‘Obstinate’ is related to ‘Stubborn’ in the same way as ‘Resolute’ is related to ‘________’. (The words must be considered as meaningful English words and must not be related to each other based on the number of letters/number of consonants/vowels in the word.)

Correct — D. The relation in the first pair is sameness of meaning, not opposition.

Trigger: Obstinate means Stubborn. Both describe someone who refuses to shift position, and neither is a milder or stronger form of the other.

Apply exactly that relation. Resolute means firm in purpose and unshakeable in a decision, and the word carrying that same meaning is Determined — option (d).

The pair of shades differs and the relation does not care: obstinate and stubborn carry disapproval, resolute and determined carry approval. What is being tested is identity of meaning.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Wavering — Wavering means hesitating between choices, which is the opposite of resolute. The first pair is built on sameness, so an opposite cannot fill the blank.
• (b)
  Thoughtful — Thoughtful describes someone who considers carefully or shows care for others. A resolute person may be neither, so the link is loose association, not synonymy.
• (c)
  Dithering — Dithering means being unable to decide, the reverse of resolute — and a near twin of wavering, which is itself a signal that neither can be the single intended answer.

A verbal analogy is settled by naming the relation of the first pair in a sentence, then testing the second pair against that exact sentence. Here the sentence is: X means the same as Y.

SSC's bracketed rider — the words must be considered as meaningful English words and not related by letter or vowel counts — exists because candidates fall back on counting when the meaning is unclear. It closes that door deliberately.

Two options that are near synonyms of each other, as wavering and dithering are here, can usually both be dropped: a single-answer item cannot carry two equally good keys.

Key facts

• Obstinate and stubborn are synonyms, both meaning unwilling to change course.
• Resolute means firmly determined, so its synonym among the options is determined.
• Wavering and dithering both mean hesitating, which places them opposite resolute.

Common traps

• Assuming opposition because so many SSC word pairs are antonym pairs
• Choosing a word from the same field, such as thoughtful, instead of a true synonym
• Falling back on letter or vowel counts that the rider has already ruled out

No directly related past PYQ was found.