NDA (I) 2024 General Ability Test · Question 2 of 146

Correct — A, exacerbate. To 'counteract' something is to act against it and reduce or neutralise its effect, so the opposite is 'exacerbate' — to make it worse or more severe. The other options all keep the sense of opposing or blocking: 'foil' and 'thwart' both mean to frustrate or prevent, and 'contravene' means to act against or violate a rule — none of them reverses counteract the way 'worsen' does.

• (b)foil — Means to prevent or frustrate something; it overlaps with counteract's sense of opposing, so it is not an antonym.
• (c)thwart — Means to block or defeat a plan; a near-synonym of counteract, not its opposite.
• (d)contravene — Means to go against or violate a law or rule; it shares the 'act against' idea and does not mean to worsen.

This is an antonym item — 'counteract' means to oppose and reduce an effect, so the opposite is 'exacerbate' (to make worse); foil, thwart and contravene all keep the sense of opposing.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Select the word opposite in meaning to 'aggravate'.

  • (a)worsen
  • (b)soothe
  • (c)intensify
  • (d)inflame

  Answer(b) soothe — 'aggravate' means to make worse; 'soothe'/relieve is its opposite (the others intensify).

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Choose the antonym of 'neutralise'.

  • (a)offset
  • (b)counterbalance
  • (c)amplify
  • (d)cancel

  Answer(c) amplify — 'neutralise' means to cancel out an effect; 'amplify' (to increase it) is its opposite.