NDA (I) 2018 General Ability Test · Question 14 of 150

Correct — B, 'trivial'. 'Serious' here is about weight and gravity, and 'trivial' is the word at the other end of that scale — of little weight or importance. The other three either repeat the sense of 'serious' or move to a different scale altogether.

• (a)grave — Grave is a synonym of serious, not its opposite; a grave manner is a serious one.
• (c)sober — Sober also means serious and restrained in manner, so it too repeats the underlined word.
• (d)stupid — Stupid is about a lack of intelligence, which is a different quality; calling a man serious says nothing about how clever he is.

'Serious' sits on a scale of weight and importance, so its opposite is the other end of that scale — light, slight, of no consequence.

The key's choice is worth being straight about. Used of a person's temperament, the word English usually reaches for as the opposite of 'serious' is 'frivolous' or 'light-hearted', and 'trivial' is more often said of matters than of people. But two of the printed options are outright synonyms and the fourth is off the scale entirely, so 'trivial' is the only option that reverses the sense of weight, and the key marks it. Elimination, rather than a perfect fit, is what settles items built this way.

• 'Trivial' comes from the Latin trivium, the meeting of three roads, hence commonplace.
• 'Grave', 'sober', 'solemn' and 'earnest' all cluster near 'serious'.
• 'Frivolous' and 'light-hearted' are the usual opposites when the word describes a person.

• Marking 'grave' or 'sober' because they sit so comfortably beside 'temperament'.
• Waiting for a perfect opposite instead of eliminating the synonyms first.

Asked as an antonym item — choose the word most opposite in meaning to the underlined word.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'grave' in 'a grave situation'.

  • (a)serious
  • (b)solemn
  • (c)trivial
  • (d)urgent

  Answer(c) trivial — the other three all keep or sharpen the sense of weight.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the phrase closest in meaning to 'frivolous'.

  • (a)earnest
  • (b)not serious
  • (c)dishonest
  • (d)careless

  Answer(b) not serious — frivolity is a lack of seriousness, not a lack of care.