Seldom and Often Choose the option that most appropriately describes the meaning of both the words.
- (a)Seldom means hardly ever and often means time and again
- (b)Seldom means time and again and often means hardly ever
- (c)Seldom means never and often means not at all
- (d)Seldom means frequently and often means time and again
Correct — A. 'Seldom' is an adverb of low frequency meaning 'hardly ever / rarely', while 'often' is an adverb of high frequency meaning 'frequently / time and again'. Option A pairs each word with the right meaning.
- (b)Seldom means time and again and often means hardly ever — Swaps the two meanings — it hands 'seldom' the sense of 'often' and vice versa.
- (c)Seldom means never and often means not at all — 'Seldom' means rarely, not 'never' (it still allows the odd occasion), and 'often' means frequently, the opposite of 'not at all'.
- (d)Seldom means frequently and often means time and again — Wrongly makes 'seldom' mean 'frequently'; seldom is a low-frequency adverb, so this contradicts its meaning.
'Seldom' means rarely or hardly ever (low frequency); 'often' means frequently or time and again (high frequency) — near-opposite adverbs of frequency.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'Seldom' is nearest in meaning to —
- (a)rarely
- (b)usually
- (c)always
- (d)often
Answer(a) rarely — seldom is a low-frequency adverb meaning 'hardly ever'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'He ______ visits us; we see him barely once a year.' The best word is —
- (a)often
- (b)seldom
- (c)always
- (d)usually
Answer(b) seldom — 'barely once a year' signals rare, low-frequency visits.