Vocabulary and word usage: synonyms, antonyms, idioms, proverbs
What the vocabulary items test
Synonyms (samanarthi), antonyms (virudharthi), idioms (vakyaprayog), and proverbs (mhani) are context items. The exam expects the meaning in the sentence, not the dictionary's first entry.
Method
- Read the whole sentence; replace the target with your candidate and check grammar and tone.
- For antonyms, find the contrast pair, not just a negative prefix.
- For idioms, treat the phrase as one unit; literal words usually mislead.
- For proverbs, identify the lesson and the situation; do not rewrite the proverb as a sentence.
Worked example
Sentence: 'Tacho uzvadd polloun soglle khuxal zale.' Target: uzvadd. Reasoning: polloun (seeing) and khuxal zale (became happy) show a positive quality, not physical light. So uzvadd here means fame or good name, not lamp. If options are light, fame, heat, shadow, choose fame. For an antonym item, sundar (beautiful) pairs with kuruup (ugly); sobhit is a synonym, not an antonym.
Idioms and proverbs
Learn the situation: an idiom about a hand may mean help, refusal, or secrecy; the verb decides. A proverb states a general truth; the question often asks which situation it fits. Do not mix a proverb with a simile.
Traps
Choosing a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence; treating an idiom literally; giving an antonym that is only a different word class; inventing a Konkani proverb from English word for word.