Antonym questions, labelled "most opposite in meaning" by GL, ask your child to do the reverse of a synonym question: from two groups of words, pick the one word in each that points in opposite directions. They reward a child who not only knows what words mean but can feel the contrast between them, such as the gap between generous and mean, or expand and shrink.
These questions sit in the GL Assessment 11+ Verbal Reasoning paper, a brisk test of around 80 questions in roughly 50 to 60 minutes where each question type appears as its own block and answers go on a separate answer sheet. GL keeps the exact count private, so our research estimate, based on analysing practice papers, is that opposite-in-meaning questions make up a smaller block than synonyms, perhaps in the region of 4 to 8 per paper.
Here your child works through the real task one pair of groups at a time, choosing the opposite pair, with a full explanation afterwards. The explanations are deliberate about pointing out the synonyms and the merely related words GL packs in alongside the true opposite, so your child learns to spot the trap rather than be caught by it.
Opposite-in-meaning questions test several kinds of contrast. There is no published GL weighting, so the following is our research estimate, ordered roughly from most to least common:
Difficulty rises from concrete, obvious opposites at the easy end to abstract, advanced pairs at the hard end, where most of the other words in the groups are similar in meaning and only one true opposite exists.
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s antonyms bank, spanning Foundation to Challenging. Tap “Show worked explanation” to see the full method after you’ve had a go. The correct answer is highlighted on each question so you can check immediately.
Choose one word from each group that are most opposite in meaning.
Group A
Group B
'Generous' means willing to give freely, while 'mean' means unwilling to share — direct opposites. 'Spoon' and 'fork' are both cutlery — related, not opposite. 'Table' and 'chair' are both furniture — related, not opposite. ✓
Choose one word from each group that are most opposite in meaning.
Group A
Group B
'Ancient' means extremely old, while 'modern' means present-day — direct opposites. 'Butter' and 'bread' go together but aren't opposites. 'Sock' and 'shoe' are both worn on feet — related, not opposite. ✓
Choose one word from each group that are most opposite in meaning.
Group A
Group B
'Temporary' means lasting a short time, while 'permanent' means lasting forever — direct opposites. 'Regular' and 'common' describe how often something happens — they're similar, not opposite. 'Popular' and 'famous' also mean similar things. ✓
Choose one word from each group that are most opposite in meaning.
Group A
Group B
'Timid' means shy and lacking confidence, while 'bold' means brave and willing to take risks — direct opposites. 'Gentle' and 'kind' are very similar in meaning (near-synonyms), not opposites. 'Clever' and 'smart' also mean the same thing — another synonym pair, not antonyms. ✓
Choose one word from each group that are most opposite in meaning.
Group A
Group B
'Abundant' means plentiful and in great quantity, while 'scarce' means in very short supply — direct opposites. 'Moderate' and 'adequate' both mean 'enough' — similar, not opposite. 'Sufficient' and 'ample' also mean 'plenty' — near-synonyms, not opposites. ✓
Common mistake 1 of 4
Picking a synonym by mistake instead of an opposite.
Tip: Under time pressure children sometimes match words that go together rather than words that clash. Teach your child to pause and confirm "do these two words mean the reverse of each other?" before answering.
Common mistake 2 of 4
Choosing a word that is merely different, not opposite.
Tip: GL loves to offer words from the same topic, such as fork and spoon, that are related but not opposite. Remind your child that an opposite must sit at the far end of the same idea, not just be another word from the set.
Common mistake 3 of 4
Settling for a weak opposite when a stronger one exists.
Tip: Cool is a mild opposite of hot, but freezing or cold may be the truer contrast offered. Encourage your child to scan both whole groups for the strongest, cleanest opposite before deciding.
Common mistake 4 of 4
Being thrown by near-synonyms crowded into the groups.
Tip: In harder questions, four of the six words may mean roughly the same thing. Teach your child to find the single pair that genuinely contrasts and treat the rest as deliberate noise.
They are "most opposite in meaning" questions. Your child is shown two groups of words and must pick one word from each group that mean the opposite of each other, such as generous from one group and mean from the other. They test whether your child understands words well enough to recognise their true contrast.
As multiple choice, with the answer marked on a separate answer sheet. Each question presents two groups of words, and your child selects the opposite pair, one word from each group. GL deliberately includes synonyms and related words as distractors, so simply knowing the words is not always enough.
GL does not release exact figures. Our research estimate from practice papers is roughly 4 to 8 opposite-in-meaning questions in a typical Verbal Reasoning paper of about 80 questions, usually grouped together as a single block.
The advanced questions, where the two groups are filled with near-synonyms and only one true opposite pair exists, for instance abundant against scarce among words that all mean "enough" or "plenty". Spotting the genuine contrast in a sea of similar words is what separates the strongest candidates.
Talking about opposites in everyday reading helps, as does learning common prefixes such as un, dis and in that flip a word's meaning. Free PrepStep practice then gives one opposite-in-meaning question at a time with a worked explanation that names the synonyms and related-word traps, so your child learns to avoid them under exam conditions.
PrepStep has 125 antonyms questions in GL Assessment format: five options, instant feedback, and step-by-step explanations. Free to start.
Start practising free No sign-up needed · Works on phone, tablet, and desktop