Conquer
a. Surrender
b. Descend
c. Triumph
d. Divide
18. Criticize
a. Praise
b. Enjoy
c. Disapprove
d. Fault